Brian Wilson - The Bed Years

[Jay]

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.

Not with Rocky Pamplin around. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

After my father died, I spent 3 months in bed, for what it's worth...


Mikie- Brian's vocal on Back Home was indeed from that session...it's the first recorded lead featuring Brian's "new" voice. His falsetto was already shot by the time he did the Johnny Rivers Help Me Rhonda session, but as far as his lead goes, without hearing any of the fall 1974 voice I couldn't tell you 100% when his voice was "completely gruff".

[MBE]

Last really clear thing that's going around was Rolling Up To Heaven fall 74.
If you listen to Brian interviews from 1971-74 there is a difference by 1974 but not nearly what it was by 1976. The Pewter one from 1974  he sounds in between. The one from New York in 1973 he sounds like the young Brian but is coughing quite a bit.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Last really clear thing that's going around was Rolling Up To Heaven fall 74.
If you listen to Brian interviews from 1971-74 there is a difference by 1974 but not nearly what it was by 1976. The Pewter one from 1974  he sounds in between. The one from New York in 1973 he sounds like the young Brian but is coughing quite a bit.

... and having a serious laughing jag.  

[Steve Mayo]

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.

i had a radio special on reel to reel tapes sent to radio staions back in 1977. it was called "a conversation with brian wilson". i think it was done by king bisquit flower hour. all brian interview. i think the following was on that tape.
during the interview brian was asked about tm. he replied that he has sex but does not come. the reason was by not coming after awhile " the sperm backs up a duct to the brain and reaches the pineal gland and produces the state of cosmically consciousness". i just about fell over the first time i heard that.
it has been a long time since i heard those tapes but i think it was in that special. but i may have that name wrong but there is an interview with brian where he says the above.

[Mike's Beard]

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.

True, that side parting never seemed to falter. I wish mine would hold that well.

[onkster]

The guy who had the chicken coop studio in Otho, Iowa told me that Brian was in Ft. Dodge, supposedly to do some demos for American Spring--but he wouldn't get out of bed at the Holiday Inn in town. Only after the guy visited him did Brian finally come out and record some stuff. As I recall, it wasn't released, but it led to more recording for Spring.

And staying in bed when you're seriously depressed is not necessarily a choice or a behavior...there's something diabolically sinister about the disease that literally will NOT LET YOU get out of bed...you have no energy. It's truly awful. And anyone who says "snap out of it" has no idea what's it's actually like. (Sorry for going OT...just had to put in my .02...)

[adamghost]

The guy who had the chicken coop studio in Otho, Iowa told me that Brian was in Ft. Dodge, supposedly to do some demos for American Spring--but he wouldn't get out of bed at the Holiday Inn in town. Only after the guy visited him did Brian finally come out and record some stuff. As I recall, it wasn't released, but it led to more recording for Spring.

And staying in bed when you're seriously depressed is not necessarily a choice or a behavior...there's something diabolically sinister about the disease that literally will NOT LET YOU get out of bed...you have no energy. It's truly awful. And anyone who says "snap out of it" has no idea what's it's actually like. (Sorry for going OT...just had to put in my .02...)

And not to be flippant about it, but getting out of bed in a chain hotel in a cold and unfamiliar environment is hard even for people that aren't depressed.  I get depressed just thinking about being in a Holiday Inn in Iowa.

[onkster]

Yeah, and Ft. Dodge ain't exactly "Cedar Rapids"!

But I have to say, that chicken coop studio was pretty cool. It's still in use. (Westminist'r Sound aka Junior's Motel).

[the captain]

i had a radio special on reel to reel tapes sent to radio staions back in 1977. it was called "a conversation with brian wilson". i think it was done by king bisquit flower hour. all brian interview. i think the following was on that tape.
during the interview brian was asked about tm. he replied that he has sex but does not come. the reason was by not coming after awhile " the sperm backs up a duct to the brain and reaches the pineal gland and produces the state of cosmically consciousness". i just about fell over the first time i heard that.

You know, in college I took a course on India--kind of a humanities course, touching on history, religion, philosophy, politics, literature, all lumped together--and one of their groups' traditions does more or less include that idea. It doesn't forbid sex, but it says if you abstain from actual ejaculation, you basically build up spiritual power. I guess it's easy to say that would happen ... because who wants to hold off so long to find out and prove it wrong?

[donald]

Seems like mood disorder ran in the Wilson family.  Along with a predisposition to self-medicate.

[MBE]

Last really clear thing that's going around was Rolling Up To Heaven fall 74.
If you listen to Brian interviews from 1971-74 there is a difference by 1974 but not nearly what it was by 1976. The Pewter one from 1974  he sounds in between. The one from New York in 1973 he sounds like the young Brian but is coughing quite a bit.

... and having a serious laughing jag.  

Oh yeah that's great!
Never heard the orgazim interview but I have so many interview fragments it may be on something I haven't heard yet.

[Ron]

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.

True, that side parting never seemed to falter. I wish mine would hold that well.

He has manly man hair.  Lots of guys have hair that women admire, Brian has hair that even MEN admire.  Got to be one of the best heads of hair in music, even at 68 or whatever he's made it to now.  I hope my hair is that cool when i'm old.  Hell, I'm 32 and my hair isn't that cool, damn him.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I'm 32 and I'm bald

[Jay]

I'm 32 and I'm bald

You have Beach Boy hair...albeit, Mike Love hair.   

[Yorick]

Thursday April 4 1974

While still in Los Angeles on holiday, Paul and Linda decide to pay a visit to Brian Wilson, the now reclusive member of The Beach Boys, at his Bel Air home. They McCartneys bang on the door for over an hour, but Wilson refuses to let them in. Paul and Linda knew Brian was there, because they could hear him inside quietly crying to himself. With no alternative, Paul and Linda depart from the house and head on their way.

[bgas]

Thursday April 4 1974

While still in Los Angeles on holiday, Paul and Linda decide to pay a visit to Brian Wilson, the now reclusive member of The Beach Boys, at his Bel Air home. They McCartneys bang on the door for over an hour, but Wilson refuses to let them in. Paul and Linda knew Brian was there, because they could hear him inside quietly crying to himself. With no alternative, Paul and Linda depart from the house and head on their way.

Must have been a REALLy slow day in McCartneyland. I'm hard pressed to think of anytime I'd stand outside banging on someone's door,  for more than an hour.
"Brian, Pretty Please, with coke on top, open the door". 
Nah, I think they might have been there, maybe, 20 minutes...

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Sometimes when you are really high, 20 minutes can feel like an hour (or vice versa)

[MBE]

I always thought that Nick Kent made that story up.

[absinthe_boy]

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.

True, that side parting never seemed to falter. I wish mine would hold that well.

He has manly man hair.  Lots of guys have hair that women admire, Brian has hair that even MEN admire.  Got to be one of the best heads of hair in music, even at 68 or whatever he's made it to now.  I hope my hair is that cool when i'm old.  Hell, I'm 32 and my hair isn't that cool, damn him.

Goota say, I am 38 and my once jet black, thick hair is greying and thinning.

And I don't sing as well as Brian does at 68 either.

Damn I should have taken more drugs when I was in my twenties

[hypehat]

Isn't that story supposed to be they go round for dinner, Brian is increasingly scared/awkward until he breaks a plate or something and goes up to his room, whereupon Macca knocks and hears him. Poor guy. That story is so heartbreaking.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Isn't that story supposed to be they go round for dinner, Brian is increasingly scared/awkward until he breaks a plate or something and goes up to his room, whereupon Macca knocks and hears him. Poor guy. That story is so heartbreaking.

No, that's the goldfish bowl/Candice Bergen story, as related by Terry Melcher in the 1971 Rolling Stone 2-fer.

And... that came flying straight out of my head without any concious thought whatsoever. Which scares the holy crap out of me. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Wait...Candice Bergen?

[gxios]

Terry and Candice rented a house up on Cielo Drive....

[cutterschoice]

Last really clear thing that's going around was Rolling Up To Heaven fall 74.
If you listen to Brian interviews from 1971-74 there is a difference by 1974 but not nearly what it was by 1976. The Pewter one from 1974  he sounds in between. The one from New York in 1973 he sounds like the young Brian but is coughing quite a bit.

Could someone please point me in the direction of these interviews?
I've only been able to find a video from 1976 with Mike Douglas and some other transcripts.