Why is this tour the last time you’ll be playing all of Pet Sounds?
I don’t know. It might not be the last time.
A lot of the Beach Boys’ music before Pet Sounds sounds very innocent. Is that how you felt?
Yeah. We wrote car songs. And yeah, I felt innocent.
Your autobiography, I Am Brian Wilson, is out in October. Was it difficult to write?
It was an emotional experience. It brought back a lot of memories of Pet Sounds, and making our albums. It made me realise that I was very young, and I kept creating.
The Beatles’ Rubber Soul was a big inspiration for Pet Sounds. If you ever met George Martin, what did you ask each other?
I spoke to him in London about five years ago. We didn’t talk about music, we just talked about Paul McCartney.
Did you learn anything from Martin’s production work?
I learned about violin arrangements from him.
In your book, you say about The Beatles: “They never did anything clumsy… everything landed on its feet.” Did you also make records like that?
California Girls. I think it was the best record we made.
You write about the hostile voices you’ve heard in your head since you were twenty-two. Could you talk to the band about this?
Well, we made about three albums a year – not much time for talking.
When you were thinking about your dad, Murry, in the book, did you realise anything new about your relationship?
No. I just thought that he used to get me going. He would say: “Get in there and make some good music.”
He got one of his own songs onto TV. How did you feel about that?
I was very proud of him.
And was he proud of you?
I don’t know.
Do you believe in God?
Yes I do.
Where do you see or experience him the most?
When I’m making music.
