Does Mike Love realize he is despised by millions of fans?

[Chocolate Shake Man]

No, I'm saying petty, empty rhetoric makes our argument look weak, not theirs and yes, that has all sorts of dangerous effects.

I absolutely agree Shake Man.

However, lately I have been making a point to take back "snowflake" and I know, maybe in a way it's sinking to their level, but all I know is last year, the whole "when they go low, we go high" thing was shown to be a lovely thought, be still leaves us in the dust. So I feel like you can't keep bringing a knife to a gun fight.

And yes, I know, this has f***-all to do with The Beach Boys.

I don't agree with that assessment, though. The "high" argument, which did exist, was for the most part excluded from the mainstream and most people still believed they were caught between two status quo establishment figures. What was actually remarkable last year, for me, is how receptive people actually are to genuine, left-wing antiestablishment positions that weren't dumbed down. So as far as I'm concerned, the fight we have to have to fight harder to get the most reasonable, rational argument heard even more. But the way to make them heard more is to not preach to the choir but to build connections with others who could potentially be receptive to these ideas. And that's not going to happen when we resort to the same tactics that they use on the right.

[Jim V.]

No, I'm saying petty, empty rhetoric makes our argument look weak, not theirs and yes, that has all sorts of dangerous effects.

I absolutely agree Shake Man.

However, lately I have been making a point to take back "snowflake" and I know, maybe in a way it's sinking to their level, but all I know is last year, the whole "when they go low, we go high" thing was shown to be a lovely thought, be still leaves us in the dust. So I feel like you can't keep bringing a knife to a gun fight.

And yes, I know, this has f***-all to do with The Beach Boys.

I don't agree with that assessment, though. The "high" argument, which did exist, was for the most part excluded from the mainstream and most people still believed they were caught between two status quo establishment figures. What was actually remarkable last year, for me, is how receptive people actually are to genuine, left-wing antiestablishment positions that weren't dumbed down. So as far as I'm concerned, the fight we have to have to fight harder to get the most reasonable, rational argument heard even more. But the way to make them heard more is to not preach to the choir but to build connections with others who could potentially be receptive to these ideas. And that's not going to happen when we resort to the same tactics that they use on the right.

I truly hope you're right Shake. But I also just don't know if a country that could elect Donald Trump has the smarts to do what's right for themselves. And I also really don't have any hope that there is much of a chance that there will be any group out there on a larger platform than Bernie making a real push for real solutions. The media doesn't care about that kind of thing, and the other side will use buzz words to scare people who may have been willing to give reason a chance. The American people, and really, the whole world has had a long time to figure this out, yet Mr. Shake, even after all this time, we hardly make a dent.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Mind if I PM you rather than clutter up thread here?

[Jim V.]

Mind if I PM you rather than clutter up thread here?

I'd much appreciate it! That way we can get back to the BB on here.

[JL]

I cannot lie, I have also come to despise Mike Love...

...'s fashion sense. I mean, what was he thinking with the white robes and long beard in the 70's? And nowadays, is he in some competition to see who can wear the loudest shirts?

There. I've aired all my grievances.

[kreen]

Why is this thread now about President Trump and snowflakes??

Not that it should matter, but I'm forty and I've been a lurker/member on these BB boards since the days of the old Smile Shop.

Bottom line on ML's speech: there are TWO speeches that I've ever found memorable and worth listening to over the years at the RRHOF. One is Mike's speech. The other is Alex Lifeson's. So Mike has my respect for at least trying to make a point instead of spouting platitudes, and I salute him for causing a scene at an event that's dedicated to rock n' roll, the ultimate scene-causing, ruckus-rising music.

[JL]

Why is this thread now about President Trump and snowflakes??

Not that it should matter, but I'm forty and I've been a lurker/member on these BB boards since the days of the old Smile Shop.

Bottom line on ML's speech: there are TWO speeches that I've ever found memorable and worth listening to over the years at the RRHOF. One is Mike's speech. The other is Alex Lifeson's. So Mike has my respect for at least trying to make a point instead of spouting platitudes, and I salute him for causing a scene at an event that's dedicated to rock n' roll, the ultimate scene-causing, ruckus-rising music.

Well, it certainly was memorable, I see your point. The thing is though, to take a few playful jabs at Mick Jagger and the Beatles might be OK. But he sound so hateful throughout the speech. Mentioning lawsuits between Paul, Ringo and Yoko, that's a low blow and unnecessary. Diana Ross? Billy Joel? Kinda like what Elton John was getting at, why didn't he mention him and everyone else, too? Mike was drunk and rambled and said some things he shouldn't have, and took the spotlight away from what should've been a nice evening for the boys. Now all anyone remembers is that speech.

Oh well.

[rab2591]

Why is this thread now about President Trump and snowflakes??

Not that it should matter, but I'm forty and I've been a lurker/member on these BB boards since the days of the old Smile Shop.

Bottom line on ML's speech: there are TWO speeches that I've ever found memorable and worth listening to over the years at the RRHOF. One is Mike's speech. The other is Alex Lifeson's. So Mike has my respect for at least trying to make a point instead of spouting platitudes, and I salute him for causing a scene at an event that's dedicated to rock n' roll, the ultimate scene-causing, ruckus-rising music.

Wait a second, he was causing a ruckus and creating a scene? Kreen, do you even know what the definition of “harmony” is? So your argument is that Mike Love’s drunken diatribe about harmony was actually a scene-causing ruckus-creating non-harmonious speech...and for that he deserves respect?

This is like respecting Axl Rose for fighting a fan because it makes headlines. In a world where most people living in reality would consider this jackass behavior it doesn’t surprise me that Mike apologists jump through hoops to defend this hyprocritical nonsense.

[Cabinessenceking]

Well, so here we are half a year into the Trump presidency and already white nationalists, racists and nazis have finally emerged in numbers from their hiding in the shadows to take a stand in the spotlight. The emergence of Trump lead to Charlottesville.

Racism and bigotry has always existed in America but the last few decades have seen a decline in its prominence. The emergence of Trump isn't the cause, but it certainly has catapulted them back into international attention and the president's worrying inability to denounce the worst of his supporters is yet another reason I hold Mike Love and Bruce Johnston with some contempt, seeing as they were openly supporting and almost publicly endorsing this wrinkly orange nightmare.

Only one man rammed his car into that crowd, but it took the votes of 60 million people voting for that horrid individual Trump to embolden the racists and "deplorables". The road leading to this moment has been paved out ever since Trump started his candidacy 2-3 years ago. Just call me a prophet for realising this from the get-go /s.

[Ang Jones]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame speech: the part I found most annoying wasn't his diatribe. That was embarrassing or funny depending on whether you were a fan of his or not. I hated the way he acted during Brian's acceptance speech. Continued attention seeking, though he must have known that Brian isn't comfortable in this sort of situation.

[Moon Dawg]

Does Mike Love realize that he is despised, loathed, or (in some cases) hated by millions of music fans? What is this guy's level of awareness that so many people dislike him?

Sometimes he may say something like "well some people may not like such and such thing I did, but cousin Brian was on drugs and I needed to... blah blah blah."

There seem to be some quick acknowledgments that people may not like a couple of isolated acts of his. But does this dude realize how widely despised he is by so many people?

 Despised by just "millions"? You might be lowballing this...it may run into the billions. Gee, another Mike Love hate thread on Smiley Smiley.

[Bicyclerider]

Does Mike Love realize that he is despised, loathed, or (in some cases) hated by millions of music fans? What is this guy's level of awareness that so many people dislike him?

Sometimes he may say something like "well some people may not like such and such thing I did, but cousin Brian was on drugs and I needed to... blah blah blah."

There seem to be some quick acknowledgments that people may not like a couple of isolated acts of his. But does this dude realize how widely despised he is by so many people?

 Despised by just "millions"? You might be lowballing this...it may run into the billions. Gee, another Mike Love hate thread on Smiley Smiley.

Yeah, it's all becoming so predictable and so boring.

[Smile4ever]

You have to admit that it's a little humorous that you say this in a thread titled "Does Mike Love realize he is despised by millions of fans?" 

Apart from the surely fruitless task of trying to parse whether the group actually constitutes "millions", I think the question of how Mike perceives his reputation is a *hugely interesting* and on-topic issue. It's not a particularly easy topic to discuss, because it can quickly become somewhat "meta" and fans start talking about fandom itself, etc.

If the title of this thread was "I despise Mike Love", and the first post was simply tearing Mike a new one personally, then perhaps there would be some irony here. But in actuality, the topic poses a very germane question (whether you "despise" or otherwise think poorly of him or not) and the first post makes it clear that it's not about bashing Mike, but more about discussing his level of self-awareness.

There are MANY reasons why Mike's level of self-awareness and humility is an important and interesting topic. It's fascinating for numerous reasons.

That was exactly the intention. Thank you.

[Cabinessenceking]

Every new day for Trump appears to be the worst in his presidency. This week was his worst week, just as last week was his worst until this one.
This disgusting man is what Mike and Bruce for certain voted for and for whom they wanted to perform at the inauguration under the very Beach Boys name we all love and cherish. In fact, that performance was only avoided by protests from many fans who recognised early what a Trump presidency meant.

So guys, here he is again. Mike Love and Trump:


On the right we have Mike Love, who fronts the group we are all united in loving. To the left, wearing his self-branded red cap that has come to represent the ugly face of american nationalism, is Trump, the president of the USA. He recently stated [Charlottesville] that "not all of those people were neo-nazis or white supremacists". When I look at that crowd and the promotion poster (included below) I cannot see how anyone worthy of the defence of the president should be there, yet he imagines they exist and are not involved in waving those flags and torches. This was strictly a hate rally, and yet he finds himself unable to stop defending it in some way.

Here is the rally poster and some of his supporters.






It is extremely unfortunate that we have two members of our favourite group (currently fronting the name of the band) to be in support of the president who, predictably, tacitly condones this rally. It deeply saddens and disappoints me but these are the facts as I (and many others) see them and I cannot for the world understand how these two members of the Beach Boys and many SmileySmilers who all "knew" this was coming, yet gave him their vote anyway, as if action is without consequence.


This might seem hypocritical, but my post is not to incite more "political discussions" (that is for the sandbox), but it is with extreme regret and disappointment that the band is now even remotely linked with this. I would never believe it yet here we are.

I ask that this post is not taken down (fine if mods wish to lock thread if they believe it's inappropriate), but I don't think this should be shoved under the carpet. As sad as this incident is, the Beach Boys name has been linked to controversy before (Manson episode, 2012 election BJ comments, etc.), yet discussions about it have not been (and should not be) silenced or ignored.

[Hickory Violet Part IV]

It seems to me Cabinessenceking, that ironically, the man who wrote the beautiful lyrics to Let The Wind Blow, will be facing whichever way the wind is blowing.

As Trumps popularity wains, I wouldn't be suprised to see Mike at an anti Trump rally