From: derekbill@allsummerlong.com   
      
   In article , matt   
    wrote:   
      
   > Some people will surely hate me for what I'm about to say......   
   >   
   > I've been a loooooong time lurker and occasional poster here.  I'm a BIG   
   > Beach Boys/Brian Wilson fan.   
   >   
   > Recently, there has been an endless stream of posts about what a masterpiece   
   > "Smile" is.  How great "Smile" is.   
   >   
   > I've been listening to various "Smile" boots for about 9 years.  I was never   
   > really impressed.  Most of the music was a little creepy.  I went out last   
   > week and bought the new version.  I'm still not impressed.   
   > Can somebody please tell me what makes this album so great?  What makes it a   
   > masterpiece?  Is it because it went unreleased for almost 40 years?  Is it   
   > because it was SUPPOSED to be groundbreaking in the late 60's?  Is it   
   > because everybody thinks of it as an artsy-fartsy album?  Is it simply   
   > because it's an album written by Brian Wilson?   
   > It CAN'T be because the music is great.  With the exception of Good   
   > Vibrations and Heroes and Villains, the songs were average-to-below average.   
   > Most of the Smile songs are creepy, with creepy lyrics that mostly don't   
   > make any sense!  Please!  Somebody explain this to me!   
      
   What exactly does 'creepy' mean?   
      
   The lyrics make sense to lots of folks. Some of us have to think about   
   them for while to understadn them, but it's kind of a pleasurable   
   exercise for us. If they don't make sense to you, don't worry about it,   
   but I hope that isn't what you mean by creepy.   
      
   Creepy seems like such a vague word.....but definitely negative.   
   Seriously negative.  It's one of those words that some people use when   
   they don't like something, and don't know why, and don't want to take   
   any responsibility for the fact that they don't like it. I sometimes   
   wonder if, deep inside, they wonder if maybe THEY'RE creepy. Or that   
   SOMETHING must be creepy, and if it isn't something different from   
   them, then it must BE them. Or that other people will think they're   
   creepy. I guess that can get pretty disturbing, and one might want to   
   find just about any way to avoid having to face it.   
      
   Where do you get your definition of 'average'? Is this like an American   
   Bandstand average? Trying to quantify this stuff isn't easy, I know,   
   but i think you're proving that point trying, rather than making the   
   point you want to.   
      
   SmiLE, the new one, the one that's done, is selling very well. The   
   critics love it.  Most of the longtime fans love it. Are they all   
   creepy for liking it, or do they just like creepy stuff?   
      
   How creepy does someone have to be...to be 'a' creep?   
      
   My inability to explain it to your satisfaction may be an indication   
   that i'm not a good explainer. Gosh, maybe I'M a creep. Or just creepy.   
   Or it may mean other things you're not going to want to think about.   
      
   > Another comment I have has to do with Brian's Leno performance, and his   
   > public appearances in general.  The best thing I can say about the Leno   
   > performance is that he wasn't TOTALLY out of tune.  But he looked like he   
   > was paralyzed.  It was sad.   
      
   It's a big improvement, but I know what you mean. I guess if you   
   compare him to the rest of the band, he doesn't stand up very well.   
   And if you compare him to lots of other performers, same thing. Of   
   course, he is 62 years old now. hey, that reminds me...is he now the   
   oldest person to have an album debut so high on the charts/ if not,   
   it's got to be close. Seems like that's some kind of accomplisment in   
   and of itself.   
      
   Some of us are just happy to see him looking happy.  I happen to have   
   enjoyed that performance a lot;  it may be the only time we ever hear   
   that song arranged precisely that way.   
      
   But at least you think it was sad, instead of creepy. That IS better,   
   isn't it?   
      
   > The first time I ever saw him in concert was in Ann Arbor Michigan on his   
   > first tour (I think it might even have been his first concert).  He sounded   
   > pretty good.  The second time I saw him was on the Pet Sounds tour.  He   
   > sounded awful.  My date was embarrassed for him.  I was embarrassed for him.   
   > It was truly sad.   
      
   I guess if you place a high premium on playing his own instrument, or   
   singing without a teleprompter, then your point is well taken. Again, I   
   think lots of us enjoy those shows. I know I do.   
      
   You are aware, aren't you, that some of the brightest minds in music   
   have heard and seen him live and had wonderful things to say about the   
   performance, right?   
      
   Do you think all those people giving the standing ovations were just   
   trying to keep warm? Or keep their asses from getting numb?   
      
   Remember Joe Cocker? Some people loved his stuff, and others thought he   
   sounded like shit.  Creepy, even. I think i may have wondered some of   
   the same things about his fans that you're wondering about me, us.  But   
   I spent practically no time thinking about it. One man's trash is   
   another man's treasure, and vice versa.  In fact, I hadn't thought   
   about it in years, until you sort of brought it up.   
      
   A lot of us around here think Mike's been sounding really flat for   
   years, as well as looking like a fool up there prancing around on   
   stage, but because he never could play an instrument, has high   
   self-esteem, and doesn't use a teleprompter, does that make him worth   
   paying to see?  Lots of people still think so. I don't like the guy,   
   don't think he has any talent, and don't understand why anyone pays   
   anything to see him perform, let alone make a record.  But I don't   
   think it's creepy, and I don't think it's sad. it's just one of those   
   things i don't eunderstadn, that's all. I can live with that. I'm still   
   curious about it, but it doesn't keep me up at night.   
      
   > Same goes for interviews.  He ISN'T a good interview.  He   
   > often doesn't make sense, and he gives conflicting answers to simple   
   > questions from interview to interview, indicating that he's either so   
   > nervous that he can't concentrate, or that he's losing his mind (I tend to   
   > think it's more the former than the latter, but you never know).   
   > Back to the Leno show....some people were giving him high praise for (get   
   > this) smiling on stage and offering a handshake to Bill Cosby.  I don't mean   
   > to be cruel, but the praise some people give Brian is analogous to the   
   > praise you would give a retarded child who ran a race in the Special   
   > Olympics.  "Great job, Brian!  You shook somebody's hand in public!".  Come   
   > on.   
      
   The guy is mentally ill, you know. Again, if you place a high premium   
   on being 'normal', I can see how you'd be disappointed. But normal   
   people don't write music like this. I know, you don't get it, and   
   that's okay.   
      
   How do you feel about Einstein's haircut? Are you one of those people   
   who'd never vote for Jimmy Carter because he has droopy cheeks, or   
   because his daughter had freckles? Does the color of Melinda's lipstick   
   bother you?   
      
   How do you feel about people who wear their pants way down on their   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)