Ian Lee interviews Mike Love

[Autotune]

We've gotten to a point here where Mike can do no good anymore. This ended up looking like Mike Wheeler's forum ca. 1997.

You say that like that's bad.

Yeah. The one difference being that way back then it was Billy who was being chased and bullied for trolling.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

We've gotten to a point here where Mike can do no good anymore. This ended up looking like Mike Wheeler's forum ca. 1997.

Mike gets topical in interviews aimed at newer audiences, yet fans who read every single little interview he gives, post the same fucking comments about them every time. Talk about being repetitive and not being able to let go... The comments about how the interviewer should have posed the questions in order to obtain certain answers are as hilarious as they are pathetic.



The interview was lovely, by the way.

Well said, Autotune.  Glad there is still some balance around here! 

Herein lies what I think is a central issue to all this drama (which I have tried very hard to stay out of). I think a lot of anger people feel about this board comes from a position in which "balance" and "objectivity" are treated as ultimate ends. People who believe this do so because of their worldview, in which there is a kind of neutrality at work in the universe. This tends to be accompanied with beliefs like "there are two sides to every issue," etc.

In my view, though, reality doesn't quite work this way. There are things that are objectively true and objectively not true but these things don't slot comfortably into any kind of balance wherein all things eventually land in some sort of so-called comfortable centre. And I think if people really examined their own particular beliefs they would note that they are not quite as centered as they would like them to be, nor should they.

If we are going to talk about things, it is best not to try to aim for a balance or with an embedded assumption that there is an underlying balance to all things. Indeed, we don't get closer any to the truth by having climatologists and a global warming deniers being given equal space to air their views. Our aim, above all else, should be able to engage honestly and try and seek out the truth as best as we can.

[rab2591]

Our aim, above all else, should be able to engage honestly and try and seek out the truth as best as we can.

This should be stickied to the top of the homepage of this site.

[mikeddonn]

We've gotten to a point here where Mike can do no good anymore. This ended up looking like Mike Wheeler's forum ca. 1997.

Mike gets topical in interviews aimed at newer audiences, yet fans who read every single little interview he gives, post the same fucking comments about them every time. Talk about being repetitive and not being able to let go... The comments about how the interviewer should have posed the questions in order to obtain certain answers are as hilarious as they are pathetic.



The interview was lovely, by the way.

Well said, Autotune.  Glad there is still some balance around here! 

Herein lies what I think is a central issue to all this drama (which I have tried very hard to stay out of). I think a lot of anger people feel about this board comes from a position in which "balance" and "objectivity" are treated as ultimate ends. People who believe this do so because of their worldview, in which there is a kind of neutrality at work in the universe. This tends to be accompanied with beliefs like "there are two sides to every issue," etc.

In my view, though, reality doesn't quite work this way. There are things that are objectively true and objectively not true but these things don't slot comfortably into any kind of balance wherein all things eventually land in some sort of so-called comfortable centre. And I think if people really examined their own particular beliefs they would note that they are not quite as centered as they would like them to be, nor should they.

If we are going to talk about things, it is best not to try to aim for a balance or with an embedded assumption that there is an underlying balance to all things. Indeed, we don't get closer any to the truth by having climatologists and a global warming deniers being given equal space to air their views. Our aim, above all else, should be able to engage honestly and try and seek out the truth as best as we can.

Maybe I used the wrong word, lest I be accused of being confrontational.  Maybe I should have said it is time for less hypocricy.  But then is asking for that the same as wanting balance?

[Lee Marshall]

Fair point.  AND Mike DOES do some good...which he always seems to want to undo asap with the next interview.  It's why I have said for the longest time that he needs to hire HIMSELF a PR firm.  He's his own worst enemy.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

We've gotten to a point here where Mike can do no good anymore. This ended up looking like Mike Wheeler's forum ca. 1997.

You say that like that's bad.

Yeah. The one difference being that way back then it was Billy who was being chased and bullied for trolling.

Lucky for me it's 2016. For you, not so much.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Fair point.  AND Mike DOES do some good...which he always seems to want to undo asap with the next interview.  It's why I have said for the longest time that he needs to hire HIMSELF a PR firm.  He's his own worst enemy.

100% agreed. It's why I get so angry as a fan, because he makes it so damn hard to be one at times. That said, I will give him credit for not putting on a front. He's a pompous asshole much of the time, but at least he's open about it.

[mikeddonn]

The interview wasn't scripted.  I suggested to Iain he ask Mike about the sax.  Maybe he was going to anyway, but it was nice when he did.  And it was good of Iain to ask some of us for a bit of input before the interview.  It was also a good way to start the interview by playing "Only With You" and "Add Some Music". The idea was to get Mike into talking about Dennis, which he did in a favourable manner, and also about some more 'deep' cuts.  

Also, how many people would ask Mike about cunnilingus?  It got a laugh and also some warmth towards Dennis.

Mike didn't sound condescending towards The Wilson's and drugs at any point like he has in the past.

Also, Brian has said SMiLE didn't come out because, "I was taking a lot of drugs and they messed with my mind".  Mike says it and people get offended.

And I think Mike was a better and more relaxed interview subject than Brian would have been.

I think Iain did a good job with this one.

Of course you would if you're in touch with him. Just for the facts, Mike said exactly this:

"Brian had a bad experience with LSD and decided he didn't want to finish it" - Mike on Smile.

And that does offend me in a historical and factual sense as it's something he seems to have invented out of thin air. To peg the entire issue of Smile not coming out on Brian having a bad acid trip is not only wrong, it's silly.

Maybe that's why Iain Lee put this board at the top of his wishlist for mass killings, joking of course but still...Maybe the facts become too pesky when they don't agree with what the fact-checkers (who seem to be asleep on the job these days) might try to say.

Fact-check the accuracy of that comment about a bad LSD trip being the reason why Smile never came out in '67 and get back to us with the data, please. I'll wait.

Is this enough fact checking for you?

“It was just inappropriate music for the Beach Boys. We were taking drugs at the time and we weren't in our right minds. After I came down off the drugs and saw what I had done with Smile, I junked it. I said, that's not us.”

Brian Wilson, Harmonic Convergence by Howard Massey

"Mike Love and Dennis didn't like it at all," Wilson says. " "But that wasn't the reason we shelved it," Wilson says. "I didn't care, because I wanted to do it anyway." "I blame the drugs for it, yeah," Wilson says. "We were on some really bad drugs. Ever since I first took LSD, marijuana and amphetamines, I've been hearing voices in my head, off and on, for 38 years."

Brian Wilson, Daily Breeze, Corey Levitan

"It's not appropriate music."

"After I stopped taking drugs, I realized what I was doing: I was making music on drugs, and it was getting nowhere. Basically that's the reason I didn't want to release the tapes, because I didn't like what I did with drugs."

Brian Wilson, `Pet Sounds' As Symphony By Roger Catlin

Another subject which came up was the infamous "Smile" sessions. It was during this time that "Good Vibrations" was recorded, but the "Smile" album was never completed and all these years the whole thing has been shrouded in mystery. Brian was asked if the "Smile" sessions will ever be released. "No," was his emphatic answer. "I junked it. We junked them. I didn’t like where the music was coming from. I thought it was inappropriate for the Beach Boys and I junked it. We were taking a lot of drugs during that time and got carried away with hardly nothing."

Brian Wilson by Bill Harriman


Ben Yakas: Why was Smile so difficult to complete in the 1960s?

Brian Wilson: “Because we were on drugs and we didn't really know how to finish it.”

Our Ten Minutes With Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson, Ben Yakas.


Is Brian lying when he gives the above reasons?

Maybe, Mike has read or heard enough of these comments over the years and thought, maybe convinced himself even, that if Brian says that's why it never came out then it must be true.  So he repeats it in interviews.  The truth is, he probably doesn't know for sure. Only Brian does.  Maybe he'll tell us in his book.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

In all fairness, Brian also used to say he destroyed the Smile tapes.  He used to have a major beef with Smile in general...I'm glad he seems to have made his peace with it.

[CenturyDeprived]

The interview wasn't scripted.  I suggested to Iain he ask Mike about the sax.  Maybe he was going to anyway, but it was nice when he did.  And it was good of Iain to ask some of us for a bit of input before the interview.  It was also a good way to start the interview by playing "Only With You" and "Add Some Music". The idea was to get Mike into talking about Dennis, which he did in a favourable manner, and also about some more 'deep' cuts.  

Also, how many people would ask Mike about cunnilingus?  It got a laugh and also some warmth towards Dennis.

Mike didn't sound condescending towards The Wilson's and drugs at any point like he has in the past.

Also, Brian has said SMiLE didn't come out because, "I was taking a lot of drugs and they messed with my mind".  Mike says it and people get offended.

And I think Mike was a better and more relaxed interview subject than Brian would have been.

I think Iain did a good job with this one.

Of course you would if you're in touch with him. Just for the facts, Mike said exactly this:

"Brian had a bad experience with LSD and decided he didn't want to finish it" - Mike on Smile.

And that does offend me in a historical and factual sense as it's something he seems to have invented out of thin air. To peg the entire issue of Smile not coming out on Brian having a bad acid trip is not only wrong, it's silly.

Maybe that's why Iain Lee put this board at the top of his wishlist for mass killings, joking of course but still...Maybe the facts become too pesky when they don't agree with what the fact-checkers (who seem to be asleep on the job these days) might try to say.

Fact-check the accuracy of that comment about a bad LSD trip being the reason why Smile never came out in '67 and get back to us with the data, please. I'll wait.

Is this enough fact checking for you?

“It was just inappropriate music for the Beach Boys. We were taking drugs at the time and we weren't in our right minds. After I came down off the drugs and saw what I had done with Smile, I junked it. I said, that's not us.”

Brian Wilson, Harmonic Convergence by Howard Massey

"Mike Love and Dennis didn't like it at all," Wilson says. " "But that wasn't the reason we shelved it," Wilson says. "I didn't care, because I wanted to do it anyway." "I blame the drugs for it, yeah," Wilson says. "We were on some really bad drugs. Ever since I first took LSD, marijuana and amphetamines, I've been hearing voices in my head, off and on, for 38 years."

Brian Wilson, Daily Breeze, Corey Levitan

"It's not appropriate music."

"After I stopped taking drugs, I realized what I was doing: I was making music on drugs, and it was getting nowhere. Basically that's the reason I didn't want to release the tapes, because I didn't like what I did with drugs."

Brian Wilson, `Pet Sounds' As Symphony By Roger Catlin

Another subject which came up was the infamous "Smile" sessions. It was during this time that "Good Vibrations" was recorded, but the "Smile" album was never completed and all these years the whole thing has been shrouded in mystery. Brian was asked if the "Smile" sessions will ever be released. "No," was his emphatic answer. "I junked it. We junked them. I didn’t like where the music was coming from. I thought it was inappropriate for the Beach Boys and I junked it. We were taking a lot of drugs during that time and got carried away with hardly nothing."

Brian Wilson by Bill Harriman


Ben Yakas: Why was Smile so difficult to complete in the 1960s?

Brian Wilson: “Because we were on drugs and we didn't really know how to finish it.”

Our Ten Minutes With Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson, Ben Yakas.


Is Brian lying when he gives the above reasons?

Maybe, Mike has read or heard enough of these comments over the years and thought, maybe convinced himself even, that if Brian says that's why it never came out then it must be true.  So he repeats it in interviews.  The truth is, he probably doesn't know for sure. Only Brian does.  Maybe he'll tell us in his book.

Has Brian ever stated that Mike's attitude had NO negative effect whatsoever on Brian's own psyche, or the project? And more importantly, does anyone *really* believe that?  

Just because Brian omits fingering Mike in many interviews, that doesn't mean Brian has ever answered "no" to this question. There is a difference, especially with someone as non-confrontational as Brian is.

And guess what: I'm sure Brian's inaction to fix the crediting issue had an inadvertently deeply negative effect on Mike's psyche. Unfortunately. But you see, these things work both ways.

Mike screwed up Smile, at least to a point, and has never admitted it. Because he always has to be right and justified in anything that he does. And that is why he has become a villain. Mike's sad story in a nutshell. Mike has no idea what it's like to be tripping on drugs and having a bullying family member give him a very, very bad trip with their ongoing attitude problem.  It did not help matters. It hurt them. If Mike has a lack of being able to empathize with a situation he has never been in himself (being high, trying to fully produce and orchestrate a complex project while a family member/bandmate is for months and months giving off very negative vibes with their words/actions/looks), he will never comprehend what he himself is partly responsible for. I feel if Mike had caring people in his inner circle pushing him to just finally apologize, that maybe he'd actually do it. I don't get WTF is so hard about taking a morsel of responsibility. Really baffles me.

It's true that Mike DOES NOT need to be crucified or vilified for having said/done things in a regretful manner that might have been better handled with anger management classes.  The past can't be changed. But the refusal to take *any* responsibility for this for decades adds insult to injury, continually in 2016 interviews he reopens old wounds with his denials, and his denial about this subject is literally THE biggest white elephant in the room for why many people have issues with him.

Either Brian's a liar in the Beautiful Dreamer doc, or Mike is too chickensh*t to admit that Brian's saying the truth. One of those scenarios is true.

I wish someone would ask Mike what he thinks about Brian being able to finish Smile in 2004 with the absence of taking illegal drugs PLUS having fully supportive bandmates. All a reporter has to say to him is that Mike needs to take *some* responsibility for certain things, EVEN THINGS WHICH MIKE DOES NOT WISH TO TAKE PARTIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR... to just do it anyway, and see what happens.  That's part of being a friggin' adult. It's not like saying he's sorry is going to hurt his reputation. Maybe a bunch of people won't believe him after all this time. But it certainly won't hurt. His reputation can't get worse than it is now.  No fans are gonna say "wow, now I don't like you anymore Mike because you admitted to hurting Brian's feelings and helping to derail a project. I'm unliking your Facebook page and never seeing another one of your shows again".

Mike's only chance at redemption is taking responsibility for some things, and get off this RIDICULOUS too-proud-to-say-sorry kick he is on. He must have LOVED when The Fonz would stutter and not say he was sorry on Happy Days. Maybe Mike has a Fonz poster on the wall in his den to pay tribute to the guy who never says he is sorry.

Everyone likes a comeback story. Even the comeback story of Mike taking SOME responsibility for some very hard stuff, and becoming a more caring (and more LOVED) person in the process. It could be one of the most amazing moments of its kind with two public figures.

Please Mike - don't make your relationship with Brian go down the Olivia de Havilland/Joan Fontaine route.   They were siblings who never repaired their relationship for decades while they were both on this earth. It pains me deeply to think that this will happen with Mike and Brian due to Mike's misplaced pride. And I don't want to hear any BS about spouses being the reason. Mike needs to publicly cop some responsibility for stuff. That alone would be the ONLY hope for a step towards reconciliation (not to mention helping his reputation). 

[Chocolate Shake Man]

We've gotten to a point here where Mike can do no good anymore. This ended up looking like Mike Wheeler's forum ca. 1997.

Mike gets topical in interviews aimed at newer audiences, yet fans who read every single little interview he gives, post the same fucking comments about them every time. Talk about being repetitive and not being able to let go... The comments about how the interviewer should have posed the questions in order to obtain certain answers are as hilarious as they are pathetic.



The interview was lovely, by the way.

Well said, Autotune.  Glad there is still some balance around here!  

Herein lies what I think is a central issue to all this drama (which I have tried very hard to stay out of). I think a lot of anger people feel about this board comes from a position in which "balance" and "objectivity" are treated as ultimate ends. People who believe this do so because of their worldview, in which there is a kind of neutrality at work in the universe. This tends to be accompanied with beliefs like "there are two sides to every issue," etc.

In my view, though, reality doesn't quite work this way. There are things that are objectively true and objectively not true but these things don't slot comfortably into any kind of balance wherein all things eventually land in some sort of so-called comfortable centre. And I think if people really examined their own particular beliefs they would note that they are not quite as centered as they would like them to be, nor should they.

If we are going to talk about things, it is best not to try to aim for a balance or with an embedded assumption that there is an underlying balance to all things. Indeed, we don't get closer any to the truth by having climatologists and a global warming deniers being given equal space to air their views. Our aim, above all else, should be able to engage honestly and try and seek out the truth as best as we can.

Maybe I used the wrong word, lest I be accused of being confrontational.  Maybe I should have said it is time for less hypocricy.  But then is asking for that the same as wanting balance?

No, it's not the same thing and I would agree that opposing hypocrisy is a good thing. I don't, however, believe that this is a particularly good example to bring up to demonstrate a case of hypocrisy. I think the issue with Smile and drugs is part of a larger conversation about how Mike frequently brings up Wilson drug use to the extent that his stated biggest regret in life is the fact that the Wilsons did drugs. In that case, the conversation about Smile and drugs comes with a whole different set of baggage when Mike is talking about it because of this habit and to eliminate this history (and also eliminate Brian's own complicated history of answering Smile questions), start from scratch and say here's both parties saying the same thing about Smile and drugs, is to miss the nuance of the conversation and despite having the appearance of balance is in fact a non-balanced view of things.

Furthermore, it's also worth noting that if one's standard is to appreciate it when people take personal responsibility over their own personal actions, then there is no hypocrisy in appreciating Brian's owning up to that part of what he feels to be Smile's demise and finding fault with Mike's similar perception of the event. There are multiple variables that go into assessing the validity of certain statements.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Agreed on all points, CSM. The thing for me is , why doesn't Mike *ever* take responsibility for him bullying Brian and treating him like sh*t, which certainly didn't help Brian avoid the temptation to self-medicate?

[CenturyDeprived]

Agreed on all points, CSM. The thing for me is , why doesn't Mike *ever* take responsibility for him bullying Brian and treating him like sh*t, which certainly didn't help Brian avoid the temptation to self-medicate?

Right. I want to know why people, such as Mike, think that other people self-medicate? Honestly, do they think that they just do it out of boredom? I mean, the guy who self-medicates with TM should know all about the concept that some things/people are factors leading to self-medication.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Plus...Mike drinks! So what's the reason why he would look down on someone smoking marijuana (which had medicinal benefits) but drinking is okay (when beer and such has no medical benefits and is proven to be more harmful)?

And he conveniently leaves out his own period smoking weed, as well. It's always those wascally Wilsons!

[Juice Brohnston]

Our aim, above all else, should be able to engage honestly and try and seek out the truth as best as we can.

This should be stickied to the top of the homepage of this site.

Quod Est Veritas - Pilate

[Juice Brohnston]

The interview wasn't scripted.  I suggested to Iain he ask Mike about the sax.  Maybe he was going to anyway, but it was nice when he did.  And it was good of Iain to ask some of us for a bit of input before the interview.  It was also a good way to start the interview by playing "Only With You" and "Add Some Music". The idea was to get Mike into talking about Dennis, which he did in a favourable manner, and also about some more 'deep' cuts.  

Also, how many people would ask Mike about cunnilingus?  It got a laugh and also some warmth towards Dennis.

Mike didn't sound condescending towards The Wilson's and drugs at any point like he has in the past.

Also, Brian has said SMiLE didn't come out because, "I was taking a lot of drugs and they messed with my mind".  Mike says it and people get offended.

And I think Mike was a better and more relaxed interview subject than Brian would have been.

I think Iain did a good job with this one.

Of course you would if you're in touch with him. Just for the facts, Mike said exactly this:

"Brian had a bad experience with LSD and decided he didn't want to finish it" - Mike on Smile.

And that does offend me in a historical and factual sense as it's something he seems to have invented out of thin air. To peg the entire issue of Smile not coming out on Brian having a bad acid trip is not only wrong, it's silly.

Maybe that's why Iain Lee put this board at the top of his wishlist for mass killings, joking of course but still...Maybe the facts become too pesky when they don't agree with what the fact-checkers (who seem to be asleep on the job these days) might try to say.

Fact-check the accuracy of that comment about a bad LSD trip being the reason why Smile never came out in '67 and get back to us with the data, please. I'll wait.

Is this enough fact checking for you?

“It was just inappropriate music for the Beach Boys. We were taking drugs at the time and we weren't in our right minds. After I came down off the drugs and saw what I had done with Smile, I junked it. I said, that's not us.”

Brian Wilson, Harmonic Convergence by Howard Massey

"Mike Love and Dennis didn't like it at all," Wilson says. " "But that wasn't the reason we shelved it," Wilson says. "I didn't care, because I wanted to do it anyway." "I blame the drugs for it, yeah," Wilson says. "We were on some really bad drugs. Ever since I first took LSD, marijuana and amphetamines, I've been hearing voices in my head, off and on, for 38 years."

Brian Wilson, Daily Breeze, Corey Levitan

"It's not appropriate music."

"After I stopped taking drugs, I realized what I was doing: I was making music on drugs, and it was getting nowhere. Basically that's the reason I didn't want to release the tapes, because I didn't like what I did with drugs."

Brian Wilson, `Pet Sounds' As Symphony By Roger Catlin

Another subject which came up was the infamous "Smile" sessions. It was during this time that "Good Vibrations" was recorded, but the "Smile" album was never completed and all these years the whole thing has been shrouded in mystery. Brian was asked if the "Smile" sessions will ever be released. "No," was his emphatic answer. "I junked it. We junked them. I didn’t like where the music was coming from. I thought it was inappropriate for the Beach Boys and I junked it. We were taking a lot of drugs during that time and got carried away with hardly nothing."

Brian Wilson by Bill Harriman


Ben Yakas: Why was Smile so difficult to complete in the 1960s?

Brian Wilson: “Because we were on drugs and we didn't really know how to finish it.”

Our Ten Minutes With Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson, Ben Yakas.


Is Brian lying when he gives the above reasons?

Maybe, Mike has read or heard enough of these comments over the years and thought, maybe convinced himself even, that if Brian says that's why it never came out then it must be true.  So he repeats it in interviews.  The truth is, he probably doesn't know for sure. Only Brian does.  Maybe he'll tell us in his book.

Has Brian ever stated that Mike's attitude had NO negative effect whatsoever on Brian's own psyche, or the project? And more importantly, does anyone *really* believe that?  

Just because Brian omits fingering Mike in many interviews, that doesn't mean Brian has ever answered "no" to this question. There is a difference, especially with someone as non-confrontational as Brian is.

And guess what: I'm sure Brian's inaction to fix the crediting issue had an inadvertently deeply negative effect on Mike's psyche. Unfortunately. But you see, these things work both ways.

Mike screwed up Smile, at least to a point, and has never admitted it. Because he always has to be right and justified in anything that he does. And that is why he has become a villain. Mike's sad story in a nutshell. Mike has no idea what it's like to be tripping on drugs and having a bullying family member give him a very, very bad trip with their ongoing attitude problem.  It did not help matters. It hurt them. If Mike has a lack of being able to empathize with a situation he has never been in himself (being high, trying to fully produce and orchestrate a complex project while a family member/bandmate is for months and months giving off very negative vibes with their words/actions/looks), he will never comprehend what he himself is partly responsible for. I feel if Mike had caring people in his inner circle pushing him to just finally apologize, that maybe he'd actually do it. I don't get WTF is so hard about taking a morsel of responsibility. Really baffles me.

It's true that Mike DOES NOT need to be crucified or vilified for having said/done things in a regretful manner that might have been better handled with anger management classes.  The past can't be changed. But the refusal to take *any* responsibility for this for decades adds insult to injury, continually in 2016 interviews he reopens old wounds with his denials, and his denial about this subject is literally THE biggest white elephant in the room for why many people have issues with him.

Either Brian's a liar in the Beautiful Dreamer doc, or Mike is too chickensh*t to admit that Brian's saying the truth. One of those scenarios is true.

I wish someone would ask Mike what he thinks about Brian being able to finish Smile in 2004 with the absence of taking illegal drugs PLUS having fully supportive bandmates. All a reporter has to say to him is that Mike needs to take *some* responsibility for certain things, EVEN THINGS WHICH MIKE DOES NOT WISH TO TAKE PARTIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR... to just do it anyway, and see what happens.  That's part of being a friggin' adult. It's not like saying he's sorry is going to hurt his reputation. Maybe a bunch of people won't believe him after all this time. But it certainly won't hurt. His reputation can't get worse than it is now.  No fans are gonna say "wow, now I don't like you anymore Mike because you admitted to hurting Brian's feelings and helping to derail a project. I'm unliking your Facebook page and never seeing another one of your shows again".

Mike's only chance at redemption is taking responsibility for some things, and get off this RIDICULOUS too-proud-to-say-sorry kick he is on. He must have LOVED when The Fonz would stutter and not say he was sorry on Happy Days. Maybe Mike has a Fonz poster on the wall in his den to pay tribute to the guy who never says he is sorry.

Everyone likes a comeback story. Even the comeback story of Mike taking SOME responsibility for some very hard stuff, and becoming a more caring (and more LOVED) person in the process. It could be one of the most amazing moments of its kind with two public figures.

Please Mike - don't make your relationship with Brian go down the Olivia de Havilland/Joan Fontaine route.   They were siblings who never repaired their relationship for decades while they were both on this earth. It pains me deeply to think that this will happen with Mike and Brian due to Mike's misplaced pride. And I don't want to hear any BS about spouses being the reason. Mike needs to publicly cop some responsibility for stuff. That alone would be the ONLY hope for a step towards reconciliation (not to mention helping his reputation). 

Now it's to the point where there is some sort of 'Reverse Onus' to prove Mike wasn't responsible for SMiLe's demise??

[CenturyDeprived]

The interview wasn't scripted.  I suggested to Iain he ask Mike about the sax.  Maybe he was going to anyway, but it was nice when he did.  And it was good of Iain to ask some of us for a bit of input before the interview.  It was also a good way to start the interview by playing "Only With You" and "Add Some Music". The idea was to get Mike into talking about Dennis, which he did in a favourable manner, and also about some more 'deep' cuts.  

Also, how many people would ask Mike about cunnilingus?  It got a laugh and also some warmth towards Dennis.

Mike didn't sound condescending towards The Wilson's and drugs at any point like he has in the past.

Also, Brian has said SMiLE didn't come out because, "I was taking a lot of drugs and they messed with my mind".  Mike says it and people get offended.

And I think Mike was a better and more relaxed interview subject than Brian would have been.

I think Iain did a good job with this one.

Of course you would if you're in touch with him. Just for the facts, Mike said exactly this:

"Brian had a bad experience with LSD and decided he didn't want to finish it" - Mike on Smile.

And that does offend me in a historical and factual sense as it's something he seems to have invented out of thin air. To peg the entire issue of Smile not coming out on Brian having a bad acid trip is not only wrong, it's silly.

Maybe that's why Iain Lee put this board at the top of his wishlist for mass killings, joking of course but still...Maybe the facts become too pesky when they don't agree with what the fact-checkers (who seem to be asleep on the job these days) might try to say.

Fact-check the accuracy of that comment about a bad LSD trip being the reason why Smile never came out in '67 and get back to us with the data, please. I'll wait.

Is this enough fact checking for you?

“It was just inappropriate music for the Beach Boys. We were taking drugs at the time and we weren't in our right minds. After I came down off the drugs and saw what I had done with Smile, I junked it. I said, that's not us.”

Brian Wilson, Harmonic Convergence by Howard Massey

"Mike Love and Dennis didn't like it at all," Wilson says. " "But that wasn't the reason we shelved it," Wilson says. "I didn't care, because I wanted to do it anyway." "I blame the drugs for it, yeah," Wilson says. "We were on some really bad drugs. Ever since I first took LSD, marijuana and amphetamines, I've been hearing voices in my head, off and on, for 38 years."

Brian Wilson, Daily Breeze, Corey Levitan

"It's not appropriate music."

"After I stopped taking drugs, I realized what I was doing: I was making music on drugs, and it was getting nowhere. Basically that's the reason I didn't want to release the tapes, because I didn't like what I did with drugs."

Brian Wilson, `Pet Sounds' As Symphony By Roger Catlin

Another subject which came up was the infamous "Smile" sessions. It was during this time that "Good Vibrations" was recorded, but the "Smile" album was never completed and all these years the whole thing has been shrouded in mystery. Brian was asked if the "Smile" sessions will ever be released. "No," was his emphatic answer. "I junked it. We junked them. I didn’t like where the music was coming from. I thought it was inappropriate for the Beach Boys and I junked it. We were taking a lot of drugs during that time and got carried away with hardly nothing."

Brian Wilson by Bill Harriman


Ben Yakas: Why was Smile so difficult to complete in the 1960s?

Brian Wilson: “Because we were on drugs and we didn't really know how to finish it.”

Our Ten Minutes With Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson, Ben Yakas.


Is Brian lying when he gives the above reasons?

Maybe, Mike has read or heard enough of these comments over the years and thought, maybe convinced himself even, that if Brian says that's why it never came out then it must be true.  So he repeats it in interviews.  The truth is, he probably doesn't know for sure. Only Brian does.  Maybe he'll tell us in his book.

Has Brian ever stated that Mike's attitude had NO negative effect whatsoever on Brian's own psyche, or the project? And more importantly, does anyone *really* believe that?  

Just because Brian omits fingering Mike in many interviews, that doesn't mean Brian has ever answered "no" to this question. There is a difference, especially with someone as non-confrontational as Brian is.

And guess what: I'm sure Brian's inaction to fix the crediting issue had an inadvertently deeply negative effect on Mike's psyche. Unfortunately. But you see, these things work both ways.

Mike screwed up Smile, at least to a point, and has never admitted it. Because he always has to be right and justified in anything that he does. And that is why he has become a villain. Mike's sad story in a nutshell. Mike has no idea what it's like to be tripping on drugs and having a bullying family member give him a very, very bad trip with their ongoing attitude problem.  It did not help matters. It hurt them. If Mike has a lack of being able to empathize with a situation he has never been in himself (being high, trying to fully produce and orchestrate a complex project while a family member/bandmate is for months and months giving off very negative vibes with their words/actions/looks), he will never comprehend what he himself is partly responsible for. I feel if Mike had caring people in his inner circle pushing him to just finally apologize, that maybe he'd actually do it. I don't get WTF is so hard about taking a morsel of responsibility. Really baffles me.

It's true that Mike DOES NOT need to be crucified or vilified for having said/done things in a regretful manner that might have been better handled with anger management classes.  The past can't be changed. But the refusal to take *any* responsibility for this for decades adds insult to injury, continually in 2016 interviews he reopens old wounds with his denials, and his denial about this subject is literally THE biggest white elephant in the room for why many people have issues with him.

Either Brian's a liar in the Beautiful Dreamer doc, or Mike is too chickensh*t to admit that Brian's saying the truth. One of those scenarios is true.

I wish someone would ask Mike what he thinks about Brian being able to finish Smile in 2004 with the absence of taking illegal drugs PLUS having fully supportive bandmates. All a reporter has to say to him is that Mike needs to take *some* responsibility for certain things, EVEN THINGS WHICH MIKE DOES NOT WISH TO TAKE PARTIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR... to just do it anyway, and see what happens.  That's part of being a friggin' adult. It's not like saying he's sorry is going to hurt his reputation. Maybe a bunch of people won't believe him after all this time. But it certainly won't hurt. His reputation can't get worse than it is now.  No fans are gonna say "wow, now I don't like you anymore Mike because you admitted to hurting Brian's feelings and helping to derail a project. I'm unliking your Facebook page and never seeing another one of your shows again".

Mike's only chance at redemption is taking responsibility for some things, and get off this RIDICULOUS too-proud-to-say-sorry kick he is on. He must have LOVED when The Fonz would stutter and not say he was sorry on Happy Days. Maybe Mike has a Fonz poster on the wall in his den to pay tribute to the guy who never says he is sorry.

Everyone likes a comeback story. Even the comeback story of Mike taking SOME responsibility for some very hard stuff, and becoming a more caring (and more LOVED) person in the process. It could be one of the most amazing moments of its kind with two public figures.

Please Mike - don't make your relationship with Brian go down the Olivia de Havilland/Joan Fontaine route.   They were siblings who never repaired their relationship for decades while they were both on this earth. It pains me deeply to think that this will happen with Mike and Brian due to Mike's misplaced pride. And I don't want to hear any BS about spouses being the reason. Mike needs to publicly cop some responsibility for stuff. That alone would be the ONLY hope for a step towards reconciliation (not to mention helping his reputation).  

Now it's to the point where there is some sort of 'Reverse Onus' to prove Mike wasn't responsible for SMiLe's demise??

Contributing factor, or "didn't exactly help matters with his attitude" are different than saying he is "responsible" for its demise. It's a very, very important distinction.  In fact, I think that when people do wag their finger and point to Mike as being THE reason for being responsible for its demise, that's a huge problem and a big reason why Mike has become such a fervent denier. We mustn't forget nuance.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Good point. At the end of the day, the decision to shelve Smile was Brian's, but it was based on many, many things. Mike's resistance was a HUGE contributing factor, but wasn't the only one. I'm of the believer that it was everything added up together that did it. If it had just been Mike, I think Brian would've been able to overcome it.

[mikeddonn]

Plus...Mike drinks! So what's the reason why he would look down on someone smoking marijuana (which had medicinal benefits) but drinking is okay (when beer and such has no medical benefits and is proven to be more harmful)?

And he conveniently leaves out his own period smoking weed, as well. It's always those wascally Wilsons!

Iain also brought up the weed smoking of Mike and the others.  Mike didn't take offence to it.  Brian wasn't self-medicating when he started taking drugs.  He wanted to open his mind, experience new things, be more creative.  A lot of people were doing it.  I think that's why he did it, not because of Mike Love.  History may have turned out the same even if Mike Love had never been anywhere near the group.  A lot of Brian's insecurities came from within.  Drugs created paranoia which never helps someone suffering from mental health issue.  The triggers vary.  As an illness it can happen to anyone at any time.  I've always felt Brian would have thought of Mike as a jerk who he could handle and did over they years and during C50.  But throw in paranoia and triggers and that 'jerk' can become a major downer, as could other people.  As Mike has said, he sang all that stuff and there's not many disagreements on the tapes.  Was Carl a bully for not recording the stuff with Brian and Don Was?  I read David Leaf's book when I was in my teens and blamed Mike for everything but over the years that opinion has softened.

How many people here have met Mike?  How was he? I met him once and he was very nice, as were Brian and Bruce when I met them.  Has anyone here got a negative story about meeting Mike.  There are loads about Bruce, and Al not always being great to meet.  Brian is Brian, Carl was a gentleman as is David.  Dennis by all accounts was usually cool with fans.

I just find it hard to understand people having an opinion, to the point where it's proclaimed as fact, about situations they were never in, conversations they were never part of.  Those who were there are not always the best eyewitnesses.

[CenturyDeprived]

I just find it hard to understand people having an opinion, to the point where it's proclaimed as fact, about situations they were never in, conversations they were never part of.  Those who were there are not always the best eyewitnesses.

The thing is, at this point, after all this time has passed, Mike can just own up to having perhaps helped contribute to a negative mindset in his cousin's head. This is obvious to anyone, regardless if we were there or not.

He can say that he did not have bad intentions of putting a person (with undiagnosed mental health problems) in any kind of bad emotional state. I mean, I personally have absolutely no problem in saying I'm sorry for inadvertently contributing to something bad happening, even if I feel that it may have been some sort of misunderstanding in part. I cannot fathom a situation where I would be so deathly afraid of apologizing or taking a tiny bit of responsibility. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I am wired for being able to say I'm sorry, and to be sincere about it. I guess I'm lucky to have been raised that way.

It's not as though Mike is an auto company who faces millions in fines if he cops to having approved a faulty engine switch. I don't know what the boogie man is that makes Mike so afraid to say he's sorry, and I say that even if thinks he doesn't have anything to say he's sorry for, he should just friggin' be an adult and do it anyway. Many people just do it. It's not that hard. Unless Mike is literally incapable of apologizing due some sort of mental problem, which I empathize with *if* that's the case here. And yes, I'm serious and not trying to be a jerk. I'm sure there are diagnosable medical conditions that might apply to someone incapable of taking even partial responsibility for basically anything. Please don't anyone jump on me for wondering about Mike's mental health, any more than you'd jump on outsiders who FORTUNATELY hypothesized about Brian having undiagnosed mental health issues - which he eventually overcame.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Was Carl a bully for not recording the stuff with Brian and Don Was?  

Actually, there's an interview online from 1995 where Brian completely tears into the whole thing. I do know there was a lot of bitterness from Brian towards Carl, but I personally do not know if they had patched things up before Carl passed, and to what extent. At some point Carl was vetoing much of what Brian wanted to do, and it is also mentioned in Peter Carlin's book.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Good point. At the end of the day, the decision to shelve Smile was Brian's, but it was based on many, many things. Mike's resistance was a HUGE contributing factor, but wasn't the only one. I'm of the believer that it was everything added up together that did it. If it had just been Mike, I think Brian would've been able to overcome it.

Best damn avatar you've ever had, Billy!!! Please don't change it.  

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

The thing is, at this point, after all this time has passed, Mike can just own up to having perhaps helped contribute to a negative mindset in his cousin's head. This is obvious to anyone, regardless if we were there or not.

That's how I feel. Just own up to it and admit you could've been nicer, Michael

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Good point. At the end of the day, the decision to shelve Smile was Brian's, but it was based on many, many things. Mike's resistance was a HUGE contributing factor, but wasn't the only one. I'm of the believer that it was everything added up together that did it. If it had just been Mike, I think Brian would've been able to overcome it.

Best damn avatar you've ever had, Billy!!! Please don't change it. 

[RangeRoverA1]

Has anyone here got a negative story about meeting Mike.  There are loads about Bruce, and Al not always being great to meet.

I didn't read such stories - many people said Al was very nice to them. Where'd you get these stories?