The Smiley Smile Message Board

On Brians website in the audio section, there is an interview with him from the Mike Douglas show back in 1976. Its amazing how lucid and 'all there' he seems, but then considering how he seems in interviews now, thats not surprising. Its just we are led to believe that Brian was completely out of it, but he talks very candidly, intelligently and confidently about things, and you can hear in his speaking voice why he sings the way he does in this period. Its a shame that there aren't visuals to go with it.
Did anyone actually see this when it was broadcast first time round, what did you think?

I have seen an American chat show from around this time with Brian on it.  Although he seems quite lucid, he also seems quite manic, like a hundred things are occuring to him all at once and he talks at a very rapid and excited pace.  Is this the one?

That could be the one, yes Manic might too be a description.

I’m not sure if I would call the Mike Douglas interview “lucid”. He’s shaking like a leaf, his performances were sub-par, and he’s rambling about all sorts of things. Still, at least he was wearing a nice suit, but it’s sad to see Brian such an emotional wreck.

Oh yeah, Loren….doing drugs is great. Lots of laughs. Ho ho. Thanks for destroying the greatest man who ever lived.

I saw the Mike Douglas Show when it aired in 1976. I remember it vividly because I was just starting to become obsessed with Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. It was interviews like this one, and the way Brian appeared, which fueled my obsession. The "Brian Is Back" campaign was underway, and it hooked me.

Two things made a lasting impression on me. First, was his singing. This was a Beach Boy? I felt sorry for him. He looked so awkward and uncomfortable. You could tell the applause after "Sloop John B" was token applause. Brian looked so happy that the song was over.

Second, was the interview. Fascinating. What I remember thinking at that time was that this was the real thing - a real live burned-out rock and roll star who took too many drugs who is actually appearing on live TV exposing himself. I'm not saying this to be critical of Brian, but I had never seen anything quite like this. Maybe because I was younger and uneducated, but I didn't think about the mental illness aspect.

There was a thread awhile back (I think Luther started it) about our fascination with strange, genius-type rock & roll stars. For me, this was a classic case. After the Mike Douglas Show, I wanted to read every book on BW/BB's, get every album, etc.

I don't remember which aired first, the It's OK NBC TV special, or the Mike Douglas Show, but when I saw it/them, I just remember saying to myself  "I can't believe that's the same guy who wrote and sang all those great Beach Boys' songs". I still say that to myself occasionally...

Here is a video of his performance of Back Home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT2k-KH5vGw&search=brian%20wilson

Yyyyyyiiiiiiikkkkkkkeeeeeessssssssss....  :-X

That was seriously sick, esp. at the end.

I saw this when it first appeared on TV. It was sad. I don't think I'd want to see it again. All I remember was that by then everyone knew that there was something very, very wrong w/ Brian Wilson; part of the "Brian's Back" campaign was to expose all of the problems he'd been through. It was the beginning of the focus on Brian as not quite there as opposed to Brian the musician. 

He sings it as well as it's on the album, for the most part. He's also playing the piano himself. Maybe it's that I'm more familiar with the recent shows or maybe it's because I'm used to the "Love You Demos style", but he isn't that bad here.

Wow, that was depressing.

Nah it wasn't. It was coowel.

Yeah, it was Fuuunk-ee-ee-

i just found the SNL performace of Back home, i like it better...you can see the backup band and brian looks happier. He also appears really flatterd by all the applause:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=L0Nbd5vddzU

Nice.

Agreed!

Whenever I get through watching a ragged 70s youtube performance, I always have to click on the 1962 Surfin' Safari link and watch that afterwards, I don't know why.. but it always brings a smile to my face to see them all clean-shaven and exuberant.

Ha! And I thought I was the only one...

Oh yeah, Loren….doing drugs is great. Lots of laughs. Ho ho. Thanks for destroying the greatest man who ever lived.


Jesus Christ?? i thought this was a brian wilson/Beach boys board?

Anyway, Bubba, like i said before...you are an apologist for every wracked
ideal out there,man. Really.

Go Back to School, Ho. BTW, Brian loved every seconds of it!!!!

Yeah, this is how i like to Rock.  Mike Douglas almost pushes him out of the scene...Brian tries, at least.

I have a tape of this, and it is kind of interesting. Funny how much worse he seemed after his "recovery". I have heard interviews with Brian from the 72-4 era and he sounds much more "normal". Anyhow here he is chatty compared to today, maybe a little more alert. If you notice a sharp edit in the show I can tell you why. Brian went on a tangent about how he loves pot so they cut it out of the show. I have not seen this footage myself, but I have a 1976 newspaper article that mentions this. You can tell it was edited sharply so I think it is probably is a true story.

Brian is a morbund zombie Now, even compared to his 1995 interviews...whasup w/ this guy?

i thought the antidep's were supposed to make him better??

i hate precription drugs!!!!!!!!!!
Brian, stay off all meds at least 1 yr, Ok please?!

lets see what happens, melinda.

I don't know if you are serious or not, but his current condition has been addressed before.  It's as good as it's going to get given the previous damage done to him.

i know Brian's been thru alot this past 10 yrs. I dont mean to beliitle him, at all.

i used to idolize him. I just wish him the best, with no strings attatched.

Mike Douglas has passed away.

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,19746,00.html

I'll be damned. RIP Mr Douglas

I have seen Lennon, The Beach Boys, Brian, Jan and Dean, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, The Jacksons, The Stones, and even Moe Howard on this show. I like how interesting the talks where. The performances were well mixed and it wasn't just a come on promote the new album and leave. They talked about things that were sometimes light hearted but it went so far beyond Leno or Letterman etc. I wil miss him.

Well put, MBE.

No sh*t??? man, i loved him...he was so very genuine in his approach....anotherone bites the dust. RIP

If anyone had Mike and Al's apperence on there maybe they could post it to you tube?

That is an amazing interview. I just wonder if he were to talk like that nowadays.

The one thing from that interview I can tell is that having him go out on tour was a bad idea if they didn't want him to do drugs. Here are his thoughts on drugs: pot is good... everyone should smoke pot at least once... (which I don't think was a problem for him, but anyway)... I'm a big fan of anesthesia... AND... coke is bad because it's expensive and the comedowns suck, but it's also a really, really good high that makes you feel on top of the world and helps you to write good songs. He almost looks ready to ask the audience if they have any drugs he could buy. It was clear that he hadn't recovered. Maybe imprisoned, maybe partially brainwashed by his handlers, but that's it. Judging by the way he's acting in the interview, I wouldn't be surprised if he was on uppers at the time. I know Landy used to give him drugs to make him more alert for interviews in the 80s (you can just tell), but I wonder if he did back then, too.