New Mike interview...

[Andrew G. Doe]

... with some interesting content concerning C50.

http://music-illuminati.com/interview-mike-love/

[Mr. Verlander]

I've never read an article where Mike took the time to actually point out all of the hits that he helped write, how he got ripped off, how drugs ruined the Wilson brothers, and how Brian has a lot of mental issues. Oh yeah, actually he's done that in all of them, hasn't he?

[JohnMill]

... with some interesting content concerning C50.

http://music-illuminati.com/interview-mike-love/

Maybe I'm missing something but it seems like the same old, same old out of that camp.  Mike Love promoting what he's currently doing, taking some light handed shots at "Camp Brian" while being careful not to take shots at Brian Wilson himself.  Gives us his version of "Beach Boys History" and as "Mr. Verlander" correctly notes Mike once again makes a point to reference how he was basically screwed blue by Murray Wilson which is a legitimate gripe of his which has fallen on the ears of the diehards for years but still may be unfamiliar to the casuals.  In terms of any real insight as to why things are the way they are right now with both camps?  Not much to see here if you are looking for anything beyond "finite set of dates/I love my cousin but don't like the hoops I have to jump through to work with him" story he's been giving us since the C50 crumbled like a stale cracker.

[drbeachboy]

Had to laugh, every Beach Boy was mentioned in the article, except for Al. Not even mentioned in the TM portion of the article. I would love to hear Mike's take on Nelson's comments on Stamos. Hopefully, that gets addressed in Mike's next interview.

[Orange Crate Art]

"I came up with all the words and the chorus: “I’m pickin’ up good vibrations / She’s giving me excitations”.

Really? I had no idea...

[PongHit]

     He said the word "cousin" 11 times in this interview. He said the word "Brian" 12 times in this interview. Wow.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Not much to see here if you are looking for anything beyond "finite set of dates/I love my cousin but don't like the hoops I have to jump through to work with him" story he's been giving us since the C50 crumbled like a stale cracker.

Difference is, this time he says there was an agreement on an end date that everyone, er,  agreed to and signed off. Now, if that's not the case, then it's a very, very silly thing to say, not to mention being actionable. And as we know, The Beach Boys are possibly the most litigious rock band in history.  

[Andrew G. Doe]

     He said the word "cousin" 11 times in this interview. He said the word "Brian" 12 times in this interview. Wow.

Well... Brian is his cousin after all. 

[Mikie]

"I came up with all the words and the chorus: “I’m pickin’ up good vibrations / She’s giving me excitations”.

Really? I had no idea...

"I came up with all the words and the chorus: “I’m pickin’ up good vibrations / She’s giving me excitations”. But also, I wrote all the words to “California Girls” and “Fun, Fun, Fun”, and “I Get Around”. So there’s several contributions. And Help Me Rhonda".

I had no idea he wrote all the words to those. It gets better every interview. Too bad nobody has a clue exactly what he did write.

Marharishi. Very few cared in 1968, even fewer care now.  The Marharishi was a big flop for the band, remember Mike?

Same ol' self-gratification, different day.

[SMiLE Brian]

Exactly Mikie, Mike has been giving the same interview as long as he has been singing the hits.

[HeyJude]

 Yeah, I have to say there was precisely ZERO in terms of new information in that article. In fact, it was almost word-for-word what he has said in every interview. Seriously. I get it. He’s on the defensive when it comes to C50, and he has his “prepared” go-to statement memorized at this stage. But seriously, if you can’t or won’t go into any detail, then perhaps it’s better to demur and, when floated a question as innocuous as simply asking for reflections on the tour, simply say it was a good time and leave it at that.

The only new thing in the interview is framing Brian’s statement that he “felt like” it was being fired as a “false” statement. How could how Brian *felt* be a false statement? I think Mike is conflating the media fuss (which did incorrectly state Brian had been “fired”) with Brian’s actual statement. I believe Brian’s statement actually referenced that he had not actually been fired, which was why he was saying it “felt like” being fired. That was the whole point of saying it that way.

And seriously, why do we need to hear about the songwriting lawsuit nearly 20 years after the lawsuit was settled and Mike’s name was put on those songs? For the last 20 years, every CD, sheet music book, and everything else has Mike’s name on it. There doesn’t seem to be any perception left that Mike didn’t co-write those songs (apart from perhaps a few anecdotal disputes like “WIBN”).

Pretty much any interview Mike has done lately has seemed to follow the exact same pattern: softball questions about BB era/image/surf/car/culture, etc., then TM/Maharashi/I knew the Beatles for five minutes in 1968, then a reference (disturbingly sometimes not particularly prompted) to all the drugs the Wilsons did, then discussion of the songwriting lawsuit, then the same non-answer paragraph about the demise of C50 (Set end date, “going back to the way it has been for years”, usually a specific reference to extended the tour from 50 to 73 shows (see? I didn’t cancel the tour! I extended it!)), and some promo fluff about whatever show the article is probably promoting.

This patterned, canned interview response pattern is not new or unique, I realize that. This reads quite a bit like a typical McCartney interview (Beatles coming to America, John telling him to keep the line in “Hey Jude”, “Yesterday” started as “Scrambled Eggs”, etc.).

It’s pretty clear we aren’t going to get a full account of C50, at least not in one of these interviews. We get the same defensive, non-answer response simply when the interview asks for “reflections” on the tour. I’m not sure if actually asking a substantive, challenging question about C50 would result in a better or worse sort of response.

I hope someone can get Mike for an interview where it doesn’t come across so defensive and insecure, and rooted in dragging other members down for things that happened years ago.

Maybe at least Al is happy he got out of that interview relatively unscathed. 

[bonnevillemariner]

Sorry, Mike, but the last thing I listen for in a Beach Boys song is lyrics.  I listen to the Beach Boys for the music and harmony, not the lyrics (most of which I find corny and sophomore).  I'm the last person Mike is going to impress with all the lyrics talk.

[HeyJude]

Difference is, this time he says there was an agreement on an end date that everyone, er,  agreed to and signed off. Now, if that's not the case, then it's a very, very silly thing to say, not to mention being actionable. And as we know, The Beach Boys are possibly the most litigious rock band in history.  

Mike has been saying all along, as far as I can remember, that there was an “agreed upon” end date. Nobody has ever disputed that. That’s how tours and contracts with promoters work. You sign on for a tour and set a scheduled end date. Of course everybody agreed upon an end date.

An agreed-upon end date has nothing to do with scheduling more shows. Nobody has ever claimed Mike canceled the reunion tour while it still had dates scheduled. He simply did not want to do any additional dates, while some of the others did, apparently with the motivation of actual tangible offers from promoters.  

I don’t think the suggestion is that everybody signed an agreement that stated “no more shows together ever, forever, for all time, after show #73.”

As I said, nothing new in this article at all. We’re literally talking about an alternate wording of the same “set end date” stuff we’ve been getting all along.

[urbanite]

He doesn't explain the problems that cropped up during the C50 tour, which is what a lot of us fans want to know about.  Sure they had a deal for only 50 shows, but it could have been modified for even more shows than 73 and new recordings. 

[clack]

Sorry, Mike, but the last thing I listen for in a Beach Boys song is lyrics.  I listen to the Beach Boys for the music and harmony, not the lyrics (most of which I find corny and sophomore).  I'm the last person Mike is going to impress with all the lyrics talk.

To be fair, the lyrics to 'California Girls', 'Fun Fun Fun', and 'I Get Around' were fresh and clever in the context of the pop music being made in 1964 and the 1st half of 1965. I don't blame Mike for being proud of those.

[bonnevillemariner]

Sorry, Mike, but the last thing I listen for in a Beach Boys song is lyrics.  I listen to the Beach Boys for the music and harmony, not the lyrics (most of which I find corny and sophomore).  I'm the last person Mike is going to impress with all the lyrics talk.

To be fair, the lyrics to 'California Girls', 'Fun Fun Fun', and 'I Get Around' were fresh and clever in the context of the pop music being made in 1964 and the 1st half of 1965. I don't blame Mike for being proud of those.

True.

[Mikie]

And seriously, why do we need to hear about the songwriting lawsuit nearly 20 years after the lawsuit was settled and Mike’s name was put on those songs? For the last 20 years, every CD, sheet music book, and everything else has Mike’s name on it. There doesn’t seem to be any perception left that Mike didn’t co-write those songs (apart from perhaps a few anecdotal disputes like “WIBN”).

Exactly. He's still insecure about it for some reason. He's really holding onto it for dear life. The publishing dollars will continue to roll in the rest of his life and he's still driving the issue home.

Murry died in 1973. I always wondered why Mike waited until 1992 to go to court over the lyrics he [supposedly] wrote. I know Mike didn't ask for a lot and Brian's lawyers f***ed up and Mike ended up getting more. But it's unfortunate that Murry wasn't around to justify/defend and that Brian folded like a wet noodle in court. If Mike deserved all of the credits, then more power to him. But in court and affidavits it was his word against..............nobody's.

[SMiLE Brian]

Plus Gary Usher and Roger Christian had died.

[urbanite]

I think Nick Venet came to court and testified against Mike.

[Cam Mott]

Maybe we hear about it again because:

"JM: Are there any parts of the history of The Beach Boys that you feel are generally misunderstood, and you might want to help clear up the record on?"

"JM: You mentioned that it’s the fiftieth anniversary of “Fun, Fun, Fun”. I know you wrote the lyrics to that one, and you helped to write a lot of The Beach Boys songs. Are there any specific contributions to The Beach Boys’ music that you’re most proud of?"

"JM: I don’t know if you would use this terminology, borrowed from a Beach Boys song, but are there “heroes” and “villains” in the Beach Boys saga? I think maybe the villains were the drugs, right?"

Just a guess.

[Andrew G. Doe]

"It's life JM, but not as we know it." 

[Mikie]

Cam, we hear about it almost every interview with Mike.  Especially long ones. Coincidence that the interviewers ask the same question or allude to the subject. Talk about a softball question. "Here Mike, knock this one over the fence".

[urbanite]

Someone should ask him about his cutlery.

[Cabinessenceking]

Maybe at least Al is happy he got out of that interview relatively unscathed. 

"Thank f*** he didn't mention me!"

[Cam Mott]

Cam, we hear about it almost every interview with Mike.  Especially long ones.

Still Mikie it is always a different interviewer but asking the same questions. I guess these guys could pull some bs answer out of their butts just for giggles.