When former Beach Boy Brian Wilson announced in early 2002 that he was going to tour Pet Sounds, the 1966 album routinely held up as the greatest ever made, fans collectively held their breath. In the preceding 30 years, Wilson had struggled with drug addiction, had a series of nervous breakdowns and become a recluse, reportedly only leaving his bed to take delivery of his daily dose of cocaine. He was later diagnosed with bipolar schizoaffective disorder, which manifested in long bouts of depression and a cacophony of voices in his head.
In the Eighties, he famously fell under the influence of a psychologist named Eugene Landy, who promised to nurse him back to health, and who appointed himself Wilson’s manager and the beneficiary of his creative projects. Throughout this time, Wilson referred to Landy as his “master”. Landy was eventually given his marching orders, but Wilson remained in a fragile state. The idea that he could perform on stage at all, let alone play a complex and beautiful album cherished by millions, seemed – to put it mildly – outlandish.
