B rian W ilson

The man who inspired this
page’s name takes us inside
his Beverly Hills mansion

1TAPE RECORDER AND PAPER “I write lyrics on the paper, and sometimes notes for my musicians. I try to keep them organized, but I just can’t. I use the tape recorder all the time, but it needs batteries now. It means a lot to me.”

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2HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME PLAQUE “We had to show up on Vine Street, where they put the Beach Boys’ star, and I just thought, ‘So what, there’s a star on the street. What is the point of putting a star on the street?’”

3GRAMMY AWARD “I won it for [Best Rock Instrumental] ‘Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow’ on Smile. I am so proud of it! I just love it! It symbolizes the excellence in music that I do. And I deserve that Grammy! ‘Good Vibrations’ was nominated; it should have won, so I felt blue. I said, ‘Ohhh, I didn’t win.’”

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4QUEEN’S JUBILEE PHOTO “In 2002, I met Queen Elizabeth for her ⁵⁰th jubilee, and I think I played ‘God Only Knows.’ I said to her, ‘How are you, Mrs. Queen?’ and she said, ‘I love your music.’ And I said, ‘Thank you, Mrs. Queen.’ And that was it.”

5PAINTING OF BROTHER CARL “It’s very,
very descriptive of his face. It approximates how
he looked. And when I see that picture, I feel very
sentimental. His death was really hard for me.”
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6SANDWICH “I like to go to the [Beverly] Glen Deli every day. I walk five miles a day around the park and then I go. Every day I get something different. They have many kinds of sandwiches. If it’s a hamburger or a tuna sandwich, I like it a lot.”

7ALBUMS BY THE FOUR FRESHMEN “They taught me how to make harmony. They were harmony wizards! They were advanced beyond everybody. I don’t have a favorite record; I like all of them, but ‘Graduation Day’ is a great song.”

8DRAPES “When it starts to get dark, at twilight
time, I play piano, and the light of the sun
reflects off the purple drapes and forms a
spiritual color. Isn’t that great?!”

9PHOTO WITH PAUL MCCARTNEY “Pet Sounds inspired Sgt. Pepper—that’s why we took the photo together, to commemorate the great rivalry between the Beach Boys and the Beatles. He gave me this about four years ago. We’re not good friends, but we are casual friends.”

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10FOOTBALL PHOTO “This was taken in
¹⁹⁵⁹, my senior year, when I played quarter-
back at Hawthorne High. I’m number ⁵¹.”

BY VICTORIA DE SILVERIO
PHOTOGRAPH BY TURE LILLEGRAVEN

Photographed for Spin in Beverly Hills, California, June 18, 2008