DEC4 Podcast (Clip): David Leaf - The Beach Boys & Career Direction, Effect of Music Streaming, Brian & SMiLE
From our conversation recorded in April 2025
In this clip from our extended conversation with award winning filmmaker and author, David Leaf, citing the example of how the advent of music streaming affected Levon Helm, we ask how Brian Wilson himself might have been impacted by this seismic shift in how artists earned an ongoing income from their music rights.
In the course of answering that question, David gifted us some bonus gold dust on the way the career of The Beach Boys was guided...or not...
Join us for the complete conversation on your chosen podcast platform, or at the episode’s dedicated webpage, with additional background, links and suggestions for further reference.
SMiLE: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Brian Wilson, by David Leaf, is published by Omnibus Press and is out now.
(Post edit: We note with sadness Brian’s passing, (announced) June 11, 2025, aged 82.)
Something that didn't end up in the conversation, but which really resonated with us when we were reading SMiLE: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Brian Wilson, was this quote by Brian Wilson's collaborating lyricist, Van Dyke Parks - wise words of encouragement for anyone finding their own way in the creative universe;
"...There’s no shelter in the arts. There’s no shelter. You have to be willing to explore with your medium in any way that you can. It takes courage, you can’t start by wondering what somebody thinks about the fact that you believe in something. You just hope that your powers of expression, infect the participant, your audience, or your mate, in a positive way…”
More Samples from our full conversation:
David gives us a friend’s perspective of Brian’s life in 2025;
A theme running through the story of Brian Wilson’s reemergence as a touring and recording artist, and his ability to finally come to grips with the residual pain and trauma of the original SMiLE sessions, is “emotional security”. David explains the importance of Brian’s wife, Melinda (who sadly passed away in 2024), in his personal and creative journey…
David recalls how an impromptu performance of Heroes & Villains by Brian himself at a private party became a key moment in the journey towards the final completion of SMiLE…
Very special thanks to David Leaf, to Gary Wells, all our readers and listeners, to Detlef Wolff and Gainesville, and to Steve Collins.