Kicking a Genius into The Gutter: The Beach Boys’ Rise to Fame — pt. one of two

Brian Wilson may have been abandoned by his band, but not before creating some of the greatest music of all time.

Brian Wilson is a genius. The word “genius” is used so frequently that it has become synonymous with someone who is successful and highly creative. When used accurately, only a few true geniuses have existed in the past hundred years.

He carved musical beauty out of deep personal pain. He combined a triad of influences to create the most distinctive sound of any rock band throughout the 1960s. He battled not just emotional, physical, and psychological trauma but also was bullied by band members who valued commercial success over artistic progress.

How could a group with a songwriter responsible for albums like The Beach Boys Today!, Pet Sounds, and songs such as Good Vibrations ignore innovation rarely achieved?

In a word, jealousy.

How did a group go from superstardom to a C-List legacy touring act, fractured in less than 20 years? In a word, greed.