Brian went to a mental institution for a time in 1968--any truth to the story?

[Jay]

In 1968 obviously he had an incident that made him feel like he couldn't deal with life.  What is hard to figure out is what exactly happened. Perhaps his 1968 stay helped him for a time because between the fall of 1968 and the fall of 1970 he was pretty darn active. We have Honeys sessions, finishing work on 20/20. "Break Away", the prolonged "Sunflower" sessions during which he produced well over a full album of work,  Fred Vail album, Kalinich poetry album, 1970 tour to cover for Mike, 1970 jam with Flame at an L.A. club, early work on the Surf's Up sessions, and finally the Whisky gig. This wasn't like later where he was forced on stage either, photos show him to be getting into the music and having fun.

Now, this is what puzzles me. Everybody in the Endless Summer documentary described Brian as being very "fragile", mentally speaking, almost as soon as Smile ended. The same thing with all the Beach Boys books. The Catch A Wave book paints a picture of Brian being in a very dark place starting around the end of Smile. But as you just posted above, the real story was very different. Brian wasn't nearly as "fragmented" as we're all meant to think. It's not like everything you mentioned above were just rumors. There is a lot of documented proof of Brian basically being the old Brian from 1968-71-ish.

[MBE]

Exactly. Let's put it this way if the Beach Boys and Brian's records sold in 67-70 what they did in 63-66 people would look at Brian a lot differently. Funny the only place they got Brian right from 68-73 or so was a Carnie Wilson documentary. It showed his decline but rightly dated the big downturn when Carnie was about five. 

[Fall Breaks]

Exactly. Let's put it this way if the Beach Boys and Brian's records sold in 67-70 what they did in 63-66 people would look at Brian a lot differently. Funny the only place they got Brian right from 68-73 or so was a Carnie Wilson documentary. It showed his decline but rightly dated the big downturn when Carnie was about five. 

Btw, how's it going with your book, MBE?

[MBE]

Well I had to take a few months off because I free lance and when I get a paying assignment of course I have to take it. I am planing on going back to it next week. The final draft is about 60 percent done. I have everything except TLOS and the Dennis POB reissue written in rough form, but it's still going to take me some time because I am a perfectionist and I work completely alone on it. I am my own editor, proof reader etc. which is good and bad. I promise it will be worth the wait. The last thing I finished was my review of "It's A Beautiful Day" so I am on the later stuff. The main Beach Boys LP and 45 section should be done in two to three months. Then I have to do the final draft on  the vinyl comps, V.A. LP's, solo releases, and vinyl boots. These appendixes don't have much biographical stuff because that's covered by the main text. There is a little background on the solo stuff of course, but mostly it's just reviews in that part. I also have a discography and bibliography to work on.

[Jonathan Blum]

Now, this is what puzzles me. Everybody in the Endless Summer documentary described Brian as being very "fragile", mentally speaking, almost as soon as Smile ended. The same thing with all the Beach Boys books. The Catch A Wave book paints a picture of Brian being in a very dark place starting around the end of Smile. But as you just posted above, the real story was very different. Brian wasn't nearly as "fragmented" as we're all meant to think. It's not like everything you mentioned above were just rumors. There is a lot of documented proof of Brian basically being the old Brian from 1968-71-ish.

Well the thing to bear in mind is, the "old" Brian was erratic even before "Smile" fell apart -- Phil Spector's mind gangsters and all.  It sounds possible that he was both visibly and increasingly coming apart at the seams, and still way better off than he would be after 1970...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[MBE]

That's the point. The moment he stopped going on all the tours in 1963 was the first warning sign-as was the weight he was slowly putting on. Yes sadly as troubled as he was he was better in his twenties then he ever would be after. Why? Because he wasn't a full blown addict yet, he had a pretty decent relationship with the band, and he was married to someone who loved him for him. As drugs took hold all that he had fell apart and his mental illness' grow worse. It's not his "fault" so I hope nobody thinks I am saying that, it was just circumstances. I think the biggest thing Brianasta's miss is that the other Beach Boys did try to help him and their support helped keep him going during the post Smile-pre So Tough period. Nothing is black and white, and there are no heroes or villians. We just have a group of everyday suburban people being put through extraordinary circumstances. I won't deny things between the group got ugly around 1976-77, but before that they managed to acomplish things together that most of us can't even dream about.

[Banana]

I was just wondering about this the other day and stumbled upon this old topic.

Does anyone have any further info on Brian's 1968 breakdown?  I've always just read vague descriptions of there maybe being an "incident" or something and then a stay in a psychiatric hospital.  If you look at the timeline on AGD's site - he doesn't appear to have been gone for very long.  By August 1968 he's producing a poetry LP for Steve Kalinich.

This also poses a deeper question.  Brian's stints with Landy have been discussed a lot.  While Landy's work with Brian remains "controversial" it at least indicates that he was receiving treatment.  It would seem that his early episodes in the 1960's were possibly not treated with the same level of concern?  I'm not saying those around him were not concerned - but was there an element of Brian just being Brian?  If he would have received more thorough treatment early on might he have avoided some of the horrible mental illness he encountered later on?

The guy has a serious breakdown in December of 1964 - yet he's basically back to work by the beginning of 1965.

[Mike's Beard]

The guy has a serious breakdown in December of 1964 - yet he's basically back to work by the beginning of 1965.

Well according to an 'insider' who briefly posted here, Brian faked the whole thing.

[Banana]

The guy has a serious breakdown in December of 1964 - yet he's basically back to work by the beginning of 1965.

Well according to an 'insider' who briefly posted here, Brian faked the whole thing.

Really?  I had never heard that.  What would have been his reasoning?

[SMiLE Brian]

It wasn't true, Lorren Daro was talking out of his ass when he posted as the "insider".

[Joel Goldenberg]

Wasn't it around 1968 when Brian was telling people he wanted to jump out of a window? Or digging a grave in his backyard, or something to that effect?

[Banana]

I thought I once read that Brian said that the "voices" would threaten to kill him and his family.  Wasn't it also around 1968 that he started using cocaine on a regular basis? 

[puni puni]

If you look at the timeline on AGD's site - he doesn't appear to have been gone for very long.  By August 1968 he's producing a poetry LP for Steve Kalinich.

Staying more than a few days in a psychiatric ward is a "very long" time to be staying, from my understanding.

[Cam Mott]

The guy has a serious breakdown in December of 1964 - yet he's basically back to work by the beginning of 1965.

Well according to an 'insider' who briefly posted here, Brian faked the whole thing.

I wonder if it was a breakdown or a panic attack?

[phirnis]

Wasn't it around 1968 when Brian was telling people he wanted to jump out of a window? Or digging a grave in his backyard, or something to that effect?

That must've been around the time of Surf's Up when Jack Rieley was already working with them.

[c-man]

It was simply that Brian kept wanting to record it over and over and Mike eventually got fed up with it.

As far as them using old stuff, Brian did miss some 20/20 sessions (perhaps while he was ill) but I think had a hand in finishing his songs on side 2. Maybe not a major hand but he approved what was going out and particpated to some extent, singing what have you.

Actually the SOT sale happened in late 1969 and seemed to trigger off a bigger breakdown in Mike. Granted Brian stayed in his room for a few days but he was actively recording and writing during that period.

To your first point - as someone said earlier, it seems it was Carl who got most fed up with it.
To your second point - I don't think Brian had anything to do with finishing off "Our Prayer" or "Cabinessence". It seems he did, however, help with finishing off "Time To Get Alone". Perhaps the difference is that the first two of these were from the SMiLE sessions, which Brian still felt very weird about, while "TTGA" wasn't, and therefore Brian had no problem (or not as much of a problem) working on it. The 20/20 version of "Cotton Fields" was cut by Brian from scratch during the album sessions.

[rogerlancelot]

This is from Wikipedia:

Wilson entered a psychiatric hospital for a brief period of time. Biographer Peter Ames Carlin has speculated that Wilson had self-admitted and may have been administered a number of treatments ranging from talking therapies to stiff doses of Lithium and electroconvulsive therapy during this stay.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson

[puni puni]

That's not Wikipedia that's... Peter Ames Carlin.

[rogerlancelot]

That's not Wikipedia that's... Peter Ames Carlin.

It's on the Wikipedia page for Brian Wilson regardless if it's from Carlin's (rather fabulous) bio. My point is that this is what is regarded as "fact" on Wikipedia. That is all.