God Bless Brian Wilson

I spoke with Brian Wilson yesterday. On Brian's website, he posted a challenge: donate $100 to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort and he will personally call to thank you. As well, the donor was allowed to ask Brian a question. How could I resist? Here is a transcript of our two-minute conversation:

Alicatte: Hello?
Brian: Hello, [my name]?
Alicatte: Yes!
Brian: This is Brian Wilson
Alicatte: Oh, my God, this is fantastic!
Brian: How are you?
Alicatte: Good.
Brian: I'm calling to thank you for your $100 donation.
Alicatte: OK.
Brian: And if you want to ask me a question, you can.

Alicatte: My question is: Can you tell me the role, if any, that God or religion plays when you're composing music?
Brian: Well, God works through me when I'm writing music. God helps me write my music.

Alicatte: Are there some times when you don't feel his presence while you're composing?
Brian: Yes. Sometimes I don't, and sometimes I do. It depends on the day.

Alicatte: If you don't feel that presence, do you stop or do you just try--
Brian: I stop when I don't feel it. And when it comes back into me, I start back up again.

Alicatte: Is that the same when you're performing or is that a different--
Brian: That's a different kind of thing when I'm performing. Yeah, it's a different kind of thing. Anyway, thank you so much for your $100 donation.

******

I'm sure that I was Number 535 Insane Fan he had chatted with, and he probably had another 500 to go. As Brian mentions on his website, what he really wants is for you to donate, donate, donate. Please donate to your favorite charity to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Here are the sites for Catholic Relief Services and the Red Cross.