From: seancourtney@verizon.net   
      
   None None (uceftcgov@webtv.net) dixit:   
   >After seeing PS Live 2 years ago and having the Smile CD, I won't be   
   >going to the Smile Live show locally.  It's almost as if the audience is   
   >intruding on Brian's time.  He still seems very uncomfortable on-stage   
   >in spite of what he says.  I know he's taking some heavy meds (Luvox and   
   >Klonipin) by his reports in interviews.  Singing from a teleprompter and   
   >not playing virtually any instrument while the whole Smile material is   
   >decidedly an acquired taste, it would be heartbreaking to sit through   
   >it. "You Were My Sunshine" is incredibly sad to listen to.   
      
   1) After seeing Brian at the Garden State Arts Center in 2000 looking   
   extremely terrified during the first set, I can tell you that that's   
   absolutely not true at all any more. I saw his Smile show in Chicago. My   
   wife and I both walked into the lobby during intermission wondering 1) who   
   that guy was on stage, and 2) where the REAL Brian Wilson was. (I figured it   
   was D'Amico in disguise.) He was smiling a lot. He'd be talking between   
   songs and he'd frantically interrupt himself to run to the front of the   
   stage and pose for pictures -- and this is after there was an announcement   
   at the beginning of the show saying photography wasn't allowed! He was   
   smiling like I'd never seen before.   
      
   2) Prompters -- guess what...EVERYBODY sings from teleprompters. The artists   
   who performed at the 2001 TNT Tribute at Radio City Music Hall were singing   
   from teleprompters. Paul McCartney sings from prompters -- and in fact, in   
   the Back in the USA DVD, there's a scene when Paul is going over the lyrics   
   on the teleprompter and making corrections. When the Wondermints appeared on   
   the Late Late Show performing "Shine On Me," there CLEARLY were note cards   
   with lyrics taped to Darian's keyboard. Aaaaaand...you know that 1987 TV   
   special the Beach Boys filmed in Hawaii to celebrate their 25th anniversary?   
   EVERY SINGLE WORD -- spoken and sung -- was read off of a cue card! (My   
   source: Lauri Klobas, former president of Brian's fan club, who worked with   
   the company that provided said cue cards.)   
      
   >Naturally the audience raves at the "oldies" and the encore.  I'm still   
   >listening to the Smile CD and still waiting for it to take catch on.   
   >Pet Sounds took once or twice through (back in '67) but Smile is taking   
   >a lot longer.  I'm a musician too, read music, and appreciate the hours   
   >of rehearsing songs. I still believe Brian is capable of much better   
   >music than Smile.   
      
   I hate to say it, especially as a guy whose favorite musical act by far is   
   the Beatles, but Smile has surpassed Pet Sounds as my favorite album...but I   
   definitely can dig what you're saying on both parts. Smile isn't for   
   everybody. And I'm sure Brian is capable of even better music...the thing is   
   I don't think he really cares to top it.   
      
   --   
   dauber (at) banana-and-louie (dot) org * www.banana-and-louie.org   
    "It's like he's bragging about how boring he is."   
            -- Rob Bates, on Bruce Johnston's "Rock and Roll Survivor"   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)