Brian Wilson Contemplating Calling It Quits

In an interview with the London Evening Standard the Beach Boy discussed stage fright and pointed a finger at the fact that he’s getting on in years.

“I’m always afraid just before I go on stage because I’m not sure how the concert’s going to work,” he told the U.K. paper.

“As I get older it gets harder for me. But when I’m sitting down at the keyboard and my band’s behind me, I can do it.”

Wilson said he has given some thought to retirement and added that he estimates he has “another year, maybe. This could be the last time I play [London]. I’m going to miss it but I’m getting a little bit old for touring.”

The musician revealed that he’s still wrestling with mental health issues including hearing voices in his head.

“What the voices say is still pretty much the same, negative things, ‘You’re going to die’, or, ‘You better watch out’, life-threatening kinds of things,” Wilson said. “Performing helps, but I’ll still have the voices there when I’m on stage. They’re always with me.”

Wilson’s first tour dates of the year begin June 6 in Vienna, Va., at Filene Center At Wolf Trap, followed by shows in Ridgefield, Conn. (June 8) and Montclair, N.J. (June 9). He plays the Blue Note Jazz Festival in New York June 11-13.

Canadian dates are booked June 15-28. Another U.S. leg is scheduled July 29-Aug. 24. A U.K. and European trek is set for Sept. 9-26.

Click here for the London Evening Standard story.

Click here for Brian Wilson’s official website.