In a sentence, what is your opinion on Dr. Landy?

[runalot]

I'd write my own, but I don't feel that I'm educated enough. I think I need to read more books or something.

For you folks who don't like to type and be descriptive, just type out a sentence. A word. Anything. If you have a lot to type, go for it.

I'm just trying to get more educated about this subject (I know, it's the music that matters... but heck... the drama is just as good as the music!). It would also be interesting to hear all the different opinions.

Thanks again, in advance!

[Mitchell]

That would be one heck of a word, let me tell you. He saved Brian and then he destroyed him.

[donald]

Brilliant but flawed.  Crossed the boundary of professional client therapist relationship.

Landy and his 24 Hour Therapy is mentioned in an early edition of Internationally known Psychologist  Raymond Corsini's best selling textbook Current Psychotherapies.

Rationalized that his 24 Hour Therapy/Reparenting approach necessitated or allowed the crossing of such boundaries.

And it wasn't clear that he was ever going to voluntarily terminate the treatment.

I think he got caught up in being apart of the BBs inner circle.

And I think he enjoyed being in the spotlight

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Talented shrink and two faced fu*ker!

[Sir Rob]

Dunno about one sentence - I can't get over how well Brian looks at Live Aid 1985.  He looks the healthiest one there!  His physical deterioration since then, I mean by the mid 90s, was marked.  However, I presume there's more to it than how he looked on the outside.  Yes, I do believe Landy saved Brian's life but that's all.  I think he then led him to a new set of problems.  

[Swamp Pirate]

Hero and villian.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Helps out in the shower.

"It's Green".

[LaurieBiagini]

Great personal trainer ... just don't let him near the bank account!

[nosticker]

Angel and devil in the same person.




Dan

[JRauch]

At first he saved Brian´s life and then almost destroyed it.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

A professional mindf*cker.

Freak pervert in a Bob Newhart Mask.

Ghost executive producer and lyricist. 

Hell, he probably wrote Love and Mercy single-handedly.

[Ron]

Incompetant. 

[trumpet sounds]

Hitler

[I. Spaceman]

Hero and villian.

There you go.

That sentence can suffice for every person in the BB saga, including Brian.

[smackdaddy]

Poisonous personality, but saved Brian's life when no one else could and got Brian working with all the best people on BW '88, doing a better artistic service for him than the clueless wannabees who let Imagination and GIOMH happen.

On the other hand, he was behind Sweet Insanity too.

[the captain]

Human.

[SurferGirl7]

Git.

[forgetemarie]

Dr. Landy is (sort of) mentioned in an episode of "The Bob Newhart Show."  In the first season, there was an episode about doctor/patient transference, when one of Bob's female patients gets a crush on him.  Bob says he consults with a colleague, "Dr. Shirley Landy."  Wasn't Eugene Landy a consultant on the show?  I suppose it was a reference to their consultant, and a rather ironic one, given his odd later experience in the concept of transference.

My opinion on Dr. Landy is that he is completely lacking in ethics, but he's not the only therapist to fit that description.  I'm sure Scientologists like to use him as a case study in their crusade against therapy and psychiatric medications.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I have a question about the Landy era.

It is widely accepted that Brian's intake of prescribed medication during this period really took its toll on Brian. My question is - Were the drugs prescribed directly by Landy, or was it another doctor on the Landy "team" doing the prescribing?

Don't misunderstand my question, I'm not excusing Landy in any way. But was somebody else examining Brian, and then prescribing the drugs. Just curious...

[forgetemarie]

From what I've read in the Tim White book, and other places, there were psychiatrists seeing and prescribing medications for Brian.  There is more than one doctor given an acknowledgement in the liner notes of Brian's first solo album, so they were probably on the team.  Where Landy was out of line is that he oversaw the dispensing/dosing of medications to Brian.  It's possible he may have been doctor-shopping to get more than one doctor to prescribe medications without the knowledge of the others, or obtaining additional medications without the knowledge and consent of the medical doctors.  In any case, psychologists are not allowed to prescribe or provide medications, as they're not in the medical field.   Plus, the medications were incredibly excessive, according to a plastic surgeon that saw Brian during that time, did a blood panel to see what he was on, and reported it to the California medical board.

[Jason]

In one sentence?

A great man, if only for saving Brian from himself.

[Jonas]

dad...

[Sheriff John Stone]

It's possible he may have been doctor-shopping to get more than one doctor to prescribe medications without the knowledge of the others, or obtaining additional medications without the knowledge and consent of the medical doctors. 

I've thought about that possibility also. But it always leads me to the same question. Why?

I figure it was  A) Brian was in worse shape than anyone knew, and this was Landy's way to keep him out of a hospital, even unethically, or  B) this was Landy's way of controlling Brian, or  C) a combination of A and B

If it was only A, I would be mildly surprised. In 1981-82, Brian was a 340 lb. physical wreck. But I didn't get the indication his psychological problems were off the charts. I saw Brian with the Beach Boys in 1982, and while he looked morbidly overweight, he actually appeared more animated than usual on stage. I figured he was probably more high than mentally ill. Little did I know when he would re-emerge in mid-1983, he would be appear to be a different person...

[Jardine Power!]

A genius of manipulation.

[pavlos brenos]

Landy is a dwarf and Brian is a giant.................................
One is called "Brains" and the other is called "Genius"........................................