7-29-12 Survival Jobs for Writer-Musicians – Starter Job #162 (The Washington Squares - On the Beach Boys Tour: Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Babra Ann, actually)

Beach Boys "Barbara Ann" with Washington Squares

Actually, the last show of the Washington Squares/Beach Boys tour leg that we shared happened in Maine, in Old Orchard Beach. We heard that the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport was nearby, and that they may have even been around at the time. Not that we cared. . . we were folkie liberals who shunned those trickle-down-theory Reagan conservatives.

At any rate, Old Orchard Beach, Maine, was a really big outdoor daytime concert, with thousands in attendance. I’d have freaked out to BE in that crowd (ugh -- I just hate crowds -- can’t move, can’t breathe), but to play to that crowd: great! And as I recall, it was a pretty receptive crowd -- although one person might have heaved a near-empty container of suntan lotion (not yet the era of sunblock) at us onstage. Maybe.

I remember that before the show, the Beach Boys did a special pre-show merch giveaway (tee shirts and hats) and signing, a radio-station sponsored meet and greet. I made sure to get in line and get some tee shirts and a baseball cap signed. . . I still have them, somewhere, with signatures of Carl & Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston.

We were invited to come onstage and sing and dance with the Beach Boys on “Barbara Ann,” and I am SO glad somebody actually videotaped that moment. We were singing along and dancing in our Squares stagewear, so happy to be a part of the party, being silly and having a ball. I’m hopping around, dancing and smiling and giving it my all (in those silly black fishnet gloves and my Ray Bans, of course). I shared a microphone with Carl Wilson! Yay! The whole experience was so cool.

(Remember, this happened YEARS before video equipment was as affordable, prevalent and portable as it now is. . . the camera was probably thousands of dollars, and probably weighed half a ton.)

If you watch at the very end, Carl says something nice to us as we’re getting offstage, Bruce asks the cameraman, “You got that?” and Brian’s “keeper,” the cute young blond surfer dude, is in the very last frames of the video. Wow. Let’s hear it for documentation. . . got a few B&W shots of us onstage with the BB’s too (though the people are pretty far away -- probably Jill took ‘em?).


(I'm onstage, the person furthest left, in my Ray-Bans and a white shirt over my black top)

(I'm onstage, dead center, in my white shirt and black leggings, dancing away)

7-28-12 Survival Jobs for Writer-Musicians – Starter Job #161 (The Washington Squares - On the Beach Boys Tour: More Endless Fun Fun Fun with Brian)

One day soon after, Brian Wilson did show up. He was accompanied by a young cute surfer-dude looking guy with long blonde hair and eyeglasses -- sorta like how Michael Stipe of REM looked in the early-mid ‘80’s.  Apparently, whatever was going on with Brian, whatever his issues, he had to have a “handler” on board with him pretty constantly. (I recently read that he had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, like my older brother Tom. . . and on a lot of medication.)

When we were invited to meet Brian, it was a pretty formal event for a rather casual situation/lifestyle (being on the road as musicians isn’t a very formal type setting, after all). We Squares were approached by one of the roadies to follow down a hallway at one of the arenas (probably Pittsburgh). It was sort of Spinal Tap-ish, a long hallway in a subterranean passage that went on for a while. The anticipation of the meeting in our minds probably lengthened it considerably. . .

At last, we faced an unmarked door and the roadie guy opened it and left. We were then greeted by the young blonde surfer-dude guy. He told us, “Brian’s looking forward to meeting you.” Aw, I’ll bet he says that to all the fans. Still, it was nice to hear.

Behind the surfer guy, in the back of a plain white room backstage, an almost gauntly thin Brian Wilson stood, sort of smiling, sort of gaping in a slack-jawed way -- the side affect of some psychiatric drugs. “Pleased to meet you,” he slurred, and shook our hands, one by one.

What do you say to a legend, especially one that seems discombobulated and kind of reminds you of your troubled older brother?

Beats me. . . I probably murmured back, “Pleased to meet YOU -- thank you!”

(Somewhere, I have a photo of us with Brian -- but can’t find it at present. Sorry!)