THE ENDLESS SUMMER WILL CONTINUE AFTER THE BEACH BOYS 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR WRAP

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

the idea of these septuagenarian rock stars monitoring each other's facebook statuses and squabbling like teenagers is ever-so-slightly amusing.

More than just slightly. Probably practice for the new album... Farmville Sounds

[halblaineisgood]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godwins

Just about there ...

"The Godwinns was a gimmick of the professional wrestling tag team composed of Dennis Knight (Phineas I. Godwinn) and Mark Canterbury (Henry O. Godwinn) that they used in the WWF. The team has used other gimmicks before they joined the WWF and had a gimmick change in the WWF shortly before disbanding. Their WWF gimmick was that of two cousins who were hog farmers from Arkansas."

???

You know who else liked wrestling and non sequitur? Hitler.

Reductio ad Hitlerum

[Aegir]

this has been what's been sent out in the official Beach Boys newsletter from beachboysband.net at least since the beginning of August.

[GhostyTMRS]

Here's my best guess:
Brian knew about the Mike/Bruce tour a while ago. He already responded to it in a Rolling Stone article months ago. This is (good willed but clumsy) attempt to keep the act together for these upcoming shows.

We know Al and Dave don't run their FB pages (Al probably couldn't even find his own website much less his FB page). It looks like the same person is running both of them. My guess is he's pretty young and unprofessional. Once these shenanigans get back to management (who have bigger fish to fry right now in the U.K.) they'll be taken down.

[Wirestone]

Here's my best guess:
Brian knew about the Mike/Bruce tour a while ago. He already responded to it in a Rolling Stone article months ago. This is (good willed but clumsy) attempt to keep the act together for these upcoming shows.

We know Al and Dave don't run their FB pages (Al probably couldn't even find his own website much less his FB page). It looks like the same person is running both of them. My guess is he's pretty young and unprofessional. Once these shenanigans get back to management (who have bigger fish to fry right now in the U.K.) they'll be taken down.

Everyone is saying this, but I find it difficult to believe this is going on unintentionally. I think the simplest explanation works here, which is that everyone knew the plan, but the three non-included guys hoped to continue it, or have some hint from Mike that he was interested in picking back up later. With the press release dropping before the final shows -- and kind of stepping on them, from some folks' perspective -- I think Brian and Al and Dave's reactions are very natural and real. They aren't angry at Mike, exactly, and they aren't actively blocking him from doing shows -- but they seem like they'd like for him to give a sign that he has a commitment to the full group. Which it seems like he was willing to play along with for the duration of the summer, but not beyond.

[Aegir]

"We know" Al and Dave don't run their Facebook pages? says who? do you think some nerd in an office gets paid ten dollars an hour to update Al and Dave's facebook? I'd be really surprised.

[jeffcdo]

Paid?  HA!  Prolly record label interns.

[Dunderhead]

What the f*** is even going on here anymore? Things have gotten so ridiculously convoluted, especially with all the weird delays on the new reissues and now with all the reports in the remasters thread about albums randomly showing up for sale online. And there still hasn't been a boxset announcement.

I'm so burned out on news/rumors about the reunion. Just put the releases out and retire.

[Wild-Honey]

I can't believe all of this.  The rights to the BB name was given to Mike, I have no idea when it expires or even if it does.. BUT  The guys that I saw 2 weeks ago WERE THE BEACH BOYS..  and even though Mike and Bruce have been touring like they have since Carl died, I don't understand that if they could have everyone back together again they wouldn't jump at the chance.  Mike has gotten great mileage out of this deal, time to share maybe...

Why would Mike and  Bruce want to go back to what they were??  The money?  Surely they are loaded enough.  Maybe they just love it, but again surely you would love it more with a more genuine lineup, and not having to do small venues etc.  It's gotta be an ego thing.

I know this isn't going to go down too well with some people, but Brian needs to step up for once and not let things just happen.   Just my opinion.

[hypehat]

I think the success of The Beach Boys actually getting along as people surprised a lot of fans, and probably themselves. I know the vibe here was 'oh it'll be fun until Brian and Al stomp John Stamos to death onstage during Kokomo'/'Mike falls asleep during a Pet Sounds song' or w/e, which is probably why the thing had a finite lifespan.

I mean, Al is the guy who said 'we're doing this for the last time' and now he's campaigning for more. I think he was surprised by how well the band got on and managed to put out a successful album and tour without acrimony. Although Brian & Mike seemed a bit prickly during recording sessions, if the RS article is an indication (Waves of Love, say) but Brian coming out with tonnes of praise for Al  and giving him From There To Back Again probably sweetens that a little. And hey, they're all getting older and Al probably just doesn't want this to end. Can you blame him?

But yeah, I think we're all just acting out because now it's really over. And it ain't even over yet, with Wembley and the Albert Hall!

[D409]

I personally find this a whole load of usual media bollocks (some guy has taken certain Band members quotes etc...and made them his own who is obviously not educated in the politics/licence issues of BRI)  with FB etc being the apparent base for manufactured mud slinging by possibly some Blueboard tosser who has never listened or even heard of 'Mount Vernon' (good god yes I have met a few in the past who honestly don't know of it , but think that 'Saturday Morning In The sh*tty' is the best song ever YET they still get back stages passes for some of Brians UK Shows)  , I was hoping that this whole scenario was going to be a fan based only topic in the UK but sadly it gained a whole half page in The Sunday Express  
It really ( whether truth or not , and I guess the later ) does take a shine off of the last gigs this week , does it not ?? Anyone fancy some great tickets (third row for Wembley) at £10 each ??

I am a big supporter of The Mike & Bruce Band ( seen them many times ) and also the BW Band ( seen them very many times )

I am a massive fan of THE MUSIC thus this thread really needs to be closed , please  

One of the most sensible posts on this thread !

[Andrew G. Doe]

We know Al and Dave don't run their FB pages (Al probably couldn't even find his own website much less his FB page). It looks like the same person is running both of them.

Wrong.

[Mike's Beard]

Maybe we should wait to see if Mike actually issues some sort of  statement refusing to ever perform with the others again before people start falling over themselves to bash the guy?

[Yorick]

Brian just posted a picture of all the band and crew at a dinner party he threw in London to celebrate the tour. There's two persons missing, guess who!

[Banana]

I've said it before...but I almost have to laugh when I read all of this nonsense.  They have been one of the longest running soap operas in rock history.  Their story is full of petty squabbles...backhanded business practices...mud-slinging...court battles...and on and on.  The fact that they've managed to continue making incredible music (most of the time) throughout is pretty amazing.  A part of me thinks just wrapping it up cleanly after the reunion tour would have been too easy for this group...too out of character.  Personally, I wish they could have just truly buried the hatchet and gone out on a high note...but if this is not going to be the case (and it looks that way right now) then maybe collapsing back into name-calling and finger-pointing truly is how they're supposed to end.  Very sad...but when have they ever done anything cleanly?

[lee]

Brian just posted a picture of all the band and crew at a dinner party he threw in London to celebrate the tour. There's two persons missing, guess who!

ha ha! Just saw that.

[SMiLE Brian]

Something might actually going on with the group feuding. Unless Mike and Bruce hiding in that picture.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Mike was taking the picture, and Bruce was bussing tables

[ivy]

If we were to stage a parody of what a Facebook-based fight between the Beach Boys would look like, I don't think we'd go this far. What the hell is wrong with these grown-ass men?! Gotta love them.

Good to see Scott T there, though. Wonder where he's at in all of this.

ETA: This dinner was last night, let's guess between 6pm and 9pm in London. Al's first post was looks like it was posted around 7pm-8pm and last post was around 11pm-midnight BST. The post from Dave's account came some time in between then. So maybe they were conspiring their Facebook offensive over dessert?

[GuyOnTheBeach]

The problem I've found with this whole thing is that it shows one of the biggest problems of social media, it allows things to be said in the heat of the moment without any thought. I have a feeling that if Alan had thought through posting a link to "Good Timin'" with a dedication to Mike, he probably wouldn't have done it. As it is though it's beginning to turn into the kind of arguments that teenage girls have with each other on Facebook, all we need is for Brian to call Mike a bitch or link a post with a Justin Bieber song or something and we will be there.

Just a thought, Imagine if The Beatles had had Facebook during the "Let It Be/Get Back" sessions 

[the professor]

I am going to school to teach all day, and I want so good news by the time I come home tonight at 7, please. This issue is reaching critical mass; are we not less likely to buy all the new album versions, the upcoming DVDs , the greatest hits collections, etc.?  I feel utterly betrayed by all the philosophical talk of perpetuality (perhaps a coinage) and spiritual unity and joint consciousness that we see throughout the films and promos, etc. Real students of spiritual doctrine and non-attachment would have approached each other and the fans with compassion and calm and wrought a solution free from grasping and the control over a selfish result--to casually apply some language from the Gita, which several BB have studied.

I will myself wait for the miraculous coming of the dawn, if it comes.

[The Shift]

Note that Scott Totten and John Cowsill are both present at the dinner, so there can't be any truth in the rumour that Mike & Bruce were playing a Beach Boys Band gig at Battersea Working Men's Club.

… unless Brian's headhunted them for his own band…

[JohnMill]

All I can say is this is really sad.  You know part of me just wants to throw the towel in on this group right now.  I'm so sick of their daily drama.  It's actually getting to the point where I'm not sure if I want to listen to their music right now or not.  I'm tired of the theatrics, I'm tired of the dirty laundry out there for everyone to see and quite frankly I'm tired of them.

[CarlTheVoice]

The Boys are now at the Mermaid ready for the gig according to their Twitter. In response to my question of "Are they talking?" they replied "Yes they are!". Just thought I'd let you know and see what you make of it, if anything!

[Rocker]

All I can say is this is really sad.  You know part of me just wants to throw the towel in on this group right now.  I'm so sick of their daily drama.  It's actually getting to the point where I'm not sure if I want to listen to their music right now or not.  I'm tired of the theatrics, I'm tired of the dirty laundry out there for everyone to see and quite frankly I'm tired of them.

Everything in terms of drama and theatrics is/was created by us fans. There's no hint from any of the members that things are turning bad only comments that they want to continue touring plus the comment by Mike that he and Bruce will play some shows that are already booked (and were since probably before the reunion tour). Plus we heard that Mike was willing to talk about more work with Brian, Al and David