Everyone back together for a Beach Boys Q&A for Sirius XM?

[HeyJude]

It's a little tough to separate "brutally honest" from "self-serving" maybe? Have you heard the comments since? I have no idea if it was an FU to Brian. I doubt Jeff is thinking about anything aside from his career. Fair enough, and more reasonable.

Yes, I think it's important to highlight that when we're getting into guessing actual motives, a big part of the "F you" aspect has to do with Mike, perhaps more so than Jeff.

I think the whole thing was a giant and PAINFULLY OBVIOUS F-you to the Brian camp. I think actively so on the part of Mike, and perhaps somewhat more passively so on the part of Jeff.

Also, and I hate to drop incomplete stuff out there, but from some folks I've talked to, the "departing Brian's band" part of the story, totally separate from anything to do with Mike, has not been told nearly in full.

[CenturyDeprived]

I believe it's a 100% absolute that Jeff leaving Brian and joining Mike GIVES THE APPEARANCE of a giant F-you

Getting closer  

You're getting closer to reading and understanding what I've been writing this entire time? I hope. Otherwise, it's getting into troll-ish territory. "In my opinion" of course.  

Also - if somebody in the intimate world of this band does something that GIVES THE APPEARANCE of a giant F-you (even if that's not the main goal/specific intent of the maneuver), there's no way to truly think that this person was so incredibly unaware as to be 100% oblivious of how their would/could come off.  

So what we have in all probability, at minimum, is somebody doing a move that knowingly would/could give an appearance of being an "F You" to someone else, but going ahead and doing it anyway (unless you want to take the unrealistic stance that the person is so sense as to have no idea of how it would come off).  So much of what these guys do is laced with passive aggressiveness anyway, so I find it doubtful that that this didn't come into play... but if one wishes to think about things in a rose-colored glasses mentality, then so be it.

I'm not pointing this out in any sort of judgmental way on any of them, just purely of matter of discussion. I can understand that there were/are all sorts of resentments between these guys over all sorts of reasons (publicly known or not) that could have impacted their choices, and could have made them go ahead and do something anyway, in spite of knowingly doing an action that would look really, really bad in the eyes of many.

[Pretty Funky]

I believe it's a 100% absolute that Jeff leaving Brian and joining Mike GIVES THE APPEARANCE of a giant F-you

Getting closer  

I seriously doubt the majority of M&B/ Brian Wilson concert goers could name or care about the sidemen playing in front of them, and likely don’t know the names of the actual Beach Boys. Who goes to what group when and how matters not a dot to the audience.
I can still remember after a show in 1992 a ‘fan’ telling me Carl Wilson was the father of Carnie and Wendy. That was news to me, and presumably Carl.  

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Going to say this once... a certain person who has since been proven to be full of sh*t used to always say that the quickest way to burn bridges was to break confidentiality. That charlatan may have lied about many things but in this case he was right on the money. “Juice”, some of us “ may” have additional proof but couldn’t say anything. Just a theoretical of course 🙄

[Toursiveu]

From Mike :

"Monday night was nothing but love, gratitude, honesty and joy. It has been nearly 6 years since we were all together and the reality of what we have created as The Beach Boys, and how it’s impacted so many fans all over the world, came to life once again. It was truly special and unforgettable. Thank you to the Sirius team who warmly embraced us and were responsible for bringing us together in celebration of our new Sirius XM channel. I especially enjoyed my time spent with my fellow Beach Boys: David Al, Bruce and Brian. The night was all about LOVE! Thank you for such a successful and meaningful evening. Peace & Love, Mike."

[Juice Brohnston]

Honestly, no. Maybe I think more of Brian and Al then you do, but I think the real motivation was that they were stoked about C50 and wanted to keep going, so they primarily were motivated by wanting to play together. I don't think the deciding factor was, let's stick it to Mike. "I'd rather be at the Deli, AL, but I'll suck it up and do 80 shows, just to piss Mike off"

No blinders here, I love a salacious gossipy tale of backstabbing and revenge. And several of the events you go on to itemize surely had those qualities.

What I wanted to know was what proof you had to say Absolutely, that Jeff going over to Mike's band was a FU to Brian. Ya didn't have any. That's ok. I was just curious to hear it if it existed.

BTW it's been a while since I read the interview about Jeff leaving back in the day..but I seem to remember it was brutally honest and not real sugar coated, which might leave me to believe him when he discussed his departure from Brian's group.

I think as highly of Brian and Al as anyone. I also believe they're human, and I also actually pay close attention to the history of the band, and talk to fans, scholars, insiders, and so on.

I'm *almost* jealous of a fan that can exist in blissful ignorance as to any of the myriad of post-C50 political maneuvers/comments from both sides (and after 2013 mostly just Mike).

But my thing is, if you want to not pay attention to it and feel that everything they do or don't do should get seven thumbs up, then cool. But it's going to be very difficult to then delve into discussions like this that *specifically* entail various amounts of backroom politics.

And again, the "giant F you" thing, I have no idea why anyone would ever think such a thing would be provable. I'm amazed someone asked and didn't immediately understand the nature of such a characterization.

It's not too dissimilar to the possibly-apocryphal "Don't f**k with the formula" line. Like many of his supporters, Mike tries to glom on to the idea that the specific quote is technically incorrect, that he never uttered those exact words. But that's OBVIOUSLY not the point. I'm all for historical accuracy and it's always important to *not* actually offer that as a confirmed quote if it can't be confirmed. But the overarching point is that that totally has been a fair summation/approximation of the sentiment Mike has expressed many times in interviews.

Similarly, I've never contended Jeff Foskett actually said "F--k you, I'm leaving you for Mike" to Melinda or Brian.

Regarding Jeff's mid-90s interview versus his 2014 interview, it's ALL ABOUT CONTEXT. For his 2014 interview, he was currently employed by Mike and obviously wanted to keep his job. In the mid-90s, he was not employed by anybody related to the Beach Boys, was a few years out from having been fired, and there was no prospect for any solo tours to rejoin. It was far easier for him to be much more forthcoming and not leave anything out in that mid-90s interview. I appreciate his honesty in that mid-90s interview. I don't believe his 2014 interview was nearly as forthcoming and seemed to have large gaps. I don't think what *was* there in that 2014 interview could be characterized as lying in any way. I just think the whole thing smelled like an incomplete story, and we've laid out a bunch of his head-scratching stated reasoning in recent posts.

Ahhh but Hey Jude, I am paying attention to it. That is why when you said that Jeff going to Mike's band was and ABSOLUTE F-U to Brian, I was very curious as to what it was that made it absolute fact. You have now made it clear that in fact it is your opinion that it was absolute. A little thing perhaps, and I can see how in this day and age facts may seem unimportant, but that's all it's about. Fact vs. Opinion and framing statements as such. You have clarified that it's your opinion, as opposed to provable fact. And I know you have mentioned several times that you don't understand why anyone would think "it could be provable" - well I would think that, if you stated it as absolute and then followed up with some information that supported it as such. See what I am saying? That's what I was asking. Just asking, with genuine interest if there was something out there that showed that Jeff (and Mike) were absolutely motivated primarily by wanting to F*$k over Brian. I'm not here with blinders on, just wondering what you had to support the statement, and contrast it to Jeff's public comments on why he left.

[Juice Brohnston]

I believe it's a 100% absolute that Jeff leaving Brian and joining Mike GIVES THE APPEARANCE of a giant F-you

Getting closer  

You're getting closer to reading and understanding what I've been writing this entire time? I hope. Otherwise, it's getting into troll-ish territory. "In my opinion" of course. 

Closer to opinion than fact, correct.

[Juice Brohnston]

Going to say this once... a certain person who has since been proven to be full of sh*t used to always say that the quickest way to burn bridges was to break confidentiality. That charlatan may have lied about many things but in this case he was right on the money. “Juice”, some of us “ may” have additional proof but couldn’t say anything. Just a theoretical of course 🙄

Totally respect that Billy, but that's where, as a poster, you have to be careful. I think in some instances better to say nothing, than to say I know this is true because someone told me so, but I can't tell you anything else. It's a fine line for sure. I've heard some crazy things from band members first hand. And there is an impulse to run over and talk about it here or elsewhere, but as you say, or to paraphrase AGD I guess, bridges can be burned.

Now maybe we should get back to the real purpose of this thread. Showing how Mike gave Brian an absolute F-U by bringing everybody shirts 

[CenturyDeprived]

Now maybe we should get back to the real purpose of this thread. Showing how Mike gave Brian an absolute F-U by bringing everybody shirts  

Would it not strike you as odd behavior if Brian had brought shirts that had Brian's (and Brian's only) face and name embroidered on them, promoting the *Brian Wilson* tour, and expected the other just recently un-estranged band members (especially including Mike) to wear them to a full band "Beach Boys" reunion activity?  Please kindly address that.

Brian would NEVER ask Mike to wear them to a Beach Boys reunion event, because it would be a ridiculous thing to ask. Surely you must know this is true.

With the history of sour grapes that this band has, where Mike has publicly poo-pooed Brian's solo material repeatedly (going back years, from BWPS to NPP)... it'd still be a perfectly cool and not-at-all in weird taste thing for Brian to do... to expect Mike to happily wear them at their 1st reunion in years? C'mon. Let's be realistic here.

Presuming you think that Mike innocently brought shirts for all the guys to wear, and that this is what actually went down... it shows a somewhat clueless and predictably clunky maneuver by Mike whose outcome could have been predicted (Brian and Al might think it weird to wear those shirts for a number of understandable reasons, and would simply just not wear them). Again, while I do believe that this shirt thing is not the biggest deal in the world, I'm posting in this thread not to beat a dead horse, but (and I honestly don't mean to be insulting by this), I find dismantling arguments to be somewhat of a hobby, and by nature I have somewhat of a debating type streak... I find it more baffling to understand why some people wouldn't agree it'd be a weird thing for Mike to expect the other guys to wear the shirts given the group's history, and even recent context of Mike shitting on Brian's solo product repeatedly.

That alone has got to make it a weird thing for Brian to want to associate himself with Mike Love Solo Product. It may sound funny, but yes, shirts included. Regarding promoting other bandmates' solo product, I think Mike has "made it weird" by shitting in the soup one too many times (sh*t talking about Brian's solo material) to the point that it's baffling if Mike just simply expected Brian to promote his solo brand of shirts. And this doesn't even begin to touch on how the iconic nature simply of the band wearing striped shirts (regardless if they were Mike branded or not), and how that potentially plays into things too.

Do you think when the band decided to all stop wearing striped shirts in 1967 that it was no big deal for them? I'm sure they talked about it and came to some sort of consensus. Maybe a group vote. Most people in hindsight agree they wore them for a year or two too long. I'm sure people like Rieley had convos with them about how the shirts perhaps had some sort of meaning and context, and meant something - good or bad. Bottom line, it's not innocuous, like if Mike had designed some brand of plain tan shirts without his own name brand, and devoid of any iconic BBs-related stripes, and had just brought them for everyone to wear. It's understandable that if all 5 members were to wear those shirts again, it's going to be a thing for them ALL to discuss. Just bringing them and expecting everyone to go along with it makes no sense, but it apparently does in Mike Love's world.

However... if Mike and Brian had any sort of history of repeatedly patting each other on the back FOR EACH OTHERS' SOLO ACCOMPLISHMENTS, with Mike wearing Brian Wilson Tour 2005 t-shirts to M&B Beach Boys shows, and Brian wearing "Mike Love" hats and doing social media posts talking about the greatness of Mike and Mark McGrath's collaborations... then it would perhaps be out of line for me to call out Mike's actions as weird for bringing a Mike Love Solo Product shirt for Brian to wear to a Beach Boys reunion event. Then it would be expected.  But that is not reality.

[SMiLE Brian]

Matt Jardine: that is all....

[CenturyDeprived]

From Mike :

"Monday night was nothing but love, gratitude, honesty and joy. It has been nearly 6 years since we were all together and the reality of what we have created as The Beach Boys, and how it’s impacted so many fans all over the world, came to life once again. It was truly special and unforgettable. Thank you to the Sirius team who warmly embraced us and were responsible for bringing us together in celebration of our new Sirius XM channel. I especially enjoyed my time spent with my fellow Beach Boys: David Al, Bruce and Brian. The night was all about LOVE! Thank you for such a successful and meaningful evening. Peace & Love, Mike."

Regardless of the shirt stuff, this is a nice post to read.

[SMiLE Brian]

OSD mode: The night was all about (Mike) LOVE!

[HeyJude]

I believe it's a 100% absolute that Jeff leaving Brian and joining Mike GIVES THE APPEARANCE of a giant F-you

Getting closer  

You're getting closer to reading and understanding what I've been writing this entire time? I hope. Otherwise, it's getting into troll-ish territory. "In my opinion" of course. 

Closer to opinion than fact, correct.

What are you talking about? This is neither opinion nor fact, just borderline trolling. You don't agree with the stated opinions in recent posts. No need to troll under the guise of "clarifying" that Jeff Foskett didn't literally publicly tell Melinda "F**k you."

[Lonely Summer]

OSD mode: The night was all about (Mike) LOVE!

I had the same thought. I guess I've been on this board too long!

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

OSD mode: The night was all about (Mike) LOVE!

 's incredible music is the reason there's still a slug like Mike Love still crawling around. Those incredibly self serving myKe luHv shirts are a product of a pathologically diseased egomaniacal mind. It would be a completely different set of circumstances if those shirts had the entire group emblazoned on them. Fortunately, we're witnessing a rather pathetic situation which sets the lovester far apart from any rational thinking being. It would almost be worth the absurd pricing of that shirt to set it on fire and put it on you tube.  

[Dave in KC]

With everyone else smiling and Mike's dead looking expression, that says a lot. You know, the pic at the session. Jumped out at me. Nothing new.

[jawilsh]

Personally, the thought has never occurred to me. Al was going to stick with Brian. Bringing Blondie in was a cool move, especially when it makes sense to divvy up the vocals in that band. Dave seems to move around pretty freely.

You really saw nothing political about Brian, who pre-C50 had been touring *on his own*, had only done about a dozen dates in 2006/07 with Al that, supposedly, didn't end too well, and had never toured with Dave or Blondie, all of a sudden in 2013 taking *three to four* Beach Boys out on tour?

If some fans want to keep the blinders on about any of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, that's totally one's prerogative. But then you're probably going to meet a lot of confusion and corrections from other fans/experts if you remain incredulous but insist on actually delving into the topic of political maneuvering and band names and band lineups and all of that.

Do you also think there was nothing political about Dennis's 1977 "Pacific Ocean Blue" tour being kiboshed?

Do you think there was nothing political about a big hunk of the touring band being let go in 1977/78?

Do you think there was nothing political about BRI supposedly sending people to Al's gigs in 1999 "searching" for fans who were "confused"?

Do you think it's a total coincidence during the band's 1980 Good Morning America interview that some of the other members look like they want to either strangle Dennis or run away as far as possible?

Do you think there was anything political about Jeff Foskett leaving the touring band in 1990, or do you just think it was a normal case of moving on to something else? Oh yeah, that's right, Foskett himself in the mid-90s gave an interview explaining in stunning detail why he was let go from the band.

I'm all for taking a step back and not immediately thinking the worst of these guys or jumping to elaborate theories. But it's also silly to assume there's no context to anything to do with this band's history outside of what they choose to say or not say publically.

Honestly, no. Maybe I think more of Brian and Al then you do, but I think the real motivation was that they were stoked about C50 and wanted to keep going, so they primarily were motivated by wanting to play together. I don't think the deciding factor was, let's stick it to Mike. "I'd rather be at the Deli, AL, but I'll suck it up and do 80 shows, just to piss Mike off"

No blinders here, I love a salacious gossipy tale of backstabbing and revenge. And several of the events you go on to itemize surely had those qualities.

What I wanted to know was what proof you had to say Absolutely, that Jeff going over to Mike's band was a FU to Brian. Ya didn't have any. That's ok. I was just curious to hear it if it existed.

BTW it's been a while since I read the interview about Jeff leaving back in the day..but I seem to remember it was brutally honest and not real sugar coated, which might leave me to believe him when he discussed his departure from Brian's group.

Can someone provide a link to Jeff’s interview?

[Marty Castillo]

Personally, the thought has never occurred to me. Al was going to stick with Brian. Bringing Blondie in was a cool move, especially when it makes sense to divvy up the vocals in that band. Dave seems to move around pretty freely.

You really saw nothing political about Brian, who pre-C50 had been touring *on his own*, had only done about a dozen dates in 2006/07 with Al that, supposedly, didn't end too well, and had never toured with Dave or Blondie, all of a sudden in 2013 taking *three to four* Beach Boys out on tour?

If some fans want to keep the blinders on about any of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, that's totally one's prerogative. But then you're probably going to meet a lot of confusion and corrections from other fans/experts if you remain incredulous but insist on actually delving into the topic of political maneuvering and band names and band lineups and all of that.

Do you also think there was nothing political about Dennis's 1977 "Pacific Ocean Blue" tour being kiboshed?

Do you think there was nothing political about a big hunk of the touring band being let go in 1977/78?

Do you think there was nothing political about BRI supposedly sending people to Al's gigs in 1999 "searching" for fans who were "confused"?

Do you think it's a total coincidence during the band's 1980 Good Morning America interview that some of the other members look like they want to either strangle Dennis or run away as far as possible?

Do you think there was anything political about Jeff Foskett leaving the touring band in 1990, or do you just think it was a normal case of moving on to something else? Oh yeah, that's right, Foskett himself in the mid-90s gave an interview explaining in stunning detail why he was let go from the band.

I'm all for taking a step back and not immediately thinking the worst of these guys or jumping to elaborate theories. But it's also silly to assume there's no context to anything to do with this band's history outside of what they choose to say or not say publically.

Honestly, no. Maybe I think more of Brian and Al then you do, but I think the real motivation was that they were stoked about C50 and wanted to keep going, so they primarily were motivated by wanting to play together. I don't think the deciding factor was, let's stick it to Mike. "I'd rather be at the Deli, AL, but I'll suck it up and do 80 shows, just to piss Mike off"

No blinders here, I love a salacious gossipy tale of backstabbing and revenge. And several of the events you go on to itemize surely had those qualities.

What I wanted to know was what proof you had to say Absolutely, that Jeff going over to Mike's band was a FU to Brian. Ya didn't have any. That's ok. I was just curious to hear it if it existed.

BTW it's been a while since I read the interview about Jeff leaving back in the day..but I seem to remember it was brutally honest and not real sugar coated, which might leave me to believe him when he discussed his departure from Brian's group.

Can someone provide a link to Jeff’s interview?

It's the second return when you Google search "Jeffrey Foskett":

https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/music/2014/09/22/beach-boys-brian-wilson-jeffrey-foskett/16070181/

[HeyJude]

Personally, the thought has never occurred to me. Al was going to stick with Brian. Bringing Blondie in was a cool move, especially when it makes sense to divvy up the vocals in that band. Dave seems to move around pretty freely.

You really saw nothing political about Brian, who pre-C50 had been touring *on his own*, had only done about a dozen dates in 2006/07 with Al that, supposedly, didn't end too well, and had never toured with Dave or Blondie, all of a sudden in 2013 taking *three to four* Beach Boys out on tour?

If some fans want to keep the blinders on about any of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, that's totally one's prerogative. But then you're probably going to meet a lot of confusion and corrections from other fans/experts if you remain incredulous but insist on actually delving into the topic of political maneuvering and band names and band lineups and all of that.

Do you also think there was nothing political about Dennis's 1977 "Pacific Ocean Blue" tour being kiboshed?

Do you think there was nothing political about a big hunk of the touring band being let go in 1977/78?

Do you think there was nothing political about BRI supposedly sending people to Al's gigs in 1999 "searching" for fans who were "confused"?

Do you think it's a total coincidence during the band's 1980 Good Morning America interview that some of the other members look like they want to either strangle Dennis or run away as far as possible?

Do you think there was anything political about Jeff Foskett leaving the touring band in 1990, or do you just think it was a normal case of moving on to something else? Oh yeah, that's right, Foskett himself in the mid-90s gave an interview explaining in stunning detail why he was let go from the band.

I'm all for taking a step back and not immediately thinking the worst of these guys or jumping to elaborate theories. But it's also silly to assume there's no context to anything to do with this band's history outside of what they choose to say or not say publically.

Honestly, no. Maybe I think more of Brian and Al then you do, but I think the real motivation was that they were stoked about C50 and wanted to keep going, so they primarily were motivated by wanting to play together. I don't think the deciding factor was, let's stick it to Mike. "I'd rather be at the Deli, AL, but I'll suck it up and do 80 shows, just to piss Mike off"

No blinders here, I love a salacious gossipy tale of backstabbing and revenge. And several of the events you go on to itemize surely had those qualities.

What I wanted to know was what proof you had to say Absolutely, that Jeff going over to Mike's band was a FU to Brian. Ya didn't have any. That's ok. I was just curious to hear it if it existed.

BTW it's been a while since I read the interview about Jeff leaving back in the day..but I seem to remember it was brutally honest and not real sugar coated, which might leave me to believe him when he discussed his departure from Brian's group.

Can someone provide a link to Jeff’s interview?

It's the second return when you Google search "Jeffrey Foskett":

https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/music/2014/09/22/beach-boys-brian-wilson-jeffrey-foskett/16070181/

Not sure, but I think the previous poster may have been looking for a link to the 90s Foskett interview, which requires more digging but can be found here:

http://web.archive.org/web/19990221115314/http://www.new-surf.com/interv.html

The interview seems to have been done around 1998 after "Imagination" was released, but before Foskett rejoined Brian. This would have been when Foskett was still full-time with Papa Doo Run Run (my recollection is that he stayed part time with them for a little while after beginning working with Brian in 1999, but I'm not sure when or if he fully left Papa Doo Run Run). And as I mentioned previously, I appreciate Foskett's honesty in this circa 1998 interview. Some pertinent parts concerning his 1990 departure:

AMP: One last Beach Boys question…why did you leave in 1990?

FOSKETT: I was asked to leave by Michael and Carl. I know that during the past several months there has been some discussion over the internet on my departure, and I will set the record straight now. I was having an affair outside my marriage that was causing a great deal of turmoil in the closely-knit BB organization. All the wives traveled on the road at one time or another, and seeing me with someone other than my wife made them suspicious of their husbands. Not a good scene. My ego was way out of control. I think Michael thought that I was holding back money from the side gigs that he and I did with the Endless Summer Beach Band, and so he was unhappy about that, and Carl was unhappy with my ego and my affair. They did the right thing by letting me go; right for them and definitely right for me. I needed to straighten up and get back into "the real world." I did, and my wife and I will soon be celebrating our 11th anniversary.

AMP: Jeff, I appreciate your honesty…

FOSKETT: John, there have been so many contrived stories regarding me using Platinum American Express cards and other false statements that I am happy to tell the truth. There are so many "authorities" on the internet that really know absolutely nothing!

[Marty Castillo]

Personally, the thought has never occurred to me. Al was going to stick with Brian. Bringing Blondie in was a cool move, especially when it makes sense to divvy up the vocals in that band. Dave seems to move around pretty freely.

You really saw nothing political about Brian, who pre-C50 had been touring *on his own*, had only done about a dozen dates in 2006/07 with Al that, supposedly, didn't end too well, and had never toured with Dave or Blondie, all of a sudden in 2013 taking *three to four* Beach Boys out on tour?

If some fans want to keep the blinders on about any of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, that's totally one's prerogative. But then you're probably going to meet a lot of confusion and corrections from other fans/experts if you remain incredulous but insist on actually delving into the topic of political maneuvering and band names and band lineups and all of that.

Do you also think there was nothing political about Dennis's 1977 "Pacific Ocean Blue" tour being kiboshed?

Do you think there was nothing political about a big hunk of the touring band being let go in 1977/78?

Do you think there was nothing political about BRI supposedly sending people to Al's gigs in 1999 "searching" for fans who were "confused"?

Do you think it's a total coincidence during the band's 1980 Good Morning America interview that some of the other members look like they want to either strangle Dennis or run away as far as possible?

Do you think there was anything political about Jeff Foskett leaving the touring band in 1990, or do you just think it was a normal case of moving on to something else? Oh yeah, that's right, Foskett himself in the mid-90s gave an interview explaining in stunning detail why he was let go from the band.

I'm all for taking a step back and not immediately thinking the worst of these guys or jumping to elaborate theories. But it's also silly to assume there's no context to anything to do with this band's history outside of what they choose to say or not say publically.

Honestly, no. Maybe I think more of Brian and Al then you do, but I think the real motivation was that they were stoked about C50 and wanted to keep going, so they primarily were motivated by wanting to play together. I don't think the deciding factor was, let's stick it to Mike. "I'd rather be at the Deli, AL, but I'll suck it up and do 80 shows, just to piss Mike off"

No blinders here, I love a salacious gossipy tale of backstabbing and revenge. And several of the events you go on to itemize surely had those qualities.

What I wanted to know was what proof you had to say Absolutely, that Jeff going over to Mike's band was a FU to Brian. Ya didn't have any. That's ok. I was just curious to hear it if it existed.

BTW it's been a while since I read the interview about Jeff leaving back in the day..but I seem to remember it was brutally honest and not real sugar coated, which might leave me to believe him when he discussed his departure from Brian's group.

Can someone provide a link to Jeff’s interview?

It's the second return when you Google search "Jeffrey Foskett":

https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/music/2014/09/22/beach-boys-brian-wilson-jeffrey-foskett/16070181/

Not sure, but I think the previous poster may have been looking for a link to the 90s Foskett interview, which requires more digging but can be found here:

http://web.archive.org/web/19990221115314/http://www.new-surf.com/interv.html

The interview seems to have been done around 1998 after "Imagination" was released, but before Foskett rejoined Brian. This would have been when Foskett was still full-time with Papa Doo Run Run (my recollection is that he stayed part time with them for a little while after beginning working with Brian in 1999, but I'm not sure when or if he fully left Papa Doo Run Run). And as I mentioned previously, I appreciate Foskett's honesty in this circa 1998 interview. Some pertinent parts concerning his 1990 departure:

AMP: One last Beach Boys question…why did you leave in 1990?

FOSKETT: I was asked to leave by Michael and Carl. I know that during the past several months there has been some discussion over the internet on my departure, and I will set the record straight now. I was having an affair outside my marriage that was causing a great deal of turmoil in the closely-knit BB organization. All the wives traveled on the road at one time or another, and seeing me with someone other than my wife made them suspicious of their husbands. Not a good scene. My ego was way out of control. I think Michael thought that I was holding back money from the side gigs that he and I did with the Endless Summer Beach Band, and so he was unhappy about that, and Carl was unhappy with my ego and my affair. They did the right thing by letting me go; right for them and definitely right for me. I needed to straighten up and get back into "the real world." I did, and my wife and I will soon be celebrating our 11th anniversary.

AMP: Jeff, I appreciate your honesty…

FOSKETT: John, there have been so many contrived stories regarding me using Platinum American Express cards and other false statements that I am happy to tell the truth. There are so many "authorities" on the internet that really know absolutely nothing!

To be honest, I totally forgot about this. The Foskett interview with the Desert Sun is so infamous, I automatically think of that when people ask.

[Shady]

I wonder if Brian and Jeff speak anymore

[Debbie KL]

It's a little tough to separate "brutally honest" from "self-serving" maybe? Have you heard the comments since? I have no idea if it was an FU to Brian. I doubt Jeff is thinking about anything aside from his career. Fair enough, and more reasonable.

Yes, I think it's important to highlight that when we're getting into guessing actual motives, a big part of the "F you" aspect has to do with Mike, perhaps more so than Jeff.

I think the whole thing was a giant and PAINFULLY OBVIOUS F-you to the Brian camp. I think actively so on the part of Mike, and perhaps somewhat more passively so on the part of Jeff.

Also, and I hate to drop incomplete stuff out there, but from some folks I've talked to, the "departing Brian's band" part of the story, totally separate from anything to do with Mike, has not been told nearly in full.

I've heard some pretty wild accusations myself, and have also heard them rebutted by others who would know.  You're probably safe if you assume we won't be hearing this stuff anytime soon publicly, thank heavens.

[CenturyDeprived]

Now maybe we should get back to the real purpose of this thread. Showing how Mike gave Brian an absolute F-U by bringing everybody shirts  

Would it not strike you as odd behavior if Brian had brought shirts that had Brian's (and Brian's only) face and name embroidered on them, promoting the *Brian Wilson* tour, and expected the other just recently un-estranged band members (especially including Mike) to wear them to a full band "Beach Boys" reunion activity?  Please kindly address that.

Brian would NEVER ask Mike to wear them to a Beach Boys reunion event, because it would be a ridiculous thing to ask. Surely you must know this is true.

With the history of sour grapes that this band has, where Mike has publicly poo-pooed Brian's solo material repeatedly (going back years, from BWPS to NPP)... it'd still be a perfectly cool and not-at-all in weird taste thing for Brian to do... to expect Mike to happily wear them at their 1st reunion in years? C'mon. Let's be realistic here.

Presuming you think that Mike innocently brought shirts for all the guys to wear, and that this is what actually went down... it shows a somewhat clueless and predictably clunky maneuver by Mike whose outcome could have been predicted (Brian and Al might think it weird to wear those shirts for a number of understandable reasons, and would simply just not wear them). Again, while I do believe that this shirt thing is not the biggest deal in the world, I'm posting in this thread not to beat a dead horse, but (and I honestly don't mean to be insulting by this), I find dismantling arguments to be somewhat of a hobby, and by nature I have somewhat of a debating type streak... I find it more baffling to understand why some people wouldn't agree it'd be a weird thing for Mike to expect the other guys to wear the shirts given the group's history, and even recent context of Mike shitting on Brian's solo product repeatedly.

That alone has got to make it a weird thing for Brian to want to associate himself with Mike Love Solo Product. It may sound funny, but yes, shirts included. Regarding promoting other bandmates' solo product, I think Mike has "made it weird" by shitting in the soup one too many times (sh*t talking about Brian's solo material) to the point that it's baffling if Mike just simply expected Brian to promote his solo brand of shirts. And this doesn't even begin to touch on how the iconic nature simply of the band wearing striped shirts (regardless if they were Mike branded or not), and how that potentially plays into things too.

Do you think when the band decided to all stop wearing striped shirts in 1967 that it was no big deal for them? I'm sure they talked about it and came to some sort of consensus. Maybe a group vote. Most people in hindsight agree they wore them for a year or two too long. I'm sure people like Rieley had convos with them about how the shirts perhaps had some sort of meaning and context, and meant something - good or bad. Bottom line, it's not innocuous, like if Mike had designed some brand of plain tan shirts without his own name brand, and devoid of any iconic BBs-related stripes, and had just brought them for everyone to wear. It's understandable that if all 5 members were to wear those shirts again, it's going to be a thing for them ALL to discuss. Just bringing them and expecting everyone to go along with it makes no sense, but it apparently does in Mike Love's world.

However... if Mike and Brian had any sort of history of repeatedly patting each other on the back FOR EACH OTHERS' SOLO ACCOMPLISHMENTS, with Mike wearing Brian Wilson Tour 2005 t-shirts to M&B Beach Boys shows, and Brian wearing "Mike Love" hats and doing social media posts talking about the greatness of Mike and Mark McGrath's collaborations... then it would perhaps be out of line for me to call out Mike's actions as weird for bringing a Mike Love Solo Product shirt for Brian to wear to a Beach Boys reunion event. Then it would be expected.  But that is not reality.

Juice Brohnston, curious if you had any thoughts on this (admittedly overlong) post of mine above?

Would it strike you as odd if Brian tried to get Mike to wear Brian Wilson solo custom shirts to a Beach Boys event, and the 1st reunion event after a long period of interpersonal strife over the band and who's in the band? And let's say that if Mike passed on wearing the shirt, then Brian would still wear it, and additionally get other BBs to wear them too, leaving Mike as the odd man out? That would be a normal, to-be-expected thing, and those fans who expressed that this is a really weird thing should be called out as complainers/haters, or something of the sort?

Honestly just trying to understand the logic. Because based on thinking that Mike's shirt thing was 100% hunky dory and not a bafflingly odd decision, I'd have to think that for consistency's sake, you'd have to give Brian a total pass on this hypothetical scenario, and not think it odd in the slightest.

I'll reiterate that just because I find this action of Mike's with the shirts to be odd, questionable and a bit unfortunate, it doesn't take away from me being happy they got together and are possibly, maybe working towards some sort of future projects. I'm simply a bit hung up on the idea that people can bend themselves into a pretzel to make the above situation *not* weird in any way, shape or form. I don't get it.

[Pretty Funky]

Although I stand to be corrected, Mike has over the years stated he hasn’t listened to Brian’s albums, didn’t read his biography, nor watched L&M. If I was Brian I wouldn’t have worn his crappy shirt either.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Although I stand to be corrected, Mike has over the years stated he hasn’t listened to Brian’s albums, didn’t read his biography, nor watched L&M. If I was Brian I wouldn’t have worn his crappy shirt either.

Absolutely! Additionally, and I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but I honestly hope myKe luHv never gets the opportunity to ever work with, write with, nor perform with Brian ever again. This jackass had his chance but because everything had to be on his terms, it fortunately didn't happen and walked away from C50. He does not deserve to be associated with Brian in the least and I hope that d'bag eats his heart out from now until his dying day.