The 1950s music legend who snubbed Brian Wilson: “Too bad”
There are very few situations that bring the musical world to a standstill. You have Live Aid, the release of Thriller, and, of course, the passing of Brian Wilson.
When news broke that Brian Wilson had passed away, every name in music completely stopped what they were doing and began listening to their favourite Beach Boys songs. His ability to navigate melody, layering, and generally just his innovative approach to recording songs and making them unique is something that changed the musical world forever.
The amount he’s adored was pretty clearly reflected in the sheer number of people who shared tributes dedicated to Wilson. The amount of musicians from different decades, regardless of how much their sound may vary, were connected in an adoration for Wilson. The words didn’t exist that day to express how much the musician meant to the world, but that didn’t stop people from trying to look for them.
“I hate he went thru what he went thru to create this album (also: Smile Outakes in my North Star),” said Questlove, “But man, without him I dunno how so many that came after felt safe to express a feeling of sadness that most humans would be otherwise ridiculed/punished for.”
Of course, music didn’t begin with Brian Wilson. There are other artists who were inventing new styles and sounds long before the Beach Boys came along, and plenty of these artists Wilson used to credit for inspiring his inner songwriter. One of these was Chuck Berry, who was one of the first artists to truly champion the sound of rock ‘n’ roll and usher in this new age of music.
His ability to combine R&B and American blues was truly inspired. The sound of rock ‘n’ roll was something that a lot of people couldn’t make sense of at first; however, it eventually became apparent that what artists like Berry had stumbled upon built the foundation for a brand new pillar of music. All the acts that came after him, including Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, would in some way be indebted to the rock star.
Once again, when Chuck Berry died, he received a number of tributes in the same way that Wilson did. “Chuck Berry was rock’s greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock ‘n’ roll writer who ever lived,” said Bruce Springsteen, one of many voices who praised the musician, “This is a tremendous loss of a giant for the ages.”
So, what happens when two of these great songwriting forces cross paths? Well, disappointingly, not a great deal. Brian Wilson was incredibly excited to meet Chuck Berry when work put them in the same room, but the feeling wasn’t reciprocated, as when Wilson went over to say hello to the rock ‘n’ roll icon, Chuck Berry wasn’t interested in having much of a conversation. They say don’t meet your heroes, and Wilson could attest to as much on this day.
“I met Chuck Berry one time on an airplane,” remembered Wilson, “I said, ‘Hi, I’m Brian Wilson!’ He goes, ‘Hey’, and then he turned away. He wouldn’t talk to me. Too bad. But he taught me how to write rock & roll songs.”
