The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://mikelove.com/viberoom/topic/mike-love-question-answer

All right, who asked question #2?  :lol

ShawnP, of course. (Probably Mike in disguise)

never one to be outdone. and come across creepy as hell in the process.

The Vibe Room... sounds like the back of a porn shop. no wonder Brian didn't want to get together with Mike in a room.

Preach it Bossaroo!!! :lol

Hah! :lol

:woot  Ick! Just clicked on the site and immediately felt soiled. Think I'll take a quick shower. :p :p

Weirdly, the site doesn't seem to be working for me. Anyone else having trouble?

lol....

 :lol

We should ask about SIP 180 gram vinyl. :p

Honest question... no joking... how many copies do you all think that would sell?

250K

Funny how the only folks talking about this seem to be Mike haters ......

He's pretty easy to ignore if you choose too, which I'd imagine would be the optimal reality for some people, so why not try it?

:lol
Bgas is buying in bulk.

Agree… I'm looking forward to his answers, and hoping he doesn't avoid the ones we might perceive as more sensitive. I'm optimistic, actually…

Nobody here hates Mike( well maybe OSD) Why are you going on about it? It'd be just as easy for you to ignore the thread altogether if you don't like it.   

Go post an interesting question in the vibrator room, something  to really get some good answers from ML 

posts in threads are free to be ignored too if you don't like them

I would buy it so I could complete my collection, while you are at it, ask him about Stars & Stripes on Vinyl too.

I think some sort of Summer In Paradise reissue is inevitable ..... Most likely in a box set of all their albums plus a bonus disc, or something ..... Hopefully with a vinyl edition release ;)

Or...you could ignore all threads with myKe haters who contribute-by the way, welcome back!

The "Vibe Room" sounds really...sexual. 

To ignore you, OSD, would be to insult you :)

Happy to be back! Thank you much.

yeah, I'm trying, but I think I'm rubber and you're glue

Maybe that's the room Mike wants to work in with Brian. For every time Brian enters the room, he gets a chocolate chip cookie. However, Jeff Foskett sometimes comes in and steals the cookie jar which makes everyone sad.

Well I guess this means he won't be doing a Q and A on this forum then?   :-\

I believe this is right down the hall from the champagne room.

I can hardly imagine why not.  ::)

Why the rolled eyes?

For sarcasm - clearly Mike has no desire to engage in a Q&A with the Gruesome Twosome lurking.

Ah..  Of course..  I need more coffee  :/

I think you're blameshifting, dood.

Cool!

No pizza questions so far. Interesting.

Feeling exitations, Nick? ;)

Only clothing allowed? Baseball caps.

This argument could apply to everything anyone dislikes on the internet. I never understood the thought process that everyone has to be positive about things all the time online. It isn't like that in real life.

So this will be more enjoyable than Bri's, right?

Who said everyone has to be positive about everything on the internet? I certainly didn't ..... Your point, though valid and correct, doesn't let incessant negativity off the hook either.

No great secret, but I think when it comes to Mike, there's a not so subtle line where poking fun becomes just ugly and redundant and mean spirited ..... This can be annoying to .......... Beach Boys fans, ya know?

I've tried to register for Mike's forum with two different email addresses, and have not received the required activation email ... which probably explains why no one is posting there !

Weird. Maybe you're deemd a hostile witness?
I saw your post, went to the site, registered and got my activation password immediately, tho it was in my spam account.... 
Now if I can only figure how to change my password

Ahhh ... there you go, Spam !

Thanks

I asked if he would bring the white robe back to the stage! :) Also, curious on his thoughts on Gary Usher, Roger Christian, Jack Reiley and Stephen Kalanich.

Wishful thinking, but I tend to think it will be the same. Tho, if you like joke questions about pizza 'n' stuff (aka 'odd humor'), you may enjoy it more, yes.

You can tell how loved of a figure Mike Love is around here by the amount of replies to a thread about a Q&A by him gets in multiple days.....


Almost makes you feel sorry for the guy until you remember what a long, successful, & money-filled career dude has had.


I've like to ask him what it's like being so bald while being a cousin to people with such luscious heads of hairs, and if he'd trade lifetime of Buber-creativity and mental illness for having enough hair to never have to seek out a baseball cap,  but have no interest in signing up for his "vibe room".

I think they'll both be, just in different ways.

Much like I dig both of them, for different reasons (although of course I am partial to Brian)

This would be a longer thread than it is now if the Q&A was on this board. It would be a more controversial one than the Brian one, that's for sure.

Just a reminder that tonight is the last night for everyone to get questions in for Mike to answer.

Yeah, of course there would be a bigger thread if Dr. Love was doing his Q&A on this site. I'm sure once he answers all the questions this thread will blow up. But there have been way more pointless and stupid threads on this forum that have gotten a lot more responses. There are plenty of threads that make you go "how the hell did such a small, insignificant issue turn into 15 pages of arguing".

Us SmilySmilers could rally together and spam his "vibe room" with questions about the collapse of SMiLE and C50, and why he sang "over and over the crow cries uncover the corn field" so well and with such passion, but. Nah. We just got 2 pages.


I'm not a Mike sympathizer, and I don't think he's as evil and talentless as a lot of people make him out to be, but when he offers to do a video interview interview with questions asked by the "general public" (also known as the hardkore Beach Boys fans) and a thread on SmileySmile.net doesn't even get 3 pages worth of comments after several days... Dude obviously isn't a very loved figure around here, despite the number of people who claim neutrality in the Wilson vs. Love debacle.

Mr. Burns, your campaign seems to have the momentum of a runaway freight train. Why are you so popular?

the thread would likely be longer had Mike chosen a name besides The Vibe Room. we're witnessing a perfectly natural human aversion to things that make us uncomfortable. Mike should have meditated a bit more on this one

I meant to ask something about the Warmth Of The Sun....I've just got out of hospital after being there since 3 am and now I can't remember if I did or not! Maybe on Facebook?

Oh God, this is how it starts isn't it?

Yup. :old

I don't get it. Brian isn't responsible for the autotune on the albums he co-produces. Yet Mike is responsible for the name of the forum on his website?

I guarantee it.

"A little peek behind the scenes with Wink Martindale today answering your questions...stay tuned. ML"

(https://scontent-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10393150_801512336594276_474464269078814677_n.jpg?oh=6220974e350ff46fd154759c5f8eac0b&oe=5581EDAA)

(https://scontent-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/11059617_801512379927605_6915714790793800553_n.jpg?oh=17e815441e9726cd1a83a2c1b343c053&oe=558839FA)

I'm not sure why I'm amused by this.  He couldn't have just answered questions directly on the board like every other celeb--he had to hire a camera crew and drag in Wink to ask him fan questions.  Gotta love the Mikester.

Ha, that's actually kind of cool.  Completely ridiculous, but still kind of cool.

Gotta one-up Brian somehow! Makes me sad, though. I doubt he'd answer hardball/SMiLE-Smiley questions either if it's televised. That's disappointing.

His original post did say questions would be answered in a "video post."  But, yeah…  Wink Martindale  ;D . Maybe they'll play a round of "Tic-Tac-Dough" for fun.

This is freakin' awesome. Very kind of Mike to make an effort to give us an entertaining interview.

It's a good idea, but Wink Martindale?

Maybe he is the appropriate choice. Bringing in the youngsters kind of points out the fogey sometimes.

I don't know. Wink Martindale?

I prefer Mark Wintendale.

"A little peek behind the scenes with Wink Martindale today answering your questions...stay tuned. ML"

Is Wink Martindale answering our questions?

I think he's a wall between us & Mike. Middling man, if you will.

I don't see it as a deliberate wall, but I think it definitely means the chance of answering any "hardball" or personal questions or anything regarding murky areas of the bands history, like Smiley, has dropped to zero. Which, essentially makes the whole thing a lot less interesting. At least for me.

When is this session due to be made available online? Or did I miss it already?

Wink Martindale's not on my radar but I think this is neat - far more effort's gone into this than having, say, a band member sit in a room while a friend or family member types and posts his answers on his behalf. This is the fuller production, if you like, the professional approach.

That said, it's kind of misunderstanding the simplicity of the Internet - like turning up to a hoedown in a ballgown!

I'm a two-glasses-each-half-full kinda guy!

Might be more interesting if Mike was asking Wink questions...

Those pics are hilarious! Reminds me of Alan Partridge hiring his own interviewer.

Martindale/Love: like Frost/Nixon only with less hair. Can't wait to hear about how he met some Beatles in India!

Wink is using a deck of cards, eh ?!

Mike is so weird. :P

I dig the interviewer's socks!

Wink should have gone down the hat route like Mike.

Found it:

"You are traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Your next stop, the Vibe Room."

 :lol

Good one!

Nevertheless, A LOT of effort seems to have gone into putting this together. Kudos to Mike. And it's true... He could have had Jacquie or Ambha type for him. And yet he's answering verbally. Good for him.

Mike's filthy rich. He seems to be having fun with all this, so it's good for everyone. Except for those who hate him.

With all the effort he's putting into this, there is a palpable chance that he'll pick up some interesting questions to answer. Like mine.  :)

(http://i.imgur.com/koszaxF.gif)

:tm :tm :woot :woot :thumbsup :thumbsup

I don't know which looks more natural in the photo--Mike's hat, or Wink's hair?

If only we could find out the answer verbally.

I bet that after all these overblown shenanigans we still won't know what Mike's favourite pizza is! But who knows what kind of interesting tidbits might be spilled.. Maybe Mike has a movie coming out next year. ;D

All jokes aside though, I'm psyched to see this. Mike never fails to entertain.

Stupid hair color IMHO, but each his own. I appreciate Mike doesn't dye his hair, even though he doesn't need a lot of tinting lotion... ;D

I suppose Wink is a radio legend from the band's heyday.  I should actually hear it before jumping to conclusions.

Not that it matters, but when did the goatee come back? I was just thinking the other day that he looks better with one.

Yes, I actually sat for a moment and contemplated Mike's facial hair.

This has to be the goofiest thing I have ever seen. Maybe there's a long game being played here and this is part of a DVD or something. But if not, having Wink Martindale (who?!) and this huge camera set up shows that Mike is seriously in la-la land. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I find it hilarious he's probably wasted money on a camera crew and that old man and all this for a "Q and A" that probably will reach 37 people.

But so what? Yeah, barring some controversy for the wider music press to hone in on it'll probably only be diehards who watch it, but hey Mike has the money and I doubt he's unaware of the fact that this is basically going to be something for the obsessives to chew over.

Not to mention the BBs played on his TV show  April 28, 1962   - The Wink Martindale Dance Party (local TV);  be nice for someone to ask Wink if he has tape of the show saved somewhere...

Wink Martindale, apart from being a DJ and presenter, had a hit with "Deck of cards". Long career, he knows the background to what he is dealing with

Also, it's said that when the full moon is out... he assumes the form of a monstrous jackal-faced fiend and drips green bile all over the carpet. Hope Mike didn't have him stay over that night, that rug really ties the room together.

He's also THE penultimate game show host. Kinda like Brucie in the UK.

Fun fact, I won a contest from Wink on Facebook and the prize was him recording a voicemail message for my cell. One of my favorite possesions.

Wink Martindale was there from the very beginning of rock and roll. As others have pointed out, if you're an "early days of R'n'R" buff, having Wink do the Q&A is actually pretty awesome. Here he is interviewing Elvis back in 1956:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1LBKg3P4iI

I hope you don't mind me saying, "Penultimate" means second to last.

His Wiki bio says he has a Youtube channel.

Yup, I'd go with 'quintessential'

http://www.youtube.com/user/WinkMartindaleGames (http://www.youtube.com/user/WinkMartindaleGames)

The rug under Wink's feet...or on his head?.......

These guys go out of their way to take time to do something nice for the fans and all you can do it poke fun.  You stay classy, San Diego.

Oh, I'm super glad and appreciative Mike Love is doing this! We're all going to have a LOT of fun with this,  whether it involves poking or otherwise. It was just... incredibly surreal clicking on this thread and seeing those pics... "Wait... Wink Martindale? Why?" then zooming closer to examine their expressions. I thought I was still asleep or something. Maybe it was undercooked potato, a spot of bad mustard...

He should continue doing these and take opportunities to rant about whatever gets his goat that week, from his beautifully rugged undisclosed location... call it "Live from the Vibe Room." Teach us all about TM, assiduously avoid mentioning Al Jardine, invite special guests who you thought were long dead... it'd be a streaming video treat! Maybe Foskett could be his Ed McMahon or something.

I'm curious, did you post or express anything of the sort in the lead up to Brian's double Q&A session here and on his own board? I saw the pure, unbridled nonsense that was flying around social media bashing the whole notion of doing a Q&A, bashing how Brian responds in interviews, bashing the people on this board and the board itself, and beyond. Just a bunch of bitter bile being spewed which I was unfortunate enough to read because I was (formerly until I got the hell out) in the same friend network as some of those spewing the bile. Not naming names.

Now we're wagging fingers? Stay consistent.

I think it is a terrific development to have actual band members embracing the fan community in these ways, and reaching out in their own way with various online events like this. I think it's natural too to let a few jokes fly, have a few laughs, etc. But when it went as far as some of the comments (not so much here but involving people who are or were here) went before Brian's session, and if it gets out of hand with this one, yeah - that's taking things beyond the boundary of appreciating a gesture from any of these band members to the fan base.

Just for some background for anyone interested:

This thread -

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,18250.0.html (http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,18250.0.html)

- had this photo of Wink, Richard "Jaws" Kiel, and the Boys at the 1963 Teen-Age Fair event when Wink was a DJ on station KFWB.

(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/beachboyspickwickcenter_zpsecb5c32d.jpg)

I file this under the "you can't make this stuff" category, or maybe it's just me who found this interesting.  ;D

I'm sure quite a few of us watched Wink as the host of the game show Tic-Tac-Dough in the 70's and 80's. I happened to find this screen shot of one of the original episodes when Wink was hosting.

Notice the categories on the upper right of the game board:

(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/tictacdough_zps0fkff9no.jpg)

When people have a Heroes and Villains themed fancy dress party my Beach Boys buttons feel very much pressed.

My bottom line on this stuff is even Mike's haters know he is and was a part of this band and a part of that story. I'd think they'd like to see that story properly represented and every word those guys speak on the subject of music while they're still around gets us closer, if not to the truth then at least to their personal perspective as someone who was inside of it all. For that reason and many others these fan interactions have value - it's not the only reason but for me it's more than enough.

Speaking of perspectives, it'd be interesting to hear what Steve Love has to say these days. Didn't he post a bunch of furious comments online a few years back? Maybe he can join Mike in the future installment of "Previously Recorded from The Vibe Room" and have a tearful reunion and reminiscence about their dear friend Blondie Chaplin and how nice it is he's touring with Cousin Brian.

A shame Richard Kiel couldn't be around to conduct the interview and ofter an aside about Eegah.

Maybe Steve could have his own thread to answer these questions specific to him and Bernie Madoff could conduct his taped Q&A interview.

I thought "heroes" and "villains" were words either Brian or Van Dyke just made up.

Honestly didn't know that. If I had said that on Youtube, I'd be called "an average dumb American"  :lol

I feel like a handful of us here should just start posting our normal topics in the Vibe Room instead of Smiley Smile ... that would kind of funny and cool. It would only take like 5-10 people to get something rolling there! Imagine seeing these crazy topics that we've uncovered over the years (like the Scully 8-track photo thing) play out there! I just think that would be really bizarre ... like the Vibe Room becomes a quintessential online resource for Beach Boys lore. I think I'm just gonna go in there and start answering questions or starting topics ...

EDIT: there's really nothing there to participate in yet, so I guess we'd have to start from scratch ...

Seriously though ...

I find it strange that here we have one of the 'main men' of our all-time favorite group ... he's 74 years old, he's got a website, an open forum, and open invite to ask questions ... and the Beach Boys fan community is just sort of not into it. I'm not personally into any kind of politics or taking sides or anything; I just think it's kind of strange.

Not sure how many of you follow Stephen Kalinich's Facebook or Instragram, but I do and he's really active there (he even shared a video I posted of my baby daughter dancing to the 45 of 'Little Bird' on her portable record player!) ... but anyway, he recently posted something about Mike Love and Sky Saxon:

"I love the Seeds. When the Beach Boys signed me in 1967 or around then. I was just married and working in a flower shop on San Vicente. It was before I wrote Little Bird and Mike Love brought Sky Saxon from the Seeds in to meet me. We went behind the flower shop and Mike had me recite about 5 poems and 20 songs for Sky Saxon and he loved it. It was when Mike was taking me around introducing me to everyone. A side of Mike that was amazing and I love the Seeds ..."

There's more to these guys than we know of them as public figures. And it's really silly to get into pretending like we know anything about them personally, based on things we read and media articles, interviews, etc. I did know Sky personally, and he liked the Beach Boys too. If you guys don't know about Sky, he was a major psychedelic person, and serious L.A. scenester in the '60s. A pretty out-there guy ... long hair in '65, etc. ... and here was Mike Love hanging out with Sky, taking a young unknown poet around to meet different dudes ... I mean, we hear stories about how Mike didn't want Brian hanging out with these guys becuase they did drugs or something ... in reality, that's got to be only one side of the story. Sky Saxon was most certainly into psychedelics, and here's a guy (Stephen Kalinich) who was actually there, telling a story that would seem to contradict the accepted stories we've always heard ... I mean, there's no way you can listen to Smiley Smile and believe that Mike Love was not stoned!

I'd love to see a "Vibe Room" as part of fan "Club Kokomo" type packages ...

Like, a fan can pay to get the usual meet/greet/picture but also sit Mike n Bruce down for their own Q&A!

With this scenario some real questions might be asked!

There should also be an "Excitations Room"

.... Use your imagination for that one.

That is great what you wrote about Mike and the techie stuff.  If I had to guess, he likely learned stuff from his kids.  Even using a smart phone onstage for Surfer Girl. If anyone had told me ( a tech phobic) that I'd do research online, learn that if I looked at a computer sideways, it wasn't going to break, I'd never have believed it! One of my sons had to teach me not to be afraid of missing a call on an iphone, and let me get the hang of it.  

But once I got to using a smart phone, then the ipad didn't frighten me, and in order to stay in touch with my kids, I would have to hold my nose and text rather than hear their voices.  No kid minds texting mom in a bar, when he isn't likely to have a conversation when out in public.  I've learned a lot from my kids, mostly not to be afraid of technology, and I bet Mike and the rest of the band members do the same.  So, I thank my kids.  I bet Mike thanks his kids for having him keep up with progress.   ;)

I don't think people who are in the mind to defend Mike see much need for defending Brian..... Certainly not on this board, at least. We have threads here entitled "In Praise Of Brian" .... There's no lack of praise or defense for Brian.... Mike, however, is a different story.

I agree that it's fantastic these guys are embracing such things as these Q&A's... Anyone dissing Brian is coming from a position of ignorance to the man, therefore I can only merely feel sorry for them.

You could run security and ensure the questions don't get too OSD/SBish!

(http://i.imgur.com/IKLco8j.jpg)

Yes, I can see it... A Club Kokomo ReEducation room.

(http://dudespaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/clockworkorange1.jpg)

"Wrinkles, I'll see you on the other side..."

do we know when the video is being posted?

:lol :lol :lol

I feel all alone on wanting to watch Mike's Q&A??

You won't be.  Everyone will watch it, some just so they can then make fun of it.  The usual stuff.

And, here it is…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-45duZ1Sq38&feature=youtu.be

It is sad, yet perfectly understandable, that the Comments section is preemptively disabled...

I luv the name of Mike's youtube channel. Loveforce1  :afro

OSD is fuming with rage  >:D

Took Mike about two and a half minutes to cheezily throw "fun fun fun" and "good vibrations" into a sentence.

The same sentence, mind you.

Love this guy, he is just incredible.  :lol

heh...Mike totally sidesteps the question about where he'd rank Summer in Paradise among the other albums and just talks about the eco-friendly message of the title track.

Also love that this guy Wink does the whole hhhhhh-what and hhhhh-where thing when he says those words. However, I do have to say he does have a great radio voice. And I'm totally unfamiliar with any of his work.

And now i'll stop making these stupid  on-the-go comments! Sorry...

Is it weird for me to think it's weird when Mike peacefully and happily talks about writing songs with Al Jardine, the guy who feels that Mike's recent actions were equivalent to firing him?

It would be nice for me to not think that is weird, and I truthfully desire to think it is not weird...but I think I'd have to pull an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and remove the knowledge of that from my head in order for it not to actually be weird to me.

I'm happy to see that he was asked a couple of my questions. Nice surprise!

So I finally finished watching it. A lot of predictable throwaway crap questions. But I did enjoy the thing about his solo material. Although he's really kidding himself if he thinks an unreleased 1980s Mike Love/Adrian Baker song is gonna get placement in any kind of movie. And I felt it was kinda like that he brushed off the Looking Back with Love question saying how they were "reviewing all this stuff" or whatever. That excuse will work for all the unreleased stuff, but hey Mikey, that one was actually released! No need to assess anything about it besides whether you want it out there or not. And it seems from the way he brushed it off that he does not want it out there, hah!

It also seems to me that a new album from him still seems kinda unlikely. I guess we will see though.

"Fun fun fun" and "Good Vibrations" in the first 2 minutes...classic!   8)

I guess that's Mike's Shortenin' Bread riff. His go-to, way overused standby. Somebody needs to stitch together interview clip footage of the cheesy song references. It would probably run longer than the BW Shortenin' Bread riff compilation mix on Youtube.

Bruno Mars on Wild Honey, he wants. And a young artist on Darlin'. Gee what a good idea, huh?

I like when they opened saying "good to be back" even tho Mike hired him to do this... he made sure to mention meeting the Beatles in India, thankfully. Phew!

Surely his statements about the staying power of electronica will ignite a firestorm! Other than that and a mention of Amy Winehouse that made me wonder if he knew she was dead, pretty dull stuff for so such a long running time. Thin, watery gruel.

I learned nothing new. Nothing. I want my 45 minutes back.

Yeah. It took me less time to read through Brian's three q&a's in the last month and not learning anything new either. I think it's pretty obvious by now that these sessions will be hardly revealing to the initiated. Perhaps if some of those fans who find fault in pretty much everything ML says or does, had contributed some questions, he would have answered them. I think it's great that these guys are reaching out to the fans in this way, and the fact that this guy made a 45-min production of the answers must not go overlooked.

^^ True.

I don't know, nothing too revelatory but I thoroughly enjoyed the interview.  I hope he does another one sometime soon.

"How does the great [sic!] album SIP rank among all the other albums?"

"I used to chase butterflies with a friend of mine [...] so I've had a lifelong sensitivity to the environment. Not only mankind but.. other forms of life. So... SIP encapsulates those feelings in the song."


(http://i.imgur.com/K5aUIBx.gif)

Well, it was a nice, relaxed interview and I think it's great that Mike took so much time to do it. It didn't yield anything new, but as with the Brian Q&A's, I didn't really expect it to. Both cases were efforts to reconnect with fans through the internet, nothing more.

Wink Martindale certainly sounds like an old school radio guy in this, and that's not a bad thing.

Apparently, a Lava Lamp makes a room a "vibe room." :D

I was glad to see Mike avoiding the old "Brian/Carl/Dennis did drugs" mantra during his discourse about T.M. Maybe he's finally realized he doesn't have to hammer on that to make his point. Instead, he rightfully related it to his own dabbling in marijuana, which is the right approach. "I was about to be pulled into drugs, but found a better way," is much more compelling and less judgmental sounding than "My cousins did drugs and I didn't."

He gave Brian his due credit without puffing himself up too much or mentioning Kokomo, "The hit that Brian didn't write." I liked the way he took his due credit for writing lyrics and hooks without some of the defensiveness  we've previously seen. Mike has made significant contributions to popular music. He needs to own those without comparing himself to the Beatles or Cousin Bri, and he did that here.

All in all, Mike came across quite well in this. He needs more of this kind of PR and  fewer contentious sounding interviews. Of course, in this kind of format, he could avoid any questions he didn't want to answer, but he came off well.

Of course, we still got the whole "Positivity and fun" angle. And, that's fine. I just wish he also understood the importance of introspection in music. He realizes how that "haunting" melody Brian wrote for "The Warmth of the Sun" had emotional impact. Maybe he'll one day realize that songs like "Summer's Gone" are OK too.

Wink Martindale is not a very good interviewer.  I've heard enough about Mike Love and TM and India, and kind of disappointed that Mike didn't acknowledge that SIP was not one of their better albums.  I guess Mike really likes SIP, which I thought was largely awful.

Is there something medically wrong with his throat? The man sounds raspy, hoarse and frankly, not well. He also appears a bit feeble in his general composure. Just sayin'.

Wink read the fans questions, primarily. What question did you contribute? The forum was open for questions like for ten days.

Bummer! Not that this is a big deal to anyone but me, but I posted the very first post in the Vibe Room which was nothing more than a greeting and compliment of some of my favorite songs by Mike. It has been erased from history. :( At least I can't find it.

Heh, I thought I posted the very first post as well which has also been scrubbed.

It would be a great companion piece to the video someone edited together of all the "Wheeeeennnnnn" from "Be True To Your School."

YES PLEASE! :-D

Hey, Mike answered my question! And I learned something from it: Mike apparently wrote "Everyone's in Love With You" in 1968.

Mike really seems to get into the questions about TM - it's really interesting to hear him talk about things past his usual interview quotes.

Not surprised that these guys hang onto song for years. Wasn't there that thing about "I'm Waiting for the Day" being copyrighted in 1964?

I couldn't find the answer to any of the questions. Is this on the Vibe Room or something else?

I was hoping there'd be weirder screen names for Wink to say.  Would've been great with that classic 50's radio voice:  "And now a question from RottenApplez420..."

 :lol

Still, the interview allowed us to hear Mike speak the actual words "smoke weed", which I don't think I've ever heard him say before. So at least there's that.

Very true.  I was surprised to hear him say that. 

Wink: "...or as we called them in my day: jazz cigarettes!"

I would very, very much like to know what it was like to hang out with a stoned Mike Love.

I'd like to picture him singing "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen", and then cracking up.

I think a little more weed would've done him good.

I imagine this is taken from the name of the touring band's private plane

I think it's still there….
http://mikelove.com/viberoom/topic/hello/

Nothing too mindblowing or revealing in this chat, but definitely one of the nicer video interviews of Mike on  YouTube. "Wink" didn't really ask any hard-hitting questions, and Mike avoided directly answering more than one question, but it's always cool to hear from one of the old dudes who is The Beach Boys.


Of course there's the usual douchers who talk a bunch of crap because it's Mike Love, but those same people would be all knob-slobbering all over a similar fan question based interview with Brian Wilson and his short, non-engaged, wishing he was anywhere else in the world answers.


Looking forward to more in the future. Mike AND Brian should be doing this kind of thing on at least a monthly basis.


Getting Alan, David & Bruce to do something similar would also be quite engaging, and a wonderful thing for the fans.

I have to admit, this is absolutely true.

I don't understand then, why you'd even want an interview from both every month. To say nothing of the fact that expecting such a thing in the first place is unrealistic and selfish.

Personally, I just want to know the truth about subjects like Smiley, Adult/Child, SIP etc from anyone in the know who'd be willing to answer. Ideally Brian could tell us everything (except regarding SIP) but he can't or won't. And Mike either doesn't know or would rather stick to talking up his own achievements (namely the hits, and Kokomo and meeting the Beatles)

If Bruce or Al could give a comprehensive look at Smiley behind the scenes, and SIP in Bruce's case, that'd be great. It seems like Al's memory is kinda faulty though. And Bruce, being Mike's right hand man probably won't open up about SIP. Ah well.

A friendly soft ball interview session with those who are willing to do one is nice. I'm still hoping for more nitty gritties on the unspoken parts of the story. I hope Mike and/or Brian divulge the goods in their books but I remain skeptical of that as well.

I didn't watch this interview. Didn't feel like joining another forum to ask if Brian ever shared any plans for SMiLE's tracklist with the guys, if Mike ever heard the Psychedelic Sounds skits (and what he thought, and if Brian ever tried to get the Boys to rerecord any of them for the album) as well as any general memories of making Smiley, what Brian was like during those sessions and any amusing anecdotes about the recording of that bizarre album. Sounds like my questions wouldn't have been answered anyway so I'm glad I didn't waste my time. I just wish someone who was there could fill in these gaps instead of going over the well-trodden hit-making years and Landy situation for the millionth time.

Mujan, I definitely don't think your questions would have been answered  ;D, but they're the same kind of questions I would like to have been answered in a Q&A, which is why I think all surviving members of the early Beach Boys group should do one or more on the reg(ular).


Sure, this first "Vibe  Room" session was mostly fluff questions and answers without a lot of new insights, but it's always nice to hear straight from these people horses' mouths.... And if they happened every week or two, or once every month or two, you could almost guarantee there would be some golden nuggets of info in all the fluff.


I didn't join the Vibrator Room to ask Mike a question, but I still watched/listened to the whole Wink&Mike video, because these folk aren't going to be around forever, and it's cool to hear their opinions on certain times/songs.


I'm sure if it gets brought up enough, we could hear Mike's opinion on something like Adult/Child, or at least H.E.L.P. Is On The Way, or similar, since Mike sang lead on that one.... Just gotta participate, and hope it's not just a one time fan interview thing for Mike. The more POSITIVE interest that's shown, the more likely we are to get another opportunity to ask Mike or Brian a new round of questions to be answered by them.


It's like the lottery... Can't win if you don't play. And the less people that play, the less likely we are to have big winners, and the less likely we are to ever hear Brian or Mike talk about Adult/Child or that drugged out Smile/Smiley Smile period.

True. Problem with SMiLE/Smiley is it was such a bad time for them both. Mike was ashamed and jealous about being sidelined. Brian was crazy stressed-out, burned-out and ashamed he failed to finish it. Since Mike is so anti-drug now, he probably doesn't want to admit to any wild Smiley happenings. It was probably a murky and defeating time for Brian too. Even Mike seems embarrassed by SIP and probably wishes he never made it in hindsight. So while this stuff is fascinating to us, it's embarrassing for them. Bruce and Al seem to have less of an ego/agenda as Mike and have less "mental haze" to sift through than Brian, but I don't think they remember too well or were too involved in the planning of such projects either. So they probably couldn't give us too many details *or* big picture insights.

 

Well, there was significant drooling recently over an insignificant interview such as this:
http://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/musicians/brian-wilson-interview-talks-60s-sound-of-no-pier-pressure-and-why-love-mercy-brought-back-a-lot-of-scary-memories

Well it was Wink being Wink and Mike being Mike, so good to go in my opinion. This is the way Q&A ought to go with all of them participating. They should do it with an interviewer of their choice, who they are comfortable with, and just talk guided by the submitted Qs. Much better than typed answers or media interviews imo.

Relaxed and personable, which is what in needed to be. Nicely put together too, the 2 camera setup looks great. The Warmth Of The Sun question that I couldn't remember if I asked or not got answered too - although by someone else I think!

I wouldn't bet that any more interviews in the future would get any better than this.  Without a knowledgeable fan actually sitting there and doing the interview---we'll never get the insights we're looking for.  Wink isn't going to know how to follow up a question about Smile or Summer In Paradise which is obviously understandable.  He's just there reading whatever that was submitted. 

But if these interviews gives us any idea about what to expect from Mike's book....well....  :-\

Ok, I found the YouTube link with Mike answering questions.  Very cool! Although,  they didn't answer my question about the white robe and his thoughts on Gary Usher,  Roger Christian and Jack Reiley.  Still a very enjoyable interview.

Wonder what high Al would be like too?

High Al I feel like I have a slight idea of, since I've seen a late 60s/early 70s picture or two with a very stoned look on his face. Big, big ass patented Jardine grin.

haha that sounds like our Al alright. 



Can we get this Wink on the next video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZnLISwUwHo

Like Al, is my guess.

This was a nice interview. It wasn't particularly enlightening, but there was nothing unpleasant to hear either. If anything, it was slightly boring because of the lack of revelations, but that's forgivable.  A couple of thoughts:

-- Asked about POB, Mike talked about his lyrics and then took a turn into talking about environmental songs. He didn't express any thoughts about Dennis' work on the album. Based on some of his other comments (like his comment on In the Back of My Mind), he's not really into raw, emotional, introspective songs, so I guess that makes sense.

--He again emphasized the positivity of the Beach Boys' catalog (and Wink added "No message songs, just fun songs"), which ignores the aspect of the music that captivated a lot of the fans-- the sense of longing, the melancholy, the expression of insecurities and uncertainties, etc.

--I was pleased that he didn't say anything negative about today's music.  In fact, he had nice things to say about Adele, Katy Perry , and Amy Winehouse. When asked why today's music doesn't stay on top of the charts for as long as it did in the 60s, he mentioned changes in radio, which I think is a big part of it.

I think there was a definite sense of 'if you can't say something nice...' about it, but it didn't seem to forced.

Wink did a great job in my opinion, but then I've always been a sucker for that old-school professional broadcaster style.

Sorry to disappoint.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/entertainment/arts/2015/03/11/beach-boys-mike-love-opens-career-life/70161422/

Listen to Smiley Smile?

Annnd… he's back.

I don't get why he is still hung up on the drug use, BW has been clean for decades and Carl was too before his death. Mike needs to look in the mirror as a TM addict in a cult before trashing his cousin plus his deceased brothers. Mike is bitter and petty joke when he talks like this.

Smile Brian - if you check YouTube there is a clip with Cal Saga where this is fully discussed with the band, and the full agreement of the BB children whose parents are now "deceased or unavailable" for some of those years as a direct result of drugs and alcohol.  They agreed with Mike as to the price they paid.  If they didn't disagree, why would you?

TM ( in a non-religious context) is now being used for mindfulness in schools, some forty years after its' introduction to the West by many musicians, including The Beatles. 

It is great when people are in recovery.  Things are now much  better.  And we celebrate it, (I do, anyway) especially when we get to see Brian, onstage, with a beautifully rebuilt life, and some of us waited decades to witness that. 

Maybe Mike wants to use this experience as a cautionary tale, so that young people don't fall prey to the pitfalls that often accompany the business and artists get sucked into by predatory managers or promoters who exploit and attempt to control.  It's part of the dark side of the industry and the artists often paid the price. It is part of the reason MusicCares now exists; to give support to artists and musicians.  They didn't have that support back then, and transparency for industry charlatans. 

How many great artists and musicians died? Almost too many to count. Thank God Brian survived.

It's pretty cheesy to blame other people for "your biggest regret," tho. Does he actually think he's never done anything regrettable?

I guess so.

Especially when he's already mentioned his cousins doing drugs earlier in the interview. I guess he needed to underline it.

Exactly.

Avoiding answering the actual question much?

Can you imagine any other band member in this group, if asked the same question, consistently mentioning Mike Love and his actions as *their own* biggest regret? It's absolutely, positively laughable.

It's like Mike's baseball cap of answers.

So damn well said from Ontor and CD! 8)

Thanks SB. Just speaking the truth! It's not like Shawn would be the biggest regret or anything. His cousins doing drugs is for more regrettable, because of course it is absolves him of actually having to cop to anything personal, anything the question actually asked, whatsoever.

Ontor - my impression is that when they do the tributes the biggest regret is that they (Dennis and Carl) are not there, for whatever reason.

I'm sure the deceased members are missed, and I'm sure Mike legitimately believes it is regrettable that they have passed away.

However, this argument really falls apart when you consider the living members who have been squeezed out of the situation (despite the complex set of BRI circumstances which allowed it to happen, which nobody has to be reminded about as a way of deflecting the truth of the matter). Ironically, it's mighty unlikely that Mike would have the level of power he does today if they were still with us, so while their absence from this earth is surely something he regrets as a human being, I can imagine their absence from the standpoint of not being able to voice opposing opinions to the band's direction is NOT something he much regrets, anymore than any "regret" that Brian and Al are missing from the stage, and are unable to stop Mike from doing anything he wants to do, barring some excruciating legal maneuvering which will probably never happen.

Of course Mike misses them. Wouldn't the life of that band have been easier without the succession of predators who were in charge and the substances, including tobacco?  Wouldn't things be easier if they were alive? Of course.

Whatever power Mike has, comes with legal boundaries set forth by BRI. If the shareholders were not happy, this wouldn't be happening.  This could change but only "by agreement of the parties."

We don't vote. We only opine.

First, it is answer to two different question. Second, I guess he should call you fellas first so you can tell him his thoughts and feelings.  ::)

Why would he do that? We have you to tell us that. Tell us Mike's biggest regret, would you? That doesn't involve other people doing drugs. Talk and/or discuss.

He told you.

I think the point is that one's regrets tend to be about personal decisions not about other people's personal decisions. Even the google search for the dictionary definition turned up these synonyms:

feel contrite about, feel remorse about/for, be remorseful about, repent (of), feel repentant about

These imply a certain sense of personal guilt over personal actions.

Not really. He dodged the question and rephrased his answer to a previous question. Most people's greatest regrets involve mistakes they've made or things they wish they didn't do. I guess Mike has transcended all that and is a perfect being free of such petty human errors. Remorse? Bah! The f*cker can levitate. What could he possibly have done to feel repentant about?

It'd just be refreshing to see the guy fess up to making a mistake or two, acting a little out of line once, getting drunk at an awards show, that kind of thing. Rather than pointing out once again that his cousins did drugs decades ago.

Amen. A substantial part of why there is a great deal of well-documented frustration towards the man, to put it mildly, is because he never publicly admits to doing anything wrong. And I mean ever. It's always somebody else who takes the fall. I should add that it drives me crazy to know people who are like that in general, it's not exclusive to Mike by any means. That's one of the worst traits a person can have.

The refusal to admit any faults is borderline insane on Mike's part. Just admit some faults and be human for once.

It seems to me he answered that he really doesn't have a regret about his life and career.

And posters here, get to be his judge?

Which is astounding. I should also note that this conversation is happening at the same time as the thread titled, "Did Landy ever realize he did anything wrong?" Not to say that Mike ever did anything on the scale of Landy but the inability to recognize anything about your own actions in your entire life that you hadn't done is just completely bizarre to me.

Its easier for him to TM his way out of any human feelings or behavior.  >:D

Maybe Mike knows more about his life and career than you think you do.

Seriously, do you really truthfully believe that is true? Even you must admit that it is surely just a quick go-to answer because he doesn't want to discuss anything personal. And you can feel that this is a perfectly acceptable way for Mike to be, but let's at least call it for what it is: avoidance. Nobody has no personal regrets. I don't buy it, and I don't really think that in your heart of hearts you actually buy it either.

I'm quite certain he does. What does this have to do with anything I said?

As long as he's tactful, I think Mike should absolutely mention that his cousins did drugs and they paid heavy for doing so. He had first hand experience of seeing it up close and saw how it can wreck your life. So as a tale of caution it certainly has it's worth - BUT the question at hand was clearly about any regrets Mike had about what HE had done throughout his life, so to dodge it and turn back to be about the Wilsons was to use his own phrase "chickenshit".

This: "... the inability to recognize anything about your own actions in your entire life that you hadn't done is just completely bizarre to me."

He said drugs wasn't his biggest regret. He said it had the biggest impact on their lives.

TT: “What is the biggest regret you have for about your career and life?”

ML: “It’s not a regret, but the biggest thing that impacted our lives is drugs."

However, the question WAS about regret. You would think, having reached his 70s, he would be a bit more self-reflective instead of turning it around to be about other people's choices. He certainly wasn't asked about drugs...he brought it up. And he didn't have to. It's just that while the Wilson brothers did do drugs, stating that over and over needlessly simplifies things. Drugs didn't directly contribute to the BBs decline, did it? Carl didn't die from drugs. And Brian also has issues with mental health that may have exacerbated his drug issues. Plus (and this may be more on the interviewer than on Mike), there is no mention of the Wilsons other than that. What you get from this interview about the Beach Boys is that John Stamos is worthy of a paragraph, while the Wilsons are worthy of a caution about drug use.

I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask all of you to leave The Vibe Room.

I was thrown out by Bruce. :lol

He was asked about his "career AND life".

I don't know why I comment on Mike threads. Mike is Mike. He's not introspective, and he doesn't seem to recognize or try to improve upon his own faults--at least, not openly. He just recognizes faults in other people and how they impacted him. That's just how he is. He was never going to say, "One thing that maybe wasn't such a great idea is all the lawsuits. Maybe I should have dialed that back in the interest of family harmony." Or you know, "Maybe that TV movie wasn't so fair to Brian." Or even, "You know, I don't have regrets. We all have flaws, but I'm not going to lay the blame on anyone, because it's in the past." He's just not that kind of person.

It annoys me, because I tend to measure people on how they try to make up for mistakes they've made. And everyone has made mistakes, and everyone can be better. But that's just Mike. Just like Brian won't become a loquacious interviewee. That's just Brian. To me, Mike's lack of growth (sorry) and self-reflection makes him seem unlikable. But hey, maybe he goes to therapy and hashes all this stuff out and totally reflects on how he can improve himself. Who are we to know?

I would be extraordinary surprised if Mike has ever attended therapy, except perhaps the brief early 70s incident where he totally lost it.
He's just not the type of person for a LOT of things.

What incident is that?  What happened?

His own multiple marriages, relationships and casualties associated along the way should at least be worth a mention rather than the usual "drugs, alcohol and Manson' line for his cousins IMO.

Well, in that quotation I didn't presume that I knew anything about Mike Love other than the fact that he's not an alien. So, again, I fail to see how the remark is relevant. I did make an error in that sentence that you quote though in that for some reason I said "that you hadn't done" when I meant "that you wish you hadn't done" (a consequence, I'm afraid, of typing out my messages very quickly). If that's the source of confusion, I apologize.

I'm referring to when Mike fasted and had some sort of breakdown in 1970. 

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php?action=printpage;topic=9157.0

I just wanna know one thing. With 2169 posts under your belt, I can tell you've posted here for quite awhile. So who (what alias) were you before, Chocolate Shake Man? I know you're not hiding behind a new or second alias.  Just curious - don't be offended!

No I took it you were referring to Mike and presuming he had done something wrong and had an inability to regret it which you found bizarre?  My apologies if I misunderstood you.

It seems I won't get a response to my query to you, because (much like the topic at hand), there's avoidance going on here. A person practicing avoidance while defending another chronic avoider.  Heaven forbid, but if Mike had inadvertently directly caused a car crash by speeding, resulting in someone's death, and he continued in subsequent interviews with the "no regrets" stance, you'd also probably continue with your unwavering belief that he actually has no personal regrets, right? That's the next logical step.

The thought that he surely does have personal (non Wilson drug-related) regrets, maybe even (50) big ones, but just refuses to talk about them and intentionally distracts from the question being posed to him is just not ever possible to you, huh?  ::) It's his right to do that, but let's be real here, and not bury our heads in the sand and actually believe that it's anything but that.

Exactly. That's my one real complaint with him. I could forget everything else if he just acted a bit more humbly and self-awareness for once. His hardcore defenders on here too, if you would just give an *inch* and admit that the man isn't perfect it'd go a long way.

Mike must be a huge fan/admirer of The Fonz, who also can't ever say he's sorry or wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwkU8-d1gIk

Maybe Mike can work in a Fonz tribute and sing "Fonz, Fonz, Fonz" for a few shows.  ;D

I don't know. You read the same thing I did. Why don't you ask him on his next Q & A instead of speculating something beyond his words?

So you think when he basically admitted he'd been an alcoholic at one point, he wasn't saying there was anything wrong with that?

He's clearly not going to answer any questions he doesn't want to answer, because he will just say the same responsibility-avoiding/Wilsons-were-druggies stuff we've heard him say for decades. But good job at avoiding my question I posed to you once again. You've learned well from Doctor Love.

I do believe he's done some things wrong, yes, since he is a human being. I don't know if he has an inability to regret it. It was actually you who made the assumption about what Mike believes when you argue that his answer suggests that he "doesn't have a regret about his life and career." If that is the case, and you are the one making it, then maybe it's possible that he does have "an inability to regret" the wrong things that he's inevitably done. But I'm not the one making presumptions here (unless assuming that Mike has done regretful things is a presumption, in which case it would also be a presumption that he breathes air).

Do you. "It seems to me he answered that he really doesn't have a regret about his life and career."  It seems to me like an interpretation rather than an assumption or a presumption.

That's a pretty awesome interview I have to say. I love this question and answer (emphasis is mine):

TT: "What is the biggest regret you have for about your career and life?"

ML: "It's not a regret, but the biggest thing that impacted our lives is drugs. ... Other than that, I can't complain. Last year we did 142 shows and we've traveled the world and had great success. There's way more positive things to be appreciative of with our group than negatives, that's for sure."

It's like having a job review, and they ask you to name something you could have done better, and your answer is "I'm kind of upset that other people are such a***oles to me."

I'm willing to give Mike the benefit of the doubt and take note of the fact that like folks like McCartney, he gets asked a lot of the same questions, and he's pre-programmed to give the same answers. Like "What did you have lunch for today?" "Transcendental meditation." Or "What's your favorite track from the 70's?" "Well, one we wrote about a decade after the 70s was 'Kokomo'."

Anyway, I get it, it's easy to go into autopilot on these interviews, especially if it's a quickie interview, probably on the phone, riding to a gig or something. But c'mon man, does it really have to so often be something so negative about *other* people, especially when it cost at least one of them the ultimate price of their lives, while one of them has picked up their life pretty well all things considered? You can't start an answer with something utterly negative (not to mention that the whole drug issue with members of the band is pretty well an "asked and answered" sort of issue at this stage), and then immediately go into "Mr. Positivity" mode.

In these interviews, it reminds me a lot of college. Someone would be asked about a certain specific aspect of a book we were reading, and they would clearly not be familiar with whatever was being asked (whether plot details or themes or the style of criticism), so they would talk at length, but just about something *else* that they *were* familiar with.

Ironically, college professors are apparently much better at catching onto this stall-and-divert tactic that some interviewers are.  :lol

I didn't watch this particular interview. What exactly did he say?

I answered your question, it was "I don't know". Whatever Mike may or may not do wouldn't keep you from asking if you are interested in an answer. He will know, I don't.

Do I what? Believe he's done some things that might be considered regrettable? Of course! Who on earth hasn't?


Fair enough. But wouldn't you say that when there are people on here who are saying he's avoiding the question that they are interpreting as well?

Well, I mean, drugs totally f***ed up that side of his family. All three of the Wilson brothers used drugs, and two of them eventually died because of it. Smoking/nicotine killed Carl, and alcohol led to the end of Dennis' life. Brian is still alive, thankfully, but drug use has changed him and the band never recovered after Smile - and his condition only continued to get worse throughout the 70s. Look, I know he talks about their drug use a lot, but that guy witnessed first-hand some pretty terrible things happen to his family as a result of the drugs they used. 

Take, for example, Harry Nilsson and John Lennon. They were great friends in the 70s, until John was shot and killed in 1980. From that point on, Harry began advocating against guns and gun violence and personally appeared in a commercial that spoke out against such things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8MyMKkjEaw. Like Mike, Harry is speaking about something that took away someone he loved. You might say that Harry made more of an effort, but Mike has continued to speak plainly about how drugs affected his family.

Personally, I understand why he continues to talk about it.

Agreed. And Team Love is always complaining about "Wilson – based negativity"? Hmm...
There's quite a lot of Love – based negativity, unfortunately. Even if inadvertent, it's very negative to bring the stuff up and throw his cousins under the bus for the umpteenth time.

.

Thanks, GV33 - got the info earlier. Glad you deleted your post; not sure he'd want it known by the general populous.  :)

Yea, my thoughts exactly.  Didn't want to cause any unnecessary crap, or invade someone's privacy.

Oh -- was that in reference to me? Sorry, I missed Mikie's original post asking who I was!

Appreciate you not revealing without consent! But tis all good: I am rockandroll

Sorry for the confusion - I didn't change it for that purpose, just wanted to claim ownership over the nickname that I invented several months ago before someone else did!

Mike seems to have distilled and tempered his rap about the Beachboys and his career.    I hear nothing really new here but rather a consolidation or distillation of his general rap but here with less of the abrasive ness or resentment he has sometimes expressed over the years.    I like Mike but I would like to hear more on a deeper level than what is expressed here.   I hope his upcoming bio  has more pith and depth.   MORE PITH!

I bet Brian would give the same answer: drugs

I wonder if all of them, living and passed, wouldn't give the same answer.

As in his own drug use or someone else's?

Guys, please please please stop arguing with Cam. He's an ideologue. He has absolutely no intention of giving up once inch. He is not going to listen to reasoned argument. You'd have better luck trying to get OSD to tell us his favorite Mike vocal. It ain't gonna happen. I also think it's funny that certain people on this board get so worked up about people like OSD and SMiLEBrian, but they let this thing spew his indefensible nonsense.

But anyways, I do know of somebody who reminds me a lot of Cam. You know, unwilling to give an inch, living in an alternate reality. Actualy, I think I got it. Perhaps Cam is actually this guy.

(http://aattp.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/AATTP-Ted-Cruz1.jpg)

I'm sure a Mod is going to jump in here any second.

His own and maybe both.

I find that there is sometimes too much argumentative posts here. I love the informative posts particularly from those members in the know but I get a little frustrated with some comments and arguments. This seems to be particularly evident when the subject of Mike Live is brought up. I have no strong sentiments for or against him. As a lead singer, he was marvellous. His bass background vocals were brilliant. He was a great lyricist for Brian's melodies. On the negative side, I found and still find his stage presence and particularly his chats between songs somewhat cornie and embarrassing. Poor Mike seems to be the Yoko Ono of the Beach Boys ( without the horrible High pitched warbles). I don't tend to contribute much here. I only recently joined but I have been  lurking here for years.
i love the bb's since I first heard Surfin' Safary on the radio when it was first released. I bought the single the next day and I still have that disk. I was14. I have just about everything that they have released and some things that they didn't.
I have been lucky to have seen them in concert when I was a teen ( with Glen subbing for Brian). I've been equally blessed to have seen the Smile concert in Montreal and most recently Brian's last Calgary concert. I wish that we could be a little more civilized here. Everyone has a right to their opinion but ............let us respect the opinions ...

Is this one of those deals like in old movies where the girl (you) is all angry and jealous and obsessed with a boy (me) because she (you) is secretly in love with him (me) but his (my) heart belongs to another (Mike)?  Aaaaawwwwwww, that's so cute.

That's your perception, my perception is Mike throws the drugs under the bus for the umpteen thousanth time. But maybe you're right, I'm far from being infallible.

When I listen to MiC disc 4 and skip forward from WIBNTLA to I Bet He's Nice, I do wish Dennis had taken to meditation instead of cocaine, alcohol, and smoking. His voice would have kept up better and he might still be alive. I'm not saying "damn Dennis, that stupid fool", I'm saying "so sad what drugs did to this very deep and sensitive person".



I'm pretty sure I did read an interview where Brian did exactly that.

Yep, you got it right Ted. That's exactly what it is. And following that logic, Andrew Doe must have a mucho man crush on Old Surfer Dude.

Maybe we could double date. (batting my eyes your way)

I agree with you that Mike is throwing drugs under the bus… But by doing that he is also repeatedly throwing his cousins under the bus, all while building himself up in a self – aggrandizing way. I've seen few celebrities pat themselves on the back more than Mike (can anyone name more than a few?), so it's pretty obvious that that is just a part of who he is and what he does. It almost seems like it has become his go – to thing to keep harping about, because it fulfills all those things/makes all those points simultaneously. It diminishes the Wilsons, builds him up to look better than them, and all the while he gets to make an actual, legitimate message about drugs being bad, which is inarguably true to some degree.  

Case in point... The infamous lifestyles of the rich and famous video, starting around 3:30.

While it's basically established that that this was recorded at a low point in the Love – Wilson relationship, around 1990, it's hard to watch this and not think there was any ill – will or patting himself on the back when you watch it. It just comes off as extremely snarky, and I don't think I'm imagining it. And I don't see how this is particularly different then all the current day interviews he gives mentioning Wilson drug use. Maybe this is just a little bit worse in terms of the tone and context in which he brings it up. But again, the context of bringing it up this time around (in the current interview) is similarly inappropriate, to use the term that Carl liked to use.

http://youtu.be/dlL7-j-IvVA

He only cares about the drug use as a reason to trash the wilsons and be superior than them. Nevermind that BW saved him from a career of pumping gas in Hawthorne.

 I was shocked he managed to get through the Wink interview without this rant, he wasn’t able to keep it to himself for long was he?

 It's not just the drug use he'll use as a hammer, he'll go on about BW being "controlled" by prescription drugs. Because of course, going to India and listening to some guru drone on for a few hundred thousand makes him more qualified than doctors and stuff. If only Dr. Love were in charge of Brian's health, he'd be ever so much more productive and healthy. He'd write so much more commercial music...

 There was another crackpot who never had any regrets who wanted to force him to be in a room with him to write songs, wasn't there... no not Joe Thomas!

Does he even get what Brian's been through and appreciate he's in a much better place now? C'mon fact fans and interview hounds, dig up some magnanimous interview where Mike expresses gratitude to BW's doctors and family for helping him through some bad years and getting productive again. f*cker finished Smile! Surely that's worth the kind of paragraph this guy ladles on Stamos. "That Lucky Old Sun" may not be on the level of "Full House," but it's pretty neat "Cousin Brian" is able to pull off such work without TM. I guess it doesn't really help Mike's narrative that BW is happy and productive on PRESCRIPTION DRUGS (shock horror!) and without memorizing a corny mantra. Brian's recovery doesn't even make it into these rants, for Mike Love the guy was ruined by drugs end of story. No triumphant last act and redemption, no surging strings in the background....

Mike will never (or rarely) mention those things (Brian finishing SMiLE, TLOS, etc), because those things do not have the dual effect of praising Mike Love. He almost never mentions something good about just Brian and/or the situation/lifestyle Brian is currently in; things which don't involve Mike Love. Nearly everything Mike Love says has to have some dual way of coming back to making Mike Love look better, either in a direct or subliminal way. Even when asked about Pacific Ocean Blue as a whole, Mike's answer focused solely on his own (relatively minimal) contributions to the album, when that wasn't even part of the Wink-ster's question! I wonder what would have happened if Wink asked Mike about Al's solo album. I suppose Mike would say he hasn't heard it, but if he had heard it, he'd probably solely talk about writing the original lyrics for the Help Me Rhonda remake, and not mention anything else.  Amiright? ::)  I don't expect anyone to refute that.

I don't see how people can see this as being anything *but* off-putting behavior, unless the Kool-Aid is especially strong at Club Kokomo. And truthfully, I think the defenders deep down know this is lame behavior in general (not just Mike behavior, but human behavior), but just want to keep looking the other way simply because he's in their favorite band. And that's their prerogative. But that's the only real incentive to defend behavior like that. If he was the exact same guy who made terrible music and was never in the BBs, with the same-sized bank account and ego, nobody but nobody (except maybe people with a financial incentive) would defend these types of actions.

How could you possibly know what another human thinks? How could you know their motivation?

Mike surely didn't act superior with Cal Saga.

It appeared that Mike was pretty tight with them and they seemed on the same page as regards the toll that drugs had taken on them.  

What don't you get when the Wilson children appear to be on the same page, being fatherless for 30 years?

And from what I remember, I think that Mike's family had a business.  Almost no one pumps gas for a lifetime; it is a means to an end, like an education or path to being the station owner, or mechanic, who get big bucks for repairing cars.

Just sayin'  ;)

And, I get you don't like Mike.  That is fine, and your perogative.  Mike isn't Satan.  Someone else has that job. Satan.

Apologies for only pulling out those words from the quote, but they struck a chord with me. I'll open up about some of this and relate it to my feelings on the story.

There is something both uplifting and inspirational to the way history played out up to and including 2015. I'm repeating myself yet again, but rewinding to those years prior to, say, 1997-98, what were the odds in fans' minds of having the chance to buy tickets to see a Brian Wilson live tour, to purchase a string of new albums from Brian, and also to have Smile be presented both live and as a finished recording? I'd say slim to none.

And there it is, basically. By all assumptions and expectations, you could have counted the guy out, which many did. Let the past be the things we can go back to, assuming the excitement of something new in the works was lost to history. Yet look at the past 15 years, and what fans who would seek it out have had access to. Albums, tours, the works.

Here is a musician, again who many had written off by a certain point, who reduced grown, mature adults to tears in 2004 through the presentation of his music. Those at the first Smile premiere, including Van Dyke Parks himself, were overcome by the emotion of it. It was an accomplishment that was thought impossible. I wish I had been there - But from personal experience, when I did get an audience recording of the show, it was an experience where I put on the recording and those with me sat in stunned silence. I had to fight the emotions and pretend to have something in my eye to wipe away the tears numerous times...and this triggered by an audience recording of a show that had already happened.

I remember those low-bitrate preview samples of Smile that hit the web before the album came out. "In Blue Hawaii" came on, and I literally started to cry - tears of joy to the point I couldn't see the monitor. It was a culmination of many things, a feeling that something had been accomplished through many hardships and battles and personal demons and whatever else...and it was a triumph. I'm hearing music, I'm hearing dots connected that fans had wondered about for decades, how will all of this fit together? And here was the result, it was overwhelming.

And that was only a bad quality streaming preview, not even the real deal.

What else but music has that kind of power and effect over someone's emotions? Factor in the decades that led up to hearing that music, and the story-backstory took on as much of a role as the notion of having a finished album. Here was a guy who had gone through all sorts of hell and personal demons presenting this music which affected him to the core...yet he was putting it out there for us to experience. Man, that is powerful stuff for me.

That's where some of my strongest opinions in all of these issues may be rooted. I might see the big picture a little differently based on personal experiences and connections to the music. Not much hits me square in the gut like some of this music, and considering how bad things were and how much worse it could have been...that's the recovery and redemption part of the saga that really strikes a chord.

It's 2015 and fans are excited to be getting new music and a new tour from Brian. Again, consider all that led up to this point and how - had certain things happened a different way - we'd have none of it.

So I'm kind of disappointed in some ways that some of those feelings from a fan like me thousands of miles removed from any family connection can be so moved and inspired by this music and by the story, and yet when I read through interviews and topics like this, that pure joy and emotion and personal connection and even a feeling of "what a great ride it's been so far" doesn't come through.

I would say if interviews can't or don't give us an insight into what someone is thinking, then there's really no point in giving (or reading) interviews or even talking to each other. Seriously, anybody can be *thinking* anything. Some are simply more forthcoming (or transparent) than others, and even then, one never knows for sure what the truth is.

I've known people who talk like Mike does in many of these interviews. I'm not trying to be snarky when I say that I recognize it as a genuine trait. Some people, for whatever reason, are programmed to *NEVER* say something that can be turned around or in some way be interpreted as something negative about themselves. It's not coincidence that many people who are like this also don't realize how defensive it makes them sound; how it makes them sound like they are narcissistic and, in cases where they have nothing but negative things about *others* to make them look good, makes them sound overtly negative about others.

Some people can't just often say something positive about somebody else, and *nothing* else. It has to be qualified by either something equally negative about that somebody else, or something positive about themselves.

Sometimes it isn't even about positive things. Some people are narcissistic in the literal sense, that things have to revolve around them. We all know people like this. You tell them a story about something, and they HAVE to immediately relate it something about themselves. Sometimes this can be hilarious in its excess. "Yeah, so I'm feeling pretty crummy today, I had to do a pretty intense chemotherapy appointment." "Oh yeah, I know what you mean. I feel pretty crummy today too, my allergies are really bugging me today."

Mike clearly isn't programmed to just talk about others, especially other BB's, and he's even less prone to only talking about them and talking about positive, and only positive things. And again, I get it and sympathize to a certain degree. A lot of bad stuff DID happen because of drugs and alcohol, and those issues along with a myriad of other issues, I could easily see making it difficult for Mike to just edit that all out and talk about fluffy, rosey stuff. But you know what? A ton of other people can do it. The other BB's can do it. Al was subjected to drugs and alcohol impacting the band, and he has I'm sure countless political and personal BS tied into the half century of BB dealings. But he seems capable of giving and interview and being asked about Dennis' songwriting, or Brian's, or whatever, and just talking about those guys.


I don't think Carnie or Wendy Wilson still, decades later, bring up Brian's drug use consistently in many, many interviews. I've never seen Wendy or Carnie asked about their own personal regrets, and then skip over talking about themselves and start talking about Brian's past problems.

I was just watching the "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" documentary; hadn't watched it in a number of years. In those interviews from *over twenty years ago*, Carnie and Wendy seem more empathetic, and seem to have gotten over Brian's past problems more than Mike has in 2015, and I would argue they were more *personally* impacted by Brian's drug use than Mike ever was.

The BB's have lost one member specifically to drugs and alcohol. Carl's death could well have been related to smoking. Everyone else in the band is still alive and presumably clean (though most of them presumably still drink alcohol). Why does it still need to be brought up, *repeatedly*, and sometimes unprompted? I will grant that Mike and the rest of the band may well have known other friends and family through the years who have had drug and alcohol issues, but that doesn't really related to being asked specific questions about the band. I would also say that many other folks have had experiences with friends and family of this sort, especially when it comes to alcohol. There's a point at which, while not meaning to trivialize the subject, I have ask: Who is particularly saying drugs *aren't* bad? There's a point at which it's kind of a painfully obvious thing to mention. "What are your regrets about yourself?" "It's not a regret, but people taking drugs is bad." Really? When these interviews start turning to flogging the horse of decades-old drug use within the band, I actually start to miss the "set end date" interviews.

Things that Mike might regret that are actually ABOUT Mike and not his drug taking cousins.

Not wanting to do Monterey.
Not wanting to sign Three Dog Night to Brother.
Bringing his Guru to lecture at gigs in the late 60s.
Letting Murry screw him out of song writing credits.
Those mid-70s fashion statements.
Over fasting in 1970.
Getting married/divorced half a dozen times before finding Mrs Right.
THAT speech.
Letting his a$$hole of a brother into the family business.
Never making peace with Dennis before he died.

He doesn't really have anything else to talk about, sadly. He has no new music to promote, but seeks to have the steady IV drip of adulation and praise that he got accustomed to at a young age. IMO, Mike feels shortchanged and overlooked by his musical peers and public opinion at large. C'mon, its' plainly obvious, from myriad interviews...  I'd be SHOCKED if he didn't have private conversations with his closest intimates about feeling this way.  He's unfortunately become known as the Biff Tannen town bully of rock and roll. Whether this is a fair image or not, I think he's known that way to many people, and I think Mike absolutely, full well knows that many people feel that way about him. It's quite sad.  So it just became easy to mention drugs incessantly, even at inappropriate times, since the mentioning of drugs makes him look good, which is something he undoubtedly craves (which admittedly, is probably not an intentional thought-out "evil" plan, but just a natural thing that happens when it's brought up), and it gives also him a platform to preach about something which I am certain he legitimately feels very strongly about, too.

Someone else mentioned the Harry Nilsson connection, where Harry became deeply anti-gun after Lennon's death. I think it's true that a similar thing has happened with Mike, and I do think it's a valid comparison...but that said, the fact of the matter is that there are other ego/resentment factors additionally at play in this instance.

Did Mike ever talk so incessantly about drugs in interviews before Dennis' death? If Denny had cleaned up and Carl had never died, I wonder if he'd still go on and on as much these days. Probably yes, is my guess.

Nope, that one gets brought up all the time, because it's about wrongs perpetrated by Murry and Brian.

Mike's gripe on that one, as I've always said, is pretty much legit (aside from a few songs where one's definition of what constitutes a songwriting credit might vary).

That issue is like the drugs thing. It's a legit gripe. But it's a case of asked and answered. In fact, the songwriting case was even more firmly "righted"; Mike got his name on the songs. He won the suit. Brian offered no defense. Yet twenty years later he will still bring it up in interviews.

But it's funny, because if, say Al was still bitching and moaning in 2015 about the "Family & Friends" lawsuit or something, the folks who are so incredulous about these inflammatory Mike interviews would be crying foul, and calling sour grapes on Al and saying he needs to get over it.

Interviews aren't always candid and there are always "talking points" that are more or less scripted.  I didn't watch the interview or do either Q and A with either Brian or Mike.  There are usually predefined topics and that is fine.  Smile Brian made that statement and I expect him to defend it.  And not rely on someone else to do his defense.  We aren't here for a "Theories of Personality" psych class.  This is a music forum.  

Can we call someone out on ethics? Ya.  Like Landy? Ya, because there are professional boundaries that all the professions such as medicine and law are bound by, which one can look up, and fact check to see if they crossed the line.  That is fair game.  

Getting into someone's head is not fair game.  Trying to determine someone's motivation, in a criminal law context goes with the territory.  But the constant berating of certain band members defies logic, because they are all human beings with human behavior, which is inherently imperfect.  

There is plenty of good stuff to find in every human being.  We don't know how Mike is programmed.  We can only worry about how "we" are programmed.  It sort of goes along with that concept of "Let he/she who is perfect, cast the first
stone." It is hard to fathom that the music is so "parsed" like a political statement that the unity of it is missed, sort of like missing "the forest, for the trees." The beauty, as I see it, is in the way Brian "united" the voices in harmony.

Happy Friday! (The 13th) Hey Jude  :beer

Basically Brian (and Dennis and Carl, and fans/readers) are getting the "TPS Report" treatment from Mike about drugs.

(http://www.luminomagazine.com/mw/storyimages/1014_wide.jpg)

Brian, did you get that memo about how you took drugs decades ago?

(http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Fy3rjQGc6lA/0.jpg)

Um, yeah, Brian, so I heard you took drugs decades ago....

And of course, Al is in there somewhere too:

(http://www.luminomagazine.com/2004.03/spotlight/officespace/images/milton/milton1.jpg)

"I was told I was allowed to say I was a Beach Boy on my concert posters....."

I think sometimes someone needs to remind Mike of that when he's interviewed, and also reminded that "every human being" is not only himself.

 :lol
 :lol
 :lol

Who would Milton be in the BB Office Space universe?

And I'm the only one in this thread that is accused by name of being a Ted Cruz-like ideologue.  ::)  On page 10 in case anybody missed it.

Yes, please everyone, look it up! He is!

Is it essential to know who Ted Cruz is?

I assume it is.

But I don't understand why Cam took offense. I'm sure some of the posters on this board would take the Cruz comparison as a badge of honor.

I thought it was Phil Dunphy from Modern Family.

I prefer to think of myself as the Sarah Palin.

I can see how many people could see me as an ideologue now, I didn't believe most of the stuff I do now when I first came to the boards.

So now I'm still hearing the same old stuff I used to believe wayback then and don't believe any longer but some how I'm the ideologue.  ;D
 

What talking points made you change your mind?

I suppose independent study and guys like AGD and people who were terrorized or lurked on PSML.

Okay Ted. What major things did you change your mind on? That Brian called the end to SMiLE and willingly, maybe even excitedly made Smiley Smile, Wild Honey and Friends, despite public opinion? I could see maybe that.

But what else? That Mike has done nothing regrettable in his life. That Al Jardine is a "horrible little man" for this crazy idea that he should be able to play in his own band? Tell us Mr. Cruz, what have you learned?

I learned that Mike Love wrote kokomo (and Brian didn't), wrote the lyrics to Good Vibrations (and Brian didn't) and helped the Beatles write a song (and Brian didn't.)

And the I saw another interview and learned it again. 

Another interview...And i learned again.

Yet another interview...Yet again.

And again.

& again.

...again

...

People had their chance to post new and different questions for Mike and many, including those who complain that he is always asked the same questions, couldn`t be bothered.  It would have taken 2 minutes to do so and it speaks volumes that they decided against it.

How do you know you disagree with me if you don't know?

(cue C+C Music Factory) "Things that make you go 'hhhhmmmmm?'."

So you are an ideologist! So far I thought you were just someone with firm points of view. :-D

I meant I am hot and opinionated. ;)

Or it means you look like a tranny. Which is okay, to each his or her own.

I do enjoy throwing on a dress for the odd occasion. You know Halloween, Kiwanis skit, Say Yes To The Dress season premiere,...

Hey, me too. Doesn't seem fair that women can wear pants no problem but a man in a dress is still so taboo. I like a little breeze between the knees, y'know?


Nicko, do you honestly believe Mike would have answered the questions I laid out? I sure as hell don't. Maybe I should have tried regardless, and if he had just done it here I would have. I just didn't feel like wasting time to join some other forum I'll never visit to ask some questions that'd just get ignored anyway. Based on the fact that Mike seemed to stick to the old talking points I'd say I made the right call.

There`s a very simple answer to that isn`t there. If you don`t think there is any chance Mike will ever answer a question that you would like to know the answer to then there is no point whatsoever in you ever reading or listening to an interview he ever gives again I would have thought.

Well, for the sake of 5 minutes of your time, we and you will never know. Yeah, good call.

I'll cry myself to sleep.

Well, who would have thought he'd ever put photos of himself with a nude head on Facebook either? So maybe some day he will give interesting answers instead of avoiding answers to questions that he feels insecure about answering. There's hope! :)

With regard to the Summer in Paradise and Pacific Ocean Blue questions, I think context is everything.

Mike answered the Summer in Paradise question recently and has said that he likes a lot of things they did on that album. Now I think the wording of this question would have set his (and probably everyone`s) bullsh!t detectors off. If he had compared the album favourably with any other Beach Boys album then is it possible to imagine him not getting stick?

He has also talked about Pacific Ocean Blue and said that he didn`t particularly like it.

The thing about this interview for me is that any Beach Boys fan ought to be able to think of a question for the guy who has been lead singer for the past 50+ years that he might conceivably answer. It is the easiest thing in the world for people to not bother for the two minutes it would have taken and then to complain about the results.