Al Jardine says there's a BAD conflict w/Mike. Aka: The welcome back AGD thread

[ontor pertawst]

In the future though I wouldn't be surprised at all if there is a touring band with no Beach Boys in it at all. If there is then from a business sense it would make a lot more sense for it to be Mike's band

Now it begins...

now it begins...

[Nicko1234]

Hardly worth answering when he's out there at this moment with Brian and Al selling tickets.... If Brian and Al consider him an original Beach Boys, isn't that enough?

Isn't this what it's all about though? Al's comment implies that they want to start putting out promotional material telling people to come to see the shows in order to watch 3 original Beach Boys.

As they are all obviously allowed to call themselves Beach Boys in interviews then it can't be about that.

[Nicko1234]

In the future though I wouldn't be surprised at all if there is a touring band with no Beach Boys in it at all. If there is then from a business sense it would make a lot more sense for it to be Mike's band

Now it begins...

now it begins...

True though isn't it?

I wouldn't be surprised though if in the future The Beach Boys is made up of 5 kids who are willing to do it for a low salary though. It's a business.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Any possibility any new owners opt not to use 'The Beach Boys' should the rights to the name change hands? Al said a few things last year about the bands legacy and hardly seems to be needing the soup kitchen after 14 years of not touring. Brian doesn't need the money.

Would get my vote. Retire the name or use it if all the principles agree. Win-win!

I would agree but Carl's estate probably feeds quite a few mouths.  Doubt they would vote against Mike and his touring cash machine.

I know. I hate the thought of destitute millionaire families.

Is Carl's family well off?  I sure don't know.  

[Nicko1234]

Is Carl's family well off?  I sure don't know.  

I can't see any reason why they wouldn't be considering the money they must get from royalties and Mike's touring every year.

I agree though that it is very doubtful they would tour against Mike. They have always voted for him and also voted for Al to use the name as well if he paid them (which obviously he didn't) so I don't see why they would want any change.

[Cyncie]

Any possibility any new owners opt not to use 'The Beach Boys' should the rights to the name change hands? Al said a few things last year about the bands legacy and hardly seems to be needing the soup kitchen after 14 years of not touring. Brian doesn't need the money.

Would get my vote. Retire the name or use it if all the principles agree. Win-win!

I would agree but Carl's estate probably feeds quite a few mouths.  Doubt they would vote against Mike and his touring cash machine.

I know. I hate the thought of destitute millionaire families.

Is Carl's family well off?  I sure don't know.  

I don't know. But, according to Internet searches, Al's worth 40 mil, Mike's worth 50, Brian's worth 75. None of the other guys are starving, and while we know Dennis blew through his fortune, I haven't heard any such thing about Carl.  So, unless Carl's family has to live on my income, I'm not quite buying into the idea that they need the cash. On the other hand, Easy Money.  Ain't life funny? Sorry. Couldn't help myself.

[Pretty Funky]

If any of the bands kids (in their 40s) are living off their dads income they need to harden up.

[Gabo]

In the future though I wouldn't be surprised at all if there is a touring band with no Beach Boys in it at all. If there is then from a business sense it would make a lot more sense for it to be Mike's band

Now it begins...

now it begins...

Just close your eyes and its 1965.

[Pretty Funky]

I just opened them after a terrible dream. Mike is in a wheelchair coaching the above guys. "Goin To The Beach....Goin To The Beach...Goin To The Beach" over and over!

[John Manning]

Love Wirestone's post about the apocalyptic wars to come. Lots of hard nosed sense.

But at this stage is this not about a billing along the lines of:

BRIAN WILSON
and fellow original Beach Boys
Al Jardine, David Marks and Jeff Foskett
with special guest
JEFF BECK


?

(spot the deliberate joke I inserted into my serious post)

[Gabo]

JEFF FOSKETT IS A BEACH BOY WHATS SO FUNNY

[Howie Edelson]

Yes, I did write that piece.

Regarding the "harshness" at the end -- if read in full -- it's a devil's advocate play on who the public really believes is "THE BEACH BOYS" -- Brian Wilson or Mike Love.
eg: (in very broad strokes) The guy who dreamed it all and made it from God -- or the guy that schlepped it all around the world on his back over and over.

[lostbeachboy]

For those of you who say Jeff foskett is a beach boy, you obviously have some screws missing... 

[leggo of my ego]

Yes, I did write that piece.

Regarding the "harshness" at the end -- if read in full -- it's a devil's advocate play on who the public really believes is "THE BEACH BOYS" -- Brian Wilson or Mike Love.
eg: (in very broad strokes) The guy who dreamed it all and made it from God -- or the guy that schlepped it all around the world on his back over and over.

Hmmm SchelpLove and Wonder Brooth with the Fun Surf Kokomo Band vs. Three Original Beach Boys backed up by musicians who can breeze through every track on PS, Smile and anything else the other band can perform.

Yep Michael is definitely the only logical choice to fully keep tbe legacy alive.

[Nicko1234]

Yes, I did write that piece.

Regarding the "harshness" at the end -- if read in full -- it's a devil's advocate play on who the public really believes is "THE BEACH BOYS" -- Brian Wilson or Mike Love.
eg: (in very broad strokes) The guy who dreamed it all and made it from God -- or the guy that schlepped it all around the world on his back over and over.

With due respect I would also say that it is a gross oversimplification of things and actually reads as fairly insulting to either Mike or Brian (or both).

[Howie Edelson]

It IS an oversimplification.
That's exactly the point.

That said, I think both acts -- one man being a conduit from God and another being a preacher, if you will,  of that message is about as far from insulting as one can get.
In fact, I think it's pretty spot on --  if I do say so myself.

[SMiLE Brian]

I enjoyed the article, keep up the good work Howie.

[Howie Edelson]

Much thanks.

[filledeplage]

This one is pretty cold re:Brian:

 "WHAT DO YOU THINK???

Does all this continued bad blood simply underscore the fact that these people shouldn't be in each other's lives in ANY CAPACITY, let alone working and traveling together???From what you know of the Beach Boys saga, does it all come down to the fact that Mike Love's always been jealous of his cousin Brian Wilson's talent and money

 -- or has Mike Love kept the Beach Boys name and music alive for 50 years on the road and he shouldn't have to answer to a mentally diminished recovering drug addict just because he was brilliant in the 1960's???"

They are, in my opinion, "editorialized" questions.  "Brian is 'mentally diminished recovering drug addict' and Mike is 'jealous of ...Brian's talent and money' and, 'shouldn't have to answer' and 'fact of'" and a presumption of Brian's 1960's brilliance.

(Brian is still brilliant, in my opinion, it is not confined to a decade or era, and his health issues discussion, as long as he can perform the "essential functions of the job," I feel is a privacy invasion.)

But, I do like that there are links to actual responses or impressions on audio.  And good, to see the concert schedule.

[HeyJude]

I love Wirestone’s posts, I’m glad he’s back. Interesting theories about the Joe Thomas angle. One thing that gives me pause in this scenario is why seemingly a bit out of the blue, Brian’s camp has such strong allegiance and reliance on Joe Thomas. If Thomas was the one thing that truly actually pushed Mike into ending his involvement in the reunion (or at least was the main thing; or the breaking point, etc.), would Brian’s camp really jeopardize all of that just to stay involved with Thomas? Similarly, would they now really actually be letting Thomas start making serious power plays that impact the BRI organization? I just don’t know. Considering how all sides know very well how litigious things have been over the years, coupled with the fact that Brian and his camp had a pretty serious falling out with Thomas around 1999 or so resulting in apparent lawsuits, it just seems a bit wild that they would all of a sudden hand over so much power to Thomas and also be willing to stick with him even if meant losing Mike’s cooperation.

I’m sure it has to be more hazy and convoluted than that, but it’s hard to say. The hardest thing for me to buy is that Joe Thomas is seriously spearheading some sort of operation to have Brian and Al actually wrestle control of the license to the BB name from Mike. There hasn’t seemed to have been a serious desire on the part of Brian and Al to actually take over touring as literally “The Beach Boys.” They obviously have mixed feelings about Mike using the name, at least at this stage since he’s doing it now at the exclusion of more reunion shows, but I haven’t seen evidence that they want to take the license back.

If they did want to take the license back, or seriously invoke that possibility to make a power play for whatever reason, they would be doing it through lawyers and agents, not Joe Thomas. True, Thomas was/is more involved than a typical writer/engineer/producer; he had a stake in the whole touring operation. But after the last decade-plus of lawsuits including lawsuits over use of the band’s name, lawsuits that took place while Thomas was not involved with Brian, I find it hard to believe they would have Thomas coming back into the fold and motivating Brian and/or Al and/or their camps to start firing up corporate moves and potential lawsuits over the band’s name.

It appears that what we currently have between the “BAD” camp and Mike is simply a bit more snippy jabs. Mike tries to use pics and footage of Brian and Al on the video screens, Brian and Al say no. Brian and Al attempt to use “original Beach Boys” in promotional materials for the Wilson/Beck tour, and Mike may have implied that they need to watch it and not use the BB name in a way that would require a license.
I don’t think Mike or BRI as a corporation are going to actually sue Brian and Al (and David?) for describing themselves as “original Beach Boys” during an 18-date tour where the ticket stub says “Brian Wilson and Jeff Beck.” That would be a hard case for Mike or BRI to win, and a hard case for BRI to even launch considering Brian and Al would not support it.

[HeyJude]

It IS an oversimplification.
That's exactly the point.

That said, I think both acts -- one man being a conduit from God and another being a preacher, if you will,  of that message is about as far from insulting as one can get.
In fact, I think it's pretty spot on --  if I do say so myself.

Thank you Mr. Edelson, and please continue to write as much as you can on this subject. Your reporting and commentary has been invaluable in all of this. Your post on how the ending of the tour/reunion was f-ed up is still the best, most succinct commentary on the whole debacle. 

[JohnMill]

If any of the bands kids (in their 40s) are living off their dads income they need to harden up.

Quite frankly easy to say if you've never been in that position.  There are a lot of people (in fact I believe the majority of people) who would quit their jobs right now if they had an alternate source of income which didn't require them to do anything except roll up to the bank window at the first of every month and collect.

[drbeachboy]

Yes, I did write that piece.

Regarding the "harshness" at the end -- if read in full -- it's a devil's advocate play on who the public really believes is "THE BEACH BOYS" -- Brian Wilson or Mike Love.
eg: (in very broad strokes) The guy who dreamed it all and made it from God -- or the guy that schlepped it all around the world on his back over and over.

Howie, really? You're in the Mike-Hater's club too? Nothing like objective reporting these days.

[Gertie J.]

yeah howie is BAD. 

[Bicyclerider]

First off, my understanding is there can be more than one license to tour as the Beach Boys or some variation of the Beach Boys (like Beach Boys family and friends) - but Al didn't want to pay the fees and use the tour management team dictated by BRI, so he was refused.

So if they wanted to, Brian, Al, and Carl's estate could outvote Mike and five a license to BAD to tour as "the original Beach Boys" or Brian Wilson and original Beach Boys Al Jardine and David Marks if they wanted to, correct?  If they did this, a percentage of the touring income would go back to all four voting members.