Happy Birthday Brian!

http://www.brianwilson.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson

http://www.surfermoon.com/

The poster child for the term, "Troubled Genius". Pop music tends to be real easy for me. I like some tunes and artists , and I don't like some. There are songs that seem to grow in importance over the years and others that time and distance diminish. But overall, I "get" what people are trying to say and do. The SMiLE album is different. I keep listening to it and knowing that I'm missing big parts of the overall picture. I don't know if it's a matter of not being smart enough, or not clued into Wilson and Park's psyches, or lacking in some aspect of life experience; but I know I'm not getting it all, yet. A fascinating album.
As for Brian's other work, I used to think it was pretty hokey. But the older I've gotten the more I've come to love it. Oh, the first few albums are still pretty much Rah-Rah high school stuff, but over time a certain aura of wistfulness and hints of loss creep in, almost foreshadowing of Wilson's own life. "God Only Knows" is still one of the greatest love songs, ever; and the intro to California Girls is one of the best in the history of songwriting. Happy birthday, Brian.