DAILY DIRT: The news is sad about Brian Wilson, the longtime face of the Beach Boys

Daily Dirt for Thursday, March 20, 2025

Wilson was always the driving force behind the band’s “surf sound” … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,233 of The Daily Dirt

1. I remember a particular Friday afternoon like it was yesterday.

It was the early fall of 1966 and I went to what would become eventually become my favorite record store during my formative years. It’s long gone now, just like many things from that period, but I’ll never forget walking into that establishment and buying the first four .45s I ever purchased.

One of those records was “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, which came to mind earlier this week when I was reading about the condition of Brian Wilson. Wilson, who will be 83 in June, was was the co-founder of the legendary Beach Boys, and to this day remains the “face” of the group that has remained a force in pop music for more than 60 years.

Court filings indicate Wilson is suffering from a “major neurocognitive disorder (such as dementia)” and is “unable to properly provide for his own personal needs”. Additional court filings indicate that Wilson is taking medication for dementia. 

Wilson is currently receiving care at his home with a team of caregivers, including nurses, who have been working with him for many years. Wilson has a history of mental health issues, including substance abuse, a mid-flight nervous breakdown in 1964, and long stretches spent confined to a bed. 

Wilson will not be touring again, and it is unlikely he will make any more new music, which is, of course, sad for anyone who has enjoyed any form of the Beach Boys’ “surf” sound.

If you have a chance in the coming days, you might want to take a trip down memory lane via YouTube (or whatever format you prefer) and listen to a few of your favorite Beach Boys songs from years gone by. Here are my 10 favorite Beach Boys songs:

• 1. “Wild Honey” (1967)
• 2. “Help Me Rhonda” (1965): 
• 3. “Do It Again” (1968)
• 4. “Good Vibrations” (1966)
• 5. “Darlin'” (1967)
• 6.  “Sail On Sailor” (1973)
• 7. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” (1966)
• 8. “Don’t Worry Baby” (1966)
• 9. “California Girls” (1965)
• 10. “God Only Knows” (1966)

2. Did you know

• That “I Get Around/Don’t Worry Baby” was the Beach Boys’ first No. 1 song in 1964.
• That the Beach Boys’ last No. 1 song was “Kokomo” in 1988.
• That “Pet Sounds” was the Beach Boys’ highest-selling album, with more than 7 million copies bought by fans.
• That in their prime, the Beach Boys sold more than 100 million albums.
• That between the 1960s and today, the Beach Boys have had more than 80 songs chart worldwide, 36 of them in the U.S. Top 40 (the most by a U.S. rock band), and four topping the Billboard Hot 100.

3. If you’re a Chicago White Sox fan, don’t expect to see your favorite team much on national TV outlets this season.

ESPN, Fox, FS1, TBS, Apple TV+ and Roku will show the Chisox and Athletics zero times. While the White Sox are expected to be absolutely horrible again, the A’s look to be an up-and-coming franchise again, which makes their inclusion mildly shocking. Close behind Chicago and the A’s are the Miami Marlins (1), Colorado Rockies (2), Toronto Blue Jays (3), Los Angeles Angels (3), Washington Nationals (5), Tampa Bay Rays (5) and Pittsburgh Pirates (9). Every other team will be featured at least 10 times.

To be showcased most prominently will be the Los Angeles Dodgers with 21 national games, while the New York Mets (20), San Diego Padres (19), New York Yankees (17) and Philadelphia Phillies (17) will not be far behind.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – Surprisingly, Brian Wilson is not the oldest living Beach Boy. Mike Love is 84.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. The Beach Boys, or Mike Love and some other guys, will be performing at the Adams County Fairgrounds in September.