ONLINE: Brian Wilson’s genius transcends the surf and car songs identified with his Beach Boys. We will learn about his immersive and eclectic musical self-education as a growing boy; meteoric rise to stardom in the early 1960s; later competition with the Beatles; 1966 peak and 1967 fall; and later career. We will also learn about his dark side — a lifetime feedback loop of fragile mental health; abuse, first from his father and then his psychiatrist; drug abuse; extreme career pressure; lack of support from his band and record label; and public perception of cultural and musical failure and irrelevance. We will explore in depth why his records bedazzle his fans and peers alike, and see how the emergence of joyous, artistic beauty from his personal suffering became one of the most inspiring stories of his generation and made him one of the most revered artists of his time. | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 200.
Class sessions are recorded.
