Think of the most on-brand thing that Weezer could do. Was your answer to surprise-drop a Beach-Boys-inspired album in the middle of a pandemic while everyone was still waiting a previously announced metal-inspired LP? If not, don’t feel bad. Even lifelong fans of the band couldn’t have seen this one…

Phil Spector photographed in the 1970s, and a recent booking photo. I heard Phil Spector died and immediately thought of the end of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” That’s happened every time I’ve heard Phil Spector’s name since 2003, when he killed Lana Clarkson, the actress who played the…

Beach Boys in London in 1966. Clockwise from top left: Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Photo: DEZO HOFFFMANN/REX/Shutterstock. This week RIFF has published an interview with the legendary Brian Wilson, musical genius and creative force behind The Beach Boys, as well as a…

Brian Wilson and his band perform at the Fox theater in Oakland on Sept. 13, 2019. Photos: Karen Goldman. OAKLAND — Brian Wilson, founder and creative force behind the Beach Boys, changed American music in a way few ever have, with genres as diverse as indie rock and punk…

Brian Wilson. Photo courtesy of the artist. Brian Wilson is a legend. The Beach Boys cofounder, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Kennedy Center Honors recipient and Grammy winner is responsible for some of the best songs ever written not only by an American but by rock and pop artists…

Don Henley, deciding that autumn is not that great, either. Courtesy. You may be expecting a Labor Day column full of songs about the working man, but some idiot decided to use that theme on May Day. But in the United States this weekend is the unofficial end of…

Sad cars reacting over the editor’s brake problems, probably. A’s closer Blake Treinen isn’t the only one on the injured list this weekend. My beloved Camaro is also on the list… well, on a lift more specifically, in my dad’s shop. Ten to 14 days with brake issues until…

Actual image of editor Daniel J. Willis after his third concert in three nights. In my tireless quest to come up with a new topic every week, I’ve been lucky the past month or so. Holidays, awards shows; they’re conceptual gold. But my luck has run out. Do you…

If I’ve gotten one complaint more than any other about this column, it’s literally all of 1979. But aside from that it’s definitely snubbing Pink Floyd. But other than that…OK, there’s a lot of stuff, you all hate me. For the purposes of today’s edition, though, the complaint I’m talking…

Photos: Roman Gokhman SAN FRANCISCO — Brian Wilson wanted fans to have fun, fun, fun at Thursday’s show at The Masonic in San Francisco, but not too much. “Please be seated,” he said for the first of two times as the crowd rose to its feet after a rousing…