General Consensus Regarding Eugene Landy?

[originals]

What's the General Consensus Regarding Eugene Landy on this board? On the one hand, it seems he may very well have saved Brian's life; on the other hand, he obviously overstepped his professional boundaries as a Therapist in a major way.
Thoughts?

[Jay]

I think Peter Ames Carlin said it best. Landy saved Brian's life, and then proceeded to destroy it.

[originals]

I think Peter Ames Carlin said it best. Landy saved Brian's life, and then proceeded to destroy it.

Wow. That's really profound.

[The Heartical Don]

I think Peter Ames Carlin said it best. Landy saved Brian's life, and then proceeded to destroy it.

Wow. That's really profound.

It is. But more details are called for

Landy was hired in 1976 (mission not accomplished, IMHO, but some improvements, although temporarily) and 1982. The second time around, Brian was 'abducted' to Hawaii (with the group's consent); and a close friend by the name of Carolyn Williams, a nurse, disappeared from the scene. Circumstances not well known (by me, at least). He was taken to Hawaii, and given intensive 24/7 treatment by Landy and his staff, including Landy's girlfriend, Alexandra Morgan. Most agree that that saved his life. Brian was much overweight, and addicted to cigarettes, booze, fat food, and all kinds of drugs. He wasn't expected to live much longer by many.
Landy helped him off of his addictions and got him onto a steady regimen of bodily exercise. Brian slimmed down a lot, and in 1985-1988 (first solo album) he looked more than a decade younger than before, healthy, trim, smart. But there were strange things going on. The new songs were written with Landy and Morgan, not known for their pop genius. And that happened under the moniker 'Brains and Genius' (= 'Brian and Eugene', get it?). Not that much later, Brian recorded a thankfully unreleased psychobabble album, 'Sweet Insanity', on which he even apologized lyrically for ever having written politically incorrect songs about Caiifornia Girls.
Then, intimate friends noticed very unsettling signs. Brian seemed to talk in a very difficult manner, and showed signs of a condition known as tardive dyskynesia, i.e. very stiff and unnatural muscle movements, combined with convulsions. In brief: he was overmedicated, very much and dangerously so, most probably because his will and powers of resistance could be diminshed that way, and he would become a malleable pop star in the hands of a pathologically ambitious and star-struck doctor (a psychologist, and not a psychiatrist, mind). According to those in the know, that could have meant him becoming some kind of an unresponsive vegetable eventually.
Thankfully, friends and relatives (Carl, for instance) intervened, and Landy was forced to severe all his ties with Brian, for having overstepped every possible professional tie with his patient (apparently, he even had sneaked his way into half of Brian's will and testament...).

That is what I know. Additions/corrections are very much welcomed.

[Nicko1234]

How long did it take would people say for Carl et al to get Brian away from Landy?

And how much contact did Brian have with his family in the months that followed?

[Emdeeh]

I feel that stress from the whole Landy experience may have contributed to Carl's untimely demise.

[Matt H]

Was Alexandra Landy's wife or long-time girlfriend?  I have heard her referred to as both, did they ever actually get married?

[John Malone]

In Landy's obit, Alexandra Morgan was referred to as his wife.

[Mike's Beard]

Let's just say that when God placed teeth in Landy's mouth he was wasting a perfectly good butthole.

[onkster]

If you're counting votes, put me in the Carlin camp. Very astute statement.

[Amy B.]

I agree with the Carlin assessment.

Was Melinda the one to get the family involved, as she once claimed?

[Smilin Ed H]

He saved Brian's life. Then he was a c***. It's a simple as that.

[originals]

Let's just say that when God placed teeth in Landy's mouth he was wasting a perfectly good butthole.

 

[hypehat]

"Money-grabbing, no-talent, big-nosed, mulleted, abusive douchetruck" obviously didn't pass Carlin's editor....

[Chris Brown]

He saved Brian's life. Then he was a c***. It's a simple as that.

Hard to be more concise or accurate than that.

[MBE]

He saved Brian's life. Then he was a c***. It's a simple as that.

Hard to be more concise or accurate than that.

About right.

[donald]

Carlin was right........mostly.       Landy wasn't alone in mis leading BW.  And BW is no fool.   He made some choices.

[Wirestone]

Brian likes being led around -- to a certain extent. It's a role in which he's comfortable. The problem is when the person doing the leading begins to actively harm the person being led.

[Andrew G. Doe]

A few random observations.

Landy was originally hired in late 1975, seemingly by Marilyn and apparently fired in late 1976 when they say how much he was charging.

At the time, I don't recall Melinda being mentioned in the moves to get Brian away from Landy.

The obit was the only place I've seen Alexandra referred to as Landy's wife.

Brain has been manipulated, no question, since maybe the late 50s, but never underestimate his own manipulatory abilities, which are considerable.

[ukulelejesus]

He was a dick.

[Pretty Funky]

...and a c**t. Wow!

[Mike's Beard]

He saved Brian's life. Then he was a c***. It's a simple as that.

As told in the following song....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf1BT2GkL1c&feature=related

[John Malone]

I am 50 pages into "The Wilson Project." It arrived in the mail yesterday. So far, I have read up to the point where Melinda and Brian went on a triple date (with Gary Usher/wife and Landy-helper Scott Steinberg/girlfriend.)

I have read the other accounts (The Peter Ames Carlin book, etc.) that detail the control the doctor held over Brian around the clock, so that was not so surprising. This book is written in diary form with narrative from the book's author. It is very detailed in terms of dates and times of day, verbatim quotes, observations of mannerisms, etc.

What really strikes me is the extent of verbal abuse and bullying Brian was subjected to from Landy. He's always in contact on the phone (sometimes 40-50 times a day) and many of these exchanges are filled with four-letter words shouted loud enough people all the way across the room from Brian can hear through the phone. Brian was physically scared of him.  I had believed that Landy's control over Brian was more nuanced with suggestions, bribes for treats, and therapy sessions full of leading statements against his real family. Sure, there's a lot of that, but much of the control also seems to have been derived from straight-forward Murry-like shouting and bullying.

So far, a very sad read. How someone could get away with stealing another person's total being is unthinkable. Like Usher said in the introduction. Imagine putting a bald eagle in a bird cage and never letting it out again. That's what Landy did to Brian Wilson. 

He was an evil and rotten human being.

[37!ws]

I'm trying to find a copy of that book for less than $100...unsuccessfully...I'm going to see if there's any chance the library can ILL it from the Library of Congress...sounds fascinating.

Sad? Sure, but we know Brian eventually got away....

[Chris Brown]

Yeah I'd love to read it too, if only for the contemporary first-hand observations and insights. I didn't realize that Landy was so verbally abusive, although I suppose it shouldn't be much of a surprise. Landy was no fool, he knew exactly how to get inside Brian's head and manipulate him to achieve his own ends. It's also a testament to how much damage Murry did that Brian could still be effectively bullied that way even after Murry was long gone.