Brian and Melinda Wilson, his wife since '95, were on CNN's Larry King Live on August 20 and talked, among other things, about Brian's "lost years":
- B. WILSON: I'm doing good. I've had a slight nervous breakdown in the '60s. I got through that. And I got through the '70s. And I was in a doctor's program during the '80s and then I met Melinda and we've been together ever since. I've got a happy life.
KING: Why — when you met Brian, was he having problems?
M. WILSON: He was having a lot of problems when I met him. We met back in 1986 and that was during the Landy years and...
KING: Explain what that means.
M. WILSON: There was this psychologist named Eugene Landy who...
KING: Was treating?
M. WILSON: Was treating Brian. He was brought in, I guess it was late '70s by Marilyn originally?
B. WILSON: 19 — mid 70s.
KING: Marilyn, your first wife?
B. WILSON: Yes.
M. WILSON: His first wife. Because Brian was kind of out of control. And then again in the early '80s the Beach Boys hired Dr. Landy. I don't even want to call him Dr. Landy.
KING: Now what did he do that so changed Brian? He was called in to help and it turned out worse, right?
M. WILSON: He was called into help and I think originally he did help. He helped Brian lose weight and he helped Brian care about himself physically again, but then, as time went on, he became very captive of Brian — or Brian was primarily a prisoner...
B. WILSON: I wasn't allowed to call my family or my friends at all for nine years.
KING: He had that much control?
B. WILSON: Yes, he had that much control of my life, yes. He doped me up with medication. He kept me doped so I couldn't resist what he told me to do.
KING: For what purpose, Brian?
B. WILSON: He was a control freak. He gets off on controlling.
- KING: Did you suffer from depression, Brian?
B. WILSON: Did I suffer from depression? Yes, a little, from time to time. Yes.
KING: Did it occur while the Beach Boys were No. 1?
B. WILSON: Yes. It occurred then. Yes, it did. Then it occurred later in the '90s, a little bit in the '90s. 2000s, I'm not as depressed as I was. I get depressed now and then but not very much anymore.
M. WILSON: Actually, depression is something that if you have it it never really goes away.
Article comments
1 - Emily
Great post, Eric! FYI, California has recently granted permission to mark the childhood home of the Wilsons in Hawthorne, CA an official state landmark, even though the home was dozed over a decade ago to make way for the 105 freeway.
2 - Eric Olsen
thanks Emily, I really appreciate the kind words and that's great news about the Hawthorne home and its famous garage, which no longer exist
3 - Eric Olsen
Update - a mini-film about the making of Smile is now available above, check it out.
4 - riley moriarty
There was talk that a recording of the smiLE concert from carnegie hall 10/12 or 13 may be available through NonSuch Records. Do you have any information on that?
5 - Eric Olsen
Riley, I don't see anything about it yet on Brian's site