Brainiacs Embrace Brian

Get out your tweed sports coat (yes, the one with the elbow patches), pack your pipe, and put on your black-framed reading glasses: The intellectual biweekly New York Review of Books has just published an article about Brian Wilson and the evolution of his masterwork "Smile." No new ground covered here (that is, no new ground for B.W. fanatics). The most interesting part for me was an analysis of Van Park Dykes's sometimes convoluted lyrics. For instance:

A synopsis of the album's Americana theme, "Roll Plymouth Rock" begins with ... the lines "Waving from the ocean liners/beaded cheering Indians behind them/Rock, rock, roll, Plymouth Rock roll over." The latter line links together references to early rock-and-roll stars Bill Haley ("Rock Around the Clock") and Chuck Berry ("Roll Over Beethoven") with the site of the Pilgrims' landing as part of the album's pop exploration of American mythology.

Click here to read the article in its entirety.