Turn my frown upside down

June 12, 2006 1:55 PM

Leonard Bernstein talks about Brian Wilson in the Smile Documentary, does anyone know where to find this footage in its entirety?

My roomate got the Smile documentary a while back and watching it again, there's this section of footage where Leonard Bernstein is talking about his admiration for a small percentage of popular music. He speaks about 'progressive rock music' and how it's pushing boundaries in music in a positive direction. He then discusses and introduces a very young and shaggy Brian Wilson who performs a haunting rendition of Surf's Up solo on piano. Does anyone know 1. what the Leonard Bernstein segment was and 2. where I could find it?

posted by marxfriedrice to media & arts (8 comments total)

Here's Brian Wilson performing "Surf's Up" (?) on the piano, in 1966, if the titles are to be believed. No Leonard Bernstein, though.
posted by interrobang at 2:09 PM on June 12, 2006

According to this, it was a 1967 CBS News special. Maybe send an email to CBS; they might help you track it down.
posted by mr_roboto at 2:16 PM on June 12, 2006

Thanks interrobang, that's actually the performance from the documentary. mr_robot, how do I go about tracking that down from cbs?
posted by marxfriedrice at 2:26 PM on June 12, 2006

You could also e-mail the guy who posted the video to youtube to find out where he got it.
posted by interrobang at 2:44 PM on June 12, 2006

I've tried to find it myself. It was viewable at the Museum of Television & Radio in New York and LA in 2004. The exhibit was called "American Pop"

The name of the special was "CBS News Special: Inside Pop—The Rock Revolution"

An enthusiastic Leonard Bernstein hosts this special program, intended to shed light on the exploding cultural impact of teen-oriented pop music in the mid– 1960s. Bernstein deconstructs hits of the day with his piano, interviews musicians including Frank Zappa and the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn, and presents rare performance footage of Brian Wilson and cult folk troubadour Tim Buckley. (1967; 60 minutes)

Apparently you can view any previous exhibits at individual viewing stations at either museum.
posted by Charlie Bucket at 3:08 PM on June 12, 2006

This sounds great. I'm hoping someone's able to find this on DVD or online.
posted by agropyron at 3:36 PM on June 12, 2006

thx charlie, I'll go down to the museum and try to get a copy, get it out there for people to see!
posted by marxfriedrice at 6:23 PM on June 12, 2006

I have the audio clip on mp3, but not with me right now. I'm pretty sure I have the whole segment, a couple minutes long or so. My email's in profile, I'll send it out tomorrow to anyone who asks.
posted by ibmcginty at 6:47 AM on June 13, 2006