Cameo Brian appearance in article about being Hollywood Chauffeur

[Tablevega]

From a Guardian article where Bruce Wagner talks about his new film about Hollywood:

'I used to give rich out-of-towners fake tours of stars’ homes in Holmby Hills. I’d point to this house or that and say, “Sinatra. Lucille Ball. Jimmy Stewart.” The addresses were available from curbside vendors but most of us were too bored or lazy to bother with veracity. One day, on a fake tour of Bel‑Air, I saw a dishevelled man in a bathrobe in the middle of the street. I slowed and took a closer look and couldn’t believe my eyes: Brian Wilson. He asked if we had a light for his cigarette. The Texans were so thrilled they tipped me $100. I finally understood the cryptic, dadaist bumper stickers popular at the time: I BRAKE FOR BRIAN WILSON.'

[wantsomecorn]

I would love to own one of those bumper stickers.

[Seaside Woman]

Surreal...

[Mikie]

Those "Caution - I brake for Brian Wilson" bumper stickers were made around 1976/1977. I know Alice Lillie had them. If you entered one of the trivia contests in BBFUN, you got one. The sticker was kind of a parody of "I brake for Jesus" or "I brake for Bigfoot" that was popular at the time.

[ppk700]

I want one of those bumper stickers! I'd pay a pretty penny for one, too!

[LeeDempsey]

Those "Caution - I brake for Brian Wilson" bumper stickers were made around 1976/1977. I know Alice Lillie had them. If you entered one of the trivia contests in BBFUN, you got one. The sticker was kind of a parody of "I brake for Jesus" or "I brake for Bigfoot" that was popular at the time.

I believe the original was a bumper sticker printed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that said "Caution - I brake for animals."  In other words, if you're in a car behind me, and a squirrel, a rabbit, or a stray dog or cat crosses the road, I'm going to put on my brakes and yield to the animal, so don't run into me.  And yes, the Brian bumper sticker was a humorous reference to multiple stories at the time of Brian walking down the middle of the street, bumming cigarettes or spare change from unsuspecting drivers.

Lee
 

[Mikie]

Multiple stories at the time of Brian walking down the middle of the street, bumming cigarettes or spare change from unsuspecting drivers.

........in addition to other condiments (first hand knowledge).

[D Cunningham]

Wish I could remember the guy's name.  Good guy, a fan of Brian.  Back in the day, he was driving along and there was
the big man...totally sunburned and disheveled... walking to the side of the road.  The guy picks him up, brings him home
and treats Brian to an entire dinner around the family table.  The family members are all present.  Afterward, Brian sits
at the family's piano for some pictures. I received a batch of the pictures and I used a couple in the old digest.

[Mikie]

There are many sad stories about the down-and-out Brian. Two that come to mind right now:

1. The disheveled and un-kept Brian described by a Tower Records employee. He arrived early one morning to open up only to discover Brian, then at his most bloated and least mentally functional, suddenly letting the horse out of the barn and whizzing on the door knob that the employee had to twist to gain entry.  Then he was found huddled (cowering) in his bathrobe in the back room. Think I remember him saying that he had been staying there all night.

2. One of the worst ones, probably when he was at an all-time low, is when he was found lying in a gutter near a park in San Diego and Marilyn (and Diane?) came and got him after spending a lot of time looking high and low for him.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Yikes.

[SMiLE Brian]

So sad.

[The Shift]

This is the kind of stuff which, in a biopic, would emphasise how low he sank and how incredible it is that he's still with us and still performing.

[kiwi surfer]

My former neighbour, an expatriate Californian, on learning I was a Beach Boys fan said he loved the band but disliked Brian Wilson. Naturally I was intrigued and pressed why. Jim it turns out was a frequent flyer in the '70s due to having a girlfriend working for one of the airlines. On one such flight, Chicago or Detroit bound he thinks, Brian was aboard and he quickly became Brian's new best friend. Dinner and other plans were made but shortly before they landed Brian pounced and attempted to strangle him. It took several people to pull Brian off. No explanation was given and Jim swears he did nothing whatsoever to provoke Brian.

I have no reason to disbelieve the story and several other things he told me all stacked up. I asked a couple of times if he was sure it was Brian (and not say Dennis) but he was adamant it was Brian. Jim, a former competitive surfer, grew up in same area and knew Dennis a little from the beach around '65 or so.

[buddhahat]

There are some great (if very sad) stories here. Thanks all for sharing.

[Mikie]

One more from Phil Volk of The Raiders. Note this was further back in 1970:

"At a gig I did with Paul in 1970, Brian Wilson made one of his rare appearances with the band and he kind of sat at the piano in a semi-catatonic state during the show occasionally singing and playing, and occasionally just staring into space. After the show, he dashed from the stage, ran out the back stage door, and proceeded to crawl his way up a steep grassy knoll, where he continually slipped backwards from the damp grass on the slope. He was screaming and crying like somebody was hurting him or chasing after him, and he was trying to escape. His wife followed him up the hill, reassuring him that no one was chasing him, that all was safe, and he didn't need to be afraid. There was no riot, no crowd scenes, no fans pulling on his clothes or hair, and it was safe to come back inside the auditorium. It was quite a sight for me to behold. This once magnificently creative and powerful songwriter/composer/musician and leader of one of the greatest bands in rock history was having a major paranoid, delusional episode right in front of our eyes, and it was scary to me that he was so out of touch with reality. His wife and band mates had apparently seen this quite often in different variations, and they all seemed fairly underwhelmed with the whole episode– took it in stride– as if it was business as usual, but for me, it was shocking and sickening to witness. Not long after that, he spent the next few years of his life under his blankets at home with a 24hour a day therapist by his side trying to get him back in touch with the real world. Finally after so many years, it's nice to see him back in the loop, recording and touring again."

[Shady]

Sad stories but it shows how far Brian has come.

[Mikie]

Getting the facts straight on Brian's "trip" to San Diego in June 1978:

Without telling Marilyn or fellow band members, Brian decided (inexplicably) to escape his life entirely and hitchhike to Mexico. He wound up in San Diego a few days later. He wandered around the city for days, barefoot and unwashed. “He was on a binge," according to Stephen Love, brother of Beach Boy Mike Love and sometime-band manager (he kept getting fired and rehired). Marilyn referred to the incident in later divorce papers as the beginning of their marriage dissolution, saying “He told me he wanted to know what it feels like to be a bum - he was playing for drinks in San Diego bars.”

Someone from a local recording studio recognized Wilson and attempted to get him to record a track, apparently unaware that Wilson was at the time basically living under a tree near the entrance of the Laurel Street Bridge in Balboa Park. That’s where he was discovered one afternoon, passed out and nearly comatose. "The cops found him in Balboa Park under a tree with no shoes on, his white pants filthy, obviously a vagrant, with no wallet, no money, and he was arrested," according to another Love brother, Stanley. Wilson was taken by ambulance to nearby Alvarado Hospital and a doctor called Mrs. Wilson to inform that her husband was being treated for alcohol poisoning.

Wilson's wife had already approved sending a private detective to San Diego to search for her missing husband. She'd done so after a phone call from someone at the local recording studio who called CBS, the Beach Boys’ one-time label, with news of Wilson’s vagrancy.

Marilyn, with Stephen and Stanley Love, came to San Diego to take Wilson home but decided to leave him at the hospital a few extra days for treatment. Wilson’s mental and physical health was precarious and the Beach Boys were scheduled to begin sessions for a new album in Florida soon.

Wilson flew to meet rest of the band straight from treatment, to record the group’s debut for Caribou Records at Florida's Criteria Studios. He was quickly supplanted as producer by Bruce Johnston when it became evident that Wilson was incapable – or unwilling – to do the job.

Brian Wilson and his wife filed for legal separation in LA Superior Court July 15.

[Jay]

Some of the stories in this thread make me curios if there are any even worse stories about Brian that can't even be openly shared or talked about.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Oh, I'd imagine so, which considering he once offered Carnie heroin, is really scary.

The great part though is the fact that that is all behind him now, and all things considered, has done pretty well for himself.

[Jay]

The stories about Dennis are probably scarier. The fact that Brian is even alive and happy is a miracle. The fact that he's still doing music is a happy bonus. 

[Pretty Funky]

I'd be interested in any clues about a possible sighting I personally had in late 1980.

Heading away from Venice Pier and noted a Bentley or Rolls driving into the beach car park. Looking back towards the car I noted a big guy, longish hair and a beard from side-on.

I am sure it was him but was he driving during 1980 and if so, such a car?

[Mikie]

Some of the stories in this thread make me curios if there are any even worse stories about Brian that can't even be openly shared or talked about.

There's another one that was the final nail in the coffin to prompt Marilyn to file for divorce.  It shouldn't be shared for public consumption.

[The Shift]

Some of the stories in this thread make me curios if there are any even worse stories about Brian that can't even be openly shared or talked about.

There's another one that was the final nail in the coffin to prompt Marilyn to file for divorce.  It shouldn't be shared for public consumption.

I'm sure no one's curious now!

[RBennett123]

This is horribly sad. All of it. What else can you say after reading some of these stories? We all know the illness, but considering I haven't heard most of these, it makes me wish there were treatments, or SOME positive influence back then to help him deal with or cope with his mental illness. For me, I always knew there were crazy stores, but if these are the known ones, I would hate to know the ones that no one will talk about. I am so thankful I get to live in a time where Brian is able to create music and be productive, and (hopefully) be happy. He has come a very long way, and is an inspiration.

[RangeRoverA1]

Getting the facts straight on Brian's "trip" to San Diego in June 1978:

Without telling Marilyn or fellow band members, Brian decided (inexplicably) to escape his life entirely and hitchhike to Mexico. He wound up in San Diego a few days later. He wandered around the city for days, barefoot and unwashed. “He was on a binge," according to Stephen Love, brother of Beach Boy Mike Love and sometime-band manager (he kept getting fired and rehired). Marilyn referred to the incident in later divorce papers as the beginning of their marriage dissolution, saying “He told me he wanted to know what it feels like to be a bum - he was playing for drinks in San Diego bars.”

Someone from a local recording studio recognized Wilson and attempted to get him to record a track, apparently unaware that Wilson was at the time basically living under a tree near the entrance of the Laurel Street Bridge in Balboa Park. That’s where he was discovered one afternoon, passed out and nearly comatose. "The cops found him in Balboa Park under a tree with no shoes on, his white pants filthy, obviously a vagrant, with no wallet, no money, and he was arrested," according to another Love brother, Stanley. Wilson was taken by ambulance to nearby Alvarado Hospital and a doctor called Mrs. Wilson to inform that her husband was being treated for alcohol poisoning.

Wilson's wife had already approved sending a private detective to San Diego to search for her missing husband. She'd done so after a phone call from someone at the local recording studio who called CBS, the Beach Boys’ one-time label, with news of Wilson’s vagrancy.

Marilyn, with Stephen and Stanley Love, came to San Diego to take Wilson home but decided to leave him at the hospital a few extra days for treatment. Wilson’s mental and physical health was precarious and the Beach Boys were scheduled to begin sessions for a new album in Florida soon.

Wilson flew to meet rest of the band straight from treatment, to record the group’s debut for Caribou Records at Florida's Criteria Studios. He was quickly supplanted as producer by Bruce Johnston when it became evident that Wilson was incapable – or unwilling – to do the job.

Brian Wilson and his wife filed for legal separation in LA Superior Court July 15.

This is quite devastating, maybe the worst story I ever read about Brian. It almost sounds like he could die that day if the policemen didn't appear at the right time & right place. Some say the real survivor is Keith Richards (remember that story where he was in the car totally drugged out & the car drove around itself, then he woke up safe?), but Brian is no less strong.