Landy

[@beckcole-picton852]

Although he saved Brian’s life, and Brian has been forever grateful for that, he completely changed Brian and most would argue for the worst. If you watch an interview of him in 76 for example where Landy hasn’t been there that long, Brian comes across as witty, open and quite intellectual when he speaks about certain things that he is passionate about. In the 80s after 82 he comes across very robotic in these interviews due to all the awful stuff Landy was giving him. Landy got him into shape, writing music again (and I do love his solo 88 album after getting used to the production), but it came at a cost as you rightly pointed out. He became a sort of shell of a man told what to do and what not to do and how to act. Thankfully Brian is alive and we owe Landy that much - but I think he stripped away a large part of who young Brian was pre-Landy. Great video as normal Giggens, keep it up man.

[@Giggens]

Excellent comments, agreed!

[@josephkomari82]

a lot of beach boys fans think like "oh i wanna go back in time to the sixties and save brian's head, help him finish smile," give him a hug tell him its alright kind of thing, and i totally get that allure but i think it would have been supremely challenging. the things at play that drove brian into such a challenging, alienated mindset in the first place were nearly impossible to address at the time. it wasnt just an abusive dad and a conservative cousin. i believe there was a lot of conflict inside brian about who and what to even be loyal to, meanwhile the industry and the social pressure is literally global, he was practically the president of american music. not to mention him being a raw nerve ending of sensitivity, mixing it with drugs, power, and imo a deeply misguided, ultimately lost spirituality. i feel for him so deeply when i hear about the paranoia symptoms he was going through in the late 60s... i could go on a long tangent about the label of schizophrenia and the times when paranoia is actually a very valid human reaction, but the stigma our society can place on your mental health... especially in that time, can be downright shameful. i think the headline with brian regarding this issue is, he needed help that he did not get, and that allowed an opportunity for sickos to get their paws on him, like landy. music and entertainment can be an ugly exploitative industry. as happy and beautiful as the beach boys music is, there is a very real, dark, distinctly american, sick underbelly to this story. and i havent even brought up manson! i could talk about this for literally hours.

[@Giggens]

Excellent comment, thanks for your thoughts!

[@janberry8031]

like they said ; charlie don't surf .... right 🦉

[@deceembrrr]

I've been reading the "Brian Wilson Project" book from Gary Usher recently and seeing all these behind the scenes looks at Landy its such a crazy insight. Because you can tell he DOES wants to see Brian happy and healthy, making good music and friends, but its always in the most controlling restrictive way possible, as Usher said "It's like taking an eagle and locking it up in a bird cage in your living room for the rest of its life"

[@Giggens]

Excellent analogy

[@cthewave9955]

Brian had stated in his A&E BioGraphy that he was thankful that Landy had taught him what the ropes in life are, particularly eating right and exercising.

[@Giggens]

Some good things!

[@ronbo11]

These are really the few good things that he learned from Landy and they were the results of the first engagement. He lapsed in those lessons, I suppose, but the second engagement became so terrible.

[@cthewave9955]

@@ronbo11 We have people, like agent Jerry Schilling, Brian's first wife Marilyn, who praise Landy for his original intentions, just like in the first episode. The second time, Brian gained his co-writer, agent, and "Svengali," something that all us loyal fans knew that fell outside his medical boundaries. Landy demonstrated to be evasive, especially in that early interview with ABC.

[@janetmagnuson2285]

Thanks for this. It’s so hard to know what to think. Melinda said, “why didn’t they just send him down the street to UCLA, the best doctors in the world? ” Could that have helped Brian? He’d been in them more than once. I wish I knew. It’s just that it’s so awful to watch the old videos of a beautiful young man, as Carol Kaye called him, so radiant and full of life and, yes, genius, and then see him with Landy and after. The slurred speech now; did he have a stroke? He says not. Was it the drugs that Landy gave him illegally that changed him so much? If so, Landy should have gone to prison, not to Hawaii with a license to practice there. But it feels presumptuous to even think about how Brian should be and I am really really glad that he is still alive, no matter what. I keep reading over and over in many comment sections how people are happy just to be sharing the planet with him. I feel the same. He is a very special person.

[@Giggens]

Absolutely, a truly special person! And I agree too, I wonder what a long term hospital stay would have done!

[@kevystead]

I was aware of What Landy did in helping Brian, but it wasn't until I watched the documentaries and then Love and Mercy (Paul Giamati Was Scary Good) How bad it was for Brian. As they said, Landy wanted to be a rockstar and Brian was his vehicle. Thank Goodness we still have Brian. But Ya.. Hard to say either way was it good or bad having Landy in his life.

[@Giggens]

Well said! Yeah, it's scary what he went through!

[@marcofalzone6469]

Love ya series. Gig Awesome topics always. Open honest conversation is the way to peace✌️

[@ronbo11]

I don't think that the means justify the end in this situation. I think that the Beach Boys threw their hands in the air and let Landy do whatever, just as long as Brian lived (paramount reason) and (to a lesser extent) potentially could still write for them. Eventually, thanks to Melinda and finally the family themselves, they found that Brian was being held in a hellish psychological prison against his will. If they had taken more time to find a better practitioner or a care-giving facility, I feel Brian's recovery could have been reached with far less emotional damage than what he experienced with Landy's draconian methods. I've had 2 sisters that lived with mental illness and I've seen the results of many types of treatments they were given. It's one of the most difficult things to witness, especially when your oldest sibling got that way when you're still a child. She's gone now, but my middle sister and I think of her every day. Brian's "Love & Mercy" is a song that touches the core of my soul and I can see the beautiful, heartfelt plea that it asks for all of us.

[@Giggens]

Thanks for sharing a bit of your story, and I agree, so thankful Brian's family came to the rescue

[@aerialtour]

Yes I agree with you the Landy situation was tricky. He helped & hurt Brian at the same time-mentally & physically. Was his monstrous approach to getting Brian back to life necessary- of course not. Brian was a renegade at that time & Landy went way over board & took total advantage of Brian, especially muscling in as producer/collaborator with Brian’s music & raking in his money too. He got Brian back in shape & possibly restored his musical focus but at Brian’s expense. I read where Landy said Brian had a strong personality but his was stronger & wouldn’t let Brian get his way! Would a more subtle approach have worked on Brian? I think You would have to have somewhat of a balance, something Landy didn’t want to try & stuck with his abusive therapy. Would Brian have survived if left to his own devices back in the mid-70’s & 1980’s is anyone’s guess? But personally I don’t feel that good about it. Certainly an ugly time Brian Wilson’s life.

[@Giggens]

Well said, and I agree!

[@Yakkymania]

I’m a bit scatterbrained at the moment, so this probably isn’t very coherent, but as someone with a bit of an interest in psychology, i’ve got what I feel is a fairly interesting perception of Landy. He was almost like Murry in a way, I feel, a horrible person, but that horridness pushed Brian to do things that ultimately benefited him. Except there’s one big difference, because as to where Murry was always terrible, Landy didn’t start out bad, but over time he became more & more controlling. I remember hearing that someone, I think maybe Marilyn, said that Landy was someone who understood Brian’s behavior & how he acted- I’ve struggled with mental illness for all of my life, & like Brian i’ve spent my entire life needing someone to watch over me so I don’t get myself killed or something. As such, I completely understand why Brian needed someone who knew how to play along with his game, but he didn’t need someone to take away all of his humanity, & that’s exactly what Landy did. It’s amazing how psychology has advanced over the years, & how people like Brian are now able to get the support they need rather than being stripped of their personality & humanity by a Landy type figure.

[@Giggens]

Excellent points, and totally, the therapy and medicine today is so much different

[@ronfowlermusic]

Carl doesn't get enough credit for initiating the process to bring Landy back to save Brian; and doing the same to remove Landy in 1990/92. I love Carl Wilson. I just wish he were here today

[@Giggens]

We all do for sure!

[@chrisfreeman9960]

I've oftened grappled with the question of whether Brian would have survived without Landy. I'm guessing not...the way he was drinking, drugging and stuffing himself with food. And over 300 pounds. Landy saved him...but in a horrible method, by a monstrous man who leached off of him (wanting to get songwriting credits...geez). Imagine being, in effect, imprisoned, unable to communicate with your friends and family. He was of course disbarred because of his unethical treatment of Brian, and maybe others. And he died young. For what it's worth, I actually came across Brian and Landy during that period of time. It was in Beverly Hills, in front of a jewelry store. On Beverly Drive, one block south of Wilshire Blvd. (famous streets to L.A. denizens). A group of maybe five men, including Landy, were escorting Brian into the shop. I recognized Landy's liscense plate: Headdoc, from an article I'd read about him. When he got out of the car, he seemed to be taking bows...to no one in particular..."Here I am, I'm Brian's shrink!" They were surrounding Brian, seemingly to protect him from anyone wanting contact with a famous person. I wouldn't have tried. Whenever I see a known person, I always give them their privacy. But they seemed to have a dual purpose...have Brian go to a jewlery store, and keep him from the public. Anyway, I agree. They could have gotten a more sensitive, thoughtful therapist. Maybe Brian needed the push, but Landy clearly went way too far.

[@Giggens]

Amazing you got to see him around that time, sucks that Landy was there tho!

[@marcofalzone6469]

Dont her know shes an Angel is a digital kitchen sink production but its one if Brians most beautiful solo tunes. I rank it up there with Please let me wonder and She knows me...

[@Gabriel-ki7uj]

There was so much he made in that period that was never finished/released

[@MattHorner-z7o]

I think you make a lot of good points about whether Brian Wilson would still be alive today if it wasn’t for Landy. That being said, I think there were still long term damaging effects to Brian’s psyche in the decades after Landy was fired. Brian’s extremely fragile and as he continues to age, we see this fragility progress more and more which could have been a result of the long term effects of the medication he received under Landy and the incessant mental abuse.

[@Giggens]

Well said

[@ChromeDestiny]

I wonder sometimes if Brian had just had the better aspects of the Landy course, Psychotherapy, a personal trainer/ disciplined fitness regimen and then maybe a more realistic healthy diet, no attempts to over medicate Brian or take over his career what that may have done. Part of me thinks it would have had the same positive benefits without the cruelty and strife and another part of thinks Brian would have wrapped at least some of those people around his finger.

[@Giggens]

Well said, I hear that!

[@murdockreviews]

Whatever Brian's fate would have been otherwise - this was psychological mistreatment and completeley unethical behavior. They should have brought in someone more reputable and trustworthy.

[@Giggens]

Totally agreed!

[@carlrudd1858]

Sounds absolute. 🙂

[@Giggens]

Thank you sir!

[@denniswood1437]

In the beginning I don't think Landy was a total villain. I think he was seduced by Brian Wilson's talent and the fame/spotlight that came with it. Landy more and more wanted to control all aspects of Brian's life including his money, his relationships even with his daughters, and ultimately even write songs with Brian. In short, he wanted to be a rock star himself. Thank God he found Melinda.

[@Giggens]

Truly, so thankful for Melinda!!

[@NOWtheband]

Good video 🙂 Personally, I think Landy was an utter bellend.

[@Giggens]

Yeah he was awful!

[@marcofalzone6469]

You know, if The Beach Boys corporation didn't absolutely feel the need to....they would've let Brian go the way of Elvis in the early 80s. That Queen Elizabeth ship gig in 81 where there's No Carl and Brian is croaking out his tunes and is 300 pounds. How long were they letting him be OK with that?? It seems like Dennis and Brian were heading for death at the same time.

[@Gabriel-ki7uj]

Yeah and there was talk of getting Dennis proper rehab and to stick with it, if he did he could have recovered like brian

[@marcofalzone6469]

@Gabriel-ki7uj yup. What if's are hard.

[@kenni123064]

You can say the same about Murray “pop” Wilson. Without Murray The Beach Boys wouldn’t be where they were at today. He pushed Brian and he pushed Carl and Dennis along with David Marx and Michael love so sometimes it takes a rough rough coaching to take the team to a Super Bowl and let them survive. You may apply this to Trump Taking over America as well. Nobody really likes his approach but the man knows what he’s doing and he will get us to victory.! That’s the way it goes. Tough love.

[@ronfowlermusic]

You must be kidding! Trump will destroy America the way Landy nearly destroyed Brian!

[@daddybog7189]

Like Brian's Dad Murry, Landy was good and bad. No doubt Brian got back into shape and good health despite the huge expense. I did'nt like the part where Landy made himself a music producer. Luckily family members put a halt to all of this and now Brian is home under care for those who love him.

[@Giggens]

Totally, so glad everything changed for the better for him!