20 replies to this topic

[NSwanberg]

This one hurts.

Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys Co-Founder and Singer, Dies at 82
 

[vfr750]

Very sad, very few of my musical heroes are still with us!

 

John

[MSwiss]

Brian Wilson was a fixture in the Chicago area for 3-4 years.

 

Local musician and producer, Joe Thomas took Brian under his wing and convinced him to move next door to him in St. Charles, about 40 minutes from the city, and Joe would help resurrect his career and get an album made.

 

There was a rumor there was an underground tunnel connecting the properties.

 

All the goings on had quite a bit of publicity as popular local shock jock, Steve Dahl, was friends with Joe Thomas.

 

In the process of checking on some of the facts, before I posted, apparently JT and BW had some sort of falling out.

[Bridgehampton66]

The best book I've read on Brian and the Beach Boys is Timothy White's "The Nearest Faraway Place."

 

IMHO, it's one of the finest pieces of rock music journalism ever produced.  Tim White was editor in chief

at Billboard for quite a few years, and a pillar of Rolling Stone before that.

[Dave Crevie]

Brian was an amazing person. Musically, personally, and intellectually. Met him many times at the Wheaton, Illinois, weekly car shows. He had an amazing knowledge of hot rods from the 1950's and 1960's. We had the same custom car heroes. The Beach Boys are and always will be my favorite band. Amazing harmonies, as you can only get from a family group. 

 

I also met Brian briefly at a pool party/concert at Marina Del Ray in LA. Just a "Hello, how ya doin' ". Spent more time with Al Jardine at that event. The "Quiet" Beach Boy. A good guy to talk to once you broke the ice. Dennis was the wild one. Always entertaining. Murry was always hanging around, keeping tabs on his "boys". 

 

Brian's mind was larger than the Montana sky. He changed the face of rock and roll, then set the bar at such a lofty height, that few could even come close.

[Dave Crevie]

Brian Wilson's house in St. Charles, IL.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave Crevie]

 

 

 

Thanks to Thielson Realty

[Phil Hackett]

I often pass by Hawthorne High School and envision the early 1960s and the Beach Boys being there. There are local legends about the Beach Boys that circulate amongst people my age (one being about the Foster's Freeze on Hawthorne Boulevard- it's still there- being the drive through mentioned in Fun, Fun, Fun and the girl in her Thunderbird being one of my sister's best friends)...Brian Wilson has gone off to the Endless Summer and left us in the "June Gloom" (a SoCal weather phenomenon).

 

RIP Brian Wilson.

[Aeropro]

Please excuse me while I pour some exotic liquids over some ice, head into my music room with my insanely high-end stereo system, put on Pet Sounds, and turn off all the lights to hide my tears....

[Phil Hackett]

There will be a Beach Boys celebration in Hawthorne on 6-18-25 at the intersection of 119th Street and Doty Avenue.

 

Official page: https://www.facebook...13121660847685/

[Dave Crevie]

Wish I could be there. Phil, please go for me.

 

Interesting that they decorate that flyer with only surfboards. Brian was more into cars. Dennis was the surfer. But surf music was the hot thing when they first started recording. You go with what the people want.

 

 

Brian's "garage".

 

 

 

Some of his cars;

 

https://youtu.be/Fue...xw-rPvnymAglxfq

 

 

 

Whoops!. Rear ended at a stop light.

 

 

 

[Phil Hackett]

 

 

Interesting that they decorate that flyer with only surfboards. Brian was more into cars. Dennis was the surfer. But surf music was the hot thing when they first started recording. You go with what the people want.

 

 

 

 

 

It's pretty scary that today's music is what people *really* want. I used to go out to clubs for the music but I got tired of the Rap/Hip Hop they played. The most vile and disgusting lyrics towards women are in these pieces but the "girls" seem to like it.... and they wonder why young men don't "respect" women any longer when such misogynistic music is heralded by both young women and men and popular "culture".

 

I can't even repeat most of the words in those "tunes". I play my music from my collection and marvel at the poetry set to time and rhythm by Paul Simon, Lennon & McCartney, of course, Brian Wilson and many, many more song writers. Not a lot of hate but lyrics that make you think at times, inspire at others and a longing of what were dreams and aspirations.

 

I'll do what I can to get over there (the Beach Boys celebration) for you and everyone else here. Yes, if I do, there'll be pictures.

[Phil Hackett]

I just got back from the memorial dedication. A much smaller crowd than I expected but the city didn't publicize it much. I will return after all the public officials are done with showing their ignorance of the Beach Boy group and making grand statements about how *they* were influenced by the group. Anyway, about 150 people were there. Maybe 50% were fans. The rest were city council members, the mayor, the parks department leaders and police (for security... at a Beach Boys celebration!....can't make that up...).

 

I will return either later today or tomorrow and take better pictures. I took a few today but the canopies were in the way.... It's fitting that this celebration had weather that suited the ideas of California beaches, cars and girls: clear skies, 85°f and little wind.

 

The memorial is located where Dennis, Carl, and Brian grew up. The house was torn down for the I-105 freeway. That part of Hawthorne hasn't changed much: still modest single-story houses. Murray Wilson worked at Northrup Aircraft and that might have been a 10 minute walk. SpaceX and Tesla design studios (the the company that makes wings for Boeing) occupy Northrup's old location.

 

I promise, there will be pictures coming in the next few days.

[Dave Crevie]

It was foolish that the city gummint didn't get behind this and advertise it better. Usually, these types of events bring customers into their business districts. I remember when my town started their car shows in the downtown area. The retail shop owners opposed it vigorously. They contended it would bring a "bad element" in that would ruin their sales. It turned out that their sales increased on average 75%, and the bad element never materialized. The following year, the city council voted not to repeat the show, due to the high cost of security. Not only did they have to bring in their entire police force, but they had to hire Andy Frain to provide additional security. The retailers that had done so much bitchin' the previous year, now formed a coalition to push for the continuance of the shows. They even offered to pay for the additional security.  Soon after, the shows became a weekly event.

[Phil Hackett]

The problem is where this memorial is located is that it's in a residential area. Even though one side of the memorial is the south side of the 105 freeway there are people living there and it couldn't have been a big event. There was limited parking and the street the memorial is on was blocked off with detours.

 

There aren't any commercial businesses within a reasonable (for most people) distance to this location.

[Don Weaver]

Wish I could be there. Phil, please go for me.

 

Interesting that they decorate that flyer with only surfboards. Brian was more into cars. Dennis was the surfer. But surf music was the hot thing when they first started recording. You go with what the people want.

 

 

Brian's "garage".

 

Screenshot 2025-06-17 121738.png

 

 

Some of his cars;

 

https://youtu.be/Fue...xw-rPvnymAglxfq

 

 

All those Porsches and right in the middle on the floor is a Bugeye Sprite!  Love those Bugeyes...

 

 

[Dave Crevie]

And a Morgan trike. It's a good bet the cars on the floor got driven regularly. I know the Caddy was one of his favorites. And I recall seeing video of him driving the Morgan, laughing all the way. 

[Dave Crevie]

  'Scuse while I lean back, uncap a bottle of A&W root beer, and just listen.

 

https://youtu.be/thX...PbP1nwVpx4y-anf

 

 

https://youtu.be/WWr...RYOL0pqLjFhJsKI

 

 

https://youtu.be/Nwg...kqa5GF2ACYaHSRH

[Phil Hackett]

Pictures below.... the bulk of the pictures are from this morning (6-20-25) when there weren't people in the way. I tried to shrink them down to size for this site and keep detail. I was surprised by how few celebrities had dedications, although I think the British Surfer boys might be a "cover" name. The cars are from Wednesday's event.

 

 

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[Phil Hackett]

More..

 

They made a difference in someone's life.

 

 

Could this be?....

 

 

Different place than Tom Brady....

 

 

Always looking to advertise!

 

 

[Dave Crevie]

Thanks for that.