Pocket Symphony: A Beach Boys Podcast
By Rosie Alejandrino & Krista Kurisaki
A narrative podcast exploring the life and cultural legacy of the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. Using the 2015 biopic "Love & Mercy," Rosie Alejandrino and Krista Kurisaki break down each scene and uncover the real-life events that inspired the movie.
"Part movie watch-along and part pop culture deep dive, but mostly an exploration of why we, two Asian-American millennial women, keep talking about a white boy band whose best hits lived and died before we were even born."
"Part movie watch-along and part pop culture deep dive, but mostly an exploration of why we, two Asian-American millennial women, keep talking about a white boy band whose best hits lived and died before we were even born."
Latest episode
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12. WOULDN’T IT BE NICE: Why Did We Make a Podcast About the Beach Boys?
Dedicated to (1946 - 2024) "In a perfect world, things would end when every piece lines up perfectly, making us feel okay enough to let go. But in reality —as is the case with The Beach Boys— things go on for too long. We overstay our... -
11. SAIL ON SAILOR: The Lost Years
"Of course there's the surf rock years and Pet Sounds and their resurgence in the '80s, but contrary to popular belief, the Beach Boys did not just disappear when Brian retreated into his bedroom after the failure of SMiLE. In fact, some of the most.… -
10. SURF’S UP: The Legend of Brian Wilson’s SMiLE
"For all of its legendary reputation, the one thing that's always bothered me about the SMiLE story was the image that it left behind: Brian, the sole genius, left tortured by his gifts and completely alone, his tribute to America left unfinished. Bu… -
9. GOOD VIBRATIONS: Mike Love Not War
“Mike sees the Beach Boys’ ability to play for Republican and Democratic presidents as key to their longevity, but as the country becomes more divided, it's their biggest weakness. It's the reason why the Mike and Brian wars were always bigger... -
8. DISNEY GIRLS: Making a Nostalgia Band
“While Disney’s California Adventure abandoned the Golden State, Mike Love is reconstructing California in his mind.” Fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight, because this slow-moving dark ride through the history of California has sudden stops,... -
The Beach Gals are BACK!!!
“Much like Brian, we’ve been through a tumultuous time period that challenged us emotionally, mentally, and creatively. Our unexpected hiatus was much needed, though — partially to get our ducks back in a row, and partially to create an air of... -
7. LOVE AND MERCY: Brian & Britney
"Kind of wild that every major public update on Brian’s well-being occurs on the Beach Boys’ album cycle, almost like the capitalist desire to keep him working overrides the desire to keep him healthy. Makes you think, huh?" CW: This episode deals... -
6. I JUST WASN’T MADE FOR THESE TIMES: Pet Sounds and the Cult of Uncool
“Rolling Stone is no longer like 50 Cameron Crowes, extolling the ‘never to be experienced again’ majesty of the 70s rock age to anyone curious about music history.” Today, Pet Sounds is widely considered to be one of the greatest albums of... -
5. GOD ONLY KNOWS: Who Owns the Beach Boys' Legacy?
“We’ve come a long way from Hawthorne, California, and now the Boys are handing over their literal likenesses to a company that’s willing to give them the Tupac treatment so that Mike Love can finally put the band to rest.” Oh no! The podcast... -
4. (OH!) DARLIN’: The Beach Boys vs. The Beatles
“Resurrected like some Hawaiian shirt-clad phoenix every ten years or so, the Beach Boys became the act as synonymous to boomer nostalgia as the Beatles are to youth counterculture.” As soon as Beatlemania hit US airwaves, the Beach Boys were...
