Drug use and an abusive manager: The Beach Boys reveal their dark past

When it comes to bands from the 1960s, the Beach Boys are probably one of the first that come to mind. Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson were joined by Mike Love, Al Jardine and later Bruce Johnston. Together, the boys were quickly catapulted to superstardom with their good looks and catchy songs. They topped charts around the world and their posters were plastered on bedroom walls across the planet.

On the latest episode of Sunday Night, the members sat down for an exclusive chat to explain that behind the feel-good tunes was a dark past they were trying to hide from their fans. According to the report, Murry Wilson, father of Brian, Dennis and Carl and manager of the band was “cruel” and “violent”.

Brian recalled being absolutely terrified of his father.

“I was scared to death of my dad,” he said. “He didn’t inspire me, he scared me into doing it. He scared me into making good music.”

Brian claimed his father used to whip the band members and that the music they made together was a way for them to escape the violence. And as the band continued to find success with hits like ‘Good Vibrations’, it also caused tensions and problems.

For Brian, he admitted to experimenting with drugs including LSD and pot, saying they helped him write better music.

“It just made me more sensitive to my keyboard,” he recalled. “I just looked down at my keyboard and I could see a song in my head.”

His drug problem got so bad that at one point, he refused to get out of bed for several years.

“I was feeling low because I took drugs and the drugs kind of f***** up my mind,” he said.

Drug use began to tear the band apart, with major problems following the group when they travelled to Australia for a 1978 tour. You may recall one concert being so bad at the time that fans demanded their money back. That resulted in Carl issuing a public apology.

“What happened was I did not feel well yesterday,” he said at the time. “I had a Valium and I had two Mai Tais without having a meal.”

On Sunday Night, Mike explained the Wilson brothers purchased much harder drugs.

“Dennis and Carl bought heroine,” he recalled. “Having those guys buy heroine while we were on tour in Australia wasn’t my cup of tea. Honestly, I was mortified by that. I think that was not a great thing for the Beach Boys to be involved with. I think our music and our way of life and what we always promoted was positivity and harmony and stuff. It didn’t fit.”

Dennis passed away in 1983 after drowning, while Carl died of lung cancer in 1998, something Brian still can’t come to terms with.

“I still to this day mourn their death,” he said.

While Brian and Mike aren’t on good terms, the pair haven’t ruled out coming together again in the future for a tour. 

What do you think? Did you watch the Sunday Night interview? Are you surprised about claims made by the band members?