At first glance, it might seem like a most unlikely pairing. The founding member of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, a man who extolled all-American virtues in song and then went totally psychedelic, teamed in concert with Jeff Beck, a beacon of British blues. Leave it to the investigative minds here at New Times to come up with the ten things that draw these two iconic musicians together. In fact, there's the first connection: They're both iconic!
Told you. We're supersavvy. We could have said they both have names that start with a B. What follows is our list of the ten things Brian Wilson and Jeff Beck have in common.
10. They're both 60-something veterans whose initial fame came in the '60s.
9. Both men were hugely influential to rock and pop music.
8. Each man found a foil in a somewhat egocentric singer. Wilson's was the megalomaniac Mike Love, the Beach Boys frontman who got his fun, fun, fun by claiming the band's handle as his own and subsequently firing the man responsible for it all to begin with, Brian himself. Beck's first band under his own handle had a young Rod Stewart at the helm, the cause of a contentious relationship that ultimately led to the group's collapse.
7. Both Beck and Brian have excellent backing bands. Beck's always had good taste when it came to finding players who complement his extraordinary skills. Brian enlisted an outstanding backing band called the Wondermints to complement his extraordinary songs.
6. Beck is also a brand of beer. Wilson is also a brand of ball.
5. They both kind of look like they've been through the ringer.
4. When Brian Wilson rejoined the Beach Boys on tour in the mid-'70s after a decade of being away, the band enthusiastically proclaimed the fact that "Brian is back." Likewise, Beck is now back, although he never really went away.
3. Wilson was famously treated for depression and various forms of psychosis. As a result, he had to take meds. Beck is a riveting guitarist, and he knows how to shred. (See we had to almost rhyme there? Reaching, Dr. Seuss-style.)
2. Jeff Beck is a vegetarian. Brian Wilson once wrote a song called "Vegetables."
1. And finally -- drum roll please -- Jeff Beck was in the Yardbirds. Brian Wilson founded the Beach Boys. There's the commonality: the 'Birds and the B's.
Jeff Beck and Brian Wilson with Al Jardine and David Marks perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 27, at the Hard Rock Live, 5747 Seminole Way, Hollywood. Tickets cost $45 to $96.60. Visit ticketmaster.com, or call 800-745-3000.
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