Do they reduce Brian's medication when he's recording?

[Wylson]

Or increase it when he's on stage?

The difference between the recent interviews with Brian along with the Leno performance, and the vocal performances on BWRG is huge. It leads me to feel that Brian is probably given different levels of medication for each scenario. Also in the radio interview, when he was on the telephone from his home (can't remember which one, the one where he asks the guy how they transmit to so many states!) he sounds so relaxed, rarely slurring, very engaged and intelligent - makes me feel again that he is less medicated when at home. Or perhaps he's just less anxious generally?

Of course its none of my business, but would be interested to know if anyone has any thoughts.

[Day Tripper]

I've wondered the same thing.  My wife was on anti-anxiety medication before, and sometimes it would make her slur or appear foggy mentally. I was on a drug called Topomax once that had side effects that caused my memory and speech to be affected.  I guess it's hard to say what is a drug side affect and what is actually old age. When Glen Campbell had his little melt down, he blamed it on mixing alcohol with an anti-anxiety medication. If you watch any videos of him speaking, his speech appears a little slurred, but he's in his 70s.  I'm not a big fan of that kind of medication for me personally, but everyone is different.

On the Leno performance, if you listen to the last line Brian sang, he sounds as if he needs to clear his throat. Maybe he had a bit of a head cold or something. Any kind of sinus infection could affect the inner ear and his perception of sound too.

[Wirestone]

When Brian played live in late 2009, he was so very different onstage that I suspected (and wrote) that he was likely being given less or changed medication. I mean, it was literally like a different guy.

There was also an interview with Tony Asher (I believe) somewhere that basically came out and stated directly that Brian tended to take a short-term anti-anxiety drug before going onstage. It's the only time I've seen someone state it so baldly (which could mean it's tripe). But I don't think it's a bad assumption to make.

[Andrew G. Doe]

When Brian played live in late 2009, he was so very different onstage that I suspected (and wrote) that we was likely being given less or changed medication. I mean, it was literally like a different guy.

Interestingly, this wasn't the case in the first two, three shows, but thereafter, yes, he just caught fire. I have my doubts that it was due to the medication, though: my feeling is that he was feeling good about how the Gershwin project was going.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Could be a combination of both...

[The Heartical Don]

If I am right, he's taking Fluvoxamine as the standard anti-depressant. Now, this substance needs about 6 weeks to kick in from day zero, and only then one feels the full effect (so it's much different from the ordinary benzodiazepine-type sleeping pill). Also feeling less of the Fluvoxamine effect would require lowering the dose about three to four weeks beforehand. I read somewhere that he takes a rather low dose of it, so: it seems very improbable to me that they're playing around with this to make him more energetic.

Apart from that: it could be that he gets a mild sedative before performing live, to reduce anxiety. But the benzodiazepines are very addictive after a while, and withdrawal is terrible (I went through that myself; never again for this person).

Last possibility: he might use a mild anti-psychotic, like quetiapine (Seroquel) to act against 'the voices'. But I can't imagine someone's changing the prescription of this, if he uses it, that is.

[?]

I don't think it's a medication issue personally, and I've had my share of antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs.  Personally I just think it comes down to how comfortable he feels with any given task.  Doing an interview or a single tv performance (where he has no time to get into his groove) is a lot different than performing a full show in an intimate venue surrounded by an absolutely adoring crowd made up of his hardcore faithful.  I've only had the pleasure of seeing Brian once, but he was clearly enjoying himself up there.  He could feel the love from the crowd, the respect for his new material (TLOS in this case), and he responded accordingly.  There's a big difference between seeing a genuine from smile from him, such as when he caught a glimpse of a "We love you Brian" sign someone up front held up, than the forced one he'll occasionally throw out in tv performance.

[absinthe_boy]

When Brian played live in late 2009, he was so very different onstage that I suspected (and wrote) that we was likely being given less or changed medication. I mean, it was literally like a different guy.

Interestingly, this wasn't the case in the first two, three shows, but thereafter, yes, he just caught fire. I have my doubts that it was due to the medication, though: my feeling is that he was feeling good about how the Gershwin project was going.

Being married to someone who has been on anti-depressant medication for some years....I can testify that changing meds can make a huge difference. But where somebody is on the correct dose, reducing it can have quite drastically negative effects. Even just changing one med for a dose 80% the strength.

More likely is that Brian's performances are affected by how he feels on any given day, or at that particular time. It will affect how much enthusiasm he has and how much effort he puts into his singing. Sometimes he just won't be bothered.

[Nicko]

I don't think comparing the performance on The Tonight Show to the album means much. In the studio Brian could do 100 takes of each bit and his band could use all manner of things to make him sound better. No such luxury live...

[The Heartical Don]

I don't think comparing the performance on The Tonight Show to the album means much. In the studio Brian could do 100 takes of each bit and his band could use all manner of things to make him sound better. No such luxury live...

Seems a sound judgment. I think the quality of a live performance with Brian depends on his being at ease with himself, and 'normally aware', or 'hyper-aware', all too alert. The latter condition occurs in unfamiliar surroundings, for instance. Hyper-awareness tends to produce fearful thinking about everything that may potentially go wrong, and can seriously interfere with going through the procedures of performing, and remembering lyrics, which keys to hit, and so on.

Disclaimer: my use of 'hyper-aware' is unrelated to the awareness as advertised by one Charles Manson.

[Roger Ryan]

Brian's performance on Leno is akin to virtually every other TV appearance in the last decade...along with how he appears during the first song or two of his concert appearances. It normally takes Brian a couple of songs to relax, find his groove and deliver his best. He never has this opportunity when on television.

[adamghost]

I want to chime in here and give a performer's perspective...an audience seldom realizes how much of a factor they are in a performer's mood.  I had an example of this at a show I did yesterday...second and third set, the audience was listless and unresponsive.  Fourth set, a new crowd of people came in, and suddenly the whole gig came to life.  And I can guarantee you i gave a much better performance in the fourth set with that energy to feed off of.

If the audience is dead, if the sound onstage is bad, if the people that run the venue don't treat the performer with respect -- all these things can affect someone's performance drastically and turn it into a chore.  Likewise, if the situation is reversed, a performer may be in a great mood and surpass him/herself.

No drugs need come into play.  I'm not saying it may not play a role, but I think most people think a performer goes onstage, does his/her thing, and it's pretty much a one-way endeavor from the stage outward.  It isn't that way.  Each show has its own dynamic with a lot of variables.  If things are going well, it creates its own momentum.