Beach Boy Brian Wilson opens up about getting old — and his rivalry with The Beatles

Brian Wilson is one of the seminal pop composers of the 20th century. His lush melodies and arrangements instantly evoke the warmth of California beaches and the nostalgia of summer and happy days — the kinds of things he still prefers to come back to in song, even if the days of fast cars and catching waves are long behind him

Wilson is among a certain vintage of rock veterans now well into the winter of their careers — a group that includes Wilson contemporaries like Paul McCartney, the ex-Beatle whose music the Beach Boys co-founder tells The Week he still pays close attention to and draws competitive inspiration from. But that doesn't mean Wilson's creative fount has run dry. Quite the contrary. Wilson's newly released 11th studio album, No Pier Pressure, shows that the 72-year-old melody-maker who penned so many hummable gems, from "God Only Knows" to "Caroline, No," still has plenty to sing about.

Wilson shot to fame at an incredibly young age writing and singing for The Beach Boys, then struggled with depression while he lay overweight in bed for years (inspiring a catchy Barenaked Ladies song about the strange trip), before rebounding to find an impressive second act as an artist.

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In both sound and substance, No Pier Pressure finds Wilson — now into his fifth decade as an artist — looking back without regret and celebrating how far he's come. That's particularly evident on tracks like "Guess you had to be there," which Wilson tells The Week is a straightforward comment on the '60s and the spirit of the times. Among the song's more inspired lines: "I guess you had to be there, it was a hell of a ride; lines were blurry and hurried, but it felt like the stars had aligned."

The new record also is noteworthy for its inclusion of younger talent. Taking various turns in the spotlight, with Wilson's vocals supporting them intermittently, are country star Kacey Musgraves, Zooey Deschanel of She & Him, and Nate Ruess of the indie band Fun., among others.

"I try to make music that makes people feel good," Wilson says. "I hope people like the harmonies — we really put a lot of work into it."

Wilson's record was released around the same time as Postcards from Paradise, the new album from former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. There was a time, of course, when the Beach Boys and The Beatles found themselves creative rivals, with releases from both groups spurring the other to greater heights. Rubber Soul led to Pet Sounds, still regarded as a masterpiece from Wilson and The Beach Boys, which in turn pushed The Beatles to produce their own landmark recording, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Speaking of Beatles, Wilson tells The Week that while he doesn't pay much attention to the radio these days, or to hits of the moment ("It's oldies but goldies for me!"), he remains a fan and close student of McCartney's work, citing "She's Leaving Home" as his favorite McCartney song.

"I'm motivated by Paul and guys like that. Paul's really great," Wilson says.

Wilson is in the midst of an uncharacteristically busy year. Still to come, for example, is Love & Mercy, a film about Wilson's life hitting theaters this summer, in which Paul Dano and John Cusack will play young and older versions of the musician.

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"I thought it would be a good trip, something really cool," Wilson said when asked what he thought upon hearing that his life would soon be dramatized on the silver screen. "[Cusack and Dano] hung around, picked up my personality and got a feel for me, and that's why they did such a good job."

Wilson will also be hitting the road this summer, performing in more than 15 U.S. cities. After that, an arena tour across the U.K. is planned for September. He's also been working on an autobiography to be released later this year. And he's already thinking about his next album.

"I might do a rock 'n' roll tribute album, in honor of The Beatles, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, things like that," he says.

It's a preference for the past that's unsurprising and which is on display throughout No Pier Pressure, like in the song "Sail Away," which Wilson told The Week is his favorite on the new record. "For a while, I almost gave up dreaming," former Beach Boy member Blondie Chaplin sings on the track, channeling Wilson. Giving up on the music, of course, was and is out of the question.