New Mike interview in HuffPost

[Mike's Beard]

Soooooo, Mike wishes those close to him hadn't destroyed their lives through drugs? The Myke bashers are right - what a fucking bastard, hanging's too good for him, no wonder people are always comparing him to Hitler etc, etc...  

[SMiLE Brian]

Its not that, its just how he uses it for a catch-all for the BBs band member problems.

Like he seems in denial the that Brian is mentally ill and blames it on Brian being a "burn out"

[guitarfool2002]

I find it hard to believe anything Carlin has said or written after seeing him on the Brian Wilson: Songwriter DVDs. Holy sh*t.

There it is again - the idea that we should just throw away everything related to the message based on one's opinions of the messenger. That's convenient but not valid. It seems to be most prevalent surrounding the Beach Boys' story in 1966-67.

Consider who some of the sources in the book were, consider who they had access to and what they heard and/or saw firsthand, rather than scrapping the whole thing based on the messenger relating those accounts.

I suppose, then, that a better account of what happened can be seen in those promotional packages that we got around the PS Sessions release and the Smile box YouTube "webisodes" where the band was literally gushing with praise and saying how much they loved all of it?

It's simply not the case. But commerce and self-promotion always wins out over historical accuracy in the entertainment business.  

But on the other hand we aren't going to disregard the words from the horses' mouths in favor of the impression of their words/actions from a bystander either are we?

I am not going to take what gets edited into a promotional video designed to sell box sets over the accounts of people who were actually there and relating what they saw, definitely not.

Tony Asher was not a bystander. Nor was Michael Vosse, Van Dyke Parks, etc. Yet we'll conveniently throw away what they have said they experienced, because of someone's opinion of the author whose book the stories appeared in?

They were in that they are not the Boys. I wouldn't disregard their claims about what they felt or thought because of something the Boys said about them either. I'm saying both should be taken into account.

A key factor to consider which I also tried to emphasize in the long post was the precedent that was already in place. Going back to Gary Usher in the earliest days, there seemed to be a reluctance if not outright hostility toward Brian writing with "outsiders" that were not either in the family or brought in by the family. The same kind of issues Murry hassled Brian with when he was writing with Usher were the same issues I feel were at the heart of the conflicts with Asher and Parks.

One of the few who escaped this scrutiny was Roger Christian, and I'd say that is because not only did Murry invite him in and encourage the collaboration, but also Christian had something valuable to offer the family enterprise. That was both a working knowledge of the hot-rod culture and lingo which Murry knew would sell records, and also the ability as a radio personality to give these records wider industry exposure...i.e. industry connections direct and indirect. It all translated to Christian being able to offer something beneficial to the band.

Usher was an outsider. Asher was one of Loren's friends. So was Parks. Murry didn't approve of it, how could it not rub off on the other band members?

What was the easiest way to disrupt this? Attack the music that was being created by the collaborations. They weren't fitting of the band's image, they were being given lyrics which were outside the group's fan base and history, the music surrounding those lyrics wasn't as easily diminished because the quality couldn't be questioned as easily but the effect on the fan base could...so the lyrics of Asher and Parks were used as a means of attack on the whole notion of Brian writing music for the Boys to sing with an "outsider" collaborating versus a family member or invited guest.

Those issues ran deep, again please consider how far back those issues went - well beyond "Hang On To Your Ego" or "Cabinessence". And consider too that the issues were still being deeply felt by the time of that TV movie bio when a key scene around the writing of Good Vibrations hinged on the notion "I just want to write songs with my cousin again", it's a constant theme touching on family loyalties and involvement in the process.

The "mess with the formula" concept and criticism may have just been a convenient entry point to scrape away at the surface level in order to get to the deeper issues running underneath it all, which still bubbled up in 2012 regarding songwriting.

[KittyKat]

Whenever Mike has an interview there's controversy. What's bothering people now?

Its just Mike's continuing denying of his bandmates problems being deeper than drug addiction thats annoying.

Not too far a reach to say the Mikester has undealt with addictions himself.

Of this sort: addiction to ego, addiction to litigation, make up some of your own! 

IMO...Mike is addicted (in a bad way) to *constantly* being on the road, and to fulfill a desperately needed amount of adulation while being in the spotlight. I am saying this honestly not in an attempt to "bash", but in an attempt to understand an individual (who I do not know personally), and to wrap my head around behavior that most people just brush off as him being simply "a jerk".  I think ML is emotionally ill.  People are who they are for certain reasons, and I believe "the road" is something that has long ago turned into an addiction/escape of sorts for him. When a person's priorities get as screwed up as I believe Mike's are (and I see parallels of priorities being screwed up for other addicts, like BW + DW back in the 70s/80s), the "important" things in life fall by the wayside.

I understand that at the end of C50, if Mike were to continue to reunion, he was put into a position of having to have made big changes to his comfortable way of life on the road (the M&B way) in order to acquiesce to “BW’s way” or to the needs of the then-current reunion lineup.  Nevertheless, I think that a person with their priorities set straight (my idealistic way of hoping that ML would’ve acted) would have realized that burying the hatchet, and compromising/being willing to lose some of your “battles” (like he surely did during C50), is truly worth it for the greater good of the band, and what it stands for. SEEING THE BIG PICTURE. This would be called an act of being selfless. I just wish he could’ve been that way.

Doesn’t the fact that ML knows how sensitive a person BW is (even with his current emotional support system) mean that he would think about how much stress/grief/hurt feelings he’d be putting a person through (with known mental issues) by making BW feel as though he was "fired"? Even if this "fired" speak was only a feeling, it's still putting someone through emotional anguish. Part of me wonders if ML actually thinks the mental illness that BW has is actually an act, because ML’s actions make me think these thoughts never went through his mind.

IMO, ML’s addictions to the road/his lifestyle, and what he’ll do to achieve what he wants (no matter how that hurts others), are just as destructive in their own, different way, as the addictions that the Wilson brothers suffered.

Now I await a bunch of people to tell me how off-base I am.

I think you have a point in Mike being addicted to touring. Whether that's a bad thing in itself is debatable. There are a lot of possible reasons why Mike didn't want to continue C50 and that was only one of them. The others included the added expense of Brian's big band. Which does make a great sound, but Brian's addiction to having  a big band has even lost Brian some money at times, I'm sure. Mike is used to making money, not losing money, or breaking even, or making less money than he already was. There's also the Joe Thomas thing, and the Melinda Wilson thing, and the fact that Mike and Brian themselves may not see eye to eye anymore.

I would never blame Mike for causing poor mentally ill Brian additional anguish. If Brian is that fragile, his wife and support system should have shielded him from the reunion in the first place and never let it happen, because there was a chance it might not work out in the short term, let alone the long term. I would hate to think that Brian has to live in a glass cage and protected like an endangered species. If that's so, it's  not just Mike who's caused him anguish. How about the entire Joe Thomas debacle when Brian first worked with him, and his wife had to sue, and Joe sued her? Didn't that cause Brian emotional anguish? Yet here he is working with Joe Thomas all over again. I wouldn't worry too much about Mike making Brian crazy. He's used to it.

[CenturyDeprived]

Whenever Mike has an interview there's controversy. What's bothering people now?

Its just Mike's continuing denying of his bandmates problems being deeper than drug addiction thats annoying.

Not too far a reach to say the Mikester has undealt with addictions himself.

Of this sort: addiction to ego, addiction to litigation, make up some of your own!  

IMO...Mike is addicted (in a bad way) to *constantly* being on the road, and to fulfill a desperately needed amount of adulation while being in the spotlight. I am saying this honestly not in an attempt to "bash", but in an attempt to understand an individual (who I do not know personally), and to wrap my head around behavior that most people just brush off as him being simply "a jerk".  I think ML is emotionally ill.  People are who they are for certain reasons, and I believe "the road" is something that has long ago turned into an addiction/escape of sorts for him. When a person's priorities get as screwed up as I believe Mike's are (and I see parallels of priorities being screwed up for other addicts, like BW + DW back in the 70s/80s), the "important" things in life fall by the wayside.

I understand that at the end of C50, if Mike were to continue to reunion, he was put into a position of having to have made big changes to his comfortable way of life on the road (the M&B way) in order to acquiesce to “BW’s way” or to the needs of the then-current reunion lineup.  Nevertheless, I think that a person with their priorities set straight (my idealistic way of hoping that ML would’ve acted) would have realized that burying the hatchet, and compromising/being willing to lose some of your “battles” (like he surely did during C50), is truly worth it for the greater good of the band, and what it stands for. SEEING THE BIG PICTURE. This would be called an act of being selfless. I just wish he could’ve been that way.

Doesn’t the fact that ML knows how sensitive a person BW is (even with his current emotional support system) mean that he would think about how much stress/grief/hurt feelings he’d be putting a person through (with known mental issues) by making BW feel as though he was "fired"? Even if this "fired" speak was only a feeling, it's still putting someone through emotional anguish. Part of me wonders if ML actually thinks the mental illness that BW has is actually an act, because ML’s actions make me think these thoughts never went through his mind.

IMO, ML’s addictions to the road/his lifestyle, and what he’ll do to achieve what he wants (no matter how that hurts others), are just as destructive in their own, different way, as the addictions that the Wilson brothers suffered.

Now I await a bunch of people to tell me how off-base I am.

I think you have a point in Mike being addicted to touring. Whether that's a bad thing in itself is debatable. There are a lot of possible reasons why Mike didn't want to continue C50 and that was only one of them. The others included the added expense of Brian's big band. Which does make a great sound, but Brian's addiction to having  a big band has even lost Brian some money at times, I'm sure. Mike is used to making money, not losing money, or breaking even, or making less money than he already was. There's also the Joe Thomas thing, and the Melinda Wilson thing, and the fact that Mike and Brian themselves may not see eye to eye anymore.

I would never blame Mike for causing poor mentally ill Brian additional anguish. If Brian is that fragile, his wife and support system should have shielded him from the reunion in the first place and never let it happen, because there was a chance it might not work out in the short term, let alone the long term. I would hate to think that Brian has to live in a glass cage and protected like an endangered species. If that's so, it's  not just Mike who's caused him anguish. How about the entire Joe Thomas debacle when Brian first worked with him, and his wife had to sue, and Joe sued her? Didn't that cause Brian emotional anguish? Yet here he is working with Joe Thomas all over again. I wouldn't worry too much about Mike making Brian crazy. He's used to it.

KittyKat - you make a good point, that there are certainly others like Joe Thomas whose actions at one point or another (litigious or otherwise) could have caused Brian anguish. And I can't pretend to "know" Brian and what makes him tick like his family and those around him. He is very strong. To me, it just comes down to ML's selfishness and ML sh*tting on everyone's parade (including the BB's legacy and the "big picture") to attain selfish needs. And ML's complete lack of self-awareness.  

Wouldn't the fact that Brian seemed to be perking up over the course of the tour, and really, truly enjoying himself (and wanting to be a BB again) make someone in a position such as Mike want to celebrate this? Doesn't BW (who has endured many wasted years of misery in his life for a myriad of reasons) deserve to have a bit of things "his way" at this point? It's called COMPROMISE. Again - if it meant some self-sacrifice on ML's part, we know what the answer is/was. So tragic, the history of these guys' relationships, that things went down like they did in the end.  It really seems like actions have hinged on resentment. I wonder if it's somehow subconcious "payback" for ML having been slighted (in a big, legit way) by the songwriting credits over the years.

And while there are people on this board who I've seen post things in the nature "Mike doesn't care what people say about him", it's very apparent to me that ML is very self conscious of and concerned with what others think about him. Why do you think he wears a hat 24/7? He's super self conscious about his image. When an obviously self-conscious/image-conscious person repeatedly does actions that are so obviously going to cause the vast majority of people to think HIGHLY negatively of him (in a very, very deep way, as evidenced by his standing on any YouTube video's comments, etc), it is all the more perplexing when they keep reinforcing the pattern (like the C50 ending debacle) and then wonder why everybody hates them. I call this emotional illness. Maybe as an outsider, I have zero right to say this. But it's my opinion.

[leggo of my ego]

Wow if hanging with Loren and his friends gave us all that great music just think what a loss if that bastard Murry had his way. Its a shame Brian went whole-hog on drugs and suffered such a personal loss. He was under a tremendous amount of pressure, I cant imagine what that was like.

[KittyKat]

Whenever Mike has an interview there's controversy. What's bothering people now?

Its just Mike's continuing denying of his bandmates problems being deeper than drug addiction thats annoying.

Not too far a reach to say the Mikester has undealt with addictions himself.

Of this sort: addiction to ego, addiction to litigation, make up some of your own!  

IMO...Mike is addicted (in a bad way) to *constantly* being on the road, and to fulfill a desperately needed amount of adulation while being in the spotlight. I am saying this honestly not in an attempt to "bash", but in an attempt to understand an individual (who I do not know personally), and to wrap my head around behavior that most people just brush off as him being simply "a jerk".  I think ML is emotionally ill.  People are who they are for certain reasons, and I believe "the road" is something that has long ago turned into an addiction/escape of sorts for him. When a person's priorities get as screwed up as I believe Mike's are (and I see parallels of priorities being screwed up for other addicts, like BW + DW back in the 70s/80s), the "important" things in life fall by the wayside.

I understand that at the end of C50, if Mike were to continue to reunion, he was put into a position of having to have made big changes to his comfortable way of life on the road (the M&B way) in order to acquiesce to “BW’s way” or to the needs of the then-current reunion lineup.  Nevertheless, I think that a person with their priorities set straight (my idealistic way of hoping that ML would’ve acted) would have realized that burying the hatchet, and compromising/being willing to lose some of your “battles” (like he surely did during C50), is truly worth it for the greater good of the band, and what it stands for. SEEING THE BIG PICTURE. This would be called an act of being selfless. I just wish he could’ve been that way.

Doesn’t the fact that ML knows how sensitive a person BW is (even with his current emotional support system) mean that he would think about how much stress/grief/hurt feelings he’d be putting a person through (with known mental issues) by making BW feel as though he was "fired"? Even if this "fired" speak was only a feeling, it's still putting someone through emotional anguish. Part of me wonders if ML actually thinks the mental illness that BW has is actually an act, because ML’s actions make me think these thoughts never went through his mind.

IMO, ML’s addictions to the road/his lifestyle, and what he’ll do to achieve what he wants (no matter how that hurts others), are just as destructive in their own, different way, as the addictions that the Wilson brothers suffered.

Now I await a bunch of people to tell me how off-base I am.

I think you have a point in Mike being addicted to touring. Whether that's a bad thing in itself is debatable. There are a lot of possible reasons why Mike didn't want to continue C50 and that was only one of them. The others included the added expense of Brian's big band. Which does make a great sound, but Brian's addiction to having  a big band has even lost Brian some money at times, I'm sure. Mike is used to making money, not losing money, or breaking even, or making less money than he already was. There's also the Joe Thomas thing, and the Melinda Wilson thing, and the fact that Mike and Brian themselves may not see eye to eye anymore.

I would never blame Mike for causing poor mentally ill Brian additional anguish. If Brian is that fragile, his wife and support system should have shielded him from the reunion in the first place and never let it happen, because there was a chance it might not work out in the short term, let alone the long term. I would hate to think that Brian has to live in a glass cage and protected like an endangered species. If that's so, it's  not just Mike who's caused him anguish. How about the entire Joe Thomas debacle when Brian first worked with him, and his wife had to sue, and Joe sued her? Didn't that cause Brian emotional anguish? Yet here he is working with Joe Thomas all over again. I wouldn't worry too much about Mike making Brian crazy. He's used to it.

KittyKat - you make a good point, that there are certainly others like Joe Thomas whose actions at one point or another (litigious or otherwise) could have caused Brian anguish. And I can't pretend to "know" Brian and what makes him tick like his family and those around him. He is very strong. To me, it just comes down to ML's selfishness and ML sh*tting on everyone's parade (including the BB's legacy and the "big picture") to attain selfish needs. And ML's complete lack of self-awareness.  

Wouldn't the fact that Brian seemed to be perking up over the course of the tour, and really, truly enjoying himself (and wanting to be a BB again) make someone in a position such as Mike want to celebrate this? Doesn't BW (who has endured many wasted years of misery in his life for a myriad of reasons) deserve to have a bit of things "his way" at this point? It's called COMPROMISE. Again - if it meant some self-sacrifice on ML's part, we know what the answer is/was. So tragic, the history of these guys' relationships, that things went down like they did in the end.  It really seems like actions have hinged on resentment. I wonder if it's somehow subconcious "payback" for ML having been slighted (in a big, legit way) by the songwriting credits over the years.

And while there are people on this board who I've seen post things in the nature "Mike doesn't care what people say about him", it's very apparent to me that ML is very self conscious of and concerned with what others think about him. Why do you think he wears a hat 24/7? He's super self conscious about his image. When an obviously self-conscious/image-conscious person repeatedly does actions that are so obviously going to cause the vast majority of people to think HIGHLY negatively of him (in a very, very deep way, as evidenced by his standing on any YouTube video's comments, etc), it is all the more perplexing when they keep reinforcing the pattern (like the C50 ending debacle) and then wonder why everybody hates them. I call this emotional illness. Maybe as an outsider, I have zero right to say this. But it's my opinion.

Mike plays to full houses of adoring, or at least polite, audiences over 100 nights a year. It doesn't matter that at least some of the venues are county fairs or casinos or whatever some folks disapprove of. I don't think Mike cares that much that some people dislike him or put up nasty comments on YouTube. I'm sure he views those folks are either fringe or people entitled to their own opinion or welcome to attend a Brian Wilson concert instead of his. In some cases, I can see why he would not care what those folks think. Some of them threaten violence and have problems of their own.  I don't understand people like those YouTubers who let Mike affect their own mental or physical health (stress causes health problems, and if they react that way to Mike, I'd hate to see how they handle real stress in their real life).

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Keep in mind, Mike has tons of grandkids and great grandkids who will likely read any interview he gives. Great grandp Mike's pimping the don't do drugs line again! Big deal.

Why don't we all go and discuss the intimate feelings and histories of people we actually know? Or are we simply not all experts on THOSE people. Oh yeah, and while we're at it let's continue to make endless excuses for our own behavior in life while crucifying some guy we don't even know.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Doesn't BW (who has endured many wasted years of misery in his life for a myriad of reasons) deserve to have a bit of things "his way" at this point? It's called COMPROMISE. Again - if it meant some self-sacrifice on ML's part, we know what the answer is/was.

How soon we forget: Mike did exactly that for the C50 tour. Brian got all his band, Mike got two of his... Mike compromised on the number of gigs originally scheduled by a factor of almost 50%... Mike ceded control to Thomas & BriMel. I'd say that in this regard, Brian had pretty much everything his way last year, touring and in the studio.

And I know what you're going to say here, so my pre-emptive response is, very, very few people know exactly what went on during the final weeks of the C50 tour: pretty much all we know here is what we want to assume, and that's based, as far as I can make out, on what people want us to believe.

[CenturyDeprived]

Doesn't BW (who has endured many wasted years of misery in his life for a myriad of reasons) deserve to have a bit of things "his way" at this point? It's called COMPROMISE. Again - if it meant some self-sacrifice on ML's part, we know what the answer is/was.

How soon we forget: Mike did exactly that for the C50 tour. Brian got all his band, Mike got two of his... Mike compromised on the number of gigs originally scheduled by a factor of almost 50%... Mike ceded control to Thomas & BriMel. I'd say that in this regard, Brian had pretty much everything his way last year, touring and in the studio.

And I know what you're going to say here, so my pre-emptive response is, very, very few people know exactly what went on during the final weeks of the C50 tour: pretty much all we know here is what we want to assume, and that's based, as far as I can make out, on what people want us to believe.

I'm in total agreement that Mike certainly compromised to make the C50 work. Absolutely. And I applaud him for that.

It's the fact that he couldn't find it in himself to make the compromise continue, for the better good of the "band" (because the compromise was presumably too much to take, or at least this is how it seems to an outsider like myself) that makes so many people so bugged.

Of course, if other facts come to light eventually, mine (and public opinion on the matter) may shift somewhat. I want to like Mike. I really do. I don't hate him as a human being, and I appreciate his artistic contributions - I just think, IMHO, that he's a messed up dude in some major ways that affect those around him in a big way, which he seems oblivious to own up to.
 

[Cam Mott]

On the third hand, Mike has said he was not jealous of contributors hasn't he? What are we basing that supposed jealousy on? Have Usher and Christian addressed what the Mike thought of them as collaborators?

To me Murry was a non-issue to Brian careerwise. Brian fired him, didn't seem to be cowed by him as far as the career, GV was released as planned, that 8 page letter makes it plain Murry felt he didn't have influence over Brian and his choices as I remember.

I seem to remember Asher told me that he was only around Mike, Al, Bruce at a couple of vocal sessions where he was ease dropping from the booth. I seem to remember he was not so sure at that time [20+ years ago] about the discussion he heard from the Boys. I seem to remember he allowed then they may have been pulling his leg or even complimenting him. The worst comment he remembered as I remember was something like "That Tony Asher sure writes some great lyrics". Maybe that wasn't said to me but was published, anybody seen anything like that?

Does Carlin quote Asher because I don't remember him mentioning "formula" to me. I'll see if I can find that to see how far off I am.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I don't think Mike cares that much that some people dislike him or put up nasty comments on YouTube. I'm sure he views those folks are either fringe or people entitled to their own opinion or welcome to attend a Brian Wilson concert instead of his. In some cases, I can see why he would not care what those folks think. Some of them threaten violence and have problems of their own.  I don't understand people like those YouTubers who let Mike affect their own mental or physical health (stress causes health problems, and if they react that way to Mike, I'd hate to see how they handle real stress in their real life).

I'm sure Mike was as amused at the impotent splutterings of OSD as we were. That said, I can understand his stance to a degree, since that waste of sperm Morrissey provokes exactly the same emotions and response in me.  

[smilethebeachboysloveyou]

On the third hand, Mike has said he was not jealous of contributors hasn't he? What are we basing that supposed jealousy on? Have Usher and Christian addressed what the Mike thought of them as collaborators?

To me Murry was a non-issue to Brian careerwise. Brian fired him, didn't seem to be cowed by him as far as the career, GV was released as planned, that 8 page letter makes it plain Murry felt he didn't have influence over Brian and his choices as I remember.

I seem to remember Asher told me that he was only around Mike, Al, Bruce at a couple of vocal sessions where he was ease dropping from the booth. I seem to remember he was not so sure at that time [20+ years ago] about the discussion he heard from the Boys. I seem to remember he allowed then they may have been pulling his leg or even complimenting him. The worst comment he remembered as I remember was something like "That Tony Asher sure writes some great lyrics". Maybe that wasn't said to me but was published, anybody seen anything like that?

Does Carlin quote Asher because I don't remember him mentioning "formula" to me. I'll see if I can find that to see how far off I am.

Page 84, "The lyricist still recalls hearing Brian complain about Mike instructing him, in no uncertain terms: 'Don't f*** with the formula.'"

That's Carlin quoting Asher quoting Brian quoting Mike, so I guess there is a risk of the "telephone" effect, but it's definitely in the book.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I just think, IMHO, that he's a messed up dude in some major ways that affect those around him in a big way, which he seems oblivious to own up to.
 

He very well may be. But I defy anyone to live and work - over 52 years - around the likes of Murry Wilson, Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Al Jardine, Van Dyke Parks, Capitol Records, Jack Rieley, and Eugene Landy, - and not be jaded, scarred, and messed up! And, yes, that was a quick list; there are SEVERAL omissions  

[Nicko1234]

I'm sure Mike was as amused at the impotent splutterings of OSD as we were. That said, I can understand his stance to a degree, since that waste of sperm Morrissey provokes exactly the same emotions and response in me.  

I'm sure Morrissey would be devastated to hear your impotently spluttered assessment of him. 

[jamsvet]

Yep, I think that ML should just suck it up and invite BW, AJ, and DM to join his touring group. He can give any money that he makes to BAD and make sure that they are well taken care of. Who the hell does he think he is? he should sacrifice his life for TBB. How dare he keep the band alive for 50+ years, all the while providing a large source of revenue for BRI. The unmitigated gall of someone to say that he hated to see people destroy their lives, NOT TO MENTION A BAND, through addiction. It's that pisspoor attitude that many people resent him for and I can see that he must change.

In that light, I am switching my allegiance to BAD. I'm getting a tatoo of the cover of Postcard From California across my chest; I'm memorizing the lyrics to Smile, and I think I'm in love with DM. Now I'm feeling better and I am in tune with the world again. Maybe I'll even vote Democratic in the next  election. I'm so pleased with myself.

[SMiLE Brian]

Well its so great Mike took control from the those druggie Wilsons and outsiders like VDP/Tony Asher to keep the fun,fun,fun alive.

The BBs were honestly a living corpse of a band under Mikes's control from 1980-1998.

[jamsvet]

Well its so great Mike took control from the those druggie Wilsons and outsiders like VDP/Tony Asher to keep the fun,fun,fun alive.

The BBs were honestly a living corpse of a band under Mikes's control from 1980-1998.

Damn right. I was enjoying the copious body of work produced by BAD throughout that time frame and reveling in the memories.

[SIP Mike]

Well its so great Mike took control from the those druggie Wilsons and outsiders like VDP/Tony Asher to keep the fun,fun,fun alive.

The BBs were honestly a living corpse of a band under Mikes's control from 1980-1998.

Damn right. I was enjoying the copious body of work produced by BAD throughout that time frame and reveling in the memories.

Good point chum! Except it was not BAD that was around, but BAD Boy Mike. What he made in that time period was and is exceptional.

[Kurosawa]

Whenever Mike has an interview there's controversy. What's bothering people now?

Its just Mike's continuing denying of his bandmates problems being deeper than drug addiction thats annoying.

I don't think Mike is so much in denial of it as he just doesn't really realize it. I think that because his problems were nowhere near as extreme as the Wilsons' problems, once he got into TM it worked for him and he is just so dedicated to it and such a believer in it that when it didn't work for them and they continued to abuse drugs, he just dismissed them as fuckups.

I just don't think Mike is capable of getting it. Empathy is really not his thing.

[Niko]

I just don't think Mike is capable of getting it. Empathy is really not his thing.

How do you reckon something like that?

[joe_blow]

Be grateful Mike isn't like all these other preople he was associated with.

I got tired of Dennis walking up to the mic and introducing You Are So Beautiful by mentioning the hand he had in writing it. How about every time Good Vibrations is mentioned, Brian says how he came up with the track, or how he always mentioned he came up with the bridge in Little Bird. Everytime someone asked Carl about Pacific Ocean Blue, didn't he consantly mention the uncredited contributions he made? Heck, even Bill Jackson gets annoying with his constant yammering about how he co inspired Do It Again!!

Mike has said some nice things about Dennis over the years, but always seems to have to add a negative. If he praises teh music he has to mention the lack of lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgepFKVVKVE

[Mike's Beard]

The only way I can see this as a criticism for Mike is that he ducked mentioning something that he personally regretted doing rather than bringing up the faults of others. But, hey this is Mike Love we're talking about here, the guy who could save a baby trapped inside a burning building and would somehow cop flack for doing so.

[Micha]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgepFKVVKVE

Pretty one-sided if you ask me.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgepFKVVKVE

Pretty one-sided if you ask me.

Just how the Mike bashers like it