Don't underestimate the quality of Mike Douglas as an interviewer. He had a way of making folks comfortable on his show that nobody has ever duplicated. Mike Douglas was the only person capable of getting such a candid, intimate interview.
Brian was _maybe_ being honest about drugs here. I'm not 100% he was not on coke during this interview. He's got the pressured speech that is not typical of him. But...I've also heard interviews with him shortly after, when he was for sure back on the blanca, where he sounds a lot less Asperger's-y than he does here. Brian has always been on the spectrum, and you can hear that in interviews going back to the early 60s. He has that quality somewhat here and prominently in the 90s and beyond. But over the next few years, he would sound more coherent and, for lack of a better way to put it, _normal_ while snowblind. I think he was self-medicating his ASD with cocaine in particular.
I don’t think Brian is even capable of being fake or pretentious. He’s been hearing the whole ‘genius’ thing for almost 60 years now, and not once has he ever let it go to his head.
aran125 Given that he was by this point A: a severe drug addict and B: a mental patient; No, I dont believe him. Cocaine makes you extremely talkative and confident. Like he is in this interview.
That was a classic interview. Brian was in great form, gut honest. Mike Douglas was a heck of an interviewer too. He could put people at ease and have a conversation like no other.
+liverneck jones Mike Douglas was good interviewer. I watched his show for many years. He came on around 4 PM after I got home from school. He had all the greats on his show because they trusted him.
I love Brian. Good interview. I wouldn't know if he's on anything in this interview - I would prefer to think not. He just comes across as honest as always. Brian phoned each of us personally when we donated to the Hurricane Katrina fund. Hence, I spent a few minutes with him on the phone a couple of years ago. He is a charming man and I'm so thankful he's still with us.
***** You got that right! How honest and refreshing to hear a real person just let it out. Brian was not the only to tell it like it was-at that time period 60's to 70's it was important to keep it real and not regurgitate the bullshit and sugar coated environment and unreal world of the 50's and the "older" establishment.
I believe that a lot of people with exceptionally creative minds can overcome unusual obstacles in life that would have otherwise taken other people's lives who were/are not as innovative in their outlook. There is something about the inner enlightenment that keeps people like Brian going, despite any and all challenges like the ones he faced, and others to follow.
After watching this video it's more clear than ever that Landy's pills messed up the future Brian, not the LSD. I always wanted to believe that Landy saved his life, pulled him out of his mess and got him sober, skinny, and alive again (which I'm sure he did for a period of time).. but to anyone who thinks the LSD he did in the late 60's messed up Brian's future (his brain, his speech etc.) should watch this video right here. He is more clear-thought and positive than ever.
You are correct. The LSD might have made him withdraw a bit, but the prescription meds Landy gave him throughout the 80s probably did the most neurological damage. Look and watch this interview and then watch a supposedly 'healthy' Brian's interview with Diane Sawyer 15 years later. Night and day.
I was thinking Wow! Brian is clear minded...articulate.....today he obsessed with "voices in his head".......they tell him, "We are going to kill you"....
@@metv2363 Lots of questions though. To what extent did Brain need the meds to function? Was he over prescribed those meds? Did you take them longer than he needed them?
My mom was a Mike Douglas fan. I started to watch him when I was about 13 and was instantly a fan. I recall so many great shows and im sure folks remember he would have co hosts for the full week. The John Lennon week was incredible. I wish things could go back to how they were...
I loved watching this. Huge genius aside, there's something truly sweet and genuine about this man. And for those of us who were born after the 70's, it's beautiful to see him so clear minded and full of vitality as late as 1976.
A musical genius who was totally open and honest about his problems on this 1976 interview. (Something that most 'celebrities' would never admit to).. Unfortunately, some greedy 'care givers' took advantage of Brian's naive honesty..
The thing is as sobering is to see this level of honesty coming from a talent this big, I don't tend to unanimously side with the narrative that a person's intentions and genuineness wholly depends on how quote on quote sane they appear to be. I know it may seem like a compliment to some but it may come off as patronizing to some degree, esp to the person on that receiving end.
Honest interview and answers. Regardless of what you think of Wilson and his slips or mental capacity, he gives honest answers. Very rare for then or especially now.
its been so long since i watched Mike Douglas, i forgot how great he was. serious straight to the meat questions. yet not a hint of antagonism... certainly better than any journalist working today.
***** he was under the "care" of Landy in '76, as well...the difference 10 years later was 10 added years of drug related damage as well as Landy's misdiagnosis of Brian which led to him being on the wrong drugs to "cure" him.
Landy's not the first and by no means the last shrink to fuck with a patients brain. They all do it. Shrinks are all crazy. I mean come on now why do you think they get into it?? Stay away from shrinks, there's a time and place to conservatively let them assist you if you really need it. Landy got his license Yanked for what he did to Brian.
You can really appreciate the quiet nature of the audience. While they have their reactive elements they are genuinely placed and not the uneasy laughter that follows every statement possibly derailing an open and honest conversation
Hes firing on all cylinders here, hes really sharp. I wonder if further drug use caused him to slow down, or was it the prescription drugs from Landy that did it ? If you like the Beatles also I made something, to see it just type in the search bar above this title..... 'Beatles sketch with snippets'
From what I've seen around the internet most fingers tend to point to Dr. Landy as the source for Brian's issues later in life. It crushes me to see a man rid of his addiction, only to me strapped back into it by his doctor 5 years later
Thanks Brian , for speaking the truth . Drugs then where everywhere, and you got into it because of the huge pressure you where under!!! Glad you made it and got sober!!!
Brian is being so honest and open in this interview. He was a musical genius but also a man-child. This video speaks volumes on how he is a trusting soul. It is easy to see how people manipulated him his whole life. Mental issues mixed with family abuse mixed with drugs mixed with insecurity is a toxic mix.
Brian's always been nuts, but he had a lot of character and confidence when interacting with people, displaying an ability to handle conversations with fluid dialogue and expressive body language. I'm aware Landy got Brian in a good physically shape, but by god - what was he prescribing him? Between 1980 and 1990, the psychological degradation of Brian Wilson is empirical, and following his separation from Landy, Wilson was left in a chronically confused state, unable to communicate in a normal manner - with eyes that just didn't look right at all
@@shigsho he should have listened to mike love more, because he got more into weirder music and stopped making the music that got himself and his band on the spotlight
@@gwkiv1458 it would have been better for them both artistically and economically to keep making surfy or early 60's culture american type music than to make something that only sounds cool when very stoned or on acid, which is what smile was only except for the songs heroes and villains and little pad, and also pretty much the rest of the music they made after that, but i think brian was satisfied for the rest of his life with pet sounds
Love this man! He does remarkably well and yes, MUCH prefer THIS Brian to the medicated and hypnotized 80s guy. Let's face it: as mega-talented writer/player/singer/producer/figurehead of a whole scene Brian was UNMATCHED from say 1963--1966. Huge talent and totally in charge young man. Amazing.
Mike Douglas was really good at this type of exchange. Brian Wilson is an absolute genius, and I love how honest and outspoken. I have a lot of his issues, none of his talents.
This is an amazing interview ! great job M Douglas to get B. Wilson to open up like that. I have never seen BW that raw and open. Thanks for posting this Trader !
Is it just me or did Brian go threw different stages of his life where he looks like a completely different person? I guess it is fitting that Paul Dano and John Kusiak look nothing a like.
Yes, I know what you mean. I stare at photos and try to see the resemblance from from the different ages, and sometimes it is hard to imagine that they are photos of the same person. He changed and changed and changed, and it isn't just an aging change.
@@danerd8978 I believe that about the surgery. I also remember how he had a very crooked front tooth in the early days of Beach Boys, and I thought that tooth made him look so cute when it peeked through while he was singing or smiling.
I'm a recovering meth addict, and while coke wasn't my favorite, imagine the balls it took for Brian to get himself out of the sandbox long enough to speak a little truth openly on national live television. As a musician myself, i agree with everything he said. Drugs are both a window and microscope into creativity, but could also be a wall obscuring the artist from the original spark. BALANCE.
I have an article from I think Circus magazine that says they had to cut out part of the interview. Brian said some pro pot things that they cut out. If you notice their is a sharp cut at one point in the drug dialog. I have no further info but I wonder what he feels about pot today,
Fun fact about the gave: When the Albums to this band have been invented & we’re also at it’s prime. 20$ worth of pure coke was all that was needed. Anything over for one person is too much. No matter how much a person is worth during a successful career. Love Brian Wilson. Our society needs more talented musicians like him!
Recorded 1976 ..... He went town hill after this .... for many years. This was by no means the end of his nightmare ..... It is amazing that he outlived his two brothers. He did have guts doing this interview .....
Brian really has been through quite a bit. One funny yet sad story is when Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop went to go visit Brian at his house. Brian had them singing the song Shortnin Bread for about an hour and also was telling them with a straight face that it was the greatest song every written. After the hour Iggy split saying that this was too f***ing weird for him. And Iggy is a guy who used to cut himself up on stage so that that he freaked is kind of funny. Alice also was creeped out.
Mental Illness and Drug addiction or any addiction tends to go hand in hand. its a hell of a struggle and if you are someone who is talented, and makes alot of money while managing yourself the only way you know how, you are very alone, because nobody understands or knows what youre dealing with on a daily basis, and you are very vulnerable. people that see your struggles and vulnerablilities, certain kinds of people, exploit and use someone like Brian Wilson. I could be wrong but it wouldnt shock me if even the best intentioned people in his life in some way or another didnt take advantage of the situation. that kind of talent doesnt come without vulnerablities. when people see a great thing they naturaly want to be apart of it, but in wanting that, they kind of trample the one who has this talent until that person loses himself, and from time to time, that person just needs to get away from that any way they can. sometimes its drugs, sometimes its isolation, sometimes its music. sometimes, its anything BUT music for a while.
Don't underestimate the quality of Mike Douglas as an interviewer. He had a way of making folks comfortable on his show that nobody has ever duplicated. Mike Douglas was the only person capable of getting such a candid, intimate interview.
Honest about drugs, honest about money. This is a real dude right here.
Wispier Tetrahedrons And he's still alive and active in the music industry.
Wispier Tetrahedrons And he's real while still seeming like a really cool, nice guy. All the Wilson brothers were really nice guys.
Yeah, it was a damn refreshing interview.
Brian was _maybe_ being honest about drugs here. I'm not 100% he was not on coke during this interview. He's got the pressured speech that is not typical of him. But...I've also heard interviews with him shortly after, when he was for sure back on the blanca, where he sounds a lot less Asperger's-y than he does here. Brian has always been on the spectrum, and you can hear that in interviews going back to the early 60s. He has that quality somewhat here and prominently in the 90s and beyond. But over the next few years, he would sound more coherent and, for lack of a better way to put it, _normal_ while snowblind. I think he was self-medicating his ASD with cocaine in particular.
@@soulvigilante He doesn't have aspergers, he picks up on social cues.
Brian is very likable. There is no pretense with him. So genuine.
I wish I was the same.
I don’t think Brian is even capable of being fake or pretentious. He’s been hearing the whole ‘genius’ thing for almost 60 years now, and not once has he ever let it go to his head.
This is the most honest interview I have ever heard from such a famous person.
you’ve obviously never heard of Lemmy
@@coldacreLemmy wasn’t quite on the same level of ‘famous’ as Brian, but yes. You’re right.
Lemmy always spoke like he was trying to prove something, but would tell you he wasnt. Bah.@@coldacre
Wow he really opens up in this interview. That takes a lot of him because he's so shy and socially backward. We love you, Brian.
This is his best interview in my opinion. He is so open, energetic, and full of personality here. Landy really f***ed his brain up.
aran125 He's high as a kite.
Think so? Maybe. Tell ya one thing, I think he looks good here. He's just seems way more open to me.
aran125 Cocaine is a hell of a drug.
So you don't believe where he says that he's been off Cocaine?? Lol. I've never done the yachtski so wouldn't know.
aran125 Given that he was by this point A: a severe drug addict and B: a mental patient; No, I dont believe him. Cocaine makes you extremely talkative and confident. Like he is in this interview.
I've watched many Brian Wilson interviews on UA-cam, and this is my favorite. He's animated, open, honest, somewhat cheerful.
That was a classic interview. Brian was in great form, gut honest. Mike Douglas was a heck of an interviewer too. He could put people at ease and have a conversation like no other.
Brian Wilson is just that kind of guy you have to love. He's just lovable! ❤️
He’s a teddy bear! Not to mention the greatest musical genius of the last 100 years!
you just don't see conversations like this on television anymore....
No such thing as intelligent talk shows anymore. Dick Cavett , Michael Parkinson - all gone. The great dumbing down is truly underway.
daytime tv is really pathetic....a lot of stars were just more intelligent then....watch mike douglas and john lennon....
+liverneck jones Mike Douglas was good interviewer. I watched his show for many years. He came on around 4 PM after I got home from school. He had all the greats on his show because they trusted him.
Q tv has some good ones though, he was pretty out there for his day though too
+searchlight17 All I got was He-Man around 4pm afterschool. I feel ripped off.
Brian Wilson is a gentle soul and is a musical genius...
God only knows what we would be without him!
@@daniellavaladez7820 😄 Nice! I love it
I love Brian. Good interview. I wouldn't know if he's on anything in this interview - I would prefer to think not. He just comes across as honest as always. Brian phoned each of us personally when we donated to the Hurricane Katrina fund. Hence, I spent a few minutes with him on the phone a couple of years ago. He is a charming man and I'm so thankful he's still with us.
Easily the best interview I've seen of Brian Wilson. Dude is a legend.
He is the most genuine soul to walk this earth. Wouldn’t hurt a soul....except himself. Genius.
Pure example of a genius
I’m a genius too ya know?…
This is one of the most honest straight up cats I have ever heard!!! And God Bless Mike Douglas too!!!!
Brian, Dennis, and Carl are and were so incredibly talented. And all of them incredibly beautiful souls.
Nobody has the balls to talk like this on a tv show any more......,,
***** You got that right! How honest and refreshing to hear a real person just let it out. Brian was not the only to tell it like it was-at that time period 60's to 70's it was important to keep it real and not regurgitate the bullshit and sugar coated environment and unreal world of the 50's and the "older" establishment.
And let's not forget this was in the middle of the day on network TV. The '70's were a never-to-be-seen-again decade for both film and television.
You're wrong, TV today is nothing but CIA assets like it is in this video.
No one would admit and say "Cocaine was the most beautiful high"
They wont let them
Who would have ever thought that he would outlive his brothers!?!
I believe that a lot of people with exceptionally creative minds can overcome unusual obstacles in life that would have otherwise taken other people's lives who were/are not as innovative in their outlook. There is something about the inner enlightenment that keeps people like Brian going, despite any and all challenges like the ones he faced, and others to follow.
@@learnthroughmusicandlyrics6361 must have the chosen one type genetics and mental strength, no wonder he made such amazing music
@@cabezadepija7318 Agreed!
@@learnthroughmusicandlyrics6361 Turtle technique.
Brian, so honest and true. Glad he made it back. His talent is off the hook
Brian Wilson thank you for making the world a beautiful place with your songs
After watching this video it's more clear than ever that Landy's pills messed up the future Brian, not the LSD. I always wanted to believe that Landy saved his life, pulled him out of his mess and got him sober, skinny, and alive again (which I'm sure he did for a period of time).. but to anyone who thinks the LSD he did in the late 60's messed up Brian's future (his brain, his speech etc.) should watch this video right here. He is more clear-thought and positive than ever.
Spot on.
You are correct. The LSD might have made him withdraw a bit, but the prescription meds Landy gave him throughout the 80s probably did the most neurological damage. Look and watch this interview and then watch a supposedly 'healthy' Brian's interview with Diane Sawyer 15 years later. Night and day.
I was thinking Wow! Brian is clear minded...articulate.....today he obsessed with "voices in his head".......they tell him, "We are going to kill you"....
@@metv2363 Lots of questions though. To what extent did Brain need the meds to function? Was he over prescribed those meds? Did you take them longer than he needed them?
Could not agree more. Brian had problems in the Sixties-most definitely; however he was so lucid and engaged in any number of interviews, pre-Landy.
Great open interview. Brian honest and true about the drugs. Should be viewed by anyone contemplating a drug induced life style.
Genuine bloke.
What a great guy. All three of the brothers were so real. So sad Dennis and Carl are gone.
What a beautiful soul. So honest , so true. Brian Wilson you are a treasure to this world. God bless you
Wow this was refreshingly honest.
This is the most open and outgoing I’ve ever seen Brian
My mom was a Mike Douglas fan. I started to watch him when I was about 13 and was instantly a fan. I recall so many great shows and im sure folks remember he would have co hosts for the full week. The John Lennon week was incredible. I wish things could go back to how they were...
The Mike Douglas show was an afternoon staple for kids coming home from school, so hearing such a frank discussion on drugs was a rare event.
I loved watching this.
Huge genius aside, there's something truly sweet and genuine about this man. And for those of us who were born after the 70's, it's beautiful to see him so clear minded and full of vitality as late as 1976.
Brian has no filter...
Yeaaaaaa!!
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeea
J J ya
Lol, right???. I was thinking. Geez dude don't tell all that. 😂
Autism, baby! ✌
Loved The Mike Douglas Show! Everyone was on it . Mike had the best rock +rollers. Love this interview with Brian especially.
I don't think you'll find a more open and honest person in this world than Brian Wilson.
You just have to love this man, he is so brutally honest and down to earth. 🥰
If ever there was a non violent, flawed genius in our lifetime, Brian was the one!
A musical genius who was totally open and honest about his problems on this 1976 interview. (Something that most 'celebrities' would never admit to).. Unfortunately, some greedy 'care givers' took advantage of Brian's naive honesty..
The thing is as sobering is to see this level of honesty coming from a talent this big, I don't tend to unanimously side with the narrative that a person's intentions and genuineness wholly depends on how quote on quote sane they appear to be. I know it may seem like a compliment to some but it may come off as patronizing to some degree, esp to the person on that receiving end.
Brian is a musical genius
A smart man and a musical genius.
When I was a kid, I remember watching Mike Douglas in the late afternoon and Merv Griffin in the evening.
Brian's been through alot it's good to see he is still making good music
Bless our tender loving hearts. For all his pain, Brian brought us some absolute beauty.
God Bless you Brian Wilson ..Love and mercy to you and of your friends tonight.
Honest interview and answers. Regardless of what you think of Wilson and his slips or mental capacity, he gives honest answers. Very rare for then or especially now.
That is perhaps the best interview I have ever seen with Brian.
I can't believe he was so open about his drug use on television during that time period.
He has a beautiful soul. He’s so open and honest ❤
Thanks for the truth Brian.... your a great person....
its been so long since i watched Mike Douglas, i forgot how great he was.
serious straight to the meat questions. yet not a hint of antagonism...
certainly better than any journalist working today.
THANKYOU BRIAN FOR BEING SO HONEST WITH YOUR STORY ! MAY GOD BLESS YOU 🙌🙏🙌
Brian is absolutely right, and suprisingly coherent in this interview
What a wonderfully honest, honest man. Thanks Brian for all the great music and huge laughs, man. You're so badass.
Brian Wilson is a legend.His music is top shelf.
one of the nicest rockers you'll ever find...
He is more expressive, alert, and animated in this interview than I have seen him in decades. He was a zombie when I met him in the mid 80's.
"We're made of chemistry." haha
This is the most honest thing I have ever seen.
He should have put his arms around the man and said how special he was and how lucky we were to be alive when he was.
Two truly lovely men talking honestly and openly about some complicated, dark subject matter. Love you, Brian. So happy to see you so well these days.
Compare this very lucid Brian with the one 10 years later.. what changed? Landy messed him up.
***** For sure, the heavy doses of pharmaceuticals damaged him.
Indeed, this is the best interview of him. He's SO open and full of energy here.
***** he was under the "care" of Landy in '76, as well...the difference 10 years later was 10 added years of drug related damage as well as Landy's misdiagnosis of Brian which led to him being on the wrong drugs to "cure" him.
Landy's not the first and by no means the last shrink to fuck with a patients brain. They all do it. Shrinks are all crazy. I mean come on now why do you think they get into it?? Stay away from shrinks, there's a time and place to conservatively let them assist you if you really need it. Landy got his license Yanked for what he did to Brian.
Ok, fair enough that's fine by me too
You can really appreciate the quiet nature of the audience. While they have their reactive elements they are genuinely placed and not the uneasy laughter that follows every statement possibly derailing an open and honest conversation
This guy is a genius, not just musically either. As a person. He is very smart, nice and genuine.
I love his honesty. Bless him.
God bless Brian Wilson,...!
You have to respect his honesty. Way to go Brian! Thank you.
Respect the honesty, especially back in the day like this.
Hes firing on all cylinders here, hes really sharp. I wonder if further drug use caused him to slow down, or was it the prescription drugs from Landy that did it ? If you like the Beatles also I made something, to see it just type in the search bar above this title..... 'Beatles sketch with snippets'
From what I've seen around the internet most fingers tend to point to Dr. Landy as the source for Brian's issues later in life. It crushes me to see a man rid of his addiction, only to me strapped back into it by his doctor 5 years later
Mike Douglas had a great show
Thanks Brian , for speaking the truth . Drugs then where everywhere, and you got into it because of the huge pressure you where under!!! Glad you made it and got sober!!!
Unbelievable.. Who talks with that much honesty on tv anymore? Or ever. We need more of that.
Brian is being so honest and open in this interview. He was a musical genius but also a man-child. This video speaks volumes on how he is a trusting soul. It is easy to see how people manipulated him his whole life.
Mental issues mixed with family abuse mixed with drugs mixed with insecurity is a toxic mix.
Brian has always been straightforward and honest. ❤️
This is the most honest and interesting interviews on drugs I've ever heard
Brian's always been nuts, but he had a lot of character and confidence when interacting with people, displaying an ability to handle conversations with fluid dialogue and expressive body language. I'm aware Landy got Brian in a good physically shape, but by god - what was he prescribing him? Between 1980 and 1990, the psychological degradation of Brian Wilson is empirical, and following his separation from Landy, Wilson was left in a chronically confused state, unable to communicate in a normal manner - with eyes that just didn't look right at all
😟
Great guy! Brian, you’re awesome! You’re music is so great!
Little did everybody know, but the drugs were a way of escaping from his fathers abuse, the creativity was just a bonus
He also just liked getting f'd up. He would have written better stuff straight.
@@shigsho he should have listened to mike love more, because he got more into weirder music and stopped making the music that got himself and his band on the spotlight
@@cabezadepija7318 they'd be a novelty band
@@gwkiv1458 it would have been better for them both artistically and economically to keep making surfy or early 60's culture american type music than to make something that only sounds cool when very stoned or on acid, which is what smile was only except for the songs heroes and villains and little pad, and also pretty much the rest of the music they made after that, but i think brian was satisfied for the rest of his life with pet sounds
Incredible! Agree with all the positive comments below. I would love to have heard much more of that.
Love this man! He does remarkably well and yes, MUCH prefer THIS Brian to the medicated and hypnotized 80s guy. Let's face it: as mega-talented writer/player/singer/producer/figurehead of a whole scene Brian was UNMATCHED from say 1963--1966. Huge talent and totally in charge young man. Amazing.
Mike Douglas was really good at this type of exchange. Brian Wilson is an absolute genius, and I love how honest and outspoken. I have a lot of his issues, none of his talents.
It's good to see brian has cleaned himself up and is still making beautiful music
Brian is a brutally honest person.
Nice Interview, very honest Brian!! God bless you!! Maybe someone listening to this, will take this to heart and learn from you!! ;) xxx
thanks a lot for this upload
over a hundred dollars a day ....that was a lot of money in the 1970s.
$420.49
nah, closer to $800
I was making $75 a week in 1970 and that was a fairly good wage.
Even today it would be alot to be spending on a daily basis, not for a millionaire of course but still
This is an amazing interview !
great job M Douglas to get B. Wilson to open up like that. I have never seen BW that raw and open.
Thanks for posting this Trader !
I like Brian's honesty on the whole drug issue that plagued him for all those years.
This man held nothing back. God bless you BW 🙏🏻
Is it just me or did Brian go threw different stages of his life where he looks like a completely different person? I guess it is fitting that Paul Dano and John Kusiak look nothing a like.
Yes, I know what you mean. I stare at photos and try to see the resemblance from from the different ages, and sometimes it is hard to imagine that they are photos of the same person. He changed and changed and changed, and it isn't just an aging change.
@@susannemcintyre9816 He always had the same eyes though. He did have surgery on his face in the future.
@@danerd8978 I believe that about the surgery. I also remember how he had a very crooked front tooth in the early days of Beach Boys, and I thought that tooth made him look so cute when it peeked through while he was singing or smiling.
It's amazing how freaking honest he is. You don't see much of that these days.
I'm a recovering meth addict, and while coke wasn't my favorite, imagine the balls it took for Brian to get himself out of the sandbox long enough to speak a little truth openly on national live television. As a musician myself, i agree with everything he said. Drugs are both a window and microscope into creativity, but could also be a wall obscuring the artist from the original spark. BALANCE.
I have an article from I think Circus magazine that says they had to cut out part of the interview. Brian said some pro pot things that they cut out. If you notice their is a sharp cut at one point in the drug dialog. I have no further info but I wonder what he feels about pot today,
I saw that show back in 1976 and I remember a lot about what Brian said. It just Blew me away
this is amazing.
Fun fact about the gave: When the Albums to this band have been invented & we’re also at it’s prime. 20$ worth of pure coke was all that was needed. Anything over for one person is too much. No matter how much a person is worth during a successful career. Love Brian Wilson. Our society needs more talented musicians like him!
God, Brian was such an eloquent, brilliant man...
I agree with the brilliant part, by I wouldn't say he is eloquent. I would say he is bruttally honest though.......
good point Nicky.. I was just taken by this interview because I have seen so many where he was barely communicative..
Mike Douglas is such a humble genius.
Amazingly forthright! I wish the youth of today could this a little more of a listen to.
Recorded 1976 ..... He went town hill after this .... for many years. This was by no means the end of his nightmare ..... It is amazing that he outlived his two brothers. He did have guts doing this interview .....
Brian really has been through quite a bit. One funny yet sad story is when Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop went to go visit Brian at his house. Brian had them singing the song Shortnin Bread for about an hour and also was telling them with a straight face that it was the greatest song every written. After the hour Iggy split saying that this was too f***ing weird for him. And Iggy is a guy who used to cut himself up on stage so that that he freaked is kind of funny. Alice also was creeped out.
Mental Illness and Drug addiction or any addiction tends to go hand in hand. its a hell of a struggle and if you are someone who is talented, and makes alot of money while managing yourself the only way you know how, you are very alone, because nobody understands or knows what youre dealing with on a daily basis, and you are very vulnerable. people that see your struggles and vulnerablilities, certain kinds of people, exploit and use someone like Brian Wilson. I could be wrong but it wouldnt shock me if even the best intentioned people in his life in some way or another didnt take advantage of the situation. that kind of talent doesnt come without vulnerablities. when people see a great thing they naturaly want to be apart of it, but in wanting that, they kind of trample the one who has this talent until that person loses himself, and from time to time, that person just needs to get away from that any way they can. sometimes its drugs, sometimes its isolation, sometimes its music. sometimes, its anything BUT music for a while.
+David Lopiccolo I agree
Can you imagine an interview like this today?
Interesting interview. Refreshingly honest and open.