Belushi, Aykroyd, and Brian Wilson

[originals]

I remember watching this classic clip as a kid on 'Saturday Night Live' when Belushi and Aykroyd show up at Brian's mansion and insist that he get out of bed and go surfing (which he tries unsuccessfully to do). Does anyone know much about this event? I can't believe they got Brian to agree to do this, especially at this 'bed-ridden' era of his life.

[Jason]

Two words. Gene Landy.

[Jon Stebbins]

I remember watching this classic clip as a kid on 'Saturday Night Live' when Belushi and Aykroyd show up at Brian's mansion and insist that he get out of bed and go surfing (which he tries unsuccessfully to do). Does anyone know much about this event? I can't believe they got Brian to agree to do this, especially at this 'bed-ridden' era of his life.

It originates from the summer 1976 NBC TV special "The Beach Boys - Its OK" which was produced by Lorne Michaels and sponsored by Dr. Pepper. It was released as a grey market DVD titled "The Good Vibrations Tour" a few years ago.

[ghost]

Has Brian been asked about it since? Is there any interesting stories about him with SNL cast people? Snorting coke with... everybody?

[onkster]

I would have a hard time asking BW about that. It's really too sad of a scene to be funny. I just feel like they're torturing the poor guy. (I guess this would be an early example of "waterboarding"...)

[originals]

As a kid, I remember seeing this and being really confused. Was this really the guy who had written and sang all those great Beach Boys songs I'd grown up with? It would only be later in my life that I would read about Brian and understand his mental issues and hardships.

[WaxOn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RW8PFJTJJY

And Mikie is going to tell me a story at the BW concert this month about how he came to wind up inside this house.
I guess he didn't even go to jail for it.  

[Mikie]

Not sure if I'm even going to see Brian this time around, Waxon. No Gershwin album, no Taylor Mills, same ol' greatest hits that I've heard forever and a day, half the reviews here say he's been mediocre at best, ticket prices and service charges......I dunno.

And speaking of being at Brian's house - coincidently, I was there  around the time of the filming of the subject matter of this thread!

[Mikie]

Has Brian been asked about it since? Is there any interesting stories about him with SNL cast people? Snorting coke with... everybody?

Ed Roach has a few stories.  Witnesses say Belushi and Brian were sneaking around Landy during the filming and were snorting hog rails and knocking back a few together. Brian was really PISSED at Landy after he got hit by that wave in the surfing sequence. You can see his mad face when he's walking back to the beach with the surfboard. Guy's already scared to death of the water and what's Landy doing, trying to get him over it? And in an effing heavy bathrobe weighing him down?

Both of those scenes, the "Belushi and Akroyd in the cop scene "Gee, it's sure hot here in Bel Aire!" and him getting wisked away in the back of the cop car on Highway 1 to the beach. "OK, Mr. Wilson, here's your wave!"  Love it! And the stunt guy on the top of the plane, "I do just get around!" and Van Dyke in front of Tower records. The rehearsal and concert sequences at Anaheim Stadium.....Dennis at the beauty pageant scoping out the chicks, Al gettin' jostled around by his goats up at Big Sur.....there's something for everybody watching this thing.

That's Karen Lamm at the opening sequence in the red T-bird driving down the Pacific Coast Highway. The filming of Brian's birthday party with Macca in attendence was at Billy Hinsche's house in Malibu, called "Moraccan Roll".

Though, it's a little dated, Michaels should formally release that Beach Boys NBC special on DVD. One of my all-time favorites!!!

[Amanda Hart]

Has Brian been asked about it since? Is there any interesting stories about him with SNL cast people? Snorting coke with... everybody?

In the Badman book there's a story about the crew having pizza and beer and Brian pounding it down, after Landy told them all not to bring anything of the sort to the filming. Landy saw it, started going ape sh*t on Belushi. Naturally, Brian took the opportunity to scarf dowm a little more while was Landy was preoccupied.

[ghost]

Has Brian been asked about it since? Is there any interesting stories about him with SNL cast people? Snorting coke with... everybody?

In the Badman book there's a story about the crew having pizza and beer and Brian pounding it down, after Landy told them all not to bring anything of the sort to the filming. Landy saw it, started going ape sh*t on Belushi. Naturally, Brian took the opportunity to scarf dowm a little more while was Landy was preoccupied.

It always surprises me to hear of Brian's apparent total lack of self-control when it comes to indulgences like food & drugs. I'm eating pizza myself right now - but just two slices. I weigh 133lbs, like Brian's steaks.

[Pretty Funky]

Quote

 I weigh 133lbs, like Brian's steaks.


 

[Micha]

Though, it's a little dated, Michaels should formally release that Beach Boys NBC special on DVD. One of my all-time favorites!!!

I think it has been released under the name "Good Vibrations tour".

The Aykroyd/Belushi bit was shot on Brian's birthday, BTW.

[WaxOn]

Not sure if I'm even going to see Brian this time around, Waxon. No Gershwin album, no Taylor Mills, same ol' greatest hits that I've heard forever and a day, half the reviews here say he's been mediocre at best, ticket prices and service charges......I dunno.

And speaking of being at Brian's house - coincidently, I was there  around the time of the filming of the subject matter of this thread!

Yeah, know how you feel.
I picked up tickets back when I was assuming he was going to be doing the Gershwin thing. I'm hoping it'll be one of his "on" nights, since it's a cool venue and all. Maybe he'll be a bit stoked the tour is wrapping and it'll be time to just promote SMiLE. I will of course give a full report.

It was when we were talking about this SNL thing a few months back you mentioned the house. I had totally forgotten about this sketch - the last time I had seen it was when it was on NBC. Releasing the full NBC BB special would be cool (I'll check Micha's suggestion), if not that's another archive that needs raiding!

[Micha]

This is the one:

http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Boys-Good-Vibrations-Tour/dp/B000AATPWE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313578307&sr=8-2

Amazon Germany has one copy left on stock:

http://www.amazon.de/Beach-Boys-Good-Vibrations-Tour/dp/B000GQMLJQ

[guitarfool2002]

One thing to note: I believe Badman's account of Belushi partying with Brian while Landy was away came from the Gold bio of Brian, which was of course mostly Landy's version of events. The ending of that story was Belushi and Landy had a shouting match about giving Brian pizza and beer and Landy somehow won over Belushi...I don't know...it seems many accounts in that book featured Landy riding in on a white horse to be the hero and save Brian again and again, I guess it can be taken both with a grain of salt and some elements of what really happened.

SNL - at that time - was hitting its stride, but was not the major hit it would soon become. It was hot among a certain demographic, but was still somewhat underground, which made it more hip to that certain group. The show really broke mainstream maybe a year or two after Brian was a musical guest, and when the Belushi-Ackroyd team went from comedians to superstars with calls from Hollywood coming in, and people all over the US were quoting lines they heard on the show. Chevy Chase was really the only "star" of the show in 1976, and he bailed out on them for Hollywood as soon as he realized he was the star. My opinion...

I say that because Lorne Michaels was successful at that time because he was hip, and he and his writers were tuned in to their audience, and knew the references and the underground lingo that was spoken outside the mainstream of network TV. And it's not surprising they put Brian in a sandbox when he played piano on SNL in '76. It was a wink-and-nod reference that Lorne's peers would understand.

The most absurd thing about all the Lorne-Landy-Brian happenings was, to me, the story of Dr. Landy standing just offstage holding "encouraging" cue-cards as a nervous Brian played live on SNL's stage. One of the cue cards Landy flashed at Brian said "Smile", and for all the world I don't think Landy saw the irony in that.

[puni puni]

The most absurd thing about all the Lorne-Landy-Brian happenings was, to me, the story of Dr. Landy standing just offstage holding "encouraging" cue-cards as a nervous Brian played live on SNL's stage. One of the cue cards Landy flashed at Brian said "Smile", and for all the world I don't think Landy saw the irony in that.

This is the greatest thing I've ever read pertaining to the Wilson/Landy relationship.