Beach Boys Legend’s Confession Revealed by Former Lawyer

Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson carried one painful regret to his grave — missing out on the band’s last huge hit.

Entertainment lawyer John Mason, who represented Wilson during some of his darkest years, reveals in his new memoir “Crazy Lucky” that the iconic songwriter was blocked from working on “Kokomo,” the chart-topping single made famous by the 1988 Tom Cruise film “Cocktail.”

According to Mason, Wilson was eager to join his bandmates Mike Love and Carl Wilson in writing the track but was forbidden by his controversial therapist, Dr. Eugene Landy. Landy reportedly refused to let Wilson participate unless he was given a co-writing credit. The band rejected Landy’s demand, and Wilson was forced to step aside.

“That turned out to be ‘Kokomo,’ the biggest hit the Beach Boys had had probably forever,” Mason said. “Brian felt really badly about not working on it.”

The memoir dives deep into Wilson’s troubled relationship with Landy, who maintained an iron grip over nearly every aspect of his life. Landy controlled what Wilson ate, who he saw, and even whether he could attend band meetings without supervision. Mason recalls how Wilson, who struggled with mental illness and heavy drug use, once admitted, “I fried my brain. I took too many drugs.”

Wilson’s decline began in the late 1960s, when he withdrew from touring and spent years in near-isolation. His first wife, Marilyn, eventually turned to Landy, whose controversial 24-hour therapy put Wilson back on stage but at a steep cost. The psychotherapist, later stripped of his license, inserted himself into Wilson’s personal and financial life so deeply that even Mason — hired to defend Wilson’s interests — was eventually fired at Landy’s command.

It wasn’t until the early 1990s that Wilson’s family successfully fought to place him under independent conservatorship, ending Landy’s hold. Wilson’s second wife, Melinda, was key to helping him regain stability and independence.

Despite the missed opportunities and years under Landy’s shadow, Mason writes that Wilson still found moments of joy in his later career. He performed, recorded, and enjoyed the love of his family until his death in June at age 82.

“Saving Brian’s life probably necessitated a Eugene Landy who could come in and force him to take control of himself,” Mason reflected. “I think they were the best years of his health, but the worst of his years with Dr. Landy.”