THE WARMTH OF THE SUN

An interview with Brian Wilson By Ken Sharp

It’s a picture perfect Southern California day. Deep blue skies and warm summer sunshine also make it the perfect day to interview the man responsible for putting the Southern California sound on the map, Beach Boys visionary, Brian Wilson.

Jumping into my car, I head out onto the wide, open freeway, itself a rarity in LA, and eventually pull into the Sportsman’s Lodge in Studio City. Framed to the East by the towering Hollywood Hills, it’s a most unlikely location for my conversation with the Beach Boys resident genius. Nestled next to a small pond filled with koi, ducks and the occasional swan, the lodge is perfect for the hardcore outdoor enthusiast. Inside, it is decked out in dark brown wood paneling with vintage bait and tackle ads from the ‘50s framed on the walls. There’s a chandelier made of antlers, a metal object d’art in the shape of an owl, and close to the Muddy Moose bar, pinned to the wall, is someone’s ‘catch of the day’, a scary looking blue-grey barracuda. Sitting in the lobby underneath an enormous stuffed marlin which hangs precariously over my head, I look around and half expect to see Ted Nugent in dark green army fatigues prowling the lobby with a bow and arrow, looking for his next victim.

Just when I start to think maybe I really am at the …

by Ken Sharp
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