Brian Wilson and Al Jardine (Credit: Mary Ann Jardine)
To Al Jardine, Brian Wilson wasn’t just a bandmate, he was one of the most important composers of the 20th century, a “genius” who “created a musical language.” In the days following Wilson’s death, the founding Beach Boy speaks with quiet gravity about his friend’s legacy and the profound impact Wilson had on The Beach Boys’ sound, and on Jardine’s own musical identity.
As he prepares tour with the Pet Sounds Band, Jardine reflects to Jason Barnard on how the shows now carry a deeper emotional resonance. He shares thoughts on songwriting, his new EP Islands In The Sun, and why he still considers himself a graduate of the “Brian Wilson school of music.”
Al, we were due to speak last Wednesday about your tour with the Pet Sounds Band and then we heard the awful news. It gives extra poignance and meaning to those shows.
Yeah, it does, doesn’t it? I had expected Brian to join me at rehearsals in Los Angeles at the end of June. And I was hoping to come by and just talk about it and then he would enjoy seeing the guys, the Brian Band again. And unfortunately, it didn’t pan out that way. So I have mixed feelings about it. I guess we have to go through with it now and make it happen in his memory.
It’s going to be quite a moment with the fans. I guess it will be moving for you, Brian’s band, as well as the audience.
Yeah, I think so too. We’ll see how it goes. We’ll know on July 4th. We’ll see how it feels. And I’m sure by then a lot of it will be numbed up a little bit. We’re playing a casino of all things. For some reason, I accepted this date in Minneapolis and it happens to be a casino date. So normally one doesn’t do extraordinary things at a casino. Generally it’s meat and potatoes, as we call it, at these shows because then they want you to go back and gamble. So the real test will be when we play in the outdoor venue in Cohasset, near Boston. Cohasset is a little town with a festival setting. And we’ll see. By then we should be ready to go, I would think.
There does seem to be that thread through your music whether it’s your solo work or in the Beach Boys of introducing those folk influences. For example, ‘Sloop John B’ but there are many others.
Jeez, Brian, ‘Sloop John B’, what a brilliant production. Yeah, that was my idea too. When we first started the band, I told Brian that I wanted to record that. But we got sidetracked onto the surfing genre. But we eventually got it done, fortunately. But yeah, I love folk music. The Beatles remind me of English folk songs, their music.
‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’ by John Lennon.
Oh, god, yeah! Well, it’s just a style. It’s the style of the minor modal. I call it style because the guys are famous for singing a certain intrinsic style of a very British thing. Yeah, I can’t explain it, but universally accepted, obviously. And the Beach Boys had that same kind of universal sound. Brian invented a form of folk music, I think. Surfing music is really folk music about the people, who love their cars and their surfboards and things like that.
And whether it’s ‘Sloop John B,’ or maybe ‘At My Window’ from Sunflower.
That’s pretty one. Yeah, I love that one. That’s a beauty. Yeah, that was my influence, I guess, on the band and on Brian. Brian’s a composer. I’m just a songwriter. [laughs] Obviously, he was a brilliant composer.
He would work with you to take some of those folk songs and create magic.
Yeah, he created magic, alright. He could take a song and make it his own, or write his own song with original… He invented a new language, I call it a musical language. And I’m not quite as brilliant. [laughs] I don’t have those kinds of talents, but I could take a good song and make it better.
Did you think that he brought the best out of your vocals, whether it’s ‘Help Me Rhonda’ or ‘I Know There’s An Answer?’ Did he have a way of working with you to develop your vocal style?
Oh, yeah, sure. He was a great teacher. He was really our vocal coach. He would recommend a certain inflection, a certain style of singing. There are many ways to interpret. But it was something that came natural to him. And the rest of us, we had to more or less learn as we went along. So yeah, he was terrific in that regard.
Pet Sounds is an album that in the UK took off and immediately resonated here. What was your perspective at the time of that record? Is it different now to what it was then?
Yeah, I’ve grown to really appreciate the hard work we did. To us, it was really a day at the office. To be honest with you, it doesn’t sound very romantic, I know, but we were constantly touring and we had to, he’d come up with an idea. We’d go out and tour and he’d come back with a finished album. So we’d have to learn all the parts and sing everything. It was a big deal. I mean his vision was gigantic, really, when you think about it. But he needed his instruments and we were his vocal instruments. He’d hear all the parts in his head and then we had to learn them. So, yeah, it was big time. But now when I hear the vocals back on the 40th anniversary [box set], the engineers stripped off the tracks and you can hear the vocals all by themselves. Have you ever heard that particular version?
I have. It’s some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard.
Yes, you know what I’m talking about. They’re almost too good. They’re almost too perfect. But we didn’t doctor them up at all. That’s just how they were. No tune correcting. There was nothing like that in those days. So yeah, it’s really remarkable. But we spent months on it. So it should be perfect.
So with the Pet Sounds Band, I’ve just heard the news that you’re also due to go over to Australia. Have you been down under much?
Yeah, about once every decade we’ve been down. It’s a long trip, oh my god! But yeah, we had an offer to come down there but not one single offer has come in from the UK which I find unusual. I was really hoping to go to the UK first and then maybe a little bit of Europe. But I don’t know, maybe next year, possibly. But we got this offer and so we accepted it, early October. I think they have my ‘Islands In The Sun’ as a lead-off track from the EP that just came out, as we’re going to be doing it there. I hadn’t planned on doing it. But, I probably should do at least one of the songs. It’s been overshadowed by Brian’s passing, so I haven’t even really given it much thought.
I’ve just got one final question for you Al. Where did you see your position in the Beach Boys?
Pretty diminutive, not much. I was a good student of the Brian Wilson school of music. Very good student, I must say. I’d say a graduate student. [laughs]
I think you graduated with honors, Al. You’ve been very humble and modest given your work. Thank you so much for your time.
You’re very welcome. Thanks a lot.
Further information
This is an extract of a full written interview also on The Strange Brew
Al Jardine – Islands In The Sun EP
Al Jardine and the Pet Sounds Band tour dates
The audio version of this interview will be released on 27 June 2025. Subscribe to The Strange Brew Podcast on all major podcast outlets.
