One of rock 'n' roll's true geniuses, Brian Wilson was the driving force behind The Beach Boys. Although he achieved great critical and commercial success, life wasn't always a beach. Wilson stopped touring with the band in 1964 after suffering from exhaustion and retreated into the studio, where he lived the life of a musical hermit, bloating up to Jabba The Hutt proportions.

Withdrawing deeper and deeper into the dark recesses of his mind, he began experimenting with kazoos, banjos and even barking dogs, all the while smoking six packs of cigarettes a day. As he recalls, "I went through times that were so scary that I wasn't sure I'd make it through."