Brian Wilson - The Bed Years

[Dead Parrot]

I apologise in advance for the predictability of this question, and also that it's no doubt been asked a few times before, but here goes anyway.....

Just how reclusive was Brian during the period when he was supposed to have spent all his time in bed (mid 1973-late 1975 IIRC). I only ask because it seems like the accepted opinion is that he rarely left his bedroom. And yet there seems to be a fair amount of recordings as well as photographs of Brian that are apparently from this period. So what's the true story?

[hypehat]

He ate a lot, smoked a lot, and snorted like crazy  

[adamghost]

slept a lot, watched TV a lot, always was lazy...

[STE]

Well, I don't know but I'm lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did.

[rab2591]

I was always a bit confused on his "bed years"

I think it was in 'Brian Wilson Songwriter' where I finally heard someone say that Brian slept during the day and went out and partied all night...he wasn't in bed 24/7. The way this period has been portrayed in most interviews you'd think that Brian was agoraphobic during this time.

[Jason]

Apparently, his fears were of the shower, Phil Spector, his father, and coming (according to Marilyn).

[Jonas]

Yeah right, I bet he had wrists of steel.

[Jon Stebbins]

Brian's hair always looked pretty good for a guy who spent so much time in bed. One short nap and mine looks like crap.

[Chris Brown]

This has always seemed to be one of those myths that has grown to be overexaggerated over the years.  Not to say that Brian was as active as he was during the mid-late 60's, but the notion of him literally spending 2 years or so in bed has been perpetuated so much that it's now accepted as a part of the Brian Wilson mythology.  To be fair, even Brian contributed to the myth (recall the interview he did from his bed in the mid-70's). 

From what I've read, Brian had periods where he took to his bed and didn't leave (perhaps for days or sometimes a week or two), but overall, he was merely reclusive, lost in his world of drugs and increasing mental illness. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Lessee, mid-1973 - late 1975...

Known recording sessions:

fall 1973                - Ding Dang

3/2/74                   - Brian's Jam (= Shortenin' Bread)/Clangin'
spring 1974           - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me bvs (original)
6/10/74                 - Ding Dang
summer 1974        - Just An Imitation and Why Don't You Try Me
mid-October 1974 - It's OK/Honeycomb
11/4/74                 - Good Timin'/Brian's Tune (= 'dirty' version of Ding Dang) [Caribou ?]
11/5/74                 - Battle Hymn Of The Republic/Child Of Winter [Caribou ?]
11/12/74               - California Feelin'/Lucy Jones [Western]
11/18/74               - Child Of Winter

3/12/75                 - unknown title [RCA]
5/29/75                 - Why Do Fools Fall In Love/Ding Dang/Money Honey [RCA]
spring 1975           - Help Me Rhonda bvs
summer 1975        - Boat to Sail bvs
September 1975   - Back Home
mid-October 1975 - Come To The Sunshine [Sound Factory]

Other stuff:

June 1973 - flies to NYC with Diane after Murry dies

August 1974 - Endless Summer gold disc photoshoot

Not bad for someone who stayed in bed for two years.  

[A Million Units In Jan!]

Apparently, his fears were of the shower, Phil Spector, his father, and coming (according to Marilyn).

Coming? Er, where exactly did she let slip this info?

[Jason]

It was in the, I believe, 1976 Rolling Stone profile of the band; it had interviews with Brian, the band minus Brian, Audree, and Marilyn. I believe it might have had an interview with Landy too...it's reprinted in the McParland Back to the Beach compilation book.

Marilyn also didn't know what celibacy was, either.

[Andrew G. Doe]

it's reprinted in the McParland Back to the Beach compilation book.

Stephen McParland has written and compiled many fine books on many subjects, but Kingsley Abbott did that one.

[James Hughes-Clarke]

spring 1974           - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me bvs (original

Brian was on that?

[Andrew G. Doe]

spring 1974           - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me bvs (original)

Brian was on that?

On the original bvs - not the released ones.

[Jason]

it's reprinted in the McParland Back to the Beach compilation book.

Stephen McParland has written and compiled many fine books on many subjects, but Kingsley Abbott did that one.

That's right. I initially was like "no that can't be it", then the work phone rang off the hook before I could edit it. So yeah, what AGD said.

[Jonas]

spring 1974           - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me bvs (original)

Brian was on that?

On the original bvs - not the released ones.

Literally shocked reading this. Wonder if theres a way to hear this 

[Ganz Allein]

slept a lot, watched TV a lot, always was lazy...

Poof! 

[Ian]

Should be noted-that if you have ever heard the 1974 Jim Pewter interview-Brian is pretty sharp there-hardly a drooling basket case at least.  As has been noted many times-I think that everyone agrees that Brian emerged from his first addiction period in ok shape-though he was no longer the same person that sang Surfs Up on TV or produced Good Vibrations.  It was the 1979-82 decline that had more problematic results.

[Jason]

That 1974 interview with Jim Pewter is one of the best Brian interviews ever. His voice had definitely changed then, too.

[Ron]

Two things about this...

I read in Paul McCartney's biography (one of them) that after the Beatles broke up, he spent 6 months in bed, largely.  Apparently people do that when they're depressed.  I always thought that story (and Brians) was a little unbelievable.

My father died a few years back... my mom stayed in bed for 2 months.  I never saw her up.  They weren't even married anymore!  Two months, I NEVER saw her out of bed.  never saw her eat, go to the bathroom, anything.  

so I imagine there was probably a period there, somewhere, where Brian probably was in bed for awhile.  I doubt it was two years, maybe a couple months then for a few years he slept during the day alot or whatever... but the whole thing is not without precedent.  

[Jim V.]

Lessee, mid-1973 - late 1975...

Known recording sessions:

fall 1973                - Ding Dang

3/2/74                   - Brian's Jam (= Shortenin' Bread)/Clangin'
spring 1974           - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me bvs (original)
6/10/74                 - Ding Dang
summer 1974        - Just An Imitation and Why Don't You Try Me
mid-October 1974 - It's OK/Honeycomb
11/4/74                 - Good Timin'/Brian's Tune (= 'dirty' version of Ding Dang) [Caribou ?]
11/5/74                 - Battle Hymn Of The Republic/Child Of Winter [Caribou ?]
11/12/74               - California Feelin'/Lucy Jones [Western]
11/18/74               - Child Of Winter

3/12/75                 - unknown title [RCA]
5/29/75                 - Why Do Fools Fall In Love/Ding Dang/Money Honey [RCA]
spring 1975           - Help Me Rhonda bvs
summer 1975        - Boat to Sail bvs
September 1975   - Back Home
mid-October 1975 - Come To The Sunshine [Sound Factory]

Other stuff:

June 1973 - flies to NYC with Diane after Murry dies

August 1974 - Endless Summer gold disc photoshoot

Not bad for someone who stayed in bed for two years.  

A few questions Andrew...

-Wasn't there also a "Good Timin'" session on 4/29/74? Was any of it used on the released LA Light Album version or was the November version and the extra '78 material only used?

-Which of the dates was the Love You version of "Ding Dang" recorded?

-I was pretty sure (per you, AGD, i think) that there wasn't a session for "Just An Imitation" and that it was never recorded. Isn't that true?
-Brian was involved with "Why Don't You Try Me"? I thought that was a Dennis song. It would be kinda random for Brian to show up for a random Dennis session in '74 most likely.

[Mikie]

That 1974 interview with Jim Pewter is one of the best Brian interviews ever. His voice had definitely changed then, too.

Yes. This was in August, 1974 and you could hear the voice start to change. BUT! If he had just stopped smoking and coking right then I think his voice could have been salvaged. Very late '74 early '75 is when the excesses took their toll on the voice. The clear voice was still really coming through clear but juuuuust starting to deteriorate in late '74. If only...........

I always thought he stayed in bed on and off for THREE years. But after Stan couldn't do the job in mid-75, Landy was hired in October, 1975. I assume this is the point when Landy went into the dark closet where Brian was hiding and finally coaxed him out and the therapy began. This was after the Equinox stuff was recorded in mid 1975, so other than record "Back Home" that year, Brian didn't do much, did he?  Other than pick up cocaine drops from the bushes in his front yard......

By the way, was the entire song of Back Home recorded or just the instrumental track in 1975? 'Cause by then, his voice was wasted!

[adamghost]

Murry stayed in bed for several weeks after the band fired him, did he not?

[Chris Brown]

Murry stayed in bed for several weeks after the band fired him, did he not?

Yes, and according to Audrey, that wasn't the only occasion.  Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that Brian learned such behavior from him, and as others have said, it's something that depressed people sometimes do.