Rare Cleveland, Ohio interview with Beach Boy Brian Wilson

from "The Morning Exchange", WEWS-TV, Channel 5, Cleveland, Ohio USA, October of 1991; hosted by Fred Griffith and Lee Jordan.

[@jeffclaterbaugh6415]

Brian will never tell a lie… He is brutally honest brutally sincere and you can't help but pull for him no matter what he goes through.

[@chronic2001n]

He is a great guy who was true to himself. Because of that he created great music.

[@natiquinn830]

*never tell a lie unless it's about his own health. Carl and others have expressed how much Brian kept his mental problems in the 60s and 70s secret from them and just told them what he wanted them to know or think to know (which is very common for people suffering from depression or other mental health problems, which again makes it more difficult for friends and family to help, after all "he said he's fine")

[@shawnuel]

I don't think he consciously tells a lie but he does change stories on occasion and I believe that is a function of his mental health issues.

[@artapollo3367]

I love Brian but he has lied about certain things like how he lost the hearing in his ear, his acid consumption etc

[@mumbles215]

I heard him say a kid Seymour down the street (he wasn’t sure if it was first name of last) that hit him with a lead pipe. It’s possible Murray did do this and Brian was covering for him with the “seymore” story. He said his mom took him to doctors and it was his eighth nerve that got servered. Who knows. I had an ear infections. Few weeks ago and fully lost my hearing in left ear for a week and I know what he means. No depth. Can’t hear stereo. Things bounce around. Poor fella.

[@videocat1366]

At the end he said he wanted to live another 10 years. It's been 30 so far. Brian's a survivor.

[@jacobgeneryck]

Brian is brutally honest.

[@chronic2001n]

Like a true man with dignity.

[@oranjuly]

That ending with the host saying Brian made her sad is impactful : (

[@jamesturk6549]

I love the Beach Boys so much, but if I had to pick one emotion to describe the way they make me feel, it would be sad. Even the early stuff. It's all so sad.

[@1401minstrel]

@@jamesturk6549 "In My Room" is one of the saddest, most poignant songs ever written, especially if you know the Wilson brothers' history. But even people who don't know what an abusive person Murry Wilson was can relate to the teenage angst expressed, and think back on memories of their own room.

[@jonathanwhitfield2864]

@@jamesturk6549 I agree, it's all very sad.

[@rylanquinton2708]

She insulted him.

[@larryjung2031]

Their's a simple innocence yet genius about Brian Wilson one got to love that nice man.

[@russellh6152]

Brian is such a good person, honest, humble

[@runnersdialzero1244]

Jesus. "Do you ever think about your brother who died eight years ago?" "Did you ever ask your dead father why he hit you in the head with a 2x4?" "How's your relationship with your estranged brother and band members?" "Didn't you almost die from drugs and obesity years ago?" And then the lady at the end has the balls to be like, "He really made me sad." Like... yeah? Asking a man about the most harrowing details of his life made you sad? Bawwww ;____;

[@califcamper]

Its.been 30 yrs...You made it Brian

[@Silky4ever]

You could tell he was still under the brainwashing of Landy at the time.

[@rjpg]

The interviewers really did a good job.

[@PeterRabbit70]

Questions I have never seen asked of Brian Wilson. They were original. They made him feel at home.

[@jmm1000]

very thoughtful and kind to him

[@salvie777]

Yes esp considering he rarely enjoyed doing interviews and would usually be sarcastic or just make dead pan jokes the whole time 🤣

[@matthewme8311]

Brian very open and honest....a musical genius... what Dr landy, his dad, and drugs did to him makes me want to scream😲

[@SenorZorrozzz]

Matthew Me Right. 100% spot on.

[@wuddude1599]

From what I've seen the Landy era was a mixed bag. Too controlling yes and I heard he even had Brian put him in his will. Not good at all. On the other hand, getting him off drugs, alcohol and cigarettes and getting him on an exercise regimen and a proper diet was a pretty big deal.

[@paulariese260]

Brian said 90% was the music industry

[@Tunz909]

@@wuddude1599 In fact if one is honest, Brian never looked better or talked better than when under Landy's care!!, IMHO..so let's not disparage Landy all together.

[@jeff-6943]

@@Tunz909 I think in the beginning it was innocent but over time Landy became a dictator over his life.

[@gianmarcobezada4206]

He has lived for almost another 30 years. Hell yeah

[@RockinEd]

turns 80 in a few days

[@jaggass]

Fast forward a few years and Brian seems to be a much calmer person and doesn't seem to suffer from Tardive Dyskinesia as much as he did. He's benefited alot since not seeing Dr Landy anymore.

[@evanargall6601]

Brian gets all fired up in Cleveland. What a genius, his storytelling is incredible. 3:08..."I don't care...don't you mess with me..now give me a cigarette and a drink..or I'll die!!"... holy shit!!

[@chronic2001n]

Brian is a good man. He deserves everything good the world has to offer.

[@gigid9606]

Thank you for putting this out. Its a very good interview. I grew up with the Morning Exchange, and I got a chance to work with Fred Griffith, he was a lovely man. They asked him good questions and he was very honest, I dont think BW has a mean bone in his body.

[@Myra1959]

Brian is something else. 👓

[@ColbyStewart1965]

Im watching the movie Love & Mercy. I got interested and watched this interview. I agree with many in this thread. What a great interview; and he IS (BW) brutally honest.

[@beandipcartography]

Brian is a brutally honest genius.

[@alskndlaskndal]

Fascinating interview here, Brian lays it all out on the line. He's working on a new memoir now, it will be interesting to see how he talks about these things now that he's away from the influence of Landy.

[@gordatz]

I love how he's like "yeah, im sure my daughters are doing drugs"

[@runnersdialzero1244]

He seemed upset about it. Like he really believed it was happening and it pained him to imagine. Just a hunch, but I think there's a good chance Landy was the one telling him that shit. We know Landy basically cut everyone out of his life except himself by this point, including his children.

[@dingdangdata]

Oh ya, for sure Landy was spinning a story about how he shouldn’t have contact with his daughters because of their drug use. It would have been a weak spot for Brian (especially with the trauma of losing Dennis) and you can bet your ass Landy used that to manipulate him emotionally.

[@1401minstrel]

@@dingdangdata It was similar with Brian's brother Carl, the excuse that Carl would do drugs with Brian. That may have been true in the past, but the main reason why Landy separated him from Carl was that he wanted Brian to be his musical partner and to ditch the Beach Boys completely. But Carl was more than a bandmate, he was his brother. So sad. And Landy put a wedge between Brian and his mother Audree too.

[@dementedpuppy]

I love how open and candid he is.

[@marcofalzone6469]

you the man, Brian. He called out Wilson Phillips, hahaha.

[@1401minstrel]

One has to wonder, though, if in 1991 it's Brian calling out Wilson Phillips or Dr. Landy calling out Wilson Phillips.

[@barbarajohnson9050]

I love his innocence and honesty, more than childlike(children lie at times) Glad he got rid of Landy that scum… and set himself free. He’s a survivor and a musical genius It’s rare that we come across and experience such a kind, and humble human being as Brian Wilson. Thank you for the good vibrations

[@jonathanwhitfield2864]

It must have been frightening to see interviews with Brian around this era. Thank God he's with people who actually give a shit about his wellbeing.

[@elmerpintar2782]

Of course it was Landy that got him on this circuit, this media book tour that Brian didn't even write. Seems the only picture he recognizes is his own daughters.

[@marymagdalene3004]

Love you, Brian!!!! You are blessed. You are gifted. You are a wonderful person;)

[@curtissteen2953]

It’s crazy to think of how abusive that doctor was, but also is the reason he kept living. Hard to reconcile.

[@777certain7]

Its a freakin shame how every interview with Brian is always "tell us about how you lost your mind on drugs" and "tell us about gene landy evil psychiatrist" and "tell us about your dad beating you" ...uh excuse me CAN YA JUST ASK HIM SOME REAL THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS MUSIC FOR ONCE ????

[@elmerpintar2782]

Dr. Eugene Landy!!!!

[@1401minstrel]

True, although I think these particular interviewers could be forgiven, since in 1991 Brian was in the process of being extricated from Dr. Landy's clutches by Carl and other members of his family, and by his then girlfriend Melinda as well. It was all going down right then, and judging by how evident it was in this interview that he was still under Dr. Landy's influence, I think we can all realize how hard this separation process was on Brian and his family and friends.

[@smedleybutler8787]

In another interview, brian said he was born deaf.

[@mrsmacca126]

It changes like the weather

[@mumbles215]

Another was a kid seymore hit him with a lead pipe. It was prob murry. He went to docs and was told his 8th nerve got servered. They prob told the doc the seymore story.

[@genuineparticle]

6:30 - When asked about his second solo album, it seems like he's not too thrilled, probably because Landy wanted to take a few months to "fix it up and change it". Dude. It's Brian Wilson - YOU CAN'T IMPROVE UPON THAT.

[@MrLandlocked]

Peter Nowakowski Landy didn't want to tweak the album...Warners thought it was crap and demanded him re-record the songs.

[@ricardocharley3699]

According to people who have heard Sweet Insanity the second release that never came out,it was described as awful and practically unlistenable.

[@ms8596]

No one appreciates Brian Wilson like I do, and yes, it is pretty unlistenable. After his first solo album, I was shocked. One would have expected a step up from the 1988 effort.

[@ricardocharley3699]

I also met Brian on several occasions and a couple years after his brilliant first solo effort and he discussed with me about the Sweet Insanity record and he told me that he was reworking the album and that probably would be 6 months this was around summer of 90 later I had found out that record had been rejected by the label so I guess it was a real train wreck

[@van44m]

Ricardo Charley c

[@arthurmilano2920]

Everyone talks about how brutally honest he is. Id say hes more of an open book and blunt. He will very often, at different points of his life, lie about things that hes either in denial of, or truly doesnt recgonize at the moment. (Hes claimed his dad NEVER laid a finger on him, hes promised that landy never abused him, hes been on record for absolutely loving or hating mike love). You gotta take what he says to a certain persoective, and how hes doing mentally or emotionally. His answers BLATANTLY change and vary in range based on mood.

[@justinswartsel]

Holy shit. Brian Wilson’s dad beat him with a 2x4 on the right side of his head and “destroyed his hearing”. I always had this subtle judgement towards The Beach Boys and Brian specifically because of his disdain for releasing their music in stereo. I always assumed it was the result of a purist mentality, a kind of reluctance in the face of change in how records were made at the time. But that story puts so much into perspective. Brian could really only hear in mono. That’s how he heard music, how he loved music, how he made music. I can only describe what I feel as contrition. I’m sorry Brian, I had no idea. Your music has given me more than you’ll ever know and I thank you for that gift.

[@garrethboland]

What's strange is over the decades, he's given 3 different stories about the hearing loss in his right ear. He said he was born that way and that his parents noticed him as a child always favoring/leaning in with his left ear. Another story says a kid down the block he used to play with poked him in the right ear for some reason, damaging his hearing. Then there is this story about his father whacking him with a 2x4. I wonder which is true.

[@dmer-zy3rb]

@@garrethboland 3 different stories huh? propably the truth, what Landy wanted him to say and what Melinda and the other leeches wanted him to say. good luck assigning which one is which.

[@mumbles215]

I also heard the kid down the street named “seymore” (he didn’t know of it was his first or last name) and this seymore hit him with a lead pipe. Odds were it was murry.

[@MedievalRichard]

Cool.

[@knockedoutloaded279]

sWEET iNSANITY WAS NEVER released, good album...

[@cameronmac8928]

So cool

[@mickman3582]

I believe Brian is genuine, but i have seen an interview with him on a documentary where he said acid was the last drug he took. And yet here he says he was on cocaine and marijuana before Landy got him off drugs. We all know about the cocaine sessions he had with Dennis so I'm a little disappointed that he has said one thing in an interview and then it changes in other interviews.

[@mbrenner3629]

For a moment there I thought he said "when I turned my life over to Jesus"

[@mrsmacca126]

Gene

[@Tunz909]

We can pray for that

[@Dr170]

No Jesus, just Sus Gene

[@dmer-zy3rb]

i mean even that would have been better than landy.

[@MrLandlocked]

At least Dorothy didn't do it!

[@smedleybutler8787]

He's got the landy look.Those Hollywood weirdos did a number on him.

[@That90sShow]

Jews

[@barbarawebb7185]

@@That90sShow His Dad and Mike Love were not Jews you evil SOB.

[@fastenbulbous]

He's been drugged out of his mind since leaving Landy's care. Much more coherent and expressive here than he would be just a couple years later.

[@dmer-zy3rb]

@@fastenbulbous Brian has been drugged steadily since 1983, god only knows how he would be without them.

[@NOWtheband]

K A W A I I

[@SenorZorrozzz]

Dr. Gene Landy! Dr. Gene Landy! Dr. Gene Landy! Dr. Gene Landy! Dr. Gene Landy! Dr. Gene Landy!

[@SenorZorrozzz]

Dr Landy. Creep. Thank God for the wife he has now. She helped him so.

[@NOWtheband]

Blimey!

[@jala1081]

9:05

[@ImpressionismFTW]

Tim Heidecker could play Wilson

[@SenorZorrozzz]

Dr Landy, Gene Landy rules! Everyone, follow the dead essence of Landy! Landy flys, he is translucent, he is a myth, a mortal, a a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma!

[@SenorZorrozzz]

Dr Landy, Gene Landy rules! Everyone, follow the dead essence of Landy! Landy flys, he is translucent, he is a myth, a mortal, a a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma!

[@elmerpintar2782]

Dr. Eugene Landy!!!!!