Professionally shot versions are on youtube.

A bittersweet experience because he really comes across as on top there, he comes across about as confidently as he ever would, playing complex music and seeming like he’s enjoying himself and leading proceedings. Which is a bit of a contrast to how he looked onstage any time in the last decade.

Was the first time I’d heard Smile in ages and the first time I’d heard Brian’s Smile in even longer. Seeing/hearing it fresh, turning it into a live spectacle in the indie hipster 00’s probably was the best setting for that material. These days I kind of think if the Beach Boys had put out something similar in the 60’s it probably would’ve bombed. There is an awful lot of quirky weirdness on it with not a lot for normies to latch on to.

Even though that Beach Boys reunion album wasn’t that good, Brian actually managed a great swansong for himself and the band with the run of ballads that ended it. But then he ruined it by putting out another album! I checked out No Pier Pressure because I saw it was on Spotify and the first song was perhaps the worst thing I’ve ever heard.

If there’s a Brain holy grail left it’s probably the Paley Sessions stuff from the 90’s. I vaguely knew about it but only heard it properly recently. Could’ve been one of his best late period projects if they’d properly put it out. Marketplace could’ve fit on Smile, and It’s Not Easy Being Me could’ve gone down as classic Brian sad anthem!