Learn: Home » CrutchfieldAdvisor Presents Brian Wilson's SMiLE
LP: I know you accessed many of original participants and locations in the making of Beautiful Dreamer. Take us behind the scenes of some of those. For instance, what recording studios did you shoot Brian's interviews in?
DL: There were two principal locales for the Brian interviews. The one with the blue background was done at a location in Van Nuys and the other — which has candles in the background — was actually done at a place that is now called Ocean Way. However, in the '60s it was United Studios where Brian did a lot of recording. Then there are some scenes with Brian playing with legendary bassist Carol Kaye and performing "Rhapsody In Blue" is Western Studio Three (now known as Cell) — another place that Brian recorded constantly in the early to mid '60s.
LP: Where did you shoot the theatre scenes with Brian and Van Dyke Parks?
DL: We filmed that in London at a smaller concert space that is part of Royal Festival Hall, where SMiLE premiered.
LP: You go into some detail in the film about the preparations that Capitol Records was making for SMiLE circa 1967. Why didn't you also mention any information about the cover art and inserts that had already been pressed and were scrapped altogether once the project was abandoned?
DL: The documentary is not designed to be a comprehensive history, but rather the story of SMiLE. Only a long book could include everything. So, for example, we don't say the specific day that Brian went into the studio to record a specific song. There is only so much information you can include in a movie. We had a finite amount of screen time and lots of stories fell by the wayside in the course of making the documentary, because it can't be nine hours long. The goal for me wasn't to detail every moment in the history, but rather to give the viewer the sense of the story as accurately as possible. In doing that we had to decide what information was essential and what was information they didn't need to know in order to understand the story. In a sense, the film is designed for an audience who knows very little about Brian and SMiLE, as opposed to we long-time fans.
Again, this isn't a 500-page book. There is an important place for that type of thing — think about the Pet Sounds Sessions box set and all the information in those liner notes booklets. For most viewers, I don't think that would make for a very interesting movie.
LP: That is interesting because I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable and I was continually learning new information from the interviews used in Beautiful Dreamer.
DL: Me too.
LP: Let's turn to the incidental music for a moment. Was it all from the new production or did you go back to the old '60s tapes?
DL: Every note of SMiLE music in the film is from 2003/2004. It is all the new production and again proves how great this band is. In fact, there are no Beach Boys' studio recordings used in the film.
LP: What was the span of time that you spent filming?
DL: The fall of 2003 up through August of 2004.
LP: I really like the folksy nature of the narrator; who is he and why did you choose him?
DL: A fine actor by the name of Fred Applegate. I wanted the narrator to also be a storyteller. I wanted it to feel like "pull up a chair, I've got a story to tell you." He can give the listener that sort of inviting, friendly style and that is what I wanted. It's the way I wish I could read my own copy.
LP: You wrote the script?
DL: Yes.
LP: Brian is obviously a great keyboard and piano player. Why does he choose not to play on stage any more than he does?
DL: That is really a question you should ask him, but my sense of it is that it is the same reason he didn't play on the records in 1965 and 1966. He was too busy producing, concerned with getting the feel and the sound the way he wanted it to be. So on stage, he is focusing on what he is hearing from the band. He knows it doesn't matter who plays the notes, what matters is how the notes are played and that is his focus — making sure the vocals and instruments are right. So, watching a concert, you see with his physical body that Brian is conducting the band.
LP: One of the most profound factors of Beautiful Dreamer is the cast assembled and their comments.
DL: Yes. It's a testament to Brian that so many important people — and I interviewed close to 50 people for the movie — chose to participate.
LP: Who didn't do an interview with you that you wanted to be in the film?
DL: There were some people we asked to participate who chose not to — like the surviving Beach Boys. I interviewed everybody who was willing to sit down in front of the camera.
DL: There were two principal locales for the Brian interviews. The one with the blue background was done at a location in Van Nuys and the other — which has candles in the background — was actually done at a place that is now called Ocean Way. However, in the '60s it was United Studios where Brian did a lot of recording. Then there are some scenes with Brian playing with legendary bassist Carol Kaye and performing "Rhapsody In Blue" is Western Studio Three (now known as Cell) — another place that Brian recorded constantly in the early to mid '60s.
 The author and Brian Wilson. ©Lindsay Planer. |
LP: Where did you shoot the theatre scenes with Brian and Van Dyke Parks?
DL: We filmed that in London at a smaller concert space that is part of Royal Festival Hall, where SMiLE premiered.
LP: You go into some detail in the film about the preparations that Capitol Records was making for SMiLE circa 1967. Why didn't you also mention any information about the cover art and inserts that had already been pressed and were scrapped altogether once the project was abandoned?
DL: The documentary is not designed to be a comprehensive history, but rather the story of SMiLE. Only a long book could include everything. So, for example, we don't say the specific day that Brian went into the studio to record a specific song. There is only so much information you can include in a movie. We had a finite amount of screen time and lots of stories fell by the wayside in the course of making the documentary, because it can't be nine hours long. The goal for me wasn't to detail every moment in the history, but rather to give the viewer the sense of the story as accurately as possible. In doing that we had to decide what information was essential and what was information they didn't need to know in order to understand the story. In a sense, the film is designed for an audience who knows very little about Brian and SMiLE, as opposed to we long-time fans.
Again, this isn't a 500-page book. There is an important place for that type of thing — think about the Pet Sounds Sessions box set and all the information in those liner notes booklets. For most viewers, I don't think that would make for a very interesting movie.
LP: That is interesting because I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable and I was continually learning new information from the interviews used in Beautiful Dreamer.
DL: Me too.
LP: Let's turn to the incidental music for a moment. Was it all from the new production or did you go back to the old '60s tapes?
DL: Every note of SMiLE music in the film is from 2003/2004. It is all the new production and again proves how great this band is. In fact, there are no Beach Boys' studio recordings used in the film.
LP: What was the span of time that you spent filming?
DL: The fall of 2003 up through August of 2004.
LP: I really like the folksy nature of the narrator; who is he and why did you choose him?
DL: A fine actor by the name of Fred Applegate. I wanted the narrator to also be a storyteller. I wanted it to feel like "pull up a chair, I've got a story to tell you." He can give the listener that sort of inviting, friendly style and that is what I wanted. It's the way I wish I could read my own copy.
LP: You wrote the script?
DL: Yes.
LP: Brian is obviously a great keyboard and piano player. Why does he choose not to play on stage any more than he does?
DL: That is really a question you should ask him, but my sense of it is that it is the same reason he didn't play on the records in 1965 and 1966. He was too busy producing, concerned with getting the feel and the sound the way he wanted it to be. So on stage, he is focusing on what he is hearing from the band. He knows it doesn't matter who plays the notes, what matters is how the notes are played and that is his focus — making sure the vocals and instruments are right. So, watching a concert, you see with his physical body that Brian is conducting the band.
LP: One of the most profound factors of Beautiful Dreamer is the cast assembled and their comments.
DL: Yes. It's a testament to Brian that so many important people — and I interviewed close to 50 people for the movie — chose to participate.
LP: Who didn't do an interview with you that you wanted to be in the film?
DL: There were some people we asked to participate who chose not to — like the surviving Beach Boys. I interviewed everybody who was willing to sit down in front of the camera.
