MovieChat Forums > Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (1995) Discussion > Brian Wilson at his nadir

Brian Wilson at his nadir

posted 19 years ago by SloppyMoe
4 replies | jump to latest

Several users have commented on how poorly Brian Wilson communicates in this film, and I wanted to clarify that this was perhaps Wilson's low point in that respect. From the early 1980's to 1991, Brian Wilson was under the sway of a "psychologist" who at first helped him get physically fit and musically active again, but eventually took over his life, formed a business partnership in which he got half of everything Wilson earned, and used drugs to keep Wilson under his control. The footage of Wilson in Theremin was probably made at the height of this man's efforts to control Wilson, while Wilson's family was petitioning for a court to appoint a conservator for him. The best way to balance out anyone's view of Brian Wilson is to see the excellent documentary Beautiful Dreamer by David Leaf, which shows what Wilson is capable of when he has an environment of emotional stability and proper treatment for his chronic depression.

[–] davimorte 18 years ago

Brian Wilson was great in this flick! I was laughing my ass off.

"The kids, you know... not the 29 year olds... you know the seventeen year olds.... no, somewhere between 23 and 26.... you, know... the children of God! The kids... like, yeah, somewhere around 25... they digged it... and people said 'Good Vibrations' wasn't a rock album. But... IT ROCKED!"

Maybe that wasnt an exact transcription, but thats pretty much it. He doesnt seem crazy or anything, he just seems like a jovial and spaced out dude.

[–] bobbycormier 17 years ago

Obviously suffering from the severe side effects of inappropriately LARGE doses of ant-psychotic medication! Wilson was never meant to be put on this type of med because he has never been psychotic. Now treated correctly with small doses of an anti-depressant, he no longer has the uncomfortable-to-watch flailing body movements. Apart from this, it is a delight to hear his insightful, well-spoken, eccentric and deeply meaningful insights, as always. He communicates here perfectly well on difficult-for-ANYONE-to-put-into-words subject matter. –bobby cormier –[email protected]

[–] taxvictim 14 years ago

That's good information, but the Brian Wilson interview is the only reason I've been looking to see this documentary again. It's a shame that clip is not on YouTube.

[–] LudwA 10 years ago

gee, i thought Brian was awesome in this flick. like the only thing that was bothering him was that somebody urinated on his rug.

(He seems a lot more apathetic to me nowadays.. unfortunately)