Al Jardine: New Interview This Week In Local Papers, He Wants To Tour

[guitarfool2002]

This article and interview with Al appeared in the local newspapers this week, if it's already been posted or referenced here I haven't seen it.

The original link:
http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2013/02/12/entertainment/doc511a7767176cb790436562.txt

The text:
Al Jardine: A Beach Boy itching to get out on the road again
Published: Tuesday, February 12, 2013  By Mike Morsch  Executive Editor


It’s January in California and Al Jardine is sitting around at home listening to doo wop music. The Cadillacs, the Cleftones, the Drifters, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.

“Some young man from New Orleans, a fledgling agent I think, sent these doo wop tapes to me,” said Jardine. “I really appreciate it because it brings back a lot of good memories.”

Listening to doo wop music, it’s one of the ways the 70-year-old Jardine — a founding member of the Beach Boys — recharges his batteries.

It’s been a few months now since the end of the hugely successful 50th Anniversary Tour of the Beach Boys, which played 73 dates around the world and even spawned a new album, “That’s Why God Made the Radio,” the first original Beach Boys album produced since “Summer in Paradise” in 1992.

But the end of the run was not without its controversy, something not at all new to the Beach Boys. Iconic founder Brian Wilson, Jardine and original guitarist David Marks wanted to continue to ride the proverbial big wave that the tour provided. As has been the case over the history of the Beach Boys, co-founder Mike Love had his own ideas, ones that included touring as the Beach Boys with just himself and bandmate Bruce Johnston.

There was a well-publicized hissing match at the end of the run in which, once again, Love came off as the villain to many Beach Boys fans, despite his attempts to explain that the 50th anniversary tour had a scheduled finite end and that he and Johnston had already started to line up dates for their version of the Beach Boys once the tour ended.

There is Wilson’s perspective and there is Love’s perspective. And right in the middle sits Jardine, who has had a front-row seat for all that is the Beach Boys since the beginning. He’s got a perspective, too, but oftentimes it’s overlooked by the bigness that is Brian Wilson and Mike Love.

“I talked to Mike about it a couple of times and he just wanted some distance from it,” said Jardine in a recent interview. “He wanted to get away and not do this for a while with us. You should probably interview him and ask him. For whatever reason, he didn’t want to do it anymore.

“So he’s out there doing his version of the Beach Boys. I’m sure people come out and enjoy that, too. But it leaves the rest of us going, ‘Hey, we just got all geared up for this and we want to get out,’ but now we’re all just sitting around on our fannies,” said Jardine.

All of which means that at this point, 2013 won’t see another Beach Boys tour. Although anything can happen, Love and Johnston will apparently do their thing and Wilson, Jardine and Marks will hook up for some gigs, at least one of which is already confirmed, July 25, at the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering, Ohio.

Jardine admits, though, that after the big 2012 tour, he’s tired of sitting around the past few months and that he should “get my butt down there [with Brian] and do some stuff with him because he’s got such an inventive mind.”

“He’s still so amazing,” said Jardine, sounding more like a fan than a collaborator. “Whenever he sits down at a piano, he can figure out arrangements that you wouldn’t even imagine. It’s striking what he can do. He can take an idea to the next level.”

If that doesn’t work out, Jardine might try another solo project. His first solo effort, “A Postcard from California,” was re-released in conjunction with the 50th anniversary tour and sold pretty well at the concert merchandise table. The CD featured contributions from Wilson and the Beach Boys, as well as from Glen Campbell, David Crosby, Neil Young, Steve Miller and Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America.

“I’ll think about it [another solo project], but it’s dicey,” said Jardine. “These things take a lot of time and work. You put a lot of love into something and then there’s no way to distribute it.”

The bottom line, though, is that at this stage of his career, Jardine would rather perform than record.

“If you’re someone like me who’s been around a while, you want to get it right [in the studio]. And sometimes, you’re not happy with the first session, you go for another. Pretty soon, you’re spending a month on one song,” he said.

“Frankly, if you’re working with Brian Wilson, it’s worth it. The guy is an iconic figure in 20th century music. But we’ve got to get a little more out of him and little more out of me and a little more out of Mike, and hopefully we’ll do it again next year.”

[guitarfool2002]

I thought it was a good piece, I'm being honest in saying I'm surprised yours has been the first reply in days to it!

Months after the fact, there is Al in his own words saying what happened with the tour and beyond, and it doesn't appear to be malicious nor was he trying to put forward something that isn't true, which was the thought among some circles when all the fur was flying about Mike. The reunited Boys wanted to play even more as a group, Mike wanted to tour with Bruce instead. Simple. But a little disappointing at the same time. The old saying used to be "strike while the iron is hot", but I'm afraid it's gone cold.

Maybe that's why this thread hasn't been touched near as much as the related ones...

[the professor]

The professor and some others talked about this in the future BB plans thread. Bottom line: Al and Dave both are waiting to see what Brian wants to do, and everyone is waiting on Brian and Mike.

[guitarfool2002]

The professor and some others talked about this in the future BB plans thread. Bottom line: Al and Dave both are waiting to see what Brian wants to do, and everyone is waiting on Brian and Mike.

Guitarfool2002 did not read that thread.   

[the professor]

Yeah, I tucked it in in an oblique context, but we are all on it now, for all the good it does us. Still waiting and longing.

[bgas]

Yeah, I tucked it in in an oblique context, but we are all on it now, for all the good it does us. Still waiting and longing.

I knew I had read it previously; but I couldn't find the thread....

[Alan Smith]

Cool article - thanks for postin' it.

Al and David - come to Australia

[Alan Smith]

Yeah, I tucked it in in an oblique context, but we are all on it now, for all the good it does us. Still waiting and longing.

I knew I had read it previously; but I couldn't find the thread....

Yo, Bgas, try here - http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15205.msg352748.html#msg352748

[Pretty Funky]

Yeah, I tucked it in in an oblique context, but we are all on it now, for all the good it does us. Still waiting and longing.

I knew I had read it previously; but I couldn't find the thread....

Yo, Bgas, try here - http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15205.msg352748.html#msg352748

Bottom of page.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15205.50.html

[bgas]

Yeah, I tucked it in in an oblique context, but we are all on it now, for all the good it does us. Still waiting and longing.

I knew I had read it previously; but I couldn't find the thread....

Yo, Bgas, try here - http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15205.msg352748.html#msg352748

Bottom of page.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15205.50.html

huh huh, yeah.... 

[Phoenix]

“He’s still so amazing,” said Jardine, sounding more like a fan than a collaborator. “Whenever he sits down at a piano, he can figure out arrangements that you wouldn’t even imagine. It’s striking what he can do. He can take an idea to the next level.”

"For instance, and I don't know if you've heard this, but I had the idea for the group to record a version of this old, traditional folk song...."
 

[Awesoman]

Why couldn't Al just rejoin the Mike & Bruce show?  Is it really that difficult?  Do Mike and Bruce just not get along with him?  Is there some gonzo-weird legal issue preventing it? 

[halblaineisgood]

.

[AndrewHickey]

Why couldn't Al just rejoin the Mike & Bruce show?  Is it really that difficult?  Do Mike and Bruce just not get along with him?  Is there some gonzo-weird legal issue preventing it? 

Mike and Al haven't got on particularly well in decades, from what I can gather. More importantly, what would be in it for Mike? He'd have to pay Al a significant amount of money, and it's not like Al's presence would bring in more money in turn. "Brian Wilson tours with Beach Boys" makes international headlines, "Al Jardine tours with Beach Boys" makes a thread here.

Which is a shame, because Al is far and away the most talented performer of the surviving band members, and the real treat of the reunion tour for me was seeing and hearing him with the band. And the thing Mike's band is missing more than anything else is someone to fill Al's old role of gluing the harmonies together.

[Tony S]

It's probably more the money issue referenced above. While Al enjoys, likely prefers, many of the deeper cuts, when he tours/plays on his own, most of his shows are very similar to the songs performed by Mike anyway. The point made about having to pay Al $$$$$ in exchange for probably nothing more than authenticty(a big thing in my mind), I'm sure grates on Mike.

[Kurosawa]

Yeah, if Mike can tell Brian he doesn't want to play with him, then telling Al the same thing is a no-brainer.

[Sheriff John Stone]

It's probably more the money issue referenced above. While Al enjoys, likely prefers, many of the deeper cuts, when he tours/plays on his own, most of his shows are very similar to the songs performed by Mike anyway. The point made about having to pay Al $$$$$ in exchange for probably nothing more than authenticty(a big thing in my mind), I'm sure grates on Mike.

Tony, I think a key thing or phrase from your post was actually in parentheses. You referred to authenticity as "a big thing in my mind", and that is probably true for most people on this board. That being said, I never thought I'd see the day when authenticity WASN'T important to Mike Love. But, I think things have reached that stage now, and I will admit that I was wrong about it.

For decades, Mike seemed to get along with Al. They were the non-Wilsons, fellow TM-ers, kind of environment oriented, and, as we all know, the "clean" members of The Beach Boys. On top of that, Mike always seemed like the one member who always wanted to get the old gang back together if you will. Maybe he was being a phony, but Mike always went out of his way, whether it be on stage or in interviews, to mention the various members and their contributions.

Things have changed, for a lot of reasons. Yeah, the money is still a big thing, it always will be. But, other things have changed the landscape, too. Do not underestimate the success of "Kokomo" when it comes to Mike's current attitude. And, there's Brian's insistence on having a solo career and NOT being a Beach Boys for 25 years, along with the derogatory comments Brian made along the way. Think about that. Brian hasn't been a Beach Boy for almost a quarter of a century!

There's also the comments from Al, many hypocritical. Al would constantly hammer Mike about setlists, lyrics, cheerleaders, etc., and then Al would record and tour his own music, music that "out-Mike Loved" Mike Love. In some ways, Al has only himself to blame.

Finally, I think Mike just had enough, and things that go around, come around, or something like that. I sometimes think that Mike looked back, didn't like what he saw, and vowed to never let it happen again. And, now, Mike falls into the position where he can make the calls.

I want to be kind, and hope that this isn't Mike's revenge. I hope Mike isn't making Brian and Al "pay" for their past actions or statements. I don't think he is. Again, yeah, $$$$$$$ will always be upfront, but I really think it has more to do with Smiley Smile, "Love Is A Woman", quitting tours, quitting the group, publishing books, putting solo careers before The Beach Boys, and on and on. Hey, Mike is no saint, and he shares some responsibility for past debacles. But, Mike is the only member who ALWAYS wanted to be a Beach Boy. Now, that is paying off for him, unfortunately for us...

[Jukka]

Good points, but then again, maybe Mike's actions caused other members' to not want to be Beach Boys. No one is innocent, but from what I've gathered it was Mike's "all hits all the time with cheerleaders" politics that caused Carl to leave the band. I wouldn't blame Al if he losed some of his enthusiasm after, say, SIP.

[Nicko1234]

Good points, but then again, maybe Mike's actions caused other members' to not want to be Beach Boys. No one is innocent, but from what I've gathered it was Mike's "all hits all the time with cheerleaders" politics that caused Carl to leave the band. I wouldn't blame Al if he losed some of his enthusiasm after, say, SIP.

Huh? Not sure about that at all...

Al was first fired from the band before SIP was recorded and was only included on that album as an afterthought. He'd obviously been a problem to them for years.

I don't think Carl leaving the band in the early 80s was that simple at all.