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Very much worthwhile to go deep on this guy, who produced the likes of Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, early Bob Dylan, early Simon & Garfunkel, the Mothers of Invention and the Velvet Underground. Also The Animals, including this gem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckAAj6mu2zI
Jan 24, 2024
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An unmatched talent in the realm of composition who explored and found the existential mystery of music and why it matters. Brian Wilson discovered that the point of picking up an instrument, of singing with your friends, of writing a song about something that matters to you, is to make someone smile. He has left a void in the world of music that will never be filled again.
Take some time today and sing along to Pet Sounds, or close your eyes and listen to a piano demo of Surf's Up. If you can spare just one minute today, use it to hear him goofing around on Ding Dang.
Brian Wilson was - and in a way still is - a genius. There will never be someone like him again, but, as Neil Young said "This music will live forever."
Love & Mercy
3d ago
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definitely more than just "problematic", he did some very deplorable things but he was also an amazing producer and songwriter and heavily inspired my fave (Brian Wilson)
Jan 17, 2025
New Jersey may have Bruce, but Massachusetts has Jonathan- a guy who has always been unapologetically himself whether it was being totally sober in the 70s, writing pleas for tenderness in a genre known for bravado, dancing in lesbian bars, or driving down to NYC every weekend to be Velvet Underground's biggest fan before anyone else was. a guy who despite being a rock legend, spends his days installing pizza ovens around the san fransisco area.
I've seen him live a few times now, and watching him play his sweet silly songs in an unapologetically sincere + sort of autistic way is somehow just as transgressive as the proto-punk he invented with The Modern Lovers over 50 years ago. I can't help but smile ear to ear for his entire set. effortless humor and charm.
Something that's also stood out to me after seeing him live a few times now, is the way he recontextualizes the classics. When he played "Old World" in 2022 he changed the lyrics to recognize how some things should be left in the past rather than simply romanticizing it. And last night he played with the iconic "Pablo Picasso" to focus less on the swagger of Pablo, and more on how that type of guy is actually kind of an arrogant creep. Angel Prost (of Frost Children) wrote a great essay on Jonathan's reinvention for her email-only newsletter a few years ago, if you'd like to read it I'm sure I can dig it up for you.
From last night-
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an oil painter. I was obsessed with colors.
Then I heard Velvet Underground and saw you can paint with a guitar
Anyways...if more people were a bit more like Jonathan the world would be a better place. A huge inspiration to me!
@tyler
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You can see action movies at home and you're fine. But to truly appreciate a movie with any nuance or subtlety, you must see it in a darkened, under-attended theater so you can hold your thoughts and keep your phone in your pocket and surrender yourself to the vision
Jan 24, 2024
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Donβt just come at me with problems
Feb 15, 2024
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Just go on Spotify or whatever and hit play on some Charlie Parker or Ornette Coleman or Miles Davis. Let it spin out recommendations from there. It will all be over your head, and that's just fine. The more you pay attention, the more you'll be rewarded, but also, just hit play and get on with your day
Jan 24, 2024