Please sign petition for Beach Boys to withdraw from performing on 2/5/20

[rab2591]

If a good friend was ruining their life with an immoral activity, you wouldn’t financially support that friend. You’d still have nothing but love for them, but giving them cash would only support their wayward behavior.

I will always have nothing but love for The Beach Boys music. And I completely realize these guys haven’t been perfect people on their journey through life....none of us have. But at the moment I won’t financially support them because I don’t agree with where they currently and actively choose to perform. And if they continue to support this convention I will have to continue to put my money elsewhere.

[Wata]

Also, I'm not a big fan, or rather skeptic about this "cancel culture". Let's put it this way: Imagine that Mike's Beach Boys didn't withdraw from the event, their sales declined, and the record label actually disowned the band. Would it contribute to raise people's awareness against trophy hunting? I honestly doubt it. Rather, I could see backlash happening: "The band that made Pet Sounds got cancelled just because some of the members performed at pro-hunting event"

On the flip side: imagine if people would be attracted to trophy hunting because The Beach Boys seem to be cool with it (if they go through with this event)? THAT is why I don't think boycotting the band is a bad idea. We're cool with ignoring the boycott if we think that The Beach Boys actually have zero influence on culture, but how about we act as if they do have influence on some people? I literally couldn't care less if The Beach Boys, Brian, Al, Wondermints lose sales over this. As in: if this is the culture that BRI or The Beach Boys want to support then they need to understand the consequences of supporting such an absolutely stupid cause.

Sorry if this sounds provocative or something, but are you (assuming you have signed) actually ready not to buy the music of The Beach Boys as the petition pledges? Say, would you refrain from buying the rumored Sunflower/Surf's Up box set, or any upcoming archival releases if Mike joined the trophy-hunting event and had not apologized about it by then?

I myself isn't, so that's partly the reason I didn't sign. (Perhaps you can say my fanboy-ism toward music is to blame, though, as I have bought Phil Spector's music even if he had committed murder and was in jail)

I understand trophy hunting is a terrible thing to do, and their performance at the event should be criticized as it promotes trophy hunting and possibly make more people to do it. My point is, I think protesting against performing at the event/publicly criticize them for attendance is enough. You can even boycott them on your belief. However, I just don't think campaign for boycotting The Beach Boys would work, if to promote people's awareness against trophy hunting is your priority, and not to punish and exclude The Beach Boys from society. I think it would be unproportional to what they are going to do.

For me, this is a statement to the current management/leadership of The Beach Boys: “continue to support the killing of trophy animals and I’ll stop supporting you. Continue to drag the band name through the mud and I’ll stop supporting you.”

Of course the 60’s music has nothing to do with playing this gig. But from my perspective, if The Beach Boys play this gig then they are clearly supporting an immoral cause. If I buy their 60’s music I will be financially supporting them (and subsequently supporting trophy hunting). Put it this way: The Beach Boys are currently headlining an event that glorifies and supports the killing of living beings - not for the need of food but for their skins to be peeled off and their heads to be mounted on walls. If I continue to financially support this band if they continue to support this archaic “sport” then I am helping support this “sport” as well. Put it yet another way: if a more unknown band were headlining an event supporting the needless killing of animals no one would bat an eye at boycotting their music. But because it’s The Beach Boys suddenly we’re cool with financially supporting an entity that supports the needless killing of animals?

As for your point on Spector, I still listen to Phil Spector because 1) I get he is mentally ill, 2) he isn’t actively supporting the murder of human beings. He made a terrible decision and he is paying the price for it. Whereas if The Beach Boys play this gig they will be actively supporting the slaughter of exotic animals. That is something I will not financially support.

If Mike does play this gig and he goes all out Hall-of-Fame-night “you all need TM” on the crowd I will completely understand why they played and take back my words. Until then I just can’t justify financially supporting these guys if they willfully headline an event that supports trophy hunting.

Thanks for a well-thought out reply. I'm still not going to sign with pretty much the same reason as juggler stated above, but I understand and respect your decision.

[sjeffery]

Over 17,000 signatures now.

[guitarfool2002]

Last night the petition was closing in on the goal of 5,000 signatures.  As of waking up this morning there are 17,000 signatures.

That's a pretty significant number of fans showing negativity toward the Beach Boys. And the whole point being missed is that all of this backlash on The Beach Boys from the general public is due solely to Mike Love and his decision to play this gig. If the Beach Boys and their legacy/bottom lines are paying a price for this, blame Mike and *his* use of the name for this backlash.

[rab2591]

22,000 now. In a span of minutes it went from 17,000 to 22,000.

Thanks for a well-thought out reply. I'm still not going to sign with pretty much the same reason as juggler stated above, but I understand and respect your decision.

Thanks, Wata. I see your and Juggler's point as well.

The whole thing sucks because I realize how many people this affects: Mark and Alan alone (working tirelessly on the Feel Flows set), the roadies trying to make a living, etc etc. It's not fair to any of those peoples to suddenly be part of such a controversy. This gig should never have been agreed to in the first place. This isn't the 1950s anymore. What blows my mind even more is that Mike wrote these lyrics:

"The flagship of death is an old whaling trawler
The people are rising over whale killing crawlers
You gotta holler more
Wait a minute can't you see, you gotta let 'em be"

Take your own advice, Mike. 22,000 people and counting...

[guitarfool2002]

In just over a half hour, the petition reached over 22,000 signatures, from 17,000.

If BRI doesn't see a problem here that needs to be addressed...maybe they truly are either powerless and beholden to whatever Mike chooses to do no matter how potentially damaging,  or it's simply useless.

Whatever, I just hate to see the music I love, and Brian and Al who have no skin in this game, getting dragged into Mike's bad decisions yet again which harm the legacy and brand.

[marcella27]

Aaaaaaaand the posts on Mike’s Facebook page asking him not to play this show (including a short and polite one from Andrew Doe) seem to have been deleted. Nice.  Not only does he make a terrible decision but when longtime fans call him on it, they get silenced.

Oh well, they can keep deleting, I can keep posting.  I just want to make sure that as many people as possible know about this, and they can decide for themselves.

[CenturyDeprived]

Aaaaaaaand the posts on Mike’s Facebook page asking him not to play this show (including a short and polite one from Andrew Doe) seem to have been deleted. Nice.  Not only does he make a terrible decision but when longtime fans call him on it, they get silenced.

Oh well, they can keep deleting, I can keep posting.  I just want to make sure that as many people as possible know about this, and they can decide for themselves.

Imagine being the person who is tasked with/paid for deleting those posts. I hope they feel good about themselves and sleep well at night.

[SMiLE Brian]

Don’t play this show....

[sjeffery]

Over 30,000 now. This is not going away.

[guitarfool2002]

Aaaaaaaand the posts on Mike’s Facebook page asking him not to play this show (including a short and polite one from Andrew Doe) seem to have been deleted. Nice.  Not only does he make a terrible decision but when longtime fans call him on it, they get silenced.

Oh well, they can keep deleting, I can keep posting.  I just want to make sure that as many people as possible know about this, and they can decide for themselves.

As I've been saying for years, this is who these people are and this is what they do. The karma and irony of them deleting Doe's post is beyond entertaining. This is who you carried water for and defended for years...and the post gets deleted along with the other "haters".  Karma.

[CenturyDeprived]

A cursory Facebook search will show many posts of outraged music fans sharing the petition, and also articles mentioning the involvement of the band, with photos from the 1966 Pet Sounds photoshoot. Yes, that's historically inaccurate, but a brand is a brand.

Once again, because it's the brand name, the other bandmembers get associated with this garbage. And it's extra ironic, considering their best-known album has them posing with a bunch of wild animals in a zoo. And accurate or not, that association will continue because it's just too ironic and to iconic to not lump that together.

If Bill Cosby's most famous album LP cover image was him posing at a pharmacy smiling gleefully beside a giant poster for sleeping pills, you can bet articles would use that image, and drive it into the ground as well. Nothing like a headline that writes itself.  So yes, get ready for Pet Sounds/killing animals clickbait articles. They've already started. F*ck.

And this isn't going away. Who knows how much baggage this could lump the brand name with. I have little doubt this could potentially jeopardize the future archival releases, or at least minimize their scope and promotion. I am truly disgusted.

[marcella27]

A cursory Facebook search will show many posts of outraged music fans sharing the petition, and also articles mentioning the involvement of the band, with photos from the 1966 Pet Sounds photoshoot. Yes, that's historically inaccurate, but a brand is a brand.

Once again, because it's the brand name, the other bandmembers get associated with this garbage. And it's extra ironic, considering their best-known album has them posing with a bunch of wild animals in a zoo. And accurate or not, that association will continue because it's just too ironic and to iconic to not lump that together.

If Bill Cosby's most famous album LP cover image was him posing at a pharmacy smiling gleefully beside a giant poster for sleeping pills, you can bet articles would use that image, and drive it into the ground as well. Nothing like a headline that writes itself.  So yes, get ready for Pet Sounds/killing animals clickbait articles. They've already started. F*ck.

And this isn't going away. Who knows how much baggage this could lump the brand name with. I have little doubt this could potentially jeopardize the future archival releases, or at least minimize their scope and promotion. I am truly disgusted.

I share your disgust and it also makes me sad as hell (but your Bill Cosby analogy did give me a much-needed laugh).  What would be great is if Al and Brian tweeted something that would distance themselves from this gig.  Not only do they not deserve to be tarnished by this, but it would be a good slap in the face to Mike. 

[Pretty Funky]

All very confusing given the bands comments over the years about taking care of the environment. Anyone remember the SIP album cover with whales, turtles, fish etc? I wonder what members of The Surfrider Foundation think. All seperate entities and values to Mike and Bruce but whether they like it or not, there is a common link.

A little surprised this hasn’t made the main stream media as yet. An impeachment trial and a Super Bowl will do that I guess.

[B.E.]

Maybe they couldn’t turn down sharing the bill with Donald Trump Jr? 

[rab2591]

Don’t play this show....

SB! I hope you're well! I haven't seen you around here in a while.

Aaaaaaaand the posts on Mike’s Facebook page asking him not to play this show (including a short and polite one from Andrew Doe) seem to have been deleted. Nice.  Not only does he make a terrible decision but when longtime fans call him on it, they get silenced.

Oh well, they can keep deleting, I can keep posting.  I just want to make sure that as many people as possible know about this, and they can decide for themselves.

As I've been saying for years, this is who these people are and this is what they do. The karma and irony of them deleting Doe's post is beyond entertaining. This is who you carried water for and defended for years...and the post gets deleted along with the other "haters".  Karma.

Agreed. Also, has Mike's management ever heard of The Streisand Effect?? Deleting people's rational thoughts about this from social media is about the worst thing they can do at this point.

In the last hour it's gone from 30,000 to nearly 40,000 signatures.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Aaaaaaaand the posts on Mike’s Facebook page asking him not to play this show (including a short and polite one from Andrew Doe) seem to have been deleted. Nice.  Not only does he make a terrible decision but when longtime fans call him on it, they get silenced.

Oh well, they can keep deleting, I can keep posting.  I just want to make sure that as many people as possible know about this, and they can decide for themselves.

As I've been saying for years, this is who these people are and this is what they do. The karma and irony of them deleting Doe's post is beyond entertaining. This is who you carried water for and defended for years...and the post gets deleted along with the other "haters".  Karma.

Of all the people . Last check must’ve bounced.

[sjeffery]

Just hit the 40,000 mark! Momentum continues; hope management is exerting pressure to withdraw from this farce of a "corporate gig".

[Ray Lawlor]

Hi.  What an abomination of a cause to play for.  I just signed and contributed.  Despicable gig in my opinion. Glad to see so many signatures.  Ray

[Jim V.]

Hi.  What an abomination of a cause to play for.  I just signed and contributed.  Despicable gig in my opinion. Glad to see so many signatures.  Ray

Hey there Ray. Hope you're well. I don't know if you currently have Brian's ear, but perhaps you could encourage him and Al to distance themselves from this garbage?

[Ray Lawlor]

Hi Jim.  Yes still friends with Brian and I think he will say something.  Ray

[SMiLE Brian]

Nice to hear from Mr. Lawlor!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Signed , shared, and will be donating

[Ray Lawlor]

Nice to hear from Mr. Lawlor!

Thanks SB. I have been spot reading the board but the work assignment I was on was insanely time consuming and I couldn’t dig into anything more than work !

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Looks like the signatures are increasingly rapidly