When people here say Brian Wilson is manipulative, what do they mean?

[The Heartical Don]

Difficult topic, this. The word 'manipulative' is, IMHO, quite popular in the word of therapists and psycho-babble (which is not to say that therapists talk nonsense). It is used by people who, for the most part, didn't and/or don't have to live through the mental problems that Brian experienced.

'Manipulative' makes one think of a precisely planned modus operandi; as if the person to whom it's applied performs a pre-planned procedure to achieve a goal set a priori.

None of which makes me think of Brian Wilson. My idea: he's a very, very friendly, and instinctive type of guy, who acts on impulse, in the studio as well as outside of it. Yes, he may give strange answers, or none at all sometimes, but I think that's because his mind can do things within micro-seconds, purely emotional, and thus not 'manipulative'. That word implies quite a bit of rationalism that should be involved.

His assumed 'manipulations' are the same as the ultra-quick decisions he made in constructing his best work. Feelings, folks, nothing but feelings.