What year/era was it most challenging to be a Beach Boys fan?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Any time from the Uncle Jessie bullshit until about the time of the 70's reissues. God, that Home Improvement embarrassment. Well vocally it sounded ok but image wise it was a wet shame. Brian though was considered  cool in 1995 and for a few years after by my age group  (and most of us ended bitterly disappointed by imagination ), so I'd refer to myself as a BW fan first back then.

Dude, no, that Home Improvement bit was AWESOME. Full House was wack, but Home Improvement was one of the better crappy 90s sitcoms. And who'da thunk Tim Taylor's neighbor's cousins were THE Wilsons?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6j0Dom1mUM


The only bad things in my opinion are the fact Brian's not there, and Matt's ponytail. But hey, can't blame him, the 90s were crazy times.

Home Improvement is a show that, to me, have aged much much better than Full House. 

And I did find that bit entertaining as Tim Taylor thought Little Old Lady from Pasadena was a Beach Boys song, but didn't think Little Deuce Coupe was. 

Couldn't get into Home Improvement. It was funny at first, but two major problems developed.

1). It became so formulaic. Something dangerous happens at Tool Time, Tim fucks up somehow, Jill gets pissed, Tim talks to Wilson, Wilson says some intellectual stuff, Tim apologizes to Jill while butchering Wilson's saying, roll credits.
2)  My God, Jill Taylor had to have been the biggest bitch in sitcom history.

[Dave in KC]

From somebody who's been watching and listening very closely since the mid-60's, there wasn't a more challenging time than 69-70-early 71 when I'd get kicked out of a dorm room for attempting to play BB music. That all changed when Surf's Up appeared.  But for me personally, when 20/20 came out, I was completely sucked in. Different strokes.

[Mike's Beard]

Couldn't get into Home Improvement. It was funny at first, but two major problems developed.

1). It became so formulaic. Something dangerous happens at Tool Time, Tim fucks up somehow, Jill gets pissed, Tim talks to Wilson, Wilson says some intellectual stuff, Tim apologizes to Jill while butchering Wilson's saying, roll credits.
2)  My God, Jill Taylor had to have been the biggest bitch in sitcom history.

Bigger then Debra off Everybody Loves Raymond?

[CenturyDeprived]

Any time from the Uncle Jessie bullshit until about the time of the 70's reissues. God, that Home Improvement embarrassment. Well vocally it sounded ok but image wise it was a wet shame. Brian though was considered  cool in 1995 and for a few years after by my age group  (and most of us ended bitterly disappointed by imagination ), so I'd refer to myself as a BW fan first back then.

Dude, no, that Home Improvement bit was AWESOME. Full House was wack, but Home Improvement was one of the better crappy 90s sitcoms. And who'da thunk Tim Taylor's neighbor's cousins were THE Wilsons?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6j0Dom1mUM


The only bad things in my opinion are the fact Brian's not there, and Matt's ponytail. But hey, can't blame him, the 90s were crazy times.

Home Improvement is a show that, to me, have aged much much better than Full House.  

And I did find that bit entertaining as Tim Taylor thought Little Old Lady from Pasadena was a Beach Boys song, but didn't think Little Deuce Coupe was.  

Couldn't get into Home Improvement. It was funny at first, but two major problems developed.

1). It became so formulaic. Something dangerous happens at Tool Time, Tim fucks up somehow, Jill gets pissed, Tim talks to Wilson, Wilson says some intellectual stuff, Tim apologizes to Jill while butchering Wilson's saying, roll credits.
2)  My God, Jill Taylor had to have been the biggest bitch in sitcom history.

I attended audience tapings of both Home Improvement, as well as Full House... but alas, neither of the episodes I was at were the BBs eps. I wonder if anyone who attended any of those BB in-studio tapings has ever been on a messageboard to relay their experiences. Sitcom tapings are sometimes pretty boring and brutal for the audience, especially when "special guests" are on the show (who aren't proper actors and thus necessitate many retakes).

I imagine Landy was hanging out just off camera, trading jokes (and girls' phone numbers) with Dave Coulier, and fending off leg humps from Comet the Dog between Full House takes. At the Home Improvement set, I hope Tim the Toolman Taylor got Mike to try making the "whaaa"-sounding Home Improvement grunt. Maybe Tim Allen could be a special guest at a future M&B show, and do an extended "whaaa" sound in unison with Mike's long "wheeeenn"...

[kookadams]

What I dont get is what was "cool" when the BBs supposedly weren't? Look at how awful MOST mainstream rock pop was in the late 60s/early 70s...pretty bad w the exception of CCR, the shondells, 3dog night and very few others; when the BBs were big commercially GOOD rock music was as well, not just irony,,they spearheaded it.

[37!ws]

For me, the roughest time had to be the mid-90s, say 1993 through the beginning of 1998. The Good Vibrations box set had just been released, and reignited my passion for the band (that started in 1989 and eventually started to wane).

What happened? The albums I hadn't heard yet but was excited to hear after some of the tracks that were included in the box set....out of print. The Capitol twofers went away in 1994 and were replaced by single-album versions with no David Leaf liner notes or bonus tracks, with no real explanation.

Numerous reissues and archival releases were announced and cancelled. Pet Sounds Sessions was delayed fifteen months.

The songwriting credits lawsuit.

Carl dying.

Hell, even after Endless Harmony and Ultimate Christmas there were still some duds...like how a stereo mix of "All Summer Long" was to be released on the new hits compilations. The Brother rarities set that didn't happen. Really, it was so bad that when the 1970-1985 albums were announced, a friend of mine asked Brad Elliott how we can be 100% sure that these reissues were actually going to happen this time and not be cancelled. (Brad's response was to send my friend a copy of Brad's paycheck from Capitol for doing the liner notes....liner notes that ended up not being used, of course.)

[filledeplage]

What I dont get is what was "cool" when the BBs supposedly weren't? Look at how awful MOST mainstream rock pop was in the late 60s/early 70s...pretty bad w the exception of CCR, the shondells, 3dog night and very few others; when the BBs were big commercially GOOD rock music was as well, not just irony,,they spearheaded it.

It is often more a function of teen peer pressure.  When your 15 year old friends yak on about how "out" your favorite band is, it is tough. During that age bracket, a teen might be more susceptible to that type of peer pressure.

That is the time when it might be difficult unless you're strong and grounded enough about your preferences to ignore the prevailing opinions, and take social pressure in stride.

Adults don't often become confronted with that kind of pressure and have developed enough independent skill sets to just do their own thing.  "Cool," not unlike "beauty," is in the eye (ear) of the beholder...

[NHC]

Half a century later, can't think of one. Some low points, yes. A challenge to being a fan?  Never.

[Lonely Summer]

Right now is the most challenging time to be a fan.

[KDS]

Right now is the most challenging time to be a fan.

Please forgive me if this was a joke reply.  If it is, it went over my head. 

But I just wanted to see if you want to provide some details as to why since I think this is a great time to be a fan of The Beach Boys. 

-Brian Wilson just put out a new album. 

-Brian Wilson is about to go on tour with Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin in his band.

-Love and Mercy is set for a limited release in just over two weeks.

-Mike Love and Bruce Johnston are still touring with their version of The Beach Boys

-Mike Love and Brian Wilson each have autobiographies due out in the near future. 

[Mike's Beard]

Right now is the most challenging time to be a fan.

Please forgive me if this was a joke reply.  If it is, it went over my head. 

But I just wanted to see if you want to provide some details as to why since I think this is a great time to be a fan of The Beach Boys. 

-Brian Wilson just put out a new album. 

-Brian Wilson is about to go on tour with Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin in his band.

-Love and Mercy is set for a limited release in just over two weeks.

-Mike Love and Bruce Johnston are still touring with their version of The Beach Boys

-Mike Love and Brian Wilson each have autobiographies due out in the near future. 

This. Enjoy it while the guys are still around to give us this stuff.

[Lonely Summer]

Right now is the most challenging time to be a fan.

Please forgive me if this was a joke reply.  If it is, it went over my head. 

But I just wanted to see if you want to provide some details as to why since I think this is a great time to be a fan of The Beach Boys. 

-Brian Wilson just put out a new album. 

-Brian Wilson is about to go on tour with Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin in his band.

-Love and Mercy is set for a limited release in just over two weeks.

-Mike Love and Bruce Johnston are still touring with their version of The Beach Boys

-Mike Love and Brian Wilson each have autobiographies due out in the near future. 

That's just it - the Beach Boys, the real Beach Boys, as a band, are over. I still have a hard time accepting the splintered BB's we have today.

[Mike's Beard]

The real Beach Boys ended 20 odd years ago, plenty of time to get used to it.

[Lonely Summer]

The real Beach Boys ended 20 odd years ago, plenty of time to get used to it.

I will never get over the death of Carl Wilson.