New Mike interview in HuffPost

[tpesky]

Dude, don't you get it, it's so great we don't get to see The Beach Boys become a hollow travesty shamelessly retreading the glories of C50





See! Everything's FANTASTIC

This NEEDS to go in the Mike Love photo thread!

[Andrew G. Doe]

I just mean AGD going on and on about how Mike did everything right on the C50 and its a good thing M&B are back with their shows.

Take a straw poll and I think you'll find most folk here, and elsewhere, are glad Brian's away from Mike. Which rather contradicts the desire for the C50 to reconvene. Can't have it both ways. Summer 2012 was an extended moment that will never happen again. I was as amazed as anyone that it worked as well as it did.

[alf wiedersehen]

I can't believe people are happy that the band broke up again.

Who said anyone was happy about it?

No secret that I for one was glad that C50 ended when it did, on one almighty high note.

I'm glad the reunion ended before it could get stale.

[Dancing Bear]

I just mean AGD going on and on about how Mike did everything right on the C50 and its a good thing M&B are back with their shows.

I don't remember AGD starting threads about it. He just gave his opinion while some whined about the C50 demise.

[Jason]

I can't believe people are happy that the band broke up again.

Who said anyone was happy about it?

No secret that I for one was glad that C50 ended when it did, on one almighty high note.

I'm glad the reunion ended before it could get stale.

Congratulations. You've mastered the high art of quoting. I see nothing there that says either individual was "happy" about the reunion ending. I'm happy it ended on a better note than it very well could have knowing this band.

[Wirestone]

I just mean AGD going on and on about how Mike did everything right on the C50 and its a good thing M&B are back with their shows.

Take a straw poll and I think you'll find most folk here, and elsewhere, are glad Brian's away from Mike. Which rather contradicts the desire for the C50 to reconvene. Can't have it both ways. Summer 2012 was an extended moment that will never happen again. I was as amazed as anyone that it worked as well as it did.

My guess is that Mike's actions in -- ending the tour / holding it to its specified end date / whatever you want to call it -- have rather informed folks' feelings about the current state of affairs. If the C50 lineup had continued, we wouldn't have seen those actions, and many would feel differently about Mike.

[Nicko1234]

My guess is that Mike's actions in -- ending the tour / holding it to its specified end date / whatever you want to call it -- have rather informed folks' feelings about the current state of affairs. If the C50 lineup had continued, we wouldn't have seen those actions, and many would feel differently about Mike.

That all depends on when and how it would have ended as it was never going to last too long (the proof being that it didn't).

[Mike's Beard]

Dude, don't you get it, it's so great we don't get to see The Beach Boys become a hollow travesty shamelessly retreading the glories of C50

Admit it, Al Jardine never looked that good strumming a guitar. I'm guessing something else was being strummed before long. Let's just hope they waited until they were all backstage before the three-way commenced. 

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Dude, don't you get it, it's so great we don't get to see The Beach Boys become a hollow travesty shamelessly retreading the glories of C50

Admit it, Al Jardine never looked that good strumming a guitar. I'm guessing something else was being strummed before long. Let's just hope they waited until they were all backstage before the three-way commenced. 

Bruce cheated out of yet another three way?? 

[SMiLE Brian]

Don't worry, Bruce had his "disney girl" aka hooker backstage.....

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Don't worry, Bruce had his "disney girl" aka hooker backstage.....

I wonder if that's included on the M&B tour rider 

[Nicko1234]

Classy fellas, classy.

[Jonathan Blum]

The point about California Girls is crucial, and very well put. Recall that throughout the sessions, there was no name, title, or lyrics for the song. Brian had a full arrangement and production in his head, and recorded those ideas. Yet the results of all of those nameless takes (which amusingly if you've heard the full run have Carl messing up the 12-string guitar part so often, Brian starts making jokes about all the "bloopers" from the booth, and brings humor into what could have been frustrating for all parties) are a masterful instrumental track, a great arrangement and feel.

But without the lyrics and the theme, it's an instrumental. Great point. In this case "California Girls" is something of a benchmark in understanding the larger issues at hand, versus some of the other song contributions being debated.

But there's still a key grey area:  the vocal parts.  "I Get Around" is also a great instrumental track, but it's one which has clearly been constructed around clearly significant vocal parts which aren't present yet -- the gaps for the acapella breaks make that clear.  How about in this case -- what is the instrumental track not showing us?  How much of that incredible chorus arrangement did Brian have in mind before he got the words "I wish they all could be California girls" from Mike to fit to it?  Would it still be as mighty a piece if he'd plugged in the words "I guess I just wasn't made for these times" instead?  (Try it.  Whoa, headspin.)

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Jonathan Blum]

No secret that I for one was glad that C50 ended when it did, on one almighty high note. Always leave them wanting more... for once in their checkered career, the band got it exactly right, whether by design or accident.

The key difference in POV here seems to be, you wanted them to end on a high note before they stuffed it up.  Others see the resulting burst of bad publicity and infighting and the loss of the next album (or at least, the loss of Bruce and Mike's voices from it as well as the Beach Boys name) as precisely that sort of stuffing up...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Wirestone]

My guess is that Mike's actions in -- ending the tour / holding it to its specified end date / whatever you want to call it -- have rather informed folks' feelings about the current state of affairs. If the C50 lineup had continued, we wouldn't have seen those actions, and many would feel differently about Mike.

That all depends on when and how it would have ended as it was never going to last too long (the proof being that it didn't).

True enough. But us Brianistas tend to be romantic about these sorts of things ... I half-expected them to at least do another album and do a couple more summers' worth of shows ...

[jamsvet]

Funny thing, I'm simply a BB fan. ALL of them, Since 1962

[KittyKat]

The point about California Girls is crucial, and very well put. Recall that throughout the sessions, there was no name, title, or lyrics for the song. Brian had a full arrangement and production in his head, and recorded those ideas. Yet the results of all of those nameless takes (which amusingly if you've heard the full run have Carl messing up the 12-string guitar part so often, Brian starts making jokes about all the "bloopers" from the booth, and brings humor into what could have been frustrating for all parties) are a masterful instrumental track, a great arrangement and feel.

But without the lyrics and the theme, it's an instrumental. Great point. In this case "California Girls" is something of a benchmark in understanding the larger issues at hand, versus some of the other song contributions being debated.

But there's still a key grey area:  the vocal parts.  "I Get Around" is also a great instrumental track, but it's one which has clearly been constructed around clearly significant vocal parts which aren't present yet -- the gaps for the acapella breaks make that clear.  How about in this case -- what is the instrumental track not showing us?  How much of that incredible chorus arrangement did Brian have in mind before he got the words "I wish they all could be California girls" from Mike to fit to it?  Would it still be as mighty a piece if he'd plugged in the words "I guess I just wasn't made for these times" instead?  (Try it.  Whoa, headspin.)

Cheers,
Jon Blum

That's a good point, that lyrics aren't just a set of words, but set the rhythm of the lead vocal melody. That's a strength of Mike's lyrics for "Good Vibrations" vs. Tony Asher's lyrics for that song. You could argue that Tony's words are more sophisticated and perhaps even more fitting with Brian's idea about vibrations that he learned from his mom. However, Mike's lyrics fit into the song better on a syllable-to-beat basis. That, to me, is one of the strengths of Mike as a lyric writer. He has a sense of word rhythm. Even his geographic name-check bridge for the much-derided "Kokomo" has a percussive quality, which may be more of a hook than the places he mentions in the song.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I'm digging where this thread is going, guys.

We're getting somewhere

[Wirestone]

I'm digging where this thread is going, guys.

We're getting somewhere

This thread has to be the strangest combination of the board at its most and least substantive ... 

[Wirestone]

That's a good point, that lyrics aren't just a set of words, but set the rhythm of the lead vocal melody. That's a strength of Mike's lyrics for "Good Vibrations" vs. Tony Asher's lyrics for that song. You could argue that Tony's words are more sophisticated and perhaps even more fitting with Brian's idea about vibrations that he learned from his mom. However, Mike's lyrics fit into the song better on a syllable-to-beat basis. That, to me, is one of the strengths of Mike as a lyric writer. He has a sense of word rhythm. Even his geographic name-check bridge for the much-derided "Kokomo" has a percussive quality, which may be more of a hook than the places he mentions in the song.

I suspect that most of Mike's claims in the songwriting suit were nonsense (with CG being the most obvious exception).

However, on the topic of Mike's lyric writing itself, it's hard to imagine a better set of lyrics to Good Vibrations than the ones he wrote.

Asher's are placeholders at best.

[HeyJude]

celebrated the demise of the reunion.

I missed this one. Did it happen in a secret section of SS?

It's sprinkled through threads from yoUuuuuuuu last year. Some fans directly stated they were glad the reunion did not continue on. More subjectively, I personally felt there was an undertone of contempt, condescension, and/or weird pleasure that a few seemed to get from responding to those who lamented the end of the reunion. I was especially bummed that I personally sensed this from AGD for instance. Again, that was just the feeling/sense I got, nothing more.

Well, you wanted to lament the end of the reunion, and some saw its demise AS PLANNED as natural and nothing earth-shaking. No one was glad or something like that, only in your head. I think you wanted everyone to join in, but you see, there are individuals here.

After you kept going on and on and on about it the tone of the respnses changed. Isn't it understandable?

As several others have pointed out, there are indeed folks who specifically are glad the reunion ended. Simple as that. The incessant implication that anyone who wanted it to continue was ignorant as to the reality of the liklihood of that happening was completely misplaced, as we all knew what could or was likely to happen at the end of the reunion tour. That didn't change the fact that for many fans, not continuing the reunion was a colossal mistake.

[Micha]

Very few people know exactly what happened between June and September: I'm guessing it's not as black and white as some would like to presume.

That's as much guessing as guessing everybody who posts here is breathing all the time.

I just mean AGD going on and on about how Mike did everything right on the C50 and its a good thing M&B are back with their shows.

I don't think that he says that at all, I think that's what you read into his words. When he says Mike compromised for C50 and stuck to his previous commitments after the set end date it doesn't equal with Mike doing everything right. This "everything" thing is a black/white point of view that doesn't reflect the real world.

For me, it's nice the reunion concert series ended with a spectacular event as the Wenbley concert, but I would be very happy if after the M&B intermezzo I could see them 5 BBs again this or next year...

But that's what it comes down to. And I think in some cases, Mike's defenders aren't just defending Mike. They're defending an understanding of the group as a whole. And I understand that perspective, and have even flirted with it myself at times.

Actually that's a great way to put it, couldn't have worded it that good myself. Thanks, Wirestone!

[KittyKat]

That's a good point, that lyrics aren't just a set of words, but set the rhythm of the lead vocal melody. That's a strength of Mike's lyrics for "Good Vibrations" vs. Tony Asher's lyrics for that song. You could argue that Tony's words are more sophisticated and perhaps even more fitting with Brian's idea about vibrations that he learned from his mom. However, Mike's lyrics fit into the song better on a syllable-to-beat basis. That, to me, is one of the strengths of Mike as a lyric writer. He has a sense of word rhythm. Even his geographic name-check bridge for the much-derided "Kokomo" has a percussive quality, which may be more of a hook than the places he mentions in the song.

I suspect that most of Mike's claims in the songwriting suit were nonsense (with CG being the most obvious exception).

However, on the topic of Mike's lyric writing itself, it's hard to imagine a better set of lyrics to Good Vibrations than the ones he wrote.

Asher's are placeholders at best.

I'm talking about Mike's lyrical contributions and style overall, not just the songs involved in the lawsuit. He did get his name credited on other early songs, such as "Fun, Fun, Fun," long before the lawsuit. He also wrote quite a few later-era songs after the ones involved in the lawsuit.

You really don't think Mike wrote the words to "Be True to Your School"? I do. I'm also sure that the non-traditional songs on the Christmas album, such as "Little St. Nick" and "Santa's Beard" are Mike's style. I agree his contributions claimed for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" are reaching and maybe some of the others (but then again, he pretty much laid out how small his contributions were in those cases). Being overlooked for "Be True to Your School," which was a Top 10 record, and "Little St. Nick," which is a holiday perennial with lots of airplay, were almost as important as "California Girls." I'm pretty sure he wrote the most of the words to Chug-A-Lug, too, or David Marks wouldn't have risked perjuring himself on the stand in Mike's behalf.

[Nicko1234]

I suspect that most of Mike's claims in the songwriting suit were nonsense (with CG being the most obvious exception).

The one question I would ask about that is, if Brian did write so many of those early songs on his own then why did he suddenly lose that ability?

Between 1962 (Chug-A-Lug) and 1965 (California Girls) we know that Mike was wrongly denied credits. Now to me it seems it would have to be a pretty big coincidence that in the years following Brian suddenly barely wrote a song on his own at all.

[HeyJude]

I just mean AGD going on and on about how Mike did everything right on the C50 and its a good thing M&B are back with their shows.

Take a straw poll and I think you'll find most folk here, and elsewhere, are glad Brian's away from Mike. Which rather contradicts the desire for the C50 to reconvene. Can't have it both ways. Summer 2012 was an extended moment that will never happen again. I was as amazed as anyone that it worked as well as it did.

In my view, this seems patently untrue. Being upset with Mike for ending C50 (notwithstanding the vague "we don't know the full story of what happened at the end of the tour", which is an assertion that works both ways when it comes to potentially blaming or not blaming Mike or anybody else) and perhaps trying to look on the bright side of Brian doing his own thing again is NOT the same as being "glad Brian's away from Mike." Certainly, EVERY person who lamented the end of the reunion is, by defintion, the exact opposite of glad that Brian's away from Mike. Count me among that group.

This conflating of people who complained about the end of the reunion with "Brianistas" and the like (which was done incessantly last year, with constant references to "blooeys" and the like, which I'm still trying to figure out since that is *another* message board seperate from here) is ridiculous, and simply a way of deflecting from the issue at hand.

There really truly are some fans who wanted the reunion to continue PURELY because it was musically amazing and was the best thing the GROUP had done since the freaking 70's. Frankly, MOST of the people who have specifically talked about the disappointment of the end of the reunion (and not trolls calling Mike Love a poopy head) have come at it from that angle, not an anti-Mike or pro-Brian angle. In the aftermath of the lamentable demise of the reunion, in an effort to track WHO completely fudged the whole thing up, criticism has *then* turned to Mike Love, and justifiably so notwithstanding the vague allusions to what "we don't know" happened on the tour.