Brian Wilson - fall US tour (4 NY metropolitan-area shows)

Brian Wilson @ Hammerstein Ballroom last November (more by Tim Griffin)

Paul Zollo: You've been regarded as a musical genius throughout your career. Has that put too much pressure on you?

Brian Wilson: No, it doesn't put pressure on me. The only thing that puts the pressure on me is having to live up to my name, you know. As who I think I might be or should be or am. According to people, what they think I should be. You know, everybody goes through it. I'm not the only one who goes through that. Everybody goes through it.

PZ: But not everybody is the driving force of the Beach Boys. You had the pressure to produce sunny, happy songs, even if you didn't feel that way. What was that like?

BW: I was on the spot. You know what it was, though, that's when I was younger. Right? When I was in my twenties I was on the go all the time, producing, writing, you know, just creating all the time. It was such that it was a big burden on my shoulders. I took on a lot of karma and burdens on my shoulders. For some unknown reason, I just found myself involved in a name dilemma. After my twenties, when I was in my thirties and forties, I had age dilemma problems.

I say to myself, "I miss the feeling of being young." I say, "OK, so I do. That's established." Then I go through that, I get back on the track, and I say, "Yeah, but I got a great brain. Maybe I don't feel like taking a sprint every ten seconds down the street, but I have a great brain." Know what I mean?

There are no NYC shows on the tour (at this point), but four of the scheduled gigs are an NJ Transit or LIRR train ride away. Those dates are on sale now:

October 26 - Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ (tickets)
October 27 - Bergen Performing Arts Center Englewood, NJ (tickets)
November 8 - The Capital One Bank Theatre Westbury, NY (tickets)
November 13 - Community Theater at Mayo Morristown, NJ (tickets)