Challenges in the Life of Brian Wilson in a Detailed Timeline
Life is full of challenges, and Brian Wilson faced many. Discover key struggles and how they were overcome.
Brian Wilson is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the co-founder of the Beach Boys. He is celebrated for his innovative approach to pop composition, musical talent, and mastery of recording. Wilson's work is characterized by high production values, complex harmonies, layered vocals, and introspective themes. His vocal range and struggles with mental illness are also notable aspects of his life and career.
December 1964: Houston Flight Incident
In December 1964, Brian Wilson's Houston flight incident led him to realize he could manipulate others through displays of "craziness."
1964: Wilson endeavors to take what he learned.
According to Wilson, after his first nervous breakdown in 1964, he endeavored to "take the things I learned from Phil Spector" and maximize his instrumental palette.
1964: Nervous Breakdown and Shift in Focus
In 1964, Brian Wilson had a nervous breakdown and resigned from regular concert touring to concentrate on songwriting and production.
1964: Wilson's Psychological Breaking Point and Marriage to Marilyn Rovell
In 1964, the pressures of Brian Wilson's career and personal life led him to a psychological breaking point. He grew resentful of being identified with surf and car songs and expressed a desire to create music that explored broader themes of teenage life. On December 7, 1964, in an effort to find emotional stability, Wilson impulsively married Marilyn Rovell.
January 1965: Emotional Breakdown on Tour and Withdrawal from Touring
On December 23, 1964 Wilson experienced a breakdown on a flight to Houston, leading to his replacement by Glen Campbell for the rest of the tour. In January 1965, Wilson declared to his bandmates that he would be withdrawing from future tours, attributing his decision to jealousy towards Phil Spector and The Beatles.
1965: First LSD Experience and Creation of "California Girls"
Early in 1965, shortly after moving to a new apartment, Wilson took LSD for the first time under supervision. The experience profoundly affected him and inspired the riff for "California Girls." However, for the remainder of 1965, he experienced paranoia attributed to his LSD consumption.
1965: Drug Use and Hallucinations
In 1965, Brian Wilson's hallucinations began shortly after his first experience with psychedelics; he later crashed his car into a 7-Up machine.
1965: Separation and Reconciliation with Marilyn, Move to Laurel Way
In 1965, Marilyn separated from Wilson due to his relationship with Schwartz and drug use. They soon reconciled and moved into a new home on Laurel Way in Beverly Hills, which became a hub for visitors.
1965: Religious Experience with LSD
In 1965, Wilson described having a "very religious experience" after taking LSD, saying he learned about patience and understanding.
1965: Friendship with Loren Schwartz and Drug Use
In 1965, Wilson formed a close friendship with Loren Schwartz, who introduced him to literature, mystical topics, and marijuana and hashish. Wilson's drug use strained his marriage and influenced his songwriting, starting with "Please Let Me Wonder".
1965: LSD Experience
In mid-1965, Brian Wilson played a single piano note for someone at Studio B, describing it as a sound he heard while on LSD, marking the point when his inner circle realized he was in trouble.
1965: Schizoaffective Disorder Diagnosis and Hallucinations
Since 1965, Brian Wilson has experienced auditory hallucinations and was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and mild bipolar disorder.
November 1966: Worsening Mental Condition and Unraveling of Smile Project
Around November 1966, Brian Wilson's mental condition worsened, marked by the recording of "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow". This period is considered the beginning of the unraveling of the Smile project and the onset of his erratic behavior.
1966: Introspection with Pills
By 1966, Brian Wilson used "pills" for introspection, viewing psychedelic usage as benign.
1966: Phil Spector's Retirement
In 1966, Phil Spector's self-imposed retirement was identified by sociomusicologist Simon Frith in 1981 as one of the catalysts, along with Brian Wilson's withdrawal in 1967, for the "rock/pop split that has afflicted American music ever since".
1966: Wilson Interview Described as Non-Verbal
In 1966, following an interview with Brian Wilson, David Oppenheim recalled, "we tried to talk with him but didn't get much out of him. Some guy said 'He's not verbal.'"
April 1967: Sale of Laurel Way Home and Move to Bel Air Mansion
In April 1967, Brian Wilson and his wife sold their Laurel Way home and moved to a mansion in Bel Air. Wilson also began constructing a personal home studio. Most of his new contacts had disassociated or were exiled from his social circle by this point.
1967: Second experience with LSD
Around 1966 or 1967, Brian Wilson consumed LSD for a second time.
1967: Wilson's Withdrawal
In 1967, Brian Wilson withdrew, which sociomusicologist Simon Frith identified in 1981 as one of the catalysts for the "rock/pop split that has afflicted American music ever since".
1968: Abandonment of Smile Album and Psychological Decline
Brian Wilson had been trying to record the Smile album for six months, but in May 1967, it was announced that the album had been scrapped. In a 1968 interview, Brian Wilson said that he "was about ready to die" and "decided not to try anymore." The commercial response to "Heroes and Villains" led to his psychological decline.
1968: Hospitalization and Treatment
In 1968, Brian Wilson was hospitalized and prescribed Thorazine for severe anxiety; he also possibly received talking therapies, lithium, and electroconvulsive therapy.
1968: Decline in Songwriting and Self-Medication
In 1968, Brian Wilson's songwriting output declined, and his emotional state worsened, leading him to self-medicate with excessive food, alcohol, and drugs. He began using cocaine and expressed suicidal wishes, marking a significant decline.
1968: Psychiatric Hospital Admission and Withdrawal
In mid-1968, Brian Wilson was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and sessions for 20/20 continued without him. After being discharged, Wilson rarely finished tracks for the band, leaving much of the work to Carl Wilson.
June 1973: Seclusion After Father's Death
Following his father Murry Wilson's death in June 1973, Brian Wilson secluded himself in the chauffeur's quarters of his home, engaging in self-destructive behaviors, including drug and alcohol abuse, overeating, and rarely venturing outside.
1975: Physical Decline and Intervention
In 1975, Brian Wilson's health declined due to substance abuse and overeating, leading to interventions by his family and management. He volunteered into psychologist Eugene Landy's radical 24-hour therapy program in October.
1976: Wilson on Religion and Drugs
In 1976, Brian Wilson stated that he still believed, as he did in the 1960s, that the coming of "the great Messiah [...] came in the form of drugs" while acknowledging that his own drug experiences "really didn't work out so well, so positively".
1976: Landy's Refutation of Diagnosis
In 1976, Landy refuted the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, suggesting Brian Wilson's primary issue was "being scared".
1977: Adult/Child Album Disputes
In early 1977, Brian Wilson produced Adult/Child, the intended follow-up to Love You; however, it remained unreleased due to artistic disputes.
November 1978: Institutionalization at Brotzman Memorial Hospital
In November 1978, Brian Wilson was institutionalized at Brotzman Memorial Hospital following an incident where he attacked his doctor. He spent three months in the hospital, was discharged for one month, and then readmitted.
1978: Paranoid Schizophrenia Diagnosis
In 1978, Brian Wilson was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis while at Brotzman Memorial Hospital.
1978: Drug Overdose and Disappearance
In 1978, following a disastrous tour of Australia, Brian Wilson overdosed on a combination of drugs and disappeared from his family. He hitchhiked, played piano at a gay bar, traveled to Mexico, and was eventually found by police in Balboa Park before being hospitalized for alcohol poisoning.
1981: Frith Identifies Wilson's Withdrawal as Catalyst for Rock/Pop Split
Writing in 1981, sociomusicologist Simon Frith identified Brian Wilson's withdrawal in 1967, along with Phil Spector's self-imposed retirement in 1966, as the catalysts for the "rock/pop split that has afflicted American music ever since".
1982: Re-enlistment in Landy's Program
In 1982, after overdosing, Brian Wilson's family and management orchestrated a ruse to convince him to volunteer back into Dr. Landy's program. Wilson was falsely told he was penniless and no longer a member of the Beach Boys unless he re-enlisted Landy.
1982: Carl Given Financial Control and Hospitalization
In early 1982, Brian Wilson signed a trust document giving Carl Wilson control of his finances. Brian was also involuntarily admitted to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica for three days. By this time, Brian's diet and weight had become extremely unhealthy.
March 1983: Return to Los Angeles with Landy
In March 1983, Brian Wilson returned to Los Angeles and was moved by Dr. Landy into a home in Malibu. He lived with Landy's aides and was cut off from many of his friends and family, including his children and ex-wife.
1984: Misdiagnosis of Schizophrenia
In 1984, doctors misdiagnosed Brian Wilson with schizophrenia again and found evidence of brain damage due to excessive drug use.
1985: Alleged Suicide Attempt
In mid-1985, Brian Wilson allegedly attempted suicide by swimming out to sea before being brought back to shore by one of Dr. Landy's aides.
1986: Gaines Biography
In 1986, Gaines' biography of the Beach Boys highlighted the difficulty Wilson's family and associates faced in determining genuine mental health issues from potential manipulative behavior.
1990: Estrangement from The Beach Boys
By 1990, Brian Wilson was estranged from the Beach Boys. The band scheduled recording sessions he could not attend and rejected his offers to produce an album for them.
1990: LSD and Jesus Christ Complex
In 1990, Brian Wilson attributed his development of "a Jesus Christ complex" in the mid-1960s to LSD.
1990: Conservatorship Attempt
In 1990, Brian Wilson's cousin Stan Love sued Wilson, attempting to gain conservatorship, citing Wilson's mental health issues. The court ultimately ruled against Love.
1991: Wilson's Memoir
Brian Wilson's 1991 memoir reflected on the Houston flight incident from December 1964 and the realization that he could control others.
June 1998: Release of Imagination and Family Deaths
In June 1998, Brian Wilson's third album, Imagination, was released, receiving criticism for its sound. Shortly before the album's release, he suffered the loss of his brother Carl and their mother Audree.
2000: Edgers on Interviewing Wilson
In 2000, Edgers wrote that "no writer will ever understand Brian Wilson", highlighting his often "clipped and conflicting" responses, adding that he "generally makes it clear to interviewers that he would rather be somewhere else — and that's when he's feeling good."
2000: Conflicting Accounts of Deafness Origin
In a 2000 interview, Brian Wilson stated that his deafness had been present at birth and unrelated to his father's physical abuse, conflicting with other accounts.
2004: Ledbetter Claim on LSD Use
In 2004, Ledbetter claimed that Brian Wilson had only taken LSD thrice in his life.
2015: Gilstrap on Wilson Ending Interviews Abruptly
In 2015, Salon's Peter Gilstrap wrote that Brian Wilson had been known to end interviews abruptly, though the author concluded that his actions were not "due to a bad attitude.".
2015: Doggett on Wilson and Pop Battles
In his 2015 book Electric Shock, Peter Doggett identifies Brian Wilson as the quintessential figure of an era marked by "some of the most notorious pop battles" between "idealistic musicians" and the executives funding their ambitious projects.
2016: Memoir on LSD Use
Brian Wilson's 2016 memoir stated that he abstained from consuming LSD for a second time until he was 23, around 1966 or 1967.
2016: Memoir on Deafness Origin
In his 2016 memoir, Brian Wilson repeated his mother's claim that he was hit in the ear as a child, causing his deafness.
2019: Health Issues and Concert Postponement
In 2019, Brian Wilson underwent two back surgeries and later postponed some concert dates due to worsening mental health.
May 2024: Conservatorship
In May 2024, it was announced that Brian Wilson entered into another conservatorship after it was revealed that he had dementia.
