“People used to write about how I seemed stiff. Then they started writing about how I had stage fright. It’s a weird phrase, ‘stage fright.’ I wasn’t afraid of the stage. I was afraid of all the eyes watching me, and of the lights, and of the chance that I might disappoint everyone. There were so many expectations that I could figure out in the studio, but they were different onstage. A good audience is like a wave that you ride on top of. It’s a great feeling. But a crowd can also feel the other way around, like a wave that’s on top of you.”

—Brian Wilson, I Am Brian Wilson