The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson missed out on writing one of the group's biggest hits, for a heartbreaking reason. Entertainment lawyer John Mason released a new book, Crazy Lucky. The book details his life in the entertainment industry, including working with the Beach Boys. In the book, Mason reveals that Wilson, who passed away in June, neglected to be part of one of their biggest hits, because he was already struggling with his mental health.
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"Brian often said to me, as sad as it sounds ... 'I fried my brain. I took too many drugs,'" Mason says (via the New York Post). "Brian couldn't get up in the morning without somebody getting him up. He couldn't eat healthily without somebody giving him something healthy to eat."
Despite wanting to, it was because of that that Wilson did not participate in writing what would be the group's last No. 1 hit, "Kokomo," released in 1988. The song was written by John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, Mike Love, and Terry Melcher. Unfortunately, Wilson could have been a writer as well, but was not. Now. it's a decision that seems to certainly be a terrible mistake.
"Mike and Carl came into my office and said to Brian, 'Hey, we have the opportunity to write a song for this movie, Cocktail," Mason remembers. "'It's going to be starring Tom Cruise. It's really great. We'd love you to join us. And Brian was really excited. He said, 'Oh, I'd love to do that.'"
The Heartbreaking Reason Why Brian Wilson Turned Down Writing The Song
At the time, Wilson was under the care of Dr. Eugene Landy. Although Wilson likely could have, the physician sadly vetoed Wilson's plans to write the song.
"Later in the evening, Brian called and said, 'I shouldn't do that," Mason recounts. "'Dr. Landy said I shouldn't do that.' Well, that turned out to be 'Kokomo,' the biggest hit the Beach Boys had had probably forever. And Brian felt really badly about not working on 'Kokomo.'"
Unfortunately, Mason says Landy's involvement in Wilson's life was probably as much of a detriment as it was a help. Sadly, Wilson couldn't see it at the time.
"So, the good and bad of Dr. Eugene Landy in Brian's life was that he motivated Brian to become a participant in his own life," Mason says. "But the bad part was that, as time went by and years went by, Dr. Landy expected more and more to replace Brian in the Beach Boys. ... Brian wasn't allowed to do anything without a Landy handler being with him."
