Featured Essay: Pet Sounds and Chasing Down a Dream

by Nickolas Tsui

Pet Sounds is arguably one of the best albums ever made. In any ‘Greatest Albums’ list, it’s always in the top 10, along with The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s album. I love to collect albums and, if possible, get them signed by the artist. As far as getting a copy of the Pepper’s album signed, that ship has long since sailed. However, for a while, getting the Pet Sounds album done from scratch was somewhat possible. I’ve seen a few ‘completed’ copies out there, but by the time I decided to attempt it, it was nearly impossible. I chose the 40th anniversary pressing that was a gatefold with both the stereo and mono versions of the album pressed on yellow and green clear vinyl. I just loved the look of it and figured if I was going to try, I should at least do something different than everyone else has.

My first signature was Al Jardine at one of my favorite places, The Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley, MA. Their food is delicious and in their Sawtelle Room, I had a chance to see Al, along with his son play to an intimate audience. Prior to him going on stage, I was able to add his signature to my guitar downstairs. I had a couple of Beach Boys records as well, but he said he’d be signing those after the show. When he finished his set, he was kind enough to meet fans at his merch booth but would only sign one album each. The choice was easy.

Next, I wrote to Tony Asher. While he didn’t play on the album, he did come up with lyrics, particularly on “God Only Knows.” He agreed to sign the album if I mailed it out to him. He was also nice enough to send a handwritten card wishing me a happy birthday. The next signer was unbelievably Brian Wilson. I still don’t know how that happened. Being old and mentally unstable for some time, he was closely guarded from many fans in his later years. This is the biggest reason why completing a LP is such a tall order.

I’ve heard stories about people having to chase him down and work really hard to get him to sign for them. And if/when they did, his signature would come out terribly – a Br and W that sort of trails off. He was supposed to play a smaller venue called the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH. Unfortunately for me, I had to do two weeks of annual training for the Army Reserve, and wouldn’t you know it, it had to be on one of those days.

I wrote to the people at the Capitol Center explaining my situation, but asked if it might be possible for me to drop off the album before I went away to training. Miraculously, they said they spoke to Brian’s management, and they agreed. Help me, Rhonda, are you kidding me?! And then the news came later - Brian had canceled the rest of the tour because of mental health issues. I for sure thought that in his old age and being so fragile that this was it.

Time passed and he had felt good enough to tour again. And one of the stops he made was a private entertainment show for Mohegan Sun. I was offered a ticket to the show through their casino membership program and jumped right on it. Security at Mohegan is no joke. There’s absolutely no access unless it’s granted or arranged, so I didn’t have high hopes. Still, I wasn’t going to let that stop me from seeing the legend sing some of the biggest classics ever written. I eagerly awaited the day.

As the show approached, a thought had hit me. I thought about how I was so close to getting Brian before he cancelled his tour at the Capitol Center. About how crazy it was that they were willing to take my record even though I wasn’t going to be there. I decided to reach out to Brian’s manager. He had just won an award. I congratulated him, explained what happened and the chain of events leading up to now. I asked if anything could be done this time around. My eyes looked like a squishy toy being pressed when I read a casual reply from him saying they’d make it happen.

On the day of the show, I made my way to Uncasville, CT; walked over to the place to get my ticket and then to the arena. A young woman was there waiting for me. “This way.” Holy crap this is it. I followed her, walking past Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin to a large room where Brian is sitting in an armchair. I just came from work, so I looked like a total bum. We didn’t say much, but I shook his hand and gave him my thanks. He took my album and signed one of the most beautiful signatures. Instead of the W trailing off, you can see almost a full ‘Wilson.’ I was about to leave when one of his crew asked if I might like to get a picture with him. Obviously!'

Aside from the people in the room that were his personnel, it was just Brian and I. That’s like having a private audience with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, or Paul McCartney. I had to really sit and let the gravity of the situation sink in. I thought about asking if he might sign my ticket for the show as well. I probably could have, but I didn’t want to sour such a rare and precious moment in time. When I left, I saw him perform all the songs my mom would listen to in the car when I was a kid.

The hard part was over, but I wasn’t done yet. I still had to get Bruce Johnston and Mike Love to sign. Luckily, they still tour together. After much postponement due to COVID, they were finally playing their show at the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in New Bedford, MA. I got down there early so I didn’t miss any possible chance of meeting Bruce and Mike. I ended up seeing my buddy Glenn there, and met Zacory that day. They were also hoping to meet them and get a few things signed.

Their company made the time more bearable as we waited out the hours. Finally, Bruce came out and agreed to sign for us if we moved their luggage. Done deal. We made quick work of the luggage and were rewarded with a photo and signatures on whatever we brought. Before signing Pet Sounds, he pointed to the signature Brain had given me. Mike wasn’t as easygoing. He refused to sign even when Zac graciously offered him $100 to sign just one each for us. He thought about it for half a second before the door closed behind him.

I had a ticket to the show, very close to the stage in case of a situation like this. It was also my first time seeing ‘The Beach Boys’ by name. The old lady sitting next to me looked at me with disdain when she asked to see my ticket and realized my seat was legit. She even said she didn’t feel comfortable sitting next to a terrorist. I had myself a good laugh at her discomfort of my presence. She must’ve been old school and thought I was a degenerate. Still, I enjoyed the show and had a grand time being so close to such legendary artists. Once the show ended, I made quick footwork to one of their staff, who knew many of the front-rowers and was able to have Mike finally complete the album after a three year period. To date, it remains as one of the crown jewels of my collection.

Nickolas Tsui is a lover of music and collector of memorabilia - vinyl, posters, and signatures. He loves to share his stories and adventures, go see live music, travel, and meet the musicians he admires. He has written for Howl Magazine, The UMass Lowell Connector Student Newspaper, and The Blues Audience Newsletter. Residing in Nashua, NH, he is currently writing his first book, The Steward of the Strings,’ about guitarists he’s met over the years. Besides collecting records, he is part of a group that meets once a month to spin then.  When not enveloped by music and records, he enjoys reading, watching movies, trying new foods, a good whiskey, and shooting billiards.