Everyday Creation
This show has to do with different kinds of creation: human, divine, and a third kind that connects the two. Our human creativity is easy to talk about because clearly we're prolific creators. We make music, we write, we cook; we establish businesses, we design gardens, we invent things. The list goes on and on. Another kind of creation is divine. We feel its presence when, for example, we contemplate birth, death, our life purpose, or have a quiet realization that there's something bigger than us. The third kind is perhaps a little more difficult to grasp and yet, with a little practice, it's easy to put into action. This is the personal power each of us has to direct our thoughts, words and actions every day toward what we want in our life and world, rather than what we don't want.
This sounds heavier than it is. For me, this show is an acknowledgment that while we're all here to learn and grow and do our best, there's still plenty of opportunity to relax, laugh, love, and enjoy this playground we call life. So my hope is that you'll get some enjoyment and illumination out of these episodes. Here you'll find interviews with delightfully creative individuals; short stories about some who have passed away; and essays about personal power.
I'm Kate Jones, host and creator of Everyday Creation. Thank you for following my show.
Everyday Creation
Maybe it's True that the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson "Just Wasn't Made for These Times"
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Musician, singer, songwriter and record producer Brian Wilson, a co-founder of the Beach Boys, had debilitating mental health issues starting with a panic attack while en route to a concert in December 1964. Still, he managed to create the innovative and influential rock concept album "Pet Sounds," which was released in 1966 and is considered to be among the greatest albums of all time.
In 2007, he received Kennedy Center Honors along with other luminaries in their fields, specifically Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross and Martin Scorsese.
You can go here to listen to "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" from "Pet Sounds." Layered and beautiful, the song addresses social alienation. You can find the album on Amazon in various formats including the 50th Anniversary Stereo edition on vinyl.
And here are the Beach Boys performing "I Get Around" in September 1964 on "The Ed Sullivan Show." This video has been remastered in HD.
The thumbnail photo, by Ithaka Darin Pappas, is of Wilson at the piano in 1990. It's available under the license CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons. You can see a larger photo here.
The art that frames two sides of the photo was created by Bob Jones.
Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day deserves a tribute of its own. The good thing is that the tributes to music makers live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.
Nobody could have seen the genius of Brian Wilson when he was writing innocent songs about beaches, bikini-clad girls and surfing during the early parts of the 1960s.
The Beach Boys songs were better than any Chamber of Commerce brochure touting the Southern California lifestyle. But Wilson, like Southern California, had a dark side. His was filled with drugs and demons.
Wilson died June 11th, nine days short of his 83rd birthday, of heart failure. Sepsis and a bladder infection contributed to his death. He also was suffering from kidney disease and neurological problems.
The Song of the Day is paying tribute to the singers, musicians and songwriters who died in 2025.
Wilson, his two brothers, cousin and schoolboy friend started the Beach Boys in 1961. They were managed by the Wilson brothers’ dad, who was verbally and physically abusive.
Wilson’s brother Dennis was the only surfer, and he convinced Brian and cousin Mike Love to write a song about surfing. They ended up writing several.
The Beach Boys were at the apex of their success when Wilson had a panic attack in December 1964 on a flight to Houston for a concert. He quit touring. His mental health got worse as his drug use increased. He acted erratically. He placed his piano in a sandbox he built in his Beverly Hills home.
Out of all the craziness came “Pet Sounds,” considered one of the greatest albums ever. The album influenced the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper.”
Wilson never had the same success again. He fought the demons and drugs for the rest of his life, sometimes able to write, record and even do concerts. Other times, he was paralyzed with fear, anxiety and helplessness.
How do you pick a Brian Wilson song? “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” hints at who he was. He and Tony Asher wrote it for “Pet Sounds.” Wilson used 14 studio musicians to record it. All the Beach Boys sang on the record.
