section_path: 1973–1975: Recluse period
section_name: 1973–1975: Recluse period
paragraph_text: 1973–1975: Recluse period
  
  I was taking some drugs and I experimented myself right out of action. I'd sometimes go and record. But basically I just stayed in my bedroom. I was under the sheets and I watched television.
  
  After his father's death in June 1973, Wilson secluded himself in the chauffeur's quarters of his home, where he spent his time sleeping, abusing drugs and alcohol, overeating, and exhibiting self-destructive behavior. He rarely ventured outside wearing anything but pajamas and later said that his father's death "had a lot to do with my retreating". Wilson's family were eventually forced to take control of his financial affairs due to his irresponsible drug expenditures. This led Wilson to occasionally wander the city, begging for rides, drugs, and alcohol.
  
  According to Wilson, from 1974 to 1975, his output was confined to minimal, fragmentary recordings, due to a diminished capacity for sustained concentration. He elaborated that he had been preoccupied with snorting cocaine, reading magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse, and "hanging out with Danny Hutton", whose Laurel Canyon house had become the center of Wilson's social life. Although increasingly reclusive during the day, Wilson spent many nights at Hutton's house fraternizing with colleagues such as Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop. Other visitors of Hutton's home included Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Keith Moon. On several occasions, Marilyn Wilson sent her friends to climb Hutton's fence and retrieve her husband. In 1974, Wilson interrupted a set by jazz musician Larry Coryell at The Troubadour by leaping on stage and singing " Be-Bop-a-Lula " while wearing slippers and a bathrobe.
  
  Many reported anecdotes involving Wilson in the early 1970s, though frequently of questionable veracity, attained a legendary status. Recalling Wilson's wellbeing at the time, John Sebastian said, "It wasn't all grimness." Jeff Foskett, then a Beach Boys fan who had visited Wilson's home unannounced, similarly commented that Wilson had responded cordially to the visit and had belied the popular myths surrounding him. Wilson also participated in some recording sessions for Nilsson's " Salmon Falls " and Keith Moon's solo album, Two Sides of the Moon.
  
  The Beach Boys' greatest hits compilation Endless Summer was a surprise success, becoming the band's second number-one U.S. album in October 1974. To take advantage of their sudden resurgence in popularity, Wilson agreed to join his bandmates in Colorado for the recording of a new album at James William Guercio 's Caribou Ranch studio. The group completed a few tracks, including " Child of Winter (Christmas Song) ", but ultimately abandoned the project. Released as a single at the end of December 1974, "Child of Winter" was their first record that displayed the credit "Produced by Brian Wilson" since 1966.
  
  Early in 1975, while still under contract with Warner Bros., Wilson signed a short-lived sideline production deal with Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher's Equinox Records. Together, they founded the loose-knit supergroup known as California Music, which also involved Gary Usher, Curt Boettcher, and other Los Angeles musicians. Along with his guest appearances on Johnny Rivers 's rendition of " Help Me, Rhonda " and Jackie DeShannon 's " Boat to Sail ", Wilson's production of California Music's single " Why Do Fools Fall in Love " represents his only "serious" work throughout this period.
  
  I was taking some drugs and I experimented myself right out of action. I'd sometimes go and record. But basically I just stayed in my bedroom. I was under the sheets and I watched television.
  
  After his father's death in June 1973, Wilson secluded himself in the chauffeur's quarters of his home, where he spent his time sleeping, abusing drugs and alcohol, overeating, and exhibiting self-destructive behavior. He rarely ventured outside wearing anything but pajamas and later said that his father's death "had a lot to do with my retreating". Wilson's family were eventually forced to take control of his financial affairs due to his irresponsible drug expenditures. This led Wilson to occasionally wander the city, begging for rides, drugs, and alcohol.
  
  According to Wilson, from 1974 to 1975, his output was confined to minimal, fragmentary recordings, due to a diminished capacity for sustained concentration. He elaborated that he had been preoccupied with snorting cocaine, reading magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse, and "hanging out with Danny Hutton", whose Laurel Canyon house had become the center of Wilson's social life. Although increasingly reclusive during the day, Wilson spent many nights at Hutton's house fraternizing with colleagues such as Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop. Other visitors of Hutton's home included Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Keith Moon. On several occasions, Marilyn Wilson sent her friends to climb Hutton's fence and retrieve her husband. In 1974, Wilson interrupted a set by jazz musician Larry Coryell at The Troubadour by leaping on stage and singing " Be-Bop-a-Lula " while wearing slippers and a bathrobe.
  
  Many reported anecdotes involving Wilson in the early 1970s, though frequently of questionable veracity, attained a legendary status. Recalling Wilson's wellbeing at the time, John Sebastian said, "It wasn't all grimness." Jeff Foskett, then a Beach Boys fan who had visited Wilson's home unannounced, similarly commented that Wilson had responded cordially to the visit and had belied the popular myths surrounding him. Wilson also participated in some recording sessions for Nilsson's " Salmon Falls " and Keith Moon's solo album, Two Sides of the Moon.
  
  The Beach Boys' greatest hits compilation Endless Summer was a surprise success, becoming the band's second number-one U.S. album in October 1974. To take advantage of their sudden resurgence in popularity, Wilson agreed to join his bandmates in Colorado for the recording of a new album at James William Guercio 's Caribou Ranch studio. The group completed a few tracks, including " Child of Winter (Christmas Song) ", but ultimately abandoned the project. Released as a single at the end of December 1974, "Child of Winter" was their first record that displayed the credit "Produced by Brian Wilson" since 1966.
  
  Early in 1975, while still under contract with Warner Bros., Wilson signed a short-lived sideline production deal with Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher's Equinox Records. Together, they founded the loose-knit supergroup known as California Music, which also involved Gary Usher, Curt Boettcher, and other Los Angeles musicians. Along with his guest appearances on Johnny Rivers 's rendition of " Help Me, Rhonda " and Jackie DeShannon 's " Boat to Sail ", Wilson's production of California Music's single " Why Do Fools Fall in Love " represents his only "serious" work throughout this period.