Smile

I grew up sharing a room with my brother who was a huge Beach Boy fan. I did not share his enthusiasm at the time (I have since) but I certainly did become an expert on every album, song, and corny message to their fan club ("If you happen to be listening to this record right now...") that they ever released. Thus it was that I found myself with said brother over the weekend at the Brian Wilson Smile tour in Saratoga Springs NY. It was an awesome show. They did a total of 25 songs along with the whole Smile album. The band and the sound were great. They seemed to be having a lot of fun and Brian even seemed to get into it...at times (between odd body jerkings and beaming smiles he tends to sit on a stool with all the presence of a sack of potatoes). My brother's wife, through some machinations, obtained "meet and great" status for us and so after the show we were ushered around back, past the tour busses and into the great man's presence. He looked like a man who was politely waiting for this excrutiating bit of torture to end. He signed a few items we thrust before him and I thanked him for "a great show," which brought a wry smile from his face and the comment "Thanks, BYE BYE." It was said with all the insistence of one who has learned the hard way how to say no. It was a thrill.