Brian and "Be My Baby"

[nobody]

Understatement of the century!

... not to mention the meds Landy prescribed that apparently f*cked-up Brian forever.

Plus: Nobody seems to be talking just as much about other altered-states like those achieved through meditation, & again, TM is a heavy element in BBoys history.  (How, for example, could ML have managed his anger over the decades without it?)

Exactly, TM is a huge thing in the Beach Boys story and it's often something swept under the rug or unnecessarily dismissed. I don't personally practice TM, it's just a very basic meditation technique mass-marketed (genuinely so, I really do think) for the benefit of mankind. And if the TM business makes tons of money from it ... alright, fine, everyone has their trip. But it's undoubtedly a huge part of their history.

[hypehat]

It's not that huge, tbh. Two band members were into it, Dennis moved on to more raucous pleasures and Mike has been flying the flag for all this time, but there are definitely a lot more important things in the history of our favourite band.

[nobody]

It's not that huge, tbh. Two band members were into it, Dennis moved on to more raucous pleasures and Mike has been flying the flag for all this time, but there are definitely a lot more important things in the history of our favourite band.

True but ... I consider the BBoys' involvement with Maharishi and all that as of the same significance as the Beatles' involvement with him. Not on a cultural level - I don't think anyone cared much that Mike went to India too (maybe I'm wrong?) or that the BBoys were generally into it, but in the private life of the group it had its impact. Didn't Dennis and Carl and some of the others attend some of those early conferences Maharishi was present at in England?

[hypehat]

Maybe if you're talking about an influence on Mike, and thus regarding Mike's power in the group -  but I'm not sure. I hardly think the influence on the Wilson's is significant, as Brian's definition of mediation appears to be sitting down for a few minutes, but admittedly I don't know about Carl. I think you might as well inscirbe a similar influence to striped shirts - something they did for a while that is of a minor influence on their music.
With the Beatles, it was very important for a time, but they weren't half fickle. and because their career is compact, nearly everything has a big significance - The BB's have been going for nearly 4 times as long. Obvious, but true.

[nobody]

Maybe if you're talking about an influence on Mike, and thus regarding Mike's power in the group -  but I'm not sure. I hardly think the influence on the Wilson's is significant, as Brian's definition of mediation appears to be sitting down for a few minutes, but admittedly I don't know about Carl. I think you might as well inscirbe a similar influence to striped shirts - something they did for a while that is of a minor influence on their music.
With the Beatles, it was very important for a time, but they weren't half fickle. and because their career is compact, nearly everything has a big significance - The BB's have been going for nearly 4 times as long. Obvious, but true.

I see it lurking behind a lot of the lyrics and themes. Maybe it was just the spirit of the times.

Besides ... All This Is That ... 'nuff said.

Carl, Al, Bruce and Mike should've split from Brian and Dennis and formed a New Age group.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Did the original question ever get asked, dudes?

[Nicko1234]

I think TM has been a pretty massive influence on the group. If you include the Hallmark CD then you could say that it`s influenced the band`s music for almost 40 years. Obviously Mike but also the other band members as evidenced on several albums.

Plus so many other things that the band have done have been influenced by TM including Mike`s trip to India, the tour with the Maharishi, the recording of M.I.U., the links with The Natural Law Party etc.

Plus while Brian may not practice TM that much anymore, it was probably that that turned him onto meditation of any kind in the first place. Melinda has said that Brian had to meditate before performing Smile so I guess that we have Mike to thank for Smile finally being released.