Somewhat painful Bruce Johnston interview in a Dutch magazine

[lance]

Jeeeezus. he couldn't have said a worse thing if he was trying to promote the band. Western Europeans take criticism from Americans even worse than Americans take criticism from Europeans. Holland, too!! He just f***ed one of the band's best markets! Or maybe not. Maybe at this point no one takes him seriously and the fans will still enjoy the Beach Boys regardless.

[Sound of Free]

I wonder if there are any iconic bands out there that are known for such wildly divergent (re: political) personalities. I'm sure there are, but none come to mind. Most are shades of grey.

Johnny Ramone was a staunch conservative, leading to lots of bad blood between him and Joey.

[MBE]

Listen I think the point is being missed. Politics isn't the issue because Bruce is entitled to think what he likes as are you. The problem as I see it is Johnston holding himself so far above others. He honestly thinks he's better than most people and that's why I think he's not cool.  He has a star attitude which makes him seem small and petty. Sorry Bruce may be well known to some folks, but most people don't know or care who he is. He needs to get over himself. Ego can be a good thing when wanting to be sucessfull, but I still generally don't like how he at times treats others.

[adamghost]

I think there really is an interesting grain of thought here.  Bruce's comment (which is another cliche) about people in Europe "hating success," is a way of interpreting a viewpoint that would probably be stated by the other side as "being disdainful of people taking up an inordinate amount of resources at the expense of the rest of society."  I'm not taking a moral position, just pointing out how semantics makes a difference.  It's an effective way to shield oneself mentally from engaging the actual question being asked, which requires self-examination.  I'm not singling out Bruce, this is just something I think is a natural human thing to do when one's beliefs are called into question.  Which is exactly why the reporter went there, that desire to break through that wall...and why Bruce wouldn't take the bait.  I don't blame him one bit, but I also don't blame the reporter, either -- though I'm somewhat sympathetic to Bruce's other point that it's not a political interview and it may not have been entirely appropriate.  I wish more people got asked these kinds of questions, though, in general.  If folks have strong opinions, I think that's great.  Defend them under aggressive but fair questioning!  That happens so rarely anymore.  And consequently people get away with believing and saying the most outrageously dumb sh*t, and these ideas take hold.  Perhaps, though, a musician in a rock band who isn't particularly outspoken politically isn't the right target for that.

So, anyway, whatever.  Bummer for Bruce that he didn't hang up.

[Mikie]

I think a lot of the reason liberal policies have gotten a bad rap is many of them have worked so well that we take them for granted, and only notice the flaws.  I'm thinking specifically about advances in civil rights, clean air and water, workplace safety (heck, the 8-hour workday and overtime), stuff like that.  

Yeah, stuff like:

* Civil rights
* Social Security
* National parks
* Clean air
* Clean water
* Minimum wage
* Worker safety
* Consumer protecton
* And much more

But Brucccccce doesn't care about that. He'd rather not pay his fair share of taxes, sit in his comfortable Montecito home overlooking the ocean knocking back Pacifico's, and think about the next time he meets Mike at a concert so he can walk across the stage in his white shorts smiling and clapping his hands.

[EgoHanger1966]

Of course Bruce has the right to believe in whatever direction he sees fit, and to broadcast those opinions in whichever matter, again, he sees fit. I can't speak for others, but for me, It's not his views at all that made me feel the way I did when I read it, but it was the "I figured him out, you know. So I kicked his ass for ten minutes, with a smile on my face" thing. None of us have read the whole interview (with the possible exception of the OP), but it doesn't seem like the reporter was being specifically rude or pushy in that area for Bruce to have made a comment like that. Like someone else had mentioned above, it makes Bruce's "on" persona seem so false that it makes it hard for me to not think of that when I see him within the context of the band I love. The two should remain seperate, but it's just not that easy.

[KittyKat]

Of course Bruce has the right to believe in whatever direction he sees fit, and to broadcast those opinions in whichever matter, again, he sees fit. I can't speak for others, but for me, It's not his views at all that made me feel the way I did when I read it, but it was the "I figured him out, you know. So I kicked his ass for ten minutes, with a smile on my face" thing. None of us have read the whole interview (with the possible exception of the OP), but it doesn't seem like the reporter was being specifically rude or pushy in that area for Bruce to have made a comment like that. Like someone else had mentioned above, it makes Bruce's "on" persona seem so false that it makes it hard for me to not think of that when I see him within the context of the band I love. The two should remain seperate, but it's just not that easy.

Yes, that's it.  Bruce seems rude and disrespectful.  It also makes me wonder why he had a Capitol records person in on a conference call for a simple interview,and whether he let the journalist know someone was listening in or not.  Is Bruce that paranoid?  There was that other incident that someone reported of Bruce going off on them backstage after a show, telling them that his time with them was "over" and they needed to save their pennies for the next Beach Boys compilation.  The remark about the fan needing to save his pennies made me wonder if he has contempt for regular people who are of more modest means.  He's proof that money can't buy class.

[Jim V.]

I've been thinking about it more, and it seems to me he's kinda always been like this. He acts like he's a rich, famous rock star that understands things more than us middle to lower class minions who don't understand the record business, and are led astray by liberals, since we don't know any better. Honestly, minus the famous rock star part, it sounds like many of my parents friends. My parents have a few couples they are friends with who talk politics with me like I'm some immature kid that doesn't understand how things work like they do.   

Like all those years  before SMiLE was out, he would say stuff kinda like "yeah SMiLE is cool, but it's better if we keep it unreleased because it'll keep the myth going" or something, and yeah sure, it's a lot easier to say that when you could probably down to Brother Studios at the time and ask to hear a mix of "Do You Like Worms". But us little stupid fans, we don't need it. Or how he told Peter Aames Carlin something like "you are more into the band than I will be in one thousand lifetimes." Its very snobby and off-putting. And now that this attitude is showing up in public more, it's getting harder to take.

Overall, I just think his behavior is that of somebody who was lucky to be a rich kid, and then lucky enough to be picked up by a great musical group, and knows his luck, but instead of being modest about himself, it seems he tries to rub our faces in it, instead.

[MBE]

Of course Bruce has the right to believe in whatever direction he sees fit, and to broadcast those opinions in whichever matter, again, he sees fit. I can't speak for others, but for me, It's not his views at all that made me feel the way I did when I read it, but it was the "I figured him out, you know. So I kicked his ass for ten minutes, with a smile on my face" thing. None of us have read the whole interview (with the possible exception of the OP), but it doesn't seem like the reporter was being specifically rude or pushy in that area for Bruce to have made a comment like that. Like someone else had mentioned above, it makes Bruce's "on" persona seem so false that it makes it hard for me to not think of that when I see him within the context of the band I love. The two should remain seperate, but it's just not that easy.

Yes, that's it.  Bruce seems rude and disrespectful.  It also makes me wonder why he had a Capitol records person in on a conference call for a simple interview,and whether he let the journalist know someone was listening in or not.  Is Bruce that paranoid?  There was that other incident that someone reported of Bruce going off on them backstage after a show, telling them that his time with them was "over" and they needed to save their pennies for the next Beach Boys compilation.  The remark about the fan needing to save his pennies made me wonder if he has contempt for regular people who are of more modest means.  He's proof that money can't buy class.

Right it's his attitude not his politics which are the real problem.

[MBE]

I've been thinking about it more, and it seems to me he's kinda always been like this. He acts like he's a rich, famous rock star that understands things more than us middle to lower class minions who don't understand the record business, and are led astray by liberals, since we don't know any better. Honestly, minus the famous rock star part, it sounds like many of my parents friends. My parents have a few couples they are friends with who talk politics with me like I'm some immature kid that doesn't understand how things work like they do.   

Like all those years  before SMiLE was out, he would say stuff kinda like "yeah SMiLE is cool, but it's better if we keep it unreleased because it'll keep the myth going" or something, and yeah sure, it's a lot easier to say that when you could probably down to Brother Studios at the time and ask to hear a mix of "Do You Like Worms". But us little stupid fans, we don't need it. Or how he told Peter Aames Carlin something like "you are more into the band than I will be in one thousand lifetimes." Its very snobby and off-putting. And now that this attitude is showing up in public more, it's getting harder to take.

Overall, I just think his behavior is that of somebody who was lucky to be a rich kid, and then lucky enough to be picked up by a great musical group, and knows his luck, but instead of being modest about himself, it seems he tries to rub our faces in it, instead.

Again bingo!

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Well, he's right about Europe. I know that's a bitter pill for some, but hey.

So just to recap, The Real Beach Boy, we're not allowed to post 'nonsense' topics and threads on this board, but we are allowed to xenophobic... Good to know thanks!

(As a socialist European myself, can i just point out that at least we don't still execute people over here, nor do we have small-minded and dangerous gun laws...)

[Jason]

Well, he's right about Europe. I know that's a bitter pill for some, but hey.

So just to recap, The Real Beach Boy, we're not allowed to post 'nonsense' topics and threads on this board, but we are allowed to xenophobic... Good to know thanks!

(As a sociolist European myself, can i just point out that at least we don't still execute people over here, nor do we have small-minded and dangerous gun laws...)

Can you repeat that in English, please?

[shelter]

Well, he's right about Europe. I know that's a bitter pill for some, but hey.

So just to recap, The Real Beach Boy, we're not allowed to post 'nonsense' topics and threads on this board, but we are allowed to xenophobic... Good to know thanks!

(As a sociolist European myself, can i just point out that at least we don't still execute people over here, nor do we have small-minded and dangerous gun laws...)

Can you repeat that in English, please?

On behalf of myself and the other Smiley Smile members that aren't American or British, I would like to apologize for not speaking your language perfectly. 

Come on, shouldn't you be above provocative comments like that, especially considering that you're a moderator?

[Smilin Ed H]

Just as well Bruce can sing. What an ill-mannered dick.

[Loaf]

Bruce can take his stiff attitude and f*** himself with it.

That really put me off him on a personal level. Forget politics, the man is just a mean-spirited prick.

Why bother to help people in their real lives, when i can get up on stage and play fake keyboards to Kokomo and make them all happy again.

[Nicko1234]

Hilarious comments here about what a journalist claims Bruce may have said during what he thought was a private conversation.

[MBE]

Hilarious comments here about what a journalist claims Bruce may have said during what he thought was a private conversation.

Not so funny because it jibes with what many of us here know is his attitude problem. If it didn't I would be the first to say he's not like that.

[Quzi]

Well that solidifies Bruce's standing as a grade-A, unintelligent asshole imo. Also, I'd just like to say that the Eurozone isn't the best place to look when looking for examples of where left wing politics have worked. I instead invite you to check out Australia's low inflation, steady growth and low inflation rate and tell me that efficient fiscal policy regulation is such a bad thing. Stimulus packages, welfare and medicare are what act as a buffer to keep the cycle spinning when things are showing signs of slowing down. Has everyone forgotten the famous Keynes quote that one man's spending is another man's income? The poor are the ones who are most likely to spend an increase in their disposable income down at the local shops, subsequently creating  jobs and improving the standard of living for those who need it most - how is that such a bad thing? Low taxes on the rich enhances the capacity to outsource jobs exploitatively, throw money out of the economy on risky, inefficient investment decisions/overseas holidays/etc. It's truly a recipe for disaster and I'm astonished that people truly believe that going down that route is what will be best for America, truly.

[buddhahat]

.

[AndrewHickey]

Jeeeezus. he couldn't have said a worse thing if he was trying to promote the band. Western Europeans take criticism from Americans even worse than Americans take criticism from Europeans. Holland, too!! He just f***ed one of the band's best markets! Or maybe not. Maybe at this point no one takes him seriously and the fans will still enjoy the Beach Boys regardless.

Well, I'm a Western European (though not Dutch) and someone Bruce would probably call a socialist (I'm not one -- I'm a radical liberal -- but even some quite educated Americans seem unclear on the distinction, and Bruce seems completely ignorant of politics), and this makes no difference at all to my appreciation of the band. I don't agree with Bruce's political views just like I don't agree with, say, Mike's religious views -- I think both are factually incorrect on a very basic level and the world would be a worse place if more people shared those views -- but that's not going to make me stop listening to him singing.

As for him being a bit of an arsehole on this occasion (and on others) -- well, yes... but I'd be very surprised if there was anyone here who hadn't done more or less the same thing at some time.

[J.G. Dev]

Lost amongst all this madness is the fact that Bruce apparently thinks SIP is a pretty good album. 

[Moon Dawg]

  We've learned a bit more about each of The Beach Boys throughout this 50th Anniversary Tour/Reunion. Bruce would seem to be the only member coming out of the experience with a diminished rep.

[AndrewHickey]

Lost amongst all this madness is the fact that Bruce apparently thinks SIP is a pretty good album. 

Yeah, well Bruce doesn't like Friends or Love You. His taste is obviously pretty strange.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Bruce said what he did off the record, when he thought the phone was down. He's done it before, he'll do it again, as we all will. To my mind, the dick is the journalist who wrote about it.

Oh, and Bruce reads this forum.  

[shelter]

Bruce said what he did off the record, when he thought the phone was down. He's done it before, he'll do it again, as we all will. To my mind, the dick is the journalist who wrote about it.

Quoting something that was said off the record is, of course, not very nice. But neither is calling someone "a dick" and "indoctrinated". So I'd say they're even.