Mike's Book Discussion Thread (and how it relates to the SS board)

[Emily]

Book tidbit: Mike's so not-racist that black people don't mind it when he calls them ni**er (p. 16).

Wait. Is this for real?

[Debbie KL]

Book tidbit: Mike's so not-racist that black people don't mind it when he calls them ni**er (p. 16).

Wait. Is this for real?

God I hope not.  Could someone be that misguided in PR?  No wait, he had a guy who wanted to "kill us" interview him yesterday.  Who knows?

[Cyncie]

Diplomatic PR does not seem to be Mike's strong point.

[guitarfool2002]

Also something I didn't know-when Yetnikoff of Columbia Records told the BBs that he had been f--ked, it was said at the Columbia office in New York. To which Brian allegedly raised his hand and said "I think I have some good ideas for [L.A.}, let me record at Criteria in Miami."

Back to the actual topic of the thread, so is the assertion here that Yetnikoff responded in this fashion to recordings made *prior* to any sessions at Criteria in Miami?

In a recent post ( http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,4151.msg559026.html#msg559026 ), the reel Yetnikoff listened to was reportedly as follows:

California Feelin'
Santa Ana Winds (1st mix)
Love Surrounds Me (early mix)
Baby Blue (early Mix/Carl vocal)
I'm Beggin' You Please (Brian demo)
Lookin Down the Coast
Brian's Back
Calendar Girl (Criteria version - not the later, polished and unheard Bruce Johnston production)
Good Timin' (1974 with Carl scratch vocal)
Shortnin' Bread (I believe this was a new instrumental track... basic track for the released version without vocals - not the Adult Child version)

This included some things recorded in Miami I believe.

I was there when this happened, (in fact, I think I was the first one ever quoted on this), and it most definitely took place at Criteria in Miami.

Thanks for clearing that up, Ed. Looks like the fact-checkers missed that one.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Shocking!

[guitarfool2002]

What I already touched on early in this thread but would like to get back to is the Smile chapter, and subsequent mentions, in the book. I felt let down by the lack of more personal insights and observations from Mike. I wanted to read details of what happened when the band returned from the European tour in May into June 1967 that led to a full reset of the plans. I wanted to read details of the oft-cited filming by the CBS News/Inside Pop crew of a vocal session at Columbia and what actually happened that night. I wanted to read details of the infighting that involved Murry Wilson, where he was bad-mouthing the decision to release Good Vibrations with the mindset the band would lose its early fans.

Instead, it's a chapter filled with mostly re-tellings of things that other books and sources have covered, including pretty large chunks of articles like Jules' Cheetah/Saturday Evening Post story. The observations offered are not really anything new or even revelatory, in fact a lot of it has been said or portrayed before. Maybe I was hoping for some new behind the scenes vignettes or fly-on-the-wall tales of the inner workings of the band. Instead it was a list of factoids that many fans will already be familiar with, from Carl and the draft to the lawsuit to any number of things that we have already read and heard if we read the Smile saga through the years.

Maybe the Smile section wasn't written for the die-hard fans? That could be. But for me at least, I wish it had been rather than what read like a lot of things we already knew.

And some personal anecdotes and narratives would have been more welcome than listing parts of depositions Brian gave in 1993 or 1998 about drugs, or listing comments from psychologists (why?) years after the fact and pseudo-psychological commentary about various things that really don't add much to the telling of the Smile tales.

More later, specific to the board culture in general and topics in the Smile references.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Once again, he had the opportunity to go into further detail about his own views on things. Once again, he dropped the ball.

Reminds me of the pool scene in Love and Mercy... (paraphrasing)  'Come to the deep end' . 'We're too shallow for the deep end'

[tortapuerco]

It's very quaint how pejorative his use of the term "hipsters" is.  

I assume this is ok to post at this point in time since it is publically searchable but if not I'll take it down. I know Mike is much better at lawsuits than the rest of us.

[Joel Goldenberg]

Also something I didn't know-when Yetnikoff of Columbia Records told the BBs that he had been f--ked, it was said at the Columbia office in New York. To which Brian allegedly raised his hand and said "I think I have some good ideas for [L.A.}, let me record at Criteria in Miami."

Back to the actual topic of the thread, so is the assertion here that Yetnikoff responded in this fashion to recordings made *prior* to any sessions at Criteria in Miami?

In a recent post ( http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,4151.msg559026.html#msg559026 ), the reel Yetnikoff listened to was reportedly as follows:

California Feelin'
Santa Ana Winds (1st mix)
Love Surrounds Me (early mix)
Baby Blue (early Mix/Carl vocal)
I'm Beggin' You Please (Brian demo)
Lookin Down the Coast
Brian's Back
Calendar Girl (Criteria version - not the later, polished and unheard Bruce Johnston production)
Good Timin' (1974 with Carl scratch vocal)
Shortnin' Bread (I believe this was a new instrumental track... basic track for the released version without vocals - not the Adult Child version)

This included some things recorded in Miami I believe.

I was there when this happened, (in fact, I think I was the first one ever quoted on this), and it most definitely took place at Criteria in Miami.

That's what I thought. I recalled that you had commented a number of times over the years about that time period, and it didn't make any sense to me that he would be listening to recordings made prior to Miami.

Not a huge deal if it's portrayed incorrectly in Mike's book, but it's something worth clarifying and looking at.

Here's the passage from the book, to provide more clarity:
"We had not yet delivered any music to CBS Records and were summoned to Black Rock in NYC. Joined by our tour manager, Jerry Schilling, we waited in the offices of CBS president Walter Yetnikoff.  When he finally walked in, he leaned against his desk and said "Gentlemen, I think I've been f--ked."
Brian raised his hand and said "Mr. Yetnikoff, I've got some ideas for some songs, and I want to do them at the Criteria Studios in Miami."
"Okay,' Yetnikoff said. "We'll be down in two weeks."
Brian defused the crisis. But when Yetnikoff came down a couple of weeks later, the tracks that we had been working on were unusable. That's when we called back Bruce Johnston."

[urbanite]

I wonder why Brian, who was in bad shape at the time, wanted to record in Miami.

[bossaroo]

It's very quaint how pejorative his use of the term "hipsters" is.  

I assume this is ok to post at this point in time since it is publically searchable but if not I'll take it down. I know Mike is much better at lawsuits than the rest of us.

Mike really is a clueless f***!ng blowhard.  ugh

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Leave it up...I don't think he is going to try to sue unless he wants media attention for this...and this will be the wrong sword to fall on.



If the Lovestains* defend this one, it just proves my point.


*Keep in mind, I'm not referring to ALL Love defenders/fans.

[William Bowe]

This depressed me when I did this yesterday.  I found out my local library was getting both the Mike and Brian books, so I decided to place holds on them both. Turns out, Mike's book already has more holds than Brian's.

Ugh.

I wouldn't take this to heart. I'm no Mike Love apologist, but I'm far more interested in his book than Brian's, which I may not even bother reading. It's very clear from what we've seen that, ghost writing aside, Mike's authentic voice comes through in his book, and this is a perspective we've never heard from in any depth. When I look through the index, which you can see in the Google excerpt, I find my mouth watering at the prospect of hearing Mike's take on all these fine points of Beach Boys lore. Whereas I'll be very surprised if there's much of anything in Brian's book that we haven't heard already, or if it in any way has the feel of Brian baring his soul.

[thorgil]

My opinion is totally the reverse.

[Robbie Mac]

It's very quaint how pejorative his use of the term "hipsters" is.  

I assume this is ok to post at this point in time since it is publically searchable but if not I'll take it down. I know Mike is much better at lawsuits than the rest of us.

Mike really is a clueless f***!ng blowhard.  ugh

Because nothing says Well-Mannered Teenaged Boy quite like casually dropping an N-bomb.

[mathen_]

It's very quaint how pejorative his use of the term "hipsters" is.  

I assume this is ok to post at this point in time since it is publically searchable but if not I'll take it down. I know Mike is much better at lawsuits than the rest of us.

Dear God, Mike will use every single opportunity he has to boast and elevate himself, even if involves sensitive matters like racism or the death of an innocent person. I mean, hasn't everyone already noticed that this is the point of the whole book? If it follows the same ways of his interviews, than he simply doesn't intent to actually provide interesting and reliable information to fans; it's just his tool to externalize all his ego-inflating feelings and, successfully or not, affect people around him.

Just watch the the the book promo video that was posted on the Beach Boys's Facebook page. No words for that.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

"He had a point, but I wasn't about to give in" is a telling sentence.

[rab2591]

If the Lovestains* defend this one, it just proves my point.


*Keep in mind, I'm not referring to ALL Love defenders/fans.

I think the editors of the book have obviously edited "Mike's" words to sensationalize this particular anecdote. Also, we're only seeing one page here, I'm sure if not taken out of context we'd see that Mike was under the impression that the N-word meant something completely different. And also keep in mind that if this an actual memory, Mike Love is probably not the best source for his own memories considering he once called the Beatles "Mop-tops" and clearly the Beatles used their own hair and did not place actual mops on their heads.

Am I leaving anything out here? I'm sure the inevitable circus of defense will look something like that.

Joking aside, I think I'm more intrigued that Mike was so enamored by captivating language and windy slang...enough to be influenced to put such language into his own lyrics. Yet when Van Dyke Parks used the term "dude'll do" it's a problem. Ironically on this very same page we're told by Mike how he thinks he is known to get along with different people from different backgrounds.

[phirnis]

I will only read this book if it has at least a couple of pages dedicated to Mike's collection of cutlery.

[Juice Brohnston]

I will only read this book if it has at least a couple of pages dedicated to Mike's collection of cutlery.

I thought he was an admirer of cutlery, not a collector. 

[Rocky Raccoon]

It's very quaint how pejorative his use of the term "hipsters" is.  

I assume this is ok to post at this point in time since it is publically searchable but if not I'll take it down. I know Mike is much better at lawsuits than the rest of us.

Mike really is a clueless f***!ng blowhard.  ugh

I only see a picture of an adorable kitten.

[Robbie Mac]

If the Lovestains* defend this one, it just proves my point.


*Keep in mind, I'm not referring to ALL Love defenders/fans.

I think the editors of the book have obviously edited "Mike's" words to sensationalize this particular anecdote. Also, we're only seeing one page here, I'm sure if not taken out of context we'd see that Mike was under the impression that the N-word meant something completely different. And also keep in mind that if this an actual memory, Mike Love is probably not the best source for his own memories considering he once called the Beatles "Mop-tops" and clearly the Beatles used their own hair and did not place actual mops on their heads.

Am I leaving anything out here? I'm sure the inevitable circus of defense will look something like that.

Joking aside, I think I'm more intrigued that Mike was so enamored by captivating language and windy slang...enough to be influenced to put such language into his own lyrics. Yet when Van Dyke Parks used the term "dude'll do" it's a problem. Ironically on this very same page we're told by Mike how he thinks he is known to get along with different people from different backgrounds.

You left out "Mike plays 7000 shows a year keeping the music alive for generations."  Plus "John Stamos brings the  kids  in".  And "as a parent, I was very appreciative of Full House. It's all good. "

[Emily]

It's very quaint how pejorative his use of the term "hipsters" is.  

I assume this is ok to post at this point in time since it is publically searchable but if not I'll take it down. I know Mike is much better at lawsuits than the rest of us.

Mike really is a clueless f***!ng blowhard.  ugh

I only see a picture of an adorable kitten.

Yes. Exactly. The shameless use of adorable kittens to sell books has got to stop. Has Mike Love no integrity??

[Debbie KL]

This depressed me when I did this yesterday.  I found out my local library was getting both the Mike and Brian books, so I decided to place holds on them both. Turns out, Mike's book already has more holds than Brian's.

Ugh.

I wouldn't take this to heart. I'm no Mike Love apologist, but I'm far more interested in his book than Brian's, which I may not even bother reading. It's very clear from what we've seen that, ghost writing aside, Mike's authentic voice comes through in his book, and this is a perspective we've never heard from in any depth. When I look through the index, which you can see in the Google excerpt, I find my mouth watering at the prospect of hearing Mike's take on all these fine points of Beach Boys lore. Whereas I'll be very surprised if there's much of anything in Brian's book that we haven't heard already, or if it in any way has the feel of Brian baring his soul.

Wow, that's really sad.  I have to assume that you haven't looked at the pages available on Brian's book. 

That "I'm no Mike apologist" thing is usually a good warning as to what to expect.  If you like regurgitated gossip, Brian's book probably isn't for you. Brian seems to give insight into his point of view and process of creation, having experienced life as a gifted artist.

If that doesn't excite you, by all means read the other book.

[Robbie Mac]

This depressed me when I did this yesterday.  I found out my local library was getting both the Mike and Brian books, so I decided to place holds on them both. Turns out, Mike's book already has more holds than Brian's.

Ugh.

I wouldn't take this to heart. I'm no Mike Love apologist, but I'm far more interested in his book than Brian's, which I may not even bother reading. It's very clear from what we've seen that, ghost writing aside, Mike's authentic voice comes through in his book, and this is a perspective we've never heard from in any depth. When I look through the index, which you can see in the Google excerpt, I find my mouth watering at the prospect of hearing Mike's take on all these fine points of Beach Boys lore. Whereas I'll be very surprised if there's much of anything in Brian's book that we haven't heard already, or if it in any way has the feel of Brian baring his soul.

Wow, that's really sad.  I have to assume that you haven't looked at the pages available on Brian's book. 

That "I'm no Mike apologist" thing is usually a good warning as to what to expect. 

Sort of like saying "the black kids liked me so much they loved it when I dropped N-bombs"?