Jokermen Podcast: Brian Wilson – SWEET INSANITY

Episode Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: Jokermen

Overview

This episode of Jokermen delves deep into Sweet Insanity – the infamous, unreleased 1991 solo album by Brian Wilson, produced during his fraught, oppressive collaboration with psychotherapist-turned-business partner Eugene Landy. The hosts explore the record's tumultuous context, dissect its songs, and lament its place as a fascinating but disturbing artifact in Wilson's discography. They engage in candid, often biting discussion about Landy's manipulations, Sweet Insanity’s artistic failings, and the heartbreak of Wilson’s lost years.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The End of the Landy Era

• The episode begins with playful but pointed satire of Eugene Landy’s omnipotence in Brian’s life, with jokes about "The Eugene Landy Hour" and the shadow his influence casts.
• (01:14–03:34) The hosts mark this as a farewell to Landy, noting Sweet Insanity as perhaps the final major artifact from this era.
• They reflect on Landy’s outsized control, both pharmacological and financial, especially after losing his psychology license:

  "You take his license away, and then he's just like, at last, there's nothing even there to constrain him." (Brian, 07:53)

The Dark Context of Sweet Insanity

• (04:41–06:09) Sweet Insanity is framed among other unreleased Brian projects (Smile, Adult Child), with a clear distinction:

  "There’s unreleased things that are good...and then there is a case like...Sweet Insanity, which is...rejected by the record company...for reasons that don’t only have to do with the music." (Brian, 04:41)

• The hosts share biographical context:
  • Landy’s license revoked in 1989
  • Their business became Brains and Genius
  • The industry’s growing aversion to Landy
• They recall the Diane Sawyer Primetime Live investigative expose (Oct 10, 1991) that led to Landy’s final ouster:

  "This insanely fucked up, extraordinarily manipulative and exploitative relationship is like...it could not be clearer." (Co-host, 13:25)

Notable Quote

"Brian appeared healthy during the Landy years. But the credible and incredibly frightening stories we heard of him being drugged...were extremely disturbing." (Co-host quoting David Leaf, 10:51)

Landy’s Character Exposed on Primetime Live

• Diane Sawyer's interview with Brian exposes his isolation from family, the call screening, and his inability to answer basic questions about his daughters.
• Landy's own self-justifications on air are dissected for their arrogance and lunacy.
  • [17:18] Landy: "Yes, well..." (when accused of violating professional ethics)
  • [19:19] Landy: "[Brian] is the brains. Geniuses—that's obvious."
• The hosts are incredulous that Landy participated:

  "You get a glimpse...of just what his mind is like by the fact that he wants to be doing this." (Brian, 13:44)

Track-by-Track Breakdown

"Concert Tonight" (27:40)

• [27:47–30:10] A brief, acapella intro. The hosts note the homespun charm but also the oddly dissonant and sinister undertone.

  "It feels like evil Love You Brian Wilson...like Brian hates you." (Brian, 29:10)

"Someone to Love" (31:02)

• Identified as bland, inane, and lyrically vacant.

  "No brains, no genius." (Co-host, 30:58)
  "The lyrics are just...you're lucky if you get one idea to rub together." (Brian, 31:18)

"Water Builds Up" (35:56)

• Discussed as both inwardly and outwardly hollow, with surface-level attempts at self-help.

  "It's like Barney songs that he's giving him to sing." (Brian, 36:41)

"Don't Let Her Know She's An Angel" (39:00)

• The hosts call out its toxic, manipulative perspective:

  "I better not be nice to her or else she'll know that she's better than me." (Brian, 39:57)
  "I gotta keep negging this bitch." (Co-host, 40:57)

"Do You Have Any Regrets" (44:29)

• Noted for its gaslight-y tone but at least musically amusing.

  "It's like the ultimate male manipulator album." (Co-host, 45:39) "Do you have any regrets? It's almost got a crooner thing...like Sinatra in the 80s." (Brian, 47:08)

"Thank You" (48:00)

• The most objectionable song, expressing a puppet-like, Landy-authored reframing of Brian’s story.

  "This song feels like something that he's just sort of, like, printed out and put in Brian's hands and says, read this. And this is about you?" (Brian, 49:40) "It's literally Landy brainwashing Brian." (Co-host, 50:18)

  • Quotes lyric: "Not my mother, not my brother / Crazy beatings by my father." (51:15)

"The Spirit of Rock and Roll" (56:41)

• Featuring Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne; the hosts call it the album’s highlight, albeit for its roots outside this era.

  "It’s the best thing here by a country mile...because it’s the one thing that’s not from these just dog shit Landy Brian songwriting sessions." (Co-host, 65:04) "Bob sounds so fucking Dorset." (Co-host, 57:26) "Brian absolutely does [have the juice]...his performance is so exuberant." (Brian, 59:02)

• They joke about a hypothetical Wilburys with Brian as the missing member (60:14–60:25).

"Rainbow Eyes," "Love Ya" (65:57–69:01)

• Singled out as "awful dogshit" (Co-host, 67:52); lyrics and musical sentiment are derided for their vacuity and faux-psychedelia.

"Make a Wish" (70:12)

• A rare split: Co-host calls it "pure Barney music"; Brian admits a vague soft spot for its ‘90s environmentalist schlock.

  "It has that thing of like those T-shirts from the 90s where it’s like dolphins jumping out of the ocean and like a rainbow Shamu or whatever..." (Brian, 72:01)

"Smart Girls" (74:04–88:12)

• The showstopper. The hosts are aghast, but fascinated, by this Landy-penned, Brian-raps, sample-heavy "hip hop" monstrosity.

  "It might be the worst piece of recorded music of all time." (Brian, 76:12) "Just detestable, grotesque, zero redeeming aspects anywhere." (Co-host, 76:35)

  • Hosts quote the opening:

    "My name is Brian and I’m the man / I write hit songs with the wave of my hand..." (Narrator, 79:48)

  • They compare its shock value to Trump, Tim and Eric, and a trainwreck you can’t look away from.
  • The song’s faux-feminist message is exposed as deeply misogynistic:

    "All the songs I used to write about women were bad because they were about dumb women, right? And now I have...come to realize that smart women are more suitable, more worthy of me...I am sexually attracted to smart women who have hot bodies." (Brian, 84:01)

  • Conclude it’s the “fitting end” to Landy’s years; “the darkest, deepest, most disgusting product of this disgusting, dark relationship that had gone on for far too long.” (Co-host, 88:12)

The Verdict on Sweet Insanity

• The album is described as “not even a Brian Wilson album” – essentially a document of Landy’s corrosion of Brian’s artistry.
• They acknowledge that none of the project's eccentricities achieve the accidental beauty or interest found in other 80s/90s oddball albums.
• Final judgement:

  “Zero stars for Sweet Insanity. Zero stars for Eugene Landy.” (Co-host, 93:55) "Even with the spirit of rock and roll, this is a zero. Goodbye, good riddance, Eugene Landy." (Brian, 93:55)

Notable Quotes

• On Landy’s manipulation:

  "The perverse vampiric nature of this narcissistic personality, being able to latch onto the resources, services and...the very life essence of this person, of Brian Wilson, and bend it to his will. And this is the result of that. It’s a lesson to all that...to do that is to create horrors." (Brian, 87:13)

• On Brian's legacy and grace:

  "Love and mercy means love and mercy for everyone. He just doesn’t have any hate in his heart." (Brian, 93:30)

• On Sweet Insanity as a historical artifact:

  "Fortunately for us all, this album is not part of the official Brian Wilson canon. Fortunately for Brian, certainly." (Co-host, 92:03)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–03:34: Banter, context-setting, joke about Landy’s role
• 10:51–13:25: Diane Sawyer/Primetime Live expose and fallout
• 27:40–41:23: Detailed track-by-track discussion, “Concert Tonight” to “Don’t Let Her Know She’s An Angel”
• 44:29–54:54: “Do You Have Any Regrets” through “Thank You,” deep dive into Landy’s manipulative lyrics
• 56:41–65:16: The Spirit of Rock and Roll, Wilburys digression
• 74:04–88:12: “Smart Girls” epic takedown
• 93:55–94:12: Final verdict, zero star rating

Tone & Takeaways

The hosts’ tone oscillates between grim bemusement, gallows humor, and genuine pathos for Wilson. Their knack for wit and deep knowledge of the Wilson/Landy saga provides crucial context for listeners unfamiliar with this strange, disturbing chapter. Sweet Insanity, to the Jokermen, is both a cautionary tale about artistic exploitation and a necessary, if painful, chapter in their ongoing exploration of Brian Wilson’s life and legend.

For the full Diane Sawyer Primetime Live segment and a listen (if you dare) to Sweet Insanity, check the episode description.