If you're looking for a probing, in-depth and insightful interview with one of pop music's true geniuses, you've come to the wrong place. Perhaps there's an old one from Rolling Stone you can dig up.

The interview that took place on the phone with Brian Wilson Tuesday evening just before his concert in Concord, N.H., was quick and dirty, designed to sell a few more tickets at Carnegie Music Hall Library of Homestead Friday night but not reveal much about the man.

It lasted 5 minutes and 40 seconds, and ended abruptly, with a dozen questions left unspoken. Regrettably, the words Beach and Boys never even surfaced.

It's typical of what people get from Wilson if they're even lucky enough to get him on the phone. You can almost picture his road manager standing by with a stopwatch as Wilson gives his breathless and often befuddling answers.

The important thing is that, judging from the reviews, audiences are getting a solid two hours from Wilson in concert, something no one expected two, three, four decades ago when, after writing some of the most sublime songs in the pop music canon, he appeared to be a sure casualty of mental illness and drug abuse, brought on by the pressures of fame, creativity and his legendary overbearing father.

That story is all well-documented and one day will blow people away on the big screen. In the meantime, the Brian Wilson saga continues rather joyfully with the Beach Boys mastermind continuing to make new music, like last year's "Lucky Old Sun," and tour with an enthusiastic band that can cover for any musical shortcomings he has at 67.

It came to light recently that Wilson is also working on a new album for Disney of George Gershwin songs, including two compositions Gershwin left unfinished. Because artists generally get more excited about their current projects, it made sense to talk about the Gershwin album near the top of the interview and save some of the juicier things for last. Unfortunately, we never got there.

You have a show to do in two hours. What do you normally do to get ready?

Ah, you know, meditate, talk to people, play the piano, try to keep cool.

I was just on your Facebook page ...

What?

[Trust me, he has one, where there are even pictures posted of his lovely family, including new addition Dash Tristan.]

Facebook page. On the computer. I saw that you're doing all these East Coast dates. Do you like coming to cities like Pittsburgh in November?

Yeah, yeah, I do. I love the weather, it's kind of nice and chilly, and we love the audiences 'cause they're great audiences. Just like that.

Obviously your music is very summery. Do you think it makes for good fall listening?

Well, we have 11 people on stage, and we put out quite a sound, so I think people like it.

What is the focus of this tour?

The focus is to give the best vocal, try to play the right chords and ... like that, you know.

Do you ever play the wrong ones?

On "California Girls"? No.

You've had the same band for a decade, right?

Over a decade.

How do you keep them together?

Well, we stay in touch with each other by phone and when we line up a tour, everyone is given an itinerary and we meet up on tour. We fly sometimes, we drive sometimes. Tonight we're driving two hours to ... I don't know what city ... [he asks someone]. We're going to Providence, R.I., after the show.

Is it important to you that the band members be constant?

Well, we try not to lose them. Some guys threaten to quit every once in a while and we say, "No, you don't have to quit."

Do you feel like you're getting more comfortable on stage as you get older?

Um, you know what? I don't really know. More comfortable on stage? About the same. I feel about the same every show. I get nervous as hell and go through my bull----, then get on stage and I'm happy -- happy to entertain people and we have a good day.

So the nervousness goes away when you get on stage?

Yeah, the nervousness goes away about two seconds after I hear the first drumbeat. Then I'm OK.

I wanted to ask you about the George Gershwin project ...

Why? [abruptly]

I wanted to know what kind of work you're doing to finish these songs.

Well, we've done seven background orchestrations and we have another five to go and then we're going to do two songs that Gershwin wrote on piano that they never finished. And then I'm trying to write ... It's hard to talk about it 'cause I'm not sure where the heck it's coming from.

Was he an influence on your music?

No, he wasn't an influence, but he inspired me.

What are you favorite Gershwin songs?

Well, let's see. I like "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Summertime," "I Loves You, Porgy." Songs like that. Real cool tunes.

How do you compare Gershwin to your contemporaries, say, Paul McCartney or Bob Dylan?

I would say he's a little more musically expansive. I wouldn't say Paul McCartney is any better or less better than Gershwin. I think McCartney is just as good in his own way as Gershwin. To compare the two wouldn't be fair. Know what I mean?

You know how they say, "They don't write 'em like they used to"? Do you believe that, or do you still hear good songs out there?

I believe that the only songs out there are ones that writers have already written.

OK ... Do you hear new ones now that stack up?

No, not really. I like Gershwin, I like McCartney, it's all relative, you can't compare. Hey, I have to go now, I have to get out of here ...

And with that, Wilson was gone. There was no chance to ask him about memories of writing Beach Boys songs, what kinds of offers he gets to work with people now -- surely a million young indie bands would jump at the chance -- and whether he would consider collaborating with surviving Beach Boys Mike Love, Al Jardine or Bruce Johnston as part of the group's 50th anniversary in 2011. (The last time was 1996.)

Based on another interview he just did with the Concord Monitor, titled "Six Minutes With Brian Wilson," the answer is no. "We're not going to work with Mike [Love]," he said and added of the current Beach Boys, "I don't really get along with them very good."

It's not surprising considering the ill will that has blown back and forth between them over the years. His cousin Love, who filed a lawsuit against Wilson in 2005 about the marketing of "Smile" that was thrown out, continues to tour with a version of the Beach Boys that presents more of a beach party nostalgia show.

An evening with Brian Wilson, with the damaged artist singing "God Only Knows," shaky as it might be, is sure to be an infinitely more enriching experience.

"Listen Up With Andrew Druckenbrod" and "The Beat With Scott Mervis" are available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.