The Murry Wilson letter

Murry Wilson to Brian Wilson, May 8, 1965, from an eight-page single-spaced letter:

Brian you were a wonderful young boy and regardless of what you may think, I gave you very much love and I idolized you as a baby. You can never know how many hundreds of times I picked you up and kissed you and carried you on my shoulders, sang to you and taught you words, songs and so many things because you were a baby. I can remember giving all three of my sons love in many forms and actually, when I was strict from time to time, it was because I felt it was my duty as a father to give you the security a punishment gives. . . .

I cannot believe that such a beautiful young boy, who was kind, loving, received good grades in school and had so many versatile talents, could become so obsessed to prove that he was better than his father.

Murry Wilson’s cruelty to his sons and his competitiveness with Brian are well known. “Brian, I’m a genius too,” he says on the tape of the infamous "Help Me, Rhonda" recording session. This 1965 letter, now in the possession of the Hard Rock Cafe, is a sickening mix of emotional manipulation, self-deception, and self-pity. Read it and imagine having such a father:

The Murry Wilson letter (Letters of Note)

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