Is Bruce an original member? No? Well, Mike's website claims he is.

[Mikie]

The only Beach Boy who even comes close to Mike Love when it comes to getting raked over the coals on the Smile Smile board is Bruce Johnston.

[bgas]

as it should be: Two peas in a pod

[SMiLE Brian]

Bruce likes it this way since Mike is his boss and overlord.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Absolutely..... And he brings it upon himself..... I mean, a guy who can stand next to possibly the hardest working man in show business (Mike Love) and proclaim "We're The Beach Boys" when he basically does nothing onstage, might need to be checked here and there.... He should really be saying "Mike's The Beach Boys but is nice enough to take me along with him and pay me to adjust my mic on stage"

[SMiLE Brian]

Agreed, I trash Mike all the time but his work ethic is still impressive. Man still sings all his songs like its 1964....

[MBE]

Speaking from growing up in the eighties, yeah some of my friends liked Wipeout or Kokomo, but these weren't records anyone really took seriously. Just radio fodder really. From 1970-89 few of the first 11 sixties Beach Boys albums were in print in the US. You could buy them but they were edited and this ruined the albums. In 1990 we got the CD's and in 1994 the LP's were back. Along with the two nineties box sets The Beach Boys began to be seen in the right light. In 1988-93 most people gave me a funny look if I said the Beach Boys meant anything artistic. 2012 showed what they could have been doing all along. Be yourself and people will listen.

I also respect people who try to find good in all the different periods, if you dig you will find some cool things. However from 1976-97, especially after Dennis died, they gradually lost their cred by the direction they took. Mike may have spearheaded this, Bruce might have been the most gung ho once he came back, but it is all their faults. Thankfully,solo and together, they woke up. By the way That Same Song from the 1976 special was a cool risk. Rap and disco....not so much, at least not the way they did them.

[oldsurferdude]

Agreed, I trash Mike all the time but his work ethic is still impressive. Man still sings all his songs like its 1964....

But is it really a "work ethic" if he seriously enjoys being a jet setter, being the head honcho on stage and raking in more dollars than he's worth and laughing all the way to the bank plus getting Brooth to be his pawn/indentured servant for most of the year? mYke has numerous perks and would probably expire if he couldn't tour and be the center of attention. How sad that he knows nothing else.

[SMiLE Brian]

Agreed, I trash Mike all the time but his work ethic is still impressive. Man still sings all his songs like its 1964....

But is it really a "work ethic" if he seriously enjoys being a jet setter, being the head honcho on stage and raking in more dollars than he's worth and laughing all the way to the bank plus getting Brooth to be his pawn/indentured servant for most of the year? mYke has numerous perks and would probably expire if he couldn't tour and be the center of attention. How sad that he knows nothing else.

It is pretty sad that Mike's whole adult life has been non-stop touring now that I think about it. Maybe its time for him to retire and hang with his family more. The BBs could work again if they only tour together.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I see what you guys are getting at, but please remember all the other Beach Boys (other than Brian obviously) have spent their entire adult lives doing exactly what Mike is or were at least trying.... I would imagine being the center of attention in such a big way could be somewhat addicting, to say the least....

[Shady]

Mike would be Jack Nicholson in the shining if he didn't get to tour 365 days a year.

What people don't understand about Mike is he is and always has been motivated by money. A bunch of ex-wives does not come cheap. I'm sure Mike would love to tour like most huge acts and accept the offer that the Beach Boys received last year to play Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium but he knows all cost included he's better off playing small venues with just him, Bruce and a small band.

We won't ever get another reunion tour because Mike doesn't want to pay for it. Crazy bastard, TM my ass.

[Mikie]

Speaking from growing up in the eighties, yeah some of my friends liked Wipeout or Kokomo, but these weren't records anyone really took seriously. Just radio fodder really. From 1970-89 few of the first 11 sixties Beach Boys albums were in print in the US. You could buy them but they were edited and this ruined the albums. In 1990 we got the CD's and in 1994 the LP's were back. Along with the two nineties box sets The Beach Boys began to be seen in the right light. In 1988-93 most people gave me a funny look if I said the Beach Boys meant anything artistic. 2012 showed what they could have been doing all along. Be yourself and people will listen.

I also respect people who try to find good in all the different periods, if you dig you will find some cool things. However from 1976-97, especially after Dennis died, they gradually lost their cred by the direction they took. Mike may have spearheaded this, Bruce might have been the most gung ho once he came back, but it is all their faults. Thankfully,solo and together, they woke up. By the way That Same Song from the 1976 special was a cool risk. Rap and disco....not so much, at least not the way they did them.

With exception to the Christmas album, Stack-o-tracks, and the Greatest Hits albums, all of the 60's albums were released in their entirety in 1981/82. Four albums (Shut Down II, All Summer Long, Today, and Summer Days) had two cuts edited out of each. To the average consumer off the street, they weren't missing those edits. To the collector, it made a difference, and we sought out the original 60's albums and their reissues to get every BB cut known to man.  

[oldsurferdude]

Yeah, Pinder, but with The All Powerful Oz (aka mYke luHv) on stage, the other guys didn't have much of a chance to get noticed, did they? The man has totally engineered his net worth while up there on that stage. mYke's stance on life in general has always been built on "I'm up here and you're down there and I'm the wizard". He's as insecure as they come, with all the rings, flowing robes, turbans, sandals and TM bullsh*t and will crash as hard as anyone can when it's over-it's not going to be a graceful exit. By the way, why didn't he get a rug, weave or whatever instead of a dumb hat?

[KittyKat]

Has anyone mentioned that Mike's dad Milton Love is still alive, and almost 95 years old? Mike did a shout-out on his FB page recently.  He's not in good health (broken bones, had a bout with pneumonia), but that might give Mike some motivation to keep working hard. He's still a young whippersnapper by comparison to his father.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I saw that. It was pretty cool!

Hear that OSD, 95 years old! I'll bet Mike's got that beat

[Mikie]

Absolutely..... And he brings it upon himself..... I mean, a guy who can stand next to possibly the hardest working man in show business (Mike Love) and proclaim "We're The Beach Boys" when he basically does nothing onstage, might need to be checked here and there.... He should really be saying "Mike's The Beach Boys but is nice enough to take me along with him and pay me to adjust my mic on stage"

I'm still trying to remember what Bruce did when I saw them on the C50 tour last year.  Lessee.......lead on Disney Girls.......and......I think he did adjust his mic on stage a couple of times.......and lessee, what else........he sang a verse in Add Some Music.......and........hang on, I know there was something else........uh.........

[drbeachboy]

Absolutely..... And he brings it upon himself..... I mean, a guy who can stand next to possibly the hardest working man in show business (Mike Love) and proclaim "We're The Beach Boys" when he basically does nothing onstage, might need to be checked here and there.... He should really be saying "Mike's The Beach Boys but is nice enough to take me along with him and pay me to adjust my mic on stage"

I'm still trying to remember what Bruce did when I saw them on the C50 tour last year.  Lessee.......lead on Disney Girls.......and......I think he did adjust his mic on stage a couple of times.......and lessee, what else........he sang verse in Add Some Music.......and........hang on, I know there was something else........uh.........

He sang Wendy at one of the 2 shows that I attended. Since we are hating on Bruce for cheerleading, why don't we start ripping Al a new one for the constant conducting that he did throughout last year's shows.

[oldsurferdude]

Absolutely..... And he brings it upon himself..... I mean, a guy who can stand next to possibly the hardest working man in show business (Mike Love) and proclaim "We're The Beach Boys" when he basically does nothing onstage, might need to be checked here and there.... He should really be saying "Mike's The Beach Boys but is nice enough to take me along with him and pay me to adjust my mic on stage"

but really, not that I'm a rabid fan, but nobody and I mean NOBODY, not even the exalted mYkster luHvster, puts in a day's work like Springsteen.

[Shady]

Absolutely..... And he brings it upon himself..... I mean, a guy who can stand next to possibly the hardest working man in show business (Mike Love) and proclaim "We're The Beach Boys" when he basically does nothing onstage, might need to be checked here and there.... He should really be saying "Mike's The Beach Boys but is nice enough to take me along with him and pay me to adjust my mic on stage"

I'm still trying to remember what Bruce did when I saw them on the C50 tour last year.  Lessee.......lead on Disney Girls.......and......I think he did adjust his mic on stage a couple of times.......and lessee, what else........he sang verse in Add Some Music.......and........hang on, I know there was something else........uh.........

He sang Wendy at one of the 2 shows that I attended. Since we are hating on Bruce for cheerleading, why don't we start ripping Al a new one for the constant conducting that he did throughout last year's shows.

What do you mean "conducting"?

[Jim V.]

Bruce is an enigma. He was supposed to be the straight-laced, normal Beach Boy. One might even use "mature" to describe him. Yet, Bruce has said some of the wackiest things in interviews over the years. Maybe that was intentional, like he was trying to be "out there" or "deeper". Come to think of it, I could be describing Al Jardine, too.

What always perplexed me was that Bruce has stated in a few earlier books/interviews that he wanted to be a songwriter more than anything. Actually, whether you believe it or not, that was his reason for leaving the band in 1972 (that and Jack Reiley). So, he concentrates on songwriting for a few years, releases a solo album (with some re-workng of old songs BTW), has some success shopping his songs ("I Write The Songs"), but then returns to the Beach Boys, who could use some good songs - and he hardly writes anything. I believe you can count on one hand the number of songs Bruce has contributed to the Beach Boys over the last 35 years! And, keeping with Bruce's perplexing behavior, when it comes to contributing a song - one song! - to the NEW 2011 Beach Boys album, he wants to re-record "She Believes In Love Again". This comes from a professional SONGWRITER.

Don't songwriters usually have a catalogue of songs they've written, songs they gave/sold to other artists, songs they've demoed, songs they've recorded for solo projects (released or unreleased). Where are Bruce Johnston's songs? What has he produced over the last 35 years? Shouldn't he have dozens of songs written?

I totally agree with you about the fact that dude had like 20 years from the time of Summer In Paradise til That's Why God Made The Radio and the best he could offer was a new recording of "She Believes In Love Again". I mean its possible that like "Let Him Run Wild" for Brian, he feels like he never got it right, and so he used that opportunity to do it. I can understand that. I recorded songs for my old band that I felt like taking back and reworking even after it was posted online and on CDs for like over 2 years. But if I was a professional songwriter, with a venue like The Beach Boys to get my songs out, you'd that Bruce would have something else to offer.

The thing is though, I don't think Bruce has ever been much of a songwriter. Even on Going Public, there were only a few truly new songs ("Rock & Roll Survivor" and "Don't Be Scared"). All the rest were either songs of his recorded by other artists, Beach Boys songs written by him, or covers.

And to make it worse (or better for some), Bruce probably doesn't have more than 10 finished compositions since Going Public. Let's see, he had "Let's Visit Heaven Tonight" and "If There Were Time" which went to Captain and Tennille, "Endless Harmony" (which was actually "Ten Years Harmony" from a few years earlier), "She Believes In Love Again", "Happy Endings", "Problem Child", "Slow Summer Dancin' (One Summer Night)", and then "The Way I Dreamed It" and "My Heart" for Doris Day. And even though those Doris Day songs were released like two years ago, it's pretty obvious that they are from the '80s. All around, that adds up to what, nine songs? So that's like 35 years. Nine songs. Wow.

I would't doubt that he hasn't written a new song in over twenty years. Some "professional songwriter" huh?

One last thing. L.A. (Light Album), produced mainly by Bruce Johnston. Try to picture that album WITHOUT an 11 minute disco song. Picture a producer who puts his foot down and says, "No, Shortenin' Bread on this album. Give me something better." Picture versions of "Angel Come Home" and "Love Surrounds Me" that rock a little, that have some life to them.

I don't quite agree. Maybe he coulda switched out "Shortenin' Bread" for "California Feelin'" or "Calendar Girl" and gotten rid of "Here Comes The Night", but besides that it was probably their best album, sound and "maturity" wise, since Holland. A lot of the songs were low key, especially Carl's. I feel "Angel Come Home" is actually kinda raw sounding with Dennis' vocal, with a cool late '70s vibe that was slick but not disgustingly overproduced. Same with "Love Surrounds Me".

The only thing that would have made the album better, besides Brian being well enough to produce it, woulda been more participation from Guercio, who it seemed had a bit of an investment in making the album work.

[Kurosawa]

Absolutely..... And he brings it upon himself..... I mean, a guy who can stand next to possibly the hardest working man in show business (Mike Love) and proclaim "We're The Beach Boys" when he basically does nothing onstage, might need to be checked here and there.... He should really be saying "Mike's The Beach Boys but is nice enough to take me along with him and pay me to adjust my mic on stage"

I'm still trying to remember what Bruce did when I saw them on the C50 tour last year.  Lessee.......lead on Disney Girls.......and......I think he did adjust his mic on stage a couple of times.......and lessee, what else........he sang verse in Add Some Music.......and........hang on, I know there was something else........uh.........

He sang Wendy at one of the 2 shows that I attended. Since we are hating on Bruce for cheerleading, why don't we start ripping Al a new one for the constant conducting that he did throughout last year's shows.

I don't care about Bruce's cheerleading or Al's conducting. They had a ton of other keyboard and guitar players up there anyway. You don't need 4 guitars for "Help Me Rhonda".

I do think Bruce is pretty meh, and always was. But he's harmless. The bands history could have really been different if Glen Campbell had joined, however. But no band seems to have more "if" scenarios than the BB.

[Lonely Summer]

I think of Bruce as a kind of Pat Boone guy - very, very white, square, Republican. Mike Love tends to swing right on the political spectrum, but he never seems as downright square as Bruce does. Maybe it's the hats. Yeah, it's gotta be the hats. 

[Nicko1234]

I think Bruce's biggest contribution when he came back was just to be a sane and sober Beach Boy which they badly needed. Nobody else could have filled that role come to think of it.

[Smilin Ed H]

Nine pages of this?

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Nine pages of this?

Thanks for getting us closer to 10 Ed.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Nine pages of this?

A most reasonable plaint. Elementary math will show that Bruce cannot be an original member.