Editing Brian Wilson (section)

==Cultural impact and influence==
===Sales achievements===
[[File:Brian Wilson 2009.png|thumb|Wilson after a concert performance in London, 2009]]

From 1962 to 1979, Wilson wrote or co-wrote over two dozen U.S. Top 40 hits for the Beach Boys, with eleven reaching the top 10, including the number-ones "I Get Around" (1964), "Help Me, Rhonda" (1965), and "Good Vibrations" (1966).{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=34–150}}{{refn|group=nb|The remaining eight top 10 hits were:
* 1963's "[[Surfin' U.S.A. (song)|Surfin' U.S.A.]]" (number 3), "[[Surfer Girl (song)|Surfer Girl]]" (number 7), and "[[Be True to Your School]]" (number 6)
* 1964's "[[Fun, Fun, Fun]]" (number 5), "[[When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)]]" (number 9), and "[[Dance, Dance, Dance (The Beach Boys song)|Dance, Dance, Dance]]" (number 8)
* 1965's "[[California Girls]]" (number 3)
* 1966's "[[Wouldn't It Be Nice]]" (number 8).{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=34–150}}}} Three more that he produced, but did not write, were the band's "[[Barbara Ann]]" (number 2) in 1965, "[[Sloop John B]]" (number 3) in 1966, and "[[Rock and Roll Music (song)|Rock and Roll Music]]" (number 5) in 1976.{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=34–150}} Among his other top 10 hits, Wilson co-wrote Jan and Dean's "[[Surf City (song)|Surf City]]" (the first chart-topping surf song) and "[[Dead Man's Curve (song)|Dead Man's Curve]]" (number 8) in 1963, and [[the Hondells]]' "[[Little Honda]]" (number 9) in 1964.{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=39, 63}}

===Popular music, industry practices, and record production===
{{See also|Recording studio as an instrument}}

Wilson is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and significant songwriters of the late 20th century.<ref name="conversation2015">{{cite news|last1=O'Shei|first1=Tim|title=A conversation with Brian Wilson|url=http://buffalo.com/2015/10/06/featured/a-conversation-with-brian-wilson/|work=[[The Buffalo News]]|date=October 6, 2015|access-date=March 15, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191251/http://buffalo.com/2015/10/06/featured/a-conversation-with-brian-wilson/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Fellow composers who have acknowledged his advancements include [[Philip Glass]], [[Gustavo Dudamel]], and Burt Bacharach, the latter of whom praised Wilson as "one of the greatest innovators" in music history.<ref name="WilsonWebsiteQuotes">{{cite web |title=Quotes |url=https://www.brianwilson.com/quotes |website=brianwilson.com |access-date=July 25, 2023}}</ref> In discussing Wilson's harmonic ingenuity,  musicologist [[Philip Lambert]] states in 2016 that his harmonic approach demonstrated an exceptional mastery, leaving a lasting imprint on popular music since.{{sfn|Lambert|2016|p=93}}

The level of creative control that Wilson had asserted over his own record output was unprecedented in the music industry,{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=36}}{{sfn|Howard|2004|pp=54–55}}{{sfn|Murphy|2015|p=301}} leading him to become the first pop artist credited for writing, arranging, producing, and performing his own material.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kalfatovic|first=Martin R.|editor-last1=Browne|editor-first1=Ray Broadus|editor-last2=Browne|editor-first2=Pat|title=The Guide to United States Popular Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3rJxPYT32MC&pg=PA70|year=2001|publisher=Popular Press|isbn=978-0-87972-821-2|page=70}}</ref> Wilson's autonomy encompassed control over recording studios and personnel, including engineers and the typically intrusive A&R representative. According to biographer James Murphy, Wilson's singular artistic freedom was pivotal in reshaping both the landscape of popular music and the music industry's perception of artistic control.{{sfn|Murphy|2015|p=301}}

In addition to being one of the first [[music auteur|music producer ''auteurs'']], Wilson helped popularize the idea of the recording studio as a compositional tool,{{sfn|Edmondson|2013|p=890}} and he was the first rock producer to use the studio in this fashion.{{sfn|Cogan|Clark|2003|p=33}} Granata writes that Wilson "redefined" the role of the producer.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=115}} [[Peter Doggett]] identifies Wilson as the quintessential figure of an era marked by "some of the most notorious pop battles" between "idealistic musicians" and the executives funding their ambitious projects.{{sfn|Doggett|2016|p=372}}{{refn|group=nb|Brian's brother Carl remarked, "Record companies were used to having absolute control over their artists. [...] But what could they say? Brian made good records."<ref name="Himes1983">{{cite magazine|last1=Himes|first1=Geoffrey|author-link=Geoffrey Himes|title=The Beach Boys High Times and Ebb Tides Carl Wilson Recalls 20 Years With and Without Brian|magazine=[[Musician (magazine)|Musician]]|date=September 1983|issue=59|url=http://troun.tripod.com/carl.html}}</ref>}}

[[File:Eiga-Joho-1966-September-1.png|thumb|left|[[The Beatles]] were engaged in a creative rivalry with Wilson during the mid-1960s.{{sfn|Starr|2007|p=254}}{{sfn|Perone|2015|pp=42, 47}}{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=150}}]]

Beatles producer [[George Martin]] said, "No one made a greater impact on the Beatles than Brian [...] the musician who challenged them most of all."{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=17}}{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=57}}{{refn|group=nb|John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and [[George Harrison]] each championed ''Pet Sounds'' when it was released.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=135}} Moreover, Harrison recalled that the group had felt threatened by the album.<ref>{{cite episode|people=Wonfor, Geoff; Smeaton, Bob (Directors)|series=[[The Beatles Anthology (documentary)|The Beatles Anthology]]|number=5|medium=Documentary series|network=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|year=1995}}</ref> Asked in 1966 for the musical person he most admired, Lennon named Wilson.{{sfn|Dillon|2012|p=73}}}}  [[Jimmy Webb]] explained, "As far as a major, modern producer who was working right in the middle of the pop milieu, no one was doing what Brian was doing. We didn't even know that it was possible until he did it."{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=115–116}} [[David Crosby]] called Wilson "the most highly regarded pop musician in America. Hands down."{{sfn|Murphy|2015|p=300}}

His accomplishments as a producer influenced many others in his field, effectively setting a precedent that allowed subsequent bands and artists to produce their own recording sessions.{{sfn|Edmondson|2013|p=890}} Following his exercise of total creative autonomy, Wilson ignited an explosion of like-minded California producers, supplanting New York as the center of popular records.{{sfn|Howard|2004|p=54}} Wilson was also a pioneer of "project" recording, where an artist records by himself rather than at an established studio.{{sfn|Edmondson|2013|p=890}}

The 1967 [[CBS]] documentary ''[[Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution]]'' described Wilson as "one of today's most important pop musicians."{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=182}} Many musicians have voiced admiration for Wilson's work or cited it as an influence, including [[Bob Dylan]], [[Neil Young]], [[Ray Davies]], [[John Cale]], [[David Byrne]], [[Todd Rundgren]], [[Patti Smith]], [[Mick Jagger]], [[Keith Richards]], <!--- [[Eric Clapton]], --->[[Bruce Springsteen]], [[Randy Newman]], [[Ray Charles]], and [[Chrissie Hynde]].<ref name="Contrast88">{{cite magazine|last1=Klinkenborg|first1=Verlyn |author-link=Verlyn Klinkenborg|title=Brian Wilson and the Fine Art of Surfacing|magazine=Contrast|date=1988|url=http://www.petsounds.com/contrast.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980630154133/http://www.petsounds.com/contrast.pdf|via=petsounds.com|archive-date=June 30, 1998}}</ref>

===Art pop, pop art, psychedelia, and progressive music===

{{Quote box
| quote = There is no god and Brian Wilson is his son. Brian Wilson stirred up the chords.
| source = —[[Velvet Underground]] co-founder [[Lou Reed]], 1966<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/28/lou-reed-career-being-contrary|title=Lou Reed: A career of being contrary|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=October 28, 2013|accessdate=January 31, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Aspen|year=1966|volume=1|issue=3|title=The View from the Bandstand|url=https://www.ubu.com/aspen/aspen3/bandstand.html|last=Reed|first=Lou|authorlink=Lou Reed}}</ref>
| width = 25%
| align =
}}

Further to his invention of new [[texture (music)|musical textures]] and his novel applications of quasi-[[symphonic orchestra]]s, Wilson helped propel the mid-1960s [[art pop]] movement,<ref>{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Holden |date=February 28, 1999 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/28/arts/music-they-re-recording-but-are-they-artists.html |title=MUSIC; They're Recording, but Are They Artists? |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=July 17, 2013}}</ref> and, with ''Pet Sounds'', was immediately heralded as [[art rock]]'s leading figure.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nolan |first1=Tom |title=How Goes It Underground? |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/how-goes-it-underground |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=February 18, 1968 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Carlin writes that Wilson had originated an "art-rock" style that merged transcendent artistic possibilities with the mainstream appeal of pop music.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carlin |first1=Peter Ames |author-link=Peter Ames Carlin |title=MUSIC; A Rock Utopian Still Chasing An American Dream |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/25/arts/music-a-rock-utopian-still-chasing-an-american-dream.html |date=March 25, 2001 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Academic [[Larry Starr]] writes, "In a sense, Brian Wilson was the first self-conscious second-generation rock 'n' roller" as well as "the first fully realized" example of both an innovative and majorly successful pop musician.{{sfn|Starr|2007|p=252}} Starr credits Wilson with establishing a successful career model that was then followed by the Beatles and other mid-1960s British Invasion acts.{{sfn|Starr|2007|pp=251–253}}{{refn|group=nb|In Starr's estimation, Wilson had initially demonstrated a proficiency in the fundamental styles of early rock 'n' roll, both in ballads and faster-paced songs. He then developed and evolved these styles through original compositions, and, ultimately, diverged significantly from traditional rock 'n' roll forms, sounds, and themes to forge a distinctive musical identity.{{sfn|Starr|2007|pp=251–253}}}} According to journalist [[Erik Davis]], in addition to composing "a soundtrack to the early '60s", Wilson initiated "a delicate and joyful art pop unique in music history and presaged the mellowness so fundamental to '70s California pop."<ref name="Davis1990">{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Erik|title=Look! Listen! Vibrate! SMILE! The Apollonian Shimmer of the Beach Boys|url=http://www.techgnosis.com/index_beach.html|access-date=January 14, 2014|newspaper=LA Weekly|date=November 9, 1990|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204153729/http://www.techgnosis.com/index_beach.html|archive-date=December 4, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Andy Warhol by Jack Mitchell.jpg|thumb|upright|Comparisons have been drawn between Wilson and [[pop art]] figures such as [[Andy Warhol]] (pictured 1973)]]

[[Van Dyke Parks]] stated, "Brian Wilson was not imitative, he was inventive; for people who don't write songs, it's hard to understand how inventive he really was."<ref>{{cite web|last=Dombal|first=Ryan|date=April 22, 2011|title=5–10–15–20: Van Dyke Parks The veteran songwriter and arranger on the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, and more.|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/42269-5-10-15-20-van-dyke-parks/|work=Pitchfork|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514101025/http://pitchfork.com/news/42269-5-10-15-20-van-dyke-parks/|archive-date=May 14, 2013}}</ref> Parks elaborated that "Wilson made music as accessible as a cartoon and yet rewarded repeated listening as much as [[Bach]]", also suggesting that Wilson's sensibilities overlapped with those espoused by other pop artists of the era.<ref name="HimesSurf">{{cite web|author-link=Geoffrey Himes|last1=Himes|first1=Geoffrey|title=Surf Music|url=http://teachrock.org/media/essays/surf_himes_with_maia_edits_2.pdf|website=teachrock.org|publisher=Rock and Roll: An American History|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125223127/http://teachrock.org/media/essays/surf_himes_with_maia_edits_2.pdf|archive-date=November 25, 2015}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Pop artist [[Peter Blake (artist)|Peter Blake]], who designed the Beatles' [[List of images on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band|''Sgt. Pepper'' album cove]]r, said, "I've never been an enormous fan of the Beatles like I am of the Beach Boys."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Jonathan |title='The Beatles? I was more a fan of the Beach Boys': Peter Blake at 90 on pop art and clubbing with the Fab Four |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/jun/15/the-beatles-i-was-more-a-fan-of-the-beach-boys-peter-blake-at-90-on-pop-art-and-clubbing-with-the-fab-four |access-date=June 17, 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=June 15, 2022}}</ref>}}{{refn|group=nb|In a 1968 article for ''[[Jazz & Pop]]'', contributor [[Gene Sculatti]] addressed popular criticisms regarding the Beach Boys openly embracing [[mass culture]] and [[commercialism]]; Sculatti argued that these associations were artistically validated by Wilson's authentic "fascination with popular culture", a preoccupation that had "served Warhol and Chuck Berry equally well."<ref name="Scalluti1968">{{cite journal|last=Sculatti|first=Gene|author-link=Gene Sculatti|url=http://www.teachrock.org/resources/article/villains-and-heroes-in-defense-of-the-beach-boys/|title=Villains and Heroes: In Defense of the Beach Boys|journal=Jazz & Pop|date=September 1968|access-date=July 10, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714191639/http://www.teachrock.org/resources/article/villains-and-heroes-in-defense-of-the-beach-boys/|archive-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref>}}

Under Wilson's creative leadership, the Beach Boys became major contributors to the development of [[psychedelic music]], although they are rarely credited for this distinction.{{sfn|Matijas-Mecca|2020|p=27}} Christian Matijas-Mecca, in his book about [[psychedelic rock]], credits Wilson, alongside Bob Dylan and the Beatles, for establishing a creative standard that "enabled psychedelic artists to expand their sonic and compositional boundaries", yielding "entirely new" sounds and tone colors.{{sfn|Matijas-Mecca|2020|pp=14, 27}} In an editorial piece on [[sunshine pop]], ''[[The A.V. Club]]''{{'}}s Noel Murray recognized Wilson as among "studio rats [that] set the pace for how pop music could and should sound in the [[flower power|Flower Power]] era: at once starry-eyed and wistful."<ref name=AVSunshine>{{cite news|last1=Murray|first1=Noel|title=Sunshine Pop|url=https://www.avclub.com/article/sunshine-pop-54224|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=April 7, 2011}}</ref>

Wilson's work with the Beach Boys, especially on ''Pet Sounds'', "Good Vibrations" and ''Smile'', marked the beginnings of [[progressive pop]], a genre that is distinguished by sophisticated and unorthodox approaches to pop music.<ref name="progpopguide"/> Writing in 1978, biographer [[David Leaf]] identified Wilson's 1960s productions as a chief influence on bands such as [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[Electric Light Orchestra]], [[10cc]], and [[Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]], among others.{{sfn|Leaf|1978|p=191}}{{refn|group=nb|Many of the 1970s and 1980s acts that Wilson influenced, including ELO, [[Sparks (band)|Sparks]], [[Supertramp]], [[Kate Bush]], and [[Tears for Fears]], came to be linked under the "progressive pop" banner.<ref name="progpopguide">{{cite web |last1=Reed |first1=Ryan |title=A Guide to Progressive Pop |url=https://tidal.com/magazine/article/a-guide-to-progressive-pop/1-57187 |website=Tidal |date=November 20, 2019}}</ref>}} Musicologist [[Bill Martin (philosophy)|Bill Martin]] acknowledged Wilson's influence on [[progressive rock]], particularly through his complex songwriting and basslines.{{sfn|Martin|2015|pp=70–75, 183–185}}

Wilson's detachment from live performance—deploying bandmates as "attractive avatars"—presaged later producer-musicians like [[Max Martin]]. Writing in 2016, ''[[The Atlantic]]''{{'}}s Jason Guriel credits ''Pet Sounds'' with inventing "the modern pop album" by establishing auteur-driven production, anticipating "the rise of the producer [and] the modern pop-centric era, which privileges producer over artist and blurs the line between entertainment and art."<ref name="Guriel2016">{{cite magazine|last1=Guriel|first1=Jason|title=How Pet Sounds Invented the Modern Pop Album|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/05/how-pet-sounds-invented-the-modern-pop-album/482940/|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|date=May 16, 2016}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Guriel goes on to note, "In a move that would've pleased Andy Warhol, Wilson recruited an advertising copywriter to come up with the album's lyrics. In a move that would've pleased a [[Dada]]ist, he rattled listeners' sense of sonic possibility."<ref name="Guriel2016"/>}}

===Naïve art, rock/pop division, and outsider music===
{{Further|Naïve art|Rockism and poptimism}}
[[File:Brian Wilson 1963 Billboard (cropped).png|thumb|upright|left|Wilson (pictured 1962) posing with the Beach Boys.]]

Wilson's popularity and success is attributed partly to the perceived naïveté of his work and personality.{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=43}}{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=25–26}}<ref name="Hoskyns95"/> In music journalist [[Barney Hoskyns]]' description, the "particular appeal of Wilson's genius" can be traced to his "singular naivety" and "ingenuousness", alongside his band being "the very obverse of hip".<ref name="Hoskyns95"/> Commenting on the seemingly "campy and corny" quality of the Beach Boys' early records, David Marks said that Wilson had been "dead serious about them all", elaborating, "It's hard to believe that anyone could be that naive and honest, but he was. That's what made those records so successful. You could feel the sincerity in them."{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=43}}{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=25–26}}

The most culturally significant "tragedy" in 1960s rock, according to journalist [[Richard Goldstein (writer, born 1944)|Richard Goldstein]], was Wilson's failure to overcome his insecurities and realize "his full potential as a composer" after having anticipated developments such as [[electronica]] and [[Minimal music|minimalism]].<ref name=GoldsteinSalon>{{cite web|last1=Goldstein|first1=Richard|authorlink=Richard Goldstein (writer born 1944)|title=I got high with the Beach Boys: "If I survive this I promise never to do drugs again"|url=http://www.salon.com/2015/04/26/i_got_high_with_the_beach_boys_if_i_survive_this_i_promise_never_to_do_drugs_again/|work=[[salon (website)|Salon]]|date=April 26, 2015}}</ref> Writing in 1981, [[Sociomusicology|sociomusicologist]] [[Simon Frith]] identified Wilson's withdrawal in 1967, along with Phil Spector's self-imposed retirement in 1966, as the catalysts for the "rock/pop split that has afflicted<!-- !  check for tone !--> American music ever since".<ref name="Frith/HistoryOfRock">{{cite magazine|first=Simon|last=Frith|title=1967: The Year It All Came Together|magazine=[[The History of Rock (magazine)|The History of Rock]]|year=1981|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/1967-the-year-it-all-came-together|url-access=subscription|author-link=Simon Frith}}</ref>

Speaking in a 1997 interview, musician [[Sean O'Hagan]] felt that rock music's domination of mass culture following the mid-1960s had the effect of artistically stifling contemporary pop composers who, until then, had been guided by Wilson's increasingly ambitious creative advancements.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Smith|first1=Ethan|title=Do It Again|magazine=[[New York Magazine]]|date=November 10, 1997|volume=30|issue=43|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J-gCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98|publisher=New York Media, LLC|issn=0028-7369}}</ref> In her article which dubbed him "the godfather of sensitive pop", music journalist Patricia Cárdenas credits Wilson with ultimately inspiring many musicians to value the craft of pop songwriting as much as "the primal, hard-driving rock 'n' roll the world had come to know since then."<ref name="Cardenas20">{{cite news |last1=Patricia |first1=Cardenas |title=Brian Wilson Paved the Way for the Sensitive Pop Revolution |url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/things-to-do-in-miami-brian-wilson-at-magic-city-casino-january-17-2020-11437180 |work=Miami New Times |date=January 15, 2020}}</ref>

{{Quote box
|align=right
|quote="''[[I Just Wasn't Made for These Times|I guess I just wasn't made for these times]]''," he had declared on ''Pet Sounds'', and the song had become the overture for a decades-long saga that would be, in its way, just as influential as ''Pet Sounds'' had been. [...] Ultimately, Brian's public suffering had transformed him from a musical figure into a cultural one.
|source=—Biographer [[Peter Ames Carlin]]{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=277}}
|width = 25%
}}

By the mid-1970s, Wilson had tied with ex-[[Pink Floyd]] member [[Syd Barrett]] for rock music's foremost "mythical casualty".<ref name="Lester98"/> Timothy White wrote that Wilson's ensuing legend rivaled that of the [[California myth]] promoted by the Beach Boys,{{sfn|White|1996|p=289}} while Brackett characterized Wilson's "rise and fall and rise" as a "downright [[Shakespearean]]" story.{{sfn|Brackett|2008|pp=29, 39}}{{refn|group=nb|Hoskyns identified Wilson's retreat as "central to the obsession many people have with his lost greatness."<ref name="Hoskyns95">{{cite news|last1=Hoskyns|first1=Barney|title="Brian Wilson is a Genius": The Birth of a Pop Cult|url=https://barneyhoskyns.com/2016/10/13/he-is-brian-wilson/|work=[[The Independent]]|date=September 1, 1995}}</ref>}}

Ultimately, Wilson became regarded as the most famous [[outsider music]]ian.{{sfn|Chusid|2000|p=xv}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vivinetto |first1=Gina |title=The bipolar poet |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/19/Floridian/The_bipolar_poet.shtml |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |date=July 19, 2003}}</ref> Author [[Irwin Chusid]], who codified the term "outsider music", noted Wilson as a potentially unconvincing example of the genre due to Wilson's commercial successes, but argued that the musician should be considered an outsider due to his "tormented" background, past issues with drug dependencies, and unorthodox songwriting.{{sfn|Chusid|2000|p=xv}}

===Alternative music and continued cultural resonance===

Wilson has also been declared the "godfather" of [[punk rock|punk]], [[indie rock]], and [[emo]].<ref name="Cardenas20"/> Principally through his early records, Wilson, alongside his collaborator Mike Love, was a key influence on the development of punk rock and the movement's evolution into indie rock.<ref name=Shoup2015>{{cite web|last1=Shoup|first1=Brad|title=How Brian Wilson Helped Spawn Punk|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1793955/how-brian-wilson-helped-spawn-punk/franchises/essay/|publisher=[[Stereogum]]|date=April 14, 2015}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|In a 2001 interview, Darian Sahanaja characterized Wilson as "more punk [than modern punk bands]. Just him on stage - you can see teenagers going 'whoahh!' as he says things off the top of his head. At Neil Young's [[Bridge School Benefit|Bridge Benefit Concert]] for disabled children he'd say - 'OK this is for all the crippled children...' [...] There's no irony there."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ridley |first1=Stephen |title=The Wondermints |url=http://cwas.hinah.com/interview/?id=70 |website=Comes with a Smile |access-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628075450/http://cwas.hinah.com/interview/?id=70 |archive-date=June 28, 2008 |date=Spring 2001}}</ref>}} According to critic [[Carl Wilson (critic)|Carl Wilson]] (no relation to the Beach Boys' Carl Wilson), "The [[Ramones]], for instance, seized on and subverted the early Wilson template: [[Be True to Your School]] became [[Rock 'n' Roll High School (song)|Rock'n'Roll High School]]."<ref name=BBCMozart/> The critic adds that Wilson's "vulnerability", "offbeat instruments", and "intricate harmonies", together with the ''Smile'' mythos, served as a "touchstone" for art-inclined [[post-punk]] and bands such as [[Pere Ubu]], [[XTC]], [[U2]], [[R.E.M.]], the [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]], and [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]].<ref name=BBCMozart>{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Carl|title=The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson: America's Mozart?|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150608-is-this-americas-mozart|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=June 9, 2015}}</ref>

Later in the 20th century, Wilson was credited with "godfathering" an era of independently produced music that was heavily indebted to his melodic sensibilities, [[chamber pop]] orchestrations, and recording experiments.<ref name="Leas2016">{{cite web |last1=Leas|first1=Ryan|title=Tomorrow Never Knows: How 1966's Trilogy Of Pet Sounds, Blonde On Blonde, And Revolver Changed Everything|website=[[Stereogum]]|date=August 5, 2016|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1892600/tomorrow-never-knows-how-1966s-trilogy-of-pet-sounds-blonde-on-blonde-and-revolver-changed-everything/franchises/sounding-board/}}</ref> Author Nathan Wiseman-Trowse credited Wilson, alongside Spector, with having "arguably pioneered", in popular music, the "approach to the sheer physicality of sound", an integral characteristic of the [[dream pop]] genre.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wiseman-Trowse|first1=Nathan|title=Performing Class in British Popular Music|date=September 30, 2008|publisher=Springer|pages=148–154|isbn=9780230594975|url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=egeMDAAAQBAJ&rdid=book-egeMDAAAQBAJ&rdot=1}}</ref> Newer acts who were influenced by Wilson, or that voiced their admiration, included <!--- Also mentioned in source: the Ramones, XTC, R.E.M., --->[[Robyn Hitchcock]], [[Redd Kross]], [[The Church (band)|the Church]], [[Rain Parade]], [[Big Dipper (band)|Big Dipper]], [[the Go-Betweens]], [[Psychic TV]], [[the Feelies]], and [[the dBs]].<ref name="Contrast88"/>

[[File:Barenaked Ladies performing on-board Ships and Dip III cruise in 2008.jpg|thumb|[[Barenaked Ladies]] enjoyed a top 40 hit with their tribute song, "[[Brian Wilson (song)|Brian Wilson]]", in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|magazine=Billboard|date=1998|title=Radio Leaps for Barenaked Ladies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-w0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA18}}</ref> Wilson himself performed the song at his concerts, showcased on ''Live at the Roxy''.{{sfn|Wilson|Greenman|2016|p=93}}]]

Many of the most popular acts of the 1980s and 1990s recorded songs that celebrated or referenced Wilson's music, including R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen, [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[the Jayhawks]], and [[Wilco]].{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=276}} Simultaneously, [[the High Llamas]] inspired many American touring groups, especially around Los Angeles, to recognize Wilson as an "alternative music hero".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Woullard|first1=Clayton|title=The Goat Looks In: Interview with Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas|url=http://claythescribe.com:80/2016/03/04/interview-with-sean-ohagan-of-the-high-llamas/|website=Clay the Scribe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305111207/http://claythescribe.com/2016/03/04/interview-with-sean-ohagan-of-the-high-llamas/|archive-date=March 5, 2017|date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> [[Stereolab]] and the [[Elephant 6]] collective, whose roster included [[Apples in Stereo]], [[of Montreal]] and [[the Olivia Tremor Control]], were all heavily influenced by Wilson.<ref name="Allen21">{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Jim |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/beach-boys-godfathers-of-dream-pop/ |title=How The Beach Boys Became The Godfathers Of Dream Pop |website=UDiscover Music |access-date=July 30, 2022 |date=December 13, 2021}}</ref> In Japan, references to Wilson and his "mad boy genius" legend became a common trope among {{Nihongo|''[[Shibuya-kei]]''|渋谷系}} musicians such as [[Cornelius (musician)|Cornelius]].<ref name="Walters">{{cite web|last1=Walters|first1=Barry|title=The Roots of Shibuya-Kei|url=http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2014/11/japan-top-ten-roots-of-shibuya-kei|website=[[Red Bull Music Academy]]|date=November 6, 2014}}</ref> In 2000, [[Marina Records]] released ''[[Caroline Now!: The Songs of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys|Caroline Now!]]'', an album of Wilson's songs recorded by artists including [[Alex Chilton]], [[Kim Fowley]], [[the Aluminum Group]], [[Eric Matthews (musician)|Eric Matthews]], [[Saint Etienne (band)|Saint Etienne]], [[Peter Thomas (composer)|Peter Thomas]], the High Llamas, and [[Jad Fair]] of [[Half Japanese]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Morris |first1=Chris |title=Select-O-Hits Celebrates Its 40th Year; Caroline Pays Tribute to the Beach Boys |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kxEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56 |magazine=Billboard |date=July 29, 2000}}</ref>

Through acts such as [[Panda Bear (musician)|Panda Bear]], and especially his 2007 album ''[[Person Pitch]]'', Wilson began to be recognized for his continued impact on the indie music vanguard.<ref name="Allen21"/> In 2009, ''Pitchfork'' ran an editorial feature that traced the development of nascent indie music scenes, and [[chillwave]] in particular, to the themes of Wilson's songs and his reputation for being an "emotionally fragile dude with mental health problems who coped by taking drugs."<ref>{{cite web|editor-last1=Richardson|editor-first1=Mark|title=In My Room (The Best Coast Song): Nine Fragments on Lo-fi's Attraction to the Natural World|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/resonant-frequency/7732-resonant-frequency-65/|date=November 12, 2009}}</ref>

Wilson's influence continues to be attributed to modern dream pop acts such as [[Au Revoir Simone]], [[Wild Nothing]], [[Alvvays]], and [[Lana Del Rey]].<ref name="Allen21"/> In 2022, [[She & Him]], accompanied by the release of ''[[Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson]]'', embarked on a concert tour dedicated to renditions of Wilson's songs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Uitti |first1=Jacob |title=She & Him Demonstrate Their Joy in New LP 'Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson' |url=https://americansongwriter.com/she-him-demonstrate-their-joy-in-new-lp-melt-away-a-tribute-to-brian-wilson/ |website=American Songwriter |access-date=July 25, 2022 |date=July 20, 2022}}</ref>