New Mike interview...

[Nicko1234]

Here are some "different" q&a's with Mike.

http://www.examiner.com/article/what-you-should-know-about-mike-love

http://www.examiner.com/article/mike-love-remembers-the-beatles

http://www.examiner.com/article/mike-love-and-alan-jardine-discuss-holland-esq-s-100th-edition

Thanks for posting these links again and if people aren`t satisfied with these answers, particularly the comments about the Holland album and Mike`s sense of humour, then I don`t think they will be satisfied with any interview that these guys give really.

[bgas]

Well, there was no promise of meat…not even potatoes.

David, serious question here as you know the guys pretty well. Do you think any of them would seriously sit down and answer the questions that refer to the 1998 fracture and what has been going down between them since the end of C73? I mean the nitty gritty stuff, not the short answer stuff that we have gotten over the years.

You're talking about a period when Carl died…and that is something I personally don't like to revisit.  

David, I believe he's referring to the period after Carl died in 1998. The year Mike essentially kicked Al out of the band.

Exactly, thanks Mikie. And also after C50 or C73 since Mike says they did 73 reunion shows in 2012.

I was thinking C73 meant 73 years of the Beach.Boys, and i cant picture them on stage in their 90s. 'Uh let's take an intermission while the nurse changes Bruce'

Just as likely to be an intermission while Jeff changes Mike and Bruce....

[ESQ Editor]

Here are some "different" q&a's with Mike.

http://www.examiner.com/article/what-you-should-know-about-mike-love

http://www.examiner.com/article/mike-love-remembers-the-beatles

http://www.examiner.com/article/mike-love-and-alan-jardine-discuss-holland-esq-s-100th-edition

Thanks for posting these links again and if people aren`t satisfied with these answers, particularly the comments about the Holland album and Mike`s sense of humour, then I don`t think they will be satisfied with any interview that these guys give really.

Lengthy conversations / interviews are in each issue of ESQ. 

[Tab Lloyd]

Mike, what do you recommend in the way of cutlery sets for the single man?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Well, there was no promise of meat…not even potatoes.

David, serious question here as you know the guys pretty well. Do you think any of them would seriously sit down and answer the questions that refer to the 1998 fracture and what has been going down between them since the end of C73? I mean the nitty gritty stuff, not the short answer stuff that we have gotten over the years.

You're talking about a period when Carl died…and that is something I personally don't like to revisit.  

David, I believe he's referring to the period after Carl died in 1998. The year Mike essentially kicked Al out of the band.

Exactly, thanks Mikie. And also after C50 or C73 since Mike says they did 73 reunion shows in 2012.

C50 has always referred to the tour of 2012. C73 is a construct of your own and refers to... well, nothing at all, actually. 

[drbeachboy]

Well, there was no promise of meat…not even potatoes.

David, serious question here as you know the guys pretty well. Do you think any of them would seriously sit down and answer the questions that refer to the 1998 fracture and what has been going down between them since the end of C73? I mean the nitty gritty stuff, not the short answer stuff that we have gotten over the years.

You're talking about a period when Carl died…and that is something I personally don't like to revisit. 

David, I believe he's referring to the period after Carl died in 1998. The year Mike essentially kicked Al out of the band.

Exactly, thanks Mikie. And also after C50 or C73 since Mike says they did 73 reunion shows in 2012.

C50 has always referred to the tour of 2012. C73 is a construct of your own and refers to... well, nothing at all, actually. 

Jesus, you guys are picky. I only used it because Mike in this past interview talked about the 50 shows being expanded to 73. C50 really is inaccurate. It is not just a couple show difference, it is 23 shows. Maybe it is time to call it what it actually was, not what it was actually supposed to be.

[Andrew G. Doe]

The 50 in C50 had nothing to do with the number of shows, and everything to do with the number of years. Seriously, if you don't recall/can't grasp that, maybe you should consider some kind of companion. #humor

[drbeachboy]

The 50 in C50 had nothing to do with the number of shows, and everything to do with the number of years. Seriously, if you don't recall/can't grasp that, maybe you should consider some kind of companion. #humor

Honestly, no I did not know that. I thought it meant "Concerts 50". I know the original meaning for the reunion tour was 50 years, 50 shows, but I thought that it was something we fans made up, as I have never seen the Beach Boys use the actual term for any album or DVD releases.

[Lowbacca]

[drbeachboy]

OK, call me embarrassed!

[Cam Mott]

Here are some "different" q&a's with Mike.

http://www.examiner.com/article/what-you-should-know-about-mike-love

http://www.examiner.com/article/mike-love-remembers-the-beatles

http://www.examiner.com/article/mike-love-and-alan-jardine-discuss-holland-esq-s-100th-edition

Thanks for posting these links again and if people aren`t satisfied with these answers, particularly the comments about the Holland album and Mike`s sense of humour, then I don`t think they will be satisfied with any interview that these guys give really.

Lengthy conversations / interviews are in each issue of ESQ. 

David does it right. Good questions = good answers

[MusicIlluminati]

Hi everyone - I've enjoyed reading the various comments on this thread.  I happen to be the person who did the interview that launched this discussion, and I thought you might like to get my perspective.

First, a bit of background.  The interview was done for a preview article for the Beach Boys show at the Ventura County Fair for a Santa Barbara-based online newspaper called noozhawk.com.  The interview was set up at my initiative, and I'm guessing that Mike agreed to do it because of his Santa Barbara connection.  To my knowledge, none of the other area newspapers did an interview with him for this show, and it wouldn't have happened had I not navigated my way to the right people to contact.  My preview article on noozhawk.com included what I judged to be the parts of the interview that would be of broadest interest to the local readership, but as I typically do, I posted the full thing on my own website.  In fact, you might enjoy some of the other interviews posted there - http://music-illuminati.com/category/features/interviews

I didn't receive any suggested questions or list of "forbidden topics" from the band's management, PR firm, or Mike himself.  In fact, in the almost 150 interviews I've done, I don't ever recall receiving anything like this, apart from a gentle "It'd be nice if you mentioned the new album...", etc, which didn't happen in this case.  Maybe I'll kick myself someday for not asking Mike any "tough questions" while I had his ear, but remember, this was for a concert preview article for a county fair.  To me, that doesn't seem like the time to go 60 Minutes on somebody.  Note that there was no promise or expectation of anything for doing this, say free tickets or a signed copy of Smile 

OK, my questions, apparently like those of many other interviewers, were admittedly kind of obvious, but I honestly think that these are the sorts of things that the general public wants to know.  Bear in mind that the vast majority of the people reading such a preview article have probably never read an interview with Mike Love before. 

I personally like to keep my interview questions somewhat open and vague, so that the interviewee can take them where they want to go.  This keeps them talking, and often seems to help them to actually enjoy doing their thousandth+ interview.  The more detailed or obscure a question is, the more likely the interviewee is to give a rather uninteresting question like "Yes" or "No" or "What was the question again?"  I also think that this approach helps to keep the focus on them rather than me coming across as trying to display "superior knowledge" to the general readership, or something like that.

Remember also that the interviewee is going into this with the understanding that the interview is being done to promote their upcoming concert/release.  A few times I have gotten carried away with other lines of questioning - asking Alan Parsons too many questions about Pink Floyd, or asking Don Felder too many questions about The Eagles - and they politely asked for the focus to shift to their upcoming show.  This is a bit awkward when it happens, but fortunately in those cases I was able to quickly get back "on track".

There is no doubt a time and a place for tough questions, and there are no doubt plenty of people who are better informed about The Beach Boys and Mike Love - and better at instantly coming up with good follow-up questions - than myself.  Personally, I would enjoy reading such an interview, but I wouldn't expect to find it in such a preview article.

When I transcribed the interview, I did notice that Mike didn't mention Al Jardine at all, which I thought was interesting.  Also, I was surprised that he apparently isn't too concerned about the recordings released because of the European Union copyright law.

OK, I've rambled on long enough.  I'm happy to hear your feedback, even if it's on the negative side.  And, BTW, I have tried to set up an interview with Brian Wilson several times in the past when he was doing something in the Santa Barbara area, with no luck.  If one ever comes through, maybe I'll ask you guys what you really want to know, and then I'll try to figure out how to fit it in...

Oh, one more thing.  You might (or might not) get a chuckle out of the following question I asked of Blag Dahlia, singer for the punk rock band The Dwarves, who happened to be performing on the same night as a previous Beach Boys concert in the area:

JM: The Beach Boys will be playing that same night in Santa Ynez, which is close enough that some Santa Barbarans will make the trip. What would you say to someone who is trying to decide if they should go to The Dwarves or The Beach Boys?

BD: They might be a better band, but we draw the line at huffing tape head cleaner and f***ing the Manson girls.

For the record, I went to see The Dwarves that night.  Hey, I'd never seen them before!

- Jeff

[Theydon Bois]

Hi everyone - I've enjoyed reading the various comments on this thread.  I happen to be the person who did the interview that launched this discussion, and I thought you might like to get my perspective.

Thanks very much for your input!  I found it very interesting, and this element in particular:

Also, I was surprised that he apparently isn't too concerned about the recordings released because of the European Union copyright law.

For reference, here's the question and non-answer:

JM: This is maybe a bit of a technical question, but you’re probably aware that last year there were some Beach Boys-related recordings released on iTunes, related to the European Union copyright being about to expire. Presumably there will be more coming this year. Do you have any position on those releases?

ML: You know, I really don’t. I haven’t given it any thought.

There are changes in the music industry. When we started, we started with a two-track machine, and then a four-track, then an eight-track, then a 24-track. And now with the advent of the computer and the technology, there are so many different ways to record and to distribute your songs on the internet and stuff. The music business, on the distribution side, barely resembles what it once did. Fortunately for The Beach Boys we’re well known and have a body of work that’s still performed on radio and in motion picture soundtracks, and sometimes in commercials. So we have our original fans, but we have fans of all generations, you know, your generation and younger. Entire families turn out. Like when we do the Ventura fair, we’ll see entire families – grandparents, parents, and children – all enjoying The Beach Boys together.

So we’re in kind of a different category, or echelon, or whatever you want to say. Whatever’s going on in the music business at the moment, we just seem to have our own – I like to call it – sonic oasis. It’s our own kind of world of music that we’ve crafted and created, and it’s still being appreciated to this day.

I thought this was a great example of an interesting question being posed to a Beach Boy.  I have so far managed to avoid any questions being posed to any of the living band members on their opinions of the Big Beat 1963 and related topics (and do forgive me if I've missed a major scoop on this topic, Smiley Smilers, as I don't spend my every living moment on here), and I think it's a fascinating line of discussion, not just for what's already been released but also given the things that are going to be released down the line, assuming no change in EU law.  And so I found it somewhat disappointing that Mike Love apparently has no interest in the topic whatsoever and prefers to burble about various unrelated topics.

It's why I simply can't understand Cam Mott's perspective on the matter:

So Mike can be asked anything and he seems to answer everything so again the problem seems to be the questions.

David does it right. Good questions = good answers

... because here, in the very interview that started the thread, is an example of a good question that yielded a thoroughly useless answer containing nothing relevant.

[Cam Mott]

So you think one example from one interview makes my general perspective un-understandable?

Do you disagree with my perspective that David Beard does it right and that good questions = good answers or are you saying you do not understand my perspective there either. Help me understand your perspective.

[KittyKat]

Mike may be only dimly aware of those iTunes releases.  He may not have much to say about them, or nothing. Which is reflected in his answer.

[Nicko1234]

Hi everyone - I've enjoyed reading the various comments on this thread.  I happen to be the person who did the interview that launched this discussion, and I thought you might like to get my perspective.

First, a bit of background.  The interview was done for a preview article for the Beach Boys show at the Ventura County Fair for a Santa Barbara-based online newspaper called noozhawk.com.  The interview was set up at my initiative, and I'm guessing that Mike agreed to do it because of his Santa Barbara connection.  To my knowledge, none of the other area newspapers did an interview with him for this show, and it wouldn't have happened had I not navigated my way to the right people to contact.  My preview article on noozhawk.com included what I judged to be the parts of the interview that would be of broadest interest to the local readership, but as I typically do, I posted the full thing on my own website.  In fact, you might enjoy some of the other interviews posted there - http://music-illuminati.com/category/features/interviews

I didn't receive any suggested questions or list of "forbidden topics" from the band's management, PR firm, or Mike himself.  In fact, in the almost 150 interviews I've done, I don't ever recall receiving anything like this, apart from a gentle "It'd be nice if you mentioned the new album...", etc, which didn't happen in this case.  Maybe I'll kick myself someday for not asking Mike any "tough questions" while I had his ear, but remember, this was for a concert preview article for a county fair.  To me, that doesn't seem like the time to go 60 Minutes on somebody.  Note that there was no promise or expectation of anything for doing this, say free tickets or a signed copy of Smile 

OK, my questions, apparently like those of many other interviewers, were admittedly kind of obvious, but I honestly think that these are the sorts of things that the general public wants to know.  Bear in mind that the vast majority of the people reading such a preview article have probably never read an interview with Mike Love before. 

I personally like to keep my interview questions somewhat open and vague, so that the interviewee can take them where they want to go.  This keeps them talking, and often seems to help them to actually enjoy doing their thousandth+ interview.  The more detailed or obscure a question is, the more likely the interviewee is to give a rather uninteresting question like "Yes" or "No" or "What was the question again?"  I also think that this approach helps to keep the focus on them rather than me coming across as trying to display "superior knowledge" to the general readership, or something like that.

Remember also that the interviewee is going into this with the understanding that the interview is being done to promote their upcoming concert/release.  A few times I have gotten carried away with other lines of questioning - asking Alan Parsons too many questions about Pink Floyd, or asking Don Felder too many questions about The Eagles - and they politely asked for the focus to shift to their upcoming show.  This is a bit awkward when it happens, but fortunately in those cases I was able to quickly get back "on track".

There is no doubt a time and a place for tough questions, and there are no doubt plenty of people who are better informed about The Beach Boys and Mike Love - and better at instantly coming up with good follow-up questions - than myself.  Personally, I would enjoy reading such an interview, but I wouldn't expect to find it in such a preview article.

When I transcribed the interview, I did notice that Mike didn't mention Al Jardine at all, which I thought was interesting.  Also, I was surprised that he apparently isn't too concerned about the recordings released because of the European Union copyright law.

OK, I've rambled on long enough.  I'm happy to hear your feedback, even if it's on the negative side.  And, BTW, I have tried to set up an interview with Brian Wilson several times in the past when he was doing something in the Santa Barbara area, with no luck.  If one ever comes through, maybe I'll ask you guys what you really want to know, and then I'll try to figure out how to fit it in...

Oh, one more thing.  You might (or might not) get a chuckle out of the following question I asked of Blag Dahlia, singer for the punk rock band The Dwarves, who happened to be performing on the same night as a previous Beach Boys concert in the area:

JM: The Beach Boys will be playing that same night in Santa Ynez, which is close enough that some Santa Barbarans will make the trip. What would you say to someone who is trying to decide if they should go to The Dwarves or The Beach Boys?

BD: They might be a better band, but we draw the line at huffing tape head cleaner and f***ing the Manson girls.

For the record, I went to see The Dwarves that night.  Hey, I'd never seen them before!

- Jeff

Thanks for this informative post and for asking Blag Dahlia that question. 

[Theydon Bois]

So you think one example from one interview makes my general perspective un-understandable?

Do you disagree with my perspective that David Beard does it right and that good questions = good answers or are you saying you do not understand my perspective there either. Help me understand your perspective.

Well, my perspective in this particular instance is that I'm interested in the Big Beat 1963, the copyright issues surrounding it, and the various living Beach Boys' opinions surrounding the release of this material.  Especially since various members of the band have reportedly had (perhaps historical) issues surrounding the release of otherwise unavailable material.  I thought it was an interesting question to ask, and I'd be equally interested to see Brian, Al or Dave asked the same question.  Maybe none of them have thought about it.  Maybe they should be thinking about it.  Maybe it doesn't matter to anyone but me.

But on a wider note, it isn't just one example.  I just pounced upon this example because it was pertinent to the topic of the thread, i.e. the interview that started it.  Mike is not an interviewer's dream, and he is far from being alone among Beach Boys in this respect.

[Cam Mott]

Mike was asked a question for which he didn't have an answer and to you that negates my perspective that good questions makes good answers. I guess we will just disagree.

What about my perspective on how well David does it, do you not understand it either because of this one example?

[Ron]

Mike doesn't decide what copyright law is in England.  I imagine he doesn't spend too many brain cells analyzing the pros and cons of the situation when he's got all those beach balls to blow up and cheerleaders to audition. 

[Theydon Bois]

Mike was asked a question for which he didn't have an answer and to you that negates my perspective that good questions makes good answers. I guess we will just disagree.

What about my perspective on how well David does it, do you not understand it either because of this one example?

It's certainly possible that David gets good answers out of Mike because he asks good questions.  But then again, maybe David gets good answers out of Mike because Mike knows who David is and is more comfortable talking to him than to someone he's never encountered before.  Or maybe David gets good answers out of Mike because Mike knows that ESQ isn't going to selectively quote or misrepresent him, so he feels able to let his guard down.  Or maybe David just sends him some free hats or something, I don't know.  The point is that there are lots of variables here, and to boil it down to "good questions = good answers" is simplistic.  It also shifts all of the responsibility for how an interview turns out onto the shoulders of the interviewer, which is no more of a reasonable position than plonking all responsibility down on Mike.  It's a two-sided conversation and both parties carry some responsibility for bringing something good to the table.

[Cam Mott]

We will disagree on it all then.

[Mayoman]

This Mike interview was just published in my local paper, it's pretty much the same stuff as always, but there's some bits about Brian at the end that people may find interesting: http://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/08/the_beach_boys_to_turn_tanglew.html#incart_river

[HeyJude]

That interview did indeed at least elicit more of a substantive response concerning C50 than any of these other interviews we’ve been talking about. He still avoids addressing why he didn’t want to do more reunion shows and falls back on stating the obvious; that they did all the shows they agreed to do. But his verbiage concerning C50 is becoming almost comically more and more “bleh.” Now the best we get is that it was “interesting.” We don’t even get the “it was a fun and we had a good time” sort of response anymore.

It reminds me of one time I took a distant relative out to dinner. Afterward, their reaction started as “the food was great.” Then, once they got cues from others that they thought the food wasn’t that great, a few hours later the reaction had shifted to “it was okay.” By the end of the night, it had turned to “it wasn’t that great.” Weeks later, when the topic came up, it was “oh my god, that was the worst meal I’ve ever had, and here are the ten reasons it was so horrendous.”

But Mike is, sadly for fans of the band who want some sort of indication that the guys might do something together again, using even stronger, more pointed language concerning Brian. As I’ve often said with Brian, even if all these points are accurate, they’ve always been accurate. If you work with the guy and say everything’s a-okay, but then when things aren’t going the way you want, point out how f-ed up you think his situation is, it kind of undercuts credibility.

As for the “second album”, I view that as the same situation as “another tour.” There would never be another tour or album until they all agreed to do another one. I don’t think Fine or Brian have said Mike agreed to do another album and then backed out. I think what they’ve indicated is that Brian had more material ready to do another BB album, wanted to do another BB album, and Mike didn’t under those circumstances.

Same thing with the “fired” thing. Mike is now using the ignorant press comments as a straw man. Nobody is still asking or saying Mike fired Brian. Even Brian said he hadn’t been fired. The question concerns why Mike didn’t want to do more shows. The answer we have thus far is still nothing more than “we didn’t do more shows because we didn’t do more shows.”

[urbanite]

I found Mike's comment about BW current use of medication unnecessary and a little offensive.  Let it go man.

[NHC]

The interviewer says GV was the first single to sell over a million copies; on the first Concert album in Sacramento, Mike introduces 'I Get Around' by saying it "sold over a million copies for us and was #1 in the nation!" Wonder where the interviewer got that. Small point, just makes me curious what the numbers were for each on their initial release (yes, I know, I could look it up, nobody needs to answer it here).