What if there were no Stamos?

[Emily]

This is an interesting question, though off-topic, and I wonder if any historians can pitch in. It doesn't seem like there was much marketing, pre-Beatles, of the BBs as teen idols and that after the Beatles came along they tried but, other than with Dennis, had little success. Is it accurate that there was little effort in this direction pre-Beatles?
My impression is Elvis Presley had his own team doing that and that for the most part music companies didn't do heart-throb marketing. That this sort of marketing mostly took place for musicians who crossed over into TV and movies.  Until the Beatles.
Perhaps a new thread?

[CenturyDeprived]

If you take personal opinion and bias out of the equation, you can deny that Stamos in almost three decades has helped expose many people to Beach Boys music. 

i don't think anyone is denying that. does it give him the right to perform as a member of the band and appear in their promotional photos?

sure doesn't, but we live in a world where Brian Wilson is not nearly as welcome at a Beach Boys concert as John Stamos. and really only one person to thank for it.

Ouch. When one looks at it that way, it's a painful pill to swallow.

[bossaroo]

the point is that a teen idol actor has no place in a legendary band

But it's ok for actor Steve Martin to play bluegrass on banjo with Edie Brickell, Steel Canyon Ranchers and Martin Short on tour, or  former President Bill Clinton to jam on sax on Arsenio Hall or with indie electronica band M83?

Everyone has to stay "in their place?"

Seriously.  

big difference. Steve Martin is actually a quite talented musician and songwriter who was playing the banjo before his comedy career took off, and he incorporated the banjo into his act basically from the beginning. he treats the music with respect and reverence, which is not something you would expect from a zany comedian such as he.

meanwhile, Stamos is content to ham it up onstage with Mike and Bruce while the actual musicians do all the work. we've seen the photos where his guitar is not even plugged in. his drumming is barely passable and most of us have heard the stories of Carl rolling his eyes while Stamos did his schtick.

Bill Clinton? you can probably count the number of times he has blown sax in public on one hand. he is the epitome of cameo appearances. no comparison whatsoever, especially since he can actually play.

your constant gushing and rushing to the defense of "uncle Jesse" is so predictable, so played out. we get it. you're a female and you find him attractive. he got The Beach Boys on TV in the 80s and has therefore earned the right to perform with the band indefinitely and appear in their promo shots, unlike the actual musicians in the group.

seriously.

[bonnie bella]

Hey!  wait a minute bossy!  Your assuming that all females, or at least the one in question, like Stamos.  It might come as a surprise to you to know that not all women go for weedy, swarthy, oily haired guys.  A brain helps, and I'm not so sure in this instance we have a whole one in action....

[Sheriff John Stone]

meanwhile, Stamos is content to ham it up onstage with Mike and Bruce while the actual musicians do all the work. we've seen the photos where his guitar is not even plugged in. his drumming is barely passable and most of us have heard the stories of Carl rolling his eyes while Stamos did his schtick.

Bill Clinton? you can probably count the number of times he has blown sax in public on one hand. he is the epitome of cameo appearances. no comparison whatsoever, especially since he can actually play.

your constant gushing and rushing to the defense of "uncle Jesse" is so predictable, so played out. we get it. you're a female and you find him attractive. he got The Beach Boys on TV in the 80s and has therefore earned the right to perform with the band indefinitely and appear in their promo shots, unlike the actual musicians in the group.

John Stamos earned the right to perform with The Beach Boys because he was invited to do so. He was invited and he accepted the invitation. It must be OK with Brian Wilson because I don't see him doing anything to stop it. If Brian Wilson was really concerned about the "blight" Stamos was bringing to The Beach Boys, why doesn't he do something to stop it. Brian's probably just interested in collecting a check for doing nothing. Why ruin a good thing, huh? Brian has had years, decades now, to keep Stamos off of The Beach Boys' stage. Actually, wasn't Stamos invited to Brian and Melinda Ledbetter's wedding?

And, speaking of years, it's now been three years since Brian was fired from The Beach Boys by Mike Love. Remember, Brian didn't contest it because the litigation would've taken years. If Brian (and Al) would've asked the judge for a quick resolution/verdict, do you think three years would've been enough time? Oh yeah, it was those damn attorney's fees, too.

Yeah, old Carl used to roll his eyes at Stamos. As I recall, Carl used to be quite...concerned...at his brother Brian's performance on stage, both vocally and instrumentally. Anybody remember that? Wasn't it Carl who insisted that Brian give up bass playing live? Carl's been gone seventeen years now, but I'll betcha John Stamos has improved his musicianship over the last twenty years, unlike Brian Wilson, who has sadly regressed. It's very difficult for Brian now to play piano and sing at the same time. Oh, occasionally he'll play and sing at the same time, but it's actually kind of rare...

[ontor pertawst]

Wait, you're actually blaming Brian Wilson for Mike Love wanting Stamos to perform with his licensed touring outfit? Some sad regression going on indeed.

Pretty weird stuff even for you, SJS. The last few shows I saw, BW was singing and playing quite a lot more keys throughout. They were even audible! He's definitely stepped up since Nurse Foskett moved on. But yeah, twist and turn and bring in your petty resentments against the Wilsons to center stage -- it's a lot easier than defending the sheer goofiness of John Stamos playing with the Beach Boys instead of BW and AJ.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Hey!  wait a minute bossy!  Your assuming that all females, or at least the one in question, like Stamos.  It might come as a surprise to you to know that not all women go for weedy, swarthy, oily haired guys.  A brain helps, and I'm not so sure in this instance we have a whole one in action....

Deleted

[CenturyDeprived]

meanwhile, Stamos is content to ham it up onstage with Mike and Bruce while the actual musicians do all the work. we've seen the photos where his guitar is not even plugged in. his drumming is barely passable and most of us have heard the stories of Carl rolling his eyes while Stamos did his schtick.

Bill Clinton? you can probably count the number of times he has blown sax in public on one hand. he is the epitome of cameo appearances. no comparison whatsoever, especially since he can actually play.

your constant gushing and rushing to the defense of "uncle Jesse" is so predictable, so played out. we get it. you're a female and you find him attractive. he got The Beach Boys on TV in the 80s and has therefore earned the right to perform with the band indefinitely and appear in their promo shots, unlike the actual musicians in the group.

And, speaking of years, it's now been three years since Brian was fired from The Beach Boys by Mike Love. Remember, Brian didn't contest it because the litigation would've taken years. If Brian (and Al) would've asked the judge for a quick resolution/verdict, do you think three years would've been enough time? Oh yeah, it was those damn attorney's fees, too.
 

Costs aside, do you honestly think that Brian *wants* to bear the potential emotional burden of a lawsuit if he had tried to do anything about it? Are you gonna honestly say that desiring to avoid that would be a 100% negligible factor? Of course that's - at the very least - a *part *of why such a situation was allowed to happen and not be fought. Are you honestly gonna dispute that?

[CenturyDeprived]

meanwhile, Stamos is content to ham it up onstage with Mike and Bruce while the actual musicians do all the work. we've seen the photos where his guitar is not even plugged in. his drumming is barely passable and most of us have heard the stories of Carl rolling his eyes while Stamos did his schtick.

Bill Clinton? you can probably count the number of times he has blown sax in public on one hand. he is the epitome of cameo appearances. no comparison whatsoever, especially since he can actually play.

your constant gushing and rushing to the defense of "uncle Jesse" is so predictable, so played out. we get it. you're a female and you find him attractive. he got The Beach Boys on TV in the 80s and has therefore earned the right to perform with the band indefinitely and appear in their promo shots, unlike the actual musicians in the group.

John Stamos earned the right to perform with The Beach Boys because he was invited to do so. He was invited and he accepted the invitation. It must be OK with Brian Wilson because I don't see him doing anything to stop it. If Brian Wilson was really concerned about the "blight" Stamos was bringing to The Beach Boys, why doesn't he do something to stop it. Brian's probably just interested in collecting a check for doing nothing. Why ruin a good thing, huh? Brian has had years, decades now, to keep Stamos off of The Beach Boys' stage. Actually, wasn't Stamos invited to Brian and Melinda Ledbetter's wedding?
 

At the point of the Stamos indoctrination into the band, Brian was in Landy's clutches. While Stamos had been associated with the band somewhat before Kokomo, once Kokomo happened, Mike obviously gained a greater measure of control (even if unofficial, not contractual control)... So it's not like Brian ever was a big cheerleader for actively having Stamos being a regular part of the band.  

That said, Stamos seems like a super nice guy, and I don't for a moment doubt that he in fact is - so I can't imagine there's any huge push on Brian's side to remove him from the band - except, perhaps behind the scenes during C50, because I'll bet that if it were have been solely up to Mike, Stamos would have been at every single show.

It's not like continuing to have Stamos associated with the band is a "huge" blight *at this point*... because with decades of super cheesy stuff under the the band's name, like Problem Child, Summer in Paradise, Baywatch, etc... it's not the same as a band with much better quality control (ie The Beatles) one day dropping the ball by going on tour with Joey Lawrence. The world at large and most of the BB audience has acclimated to the cheese level that they've done under the band name. So once it's looked at in that way, Stamos' becomes *relatively* more negligible and benign, because truth be told, he probably brings in a segment of people to some of the shows. Or maybe his presence causes more attractive ladies to mingle backstage, which might literally be one of the main reasons for him continuing to be present - I don't know, but I wouldn't doubt it.

As I've mentioned before, Stamos never having gone away from the band (unlike cheesy songs like Problem Child, which were released, then disappeared and are largely forgotten)...the neverending association with the BBs and Full House is akin to Pink Floyd being repeatedly (for decades) associated with The Wiggles, or perhaps having Led Zeppelin associated with Barney the Dinosaur, and The Ramones with ALF... and I know FOR A FACT that the neverending Stamos conection turns a segment (we can debate how big a segment, but an actual, non-negligible segment) of people off to the band, as I've met MULTIPLE people who have personally told me that, without being prompted in any way about Stamos.  And frankly, maybe they are being music snobs, but it bugs me that the band is regularly dismissed like that. The BBs brand deserves to be regarded far better, but you get what you give.

Maybe it turns out to be a wash, with the people Stamos brings onboard being roughly equal in quantity to the people he turns off. I don't know if that's quite accurate though. I'd just much rather the band be taken more seriously.

[Lee Marshall]

I thought he was a 'square' Bonnie.  No...that doesn't spell it out accurately.  I thought he was a goof...as the 'front man'.  Even back then...dating back to the first live album...and TV appearances.  He just seemed out of place and out of step with the group.  The girls, I think, thought that Dennis was 'the man'.  He was certainly ten tons cooler.  That's for sure.  And for my tastes the BAND worked far better in terms of credibility when Carl took charge of the stage presentation.  Carl was also cool.  Mike was like an overdone rooster with coordination issues and an awful sense for what to say when on stage.  He still isn't much of an orator.  Words don't come easy.  Amd he's a lyricist?   

[Sheriff John Stone]

meanwhile, Stamos is content to ham it up onstage with Mike and Bruce while the actual musicians do all the work. we've seen the photos where his guitar is not even plugged in. his drumming is barely passable and most of us have heard the stories of Carl rolling his eyes while Stamos did his schtick.

Bill Clinton? you can probably count the number of times he has blown sax in public on one hand. he is the epitome of cameo appearances. no comparison whatsoever, especially since he can actually play.

your constant gushing and rushing to the defense of "uncle Jesse" is so predictable, so played out. we get it. you're a female and you find him attractive. he got The Beach Boys on TV in the 80s and has therefore earned the right to perform with the band indefinitely and appear in their promo shots, unlike the actual musicians in the group.

And, speaking of years, it's now been three years since Brian was fired from The Beach Boys by Mike Love. Remember, Brian didn't contest it because the litigation would've taken years. If Brian (and Al) would've asked the judge for a quick resolution/verdict, do you think three years would've been enough time? Oh yeah, it was those damn attorney's fees, too.
 

Costs aside, do you honestly think that Brian *wants* to bear the potential emotional burden of a lawsuit if he had tried to do anything about it? Are you gonna honestly say that desiring to avoid that would be a 100% negligible factor? Of course that's - at the very least - a *part *of why such a situation was allowed to happen and not be fought. Are you honestly gonna dispute that?

In my opinion, the "emotional burden' would be minimal.  As I posted/opined before, any litigation that involved taking the license back from Mike would've been largely a financial dispute, which is the reason for almost every dispute in the history of the Beach Boys. If it was true - and I don't necessarily believe it - Mike left several large "deals" on the table and potentially "hurt the brand" by reverting to touring without Brian and Al, thus keeping BRI from maximizing profit. It's a matter of dollars and cents, lost revenue if you will. The court case would've involved testimony from promoters, accountants, and actuaries - not Brian Wilson or Al Jardine.

I don't think it ever would've come to this, but it would've been a huge mistake for Brian's handlers to claim that Brian wanted to continue to tour because he was having fun, fun, fun. An email to Mike Love stating otherwise, Brian's on-stage "behavior" at concerts (like the one I attended where he tried to bolt the stage, only to be "intercepted" by Jeff Foskett), and testimony from other witnesses (doctors?) who might've seen some physical/emotional exhaustion after seventy-five shows would've been reasons to not go there.

Brian probably could've gotten away with a deposition and that would've been entirely composed by an attorney. Actually, I think Brian would have to ask his attorney if he even wanted to know how things were going as I don't think he would've ever entered a courtroom. And, if this litigation was begun in 2012 when "the sh-- hit the fan", it would've been settled by now. 

[ontor pertawst]

You might as well throw in mock-concern for his back pain and appropriate chairs at concerts!

In my opinion, the "emotional burden' would be minimal.

Yeah, your incredibly vicious, demeaning post shows how concerned you are with emotional burdens on Brian Wilson. Again painting him like some helpless vegetable carted around by handlers. Pffft. Nonsense. It's 2015 -- good luck trying to push that narrative and not come off looking like a repulsive, uncaring bastard and pointlessly cruel to someone coping with mental illness. While being productive as f*** at the same time! So he doesn't play 160 shows a year, big deal. He's got music to record and a huge family that he doesn't need to run away from, fire, or excommunicate all the time.

Have you ever been in a protracted legal tangle with a family member? Don't be ridiculous. Of course it's a horrible, constant drain. So the Loves can celebrate, they "won." They prevailed over some dead cousins, Al Jardine, and Brian Wilson. "Yay." To the baseball capped with an appetite for legal bullying go the spoils!

The next real fight will be that horrible time when the principals die and it's their estates battling out for licensing The Foskett and Stamos Boys. That is gonna be U-G-L-Y.



An Evening with The Beach Boys(TM)

UK fans might complain about the recent leg of BW's tour there cancelled, but you guys are SO lucky to have Stamos permanently off the menu.

[Lonely Summer]

I don't think being a former teen idol is the problem people have with Stamos. If Rick Nelson had been invited to sit in with the band in the 70's or 80's, I doubt anyone would be complaining.

[Mike's Beard]

Some people really know how to overreact to a D-list actor popping up at gigs and playing on a few songs.

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

I have to side with the Sheriff on this one. 

While it would be near impossible to truly determine how many more fans John Stamos brought to The Beach Boys, it seems fairly obvious that he's done far more good than harm to the legacy of The Beach Boys. 

Dave Coulier, on the other hand, has had almost zero impact.  Did he even have a line in that Beach Boy Bingo episode? 

How is it "fairly obvious?" Youve offered no actual proof, just speculation and what you want/think to be true. Just because a show was on TV for awhile and they cameo'd that means nothing, not to mention what others have said about the album they cut with him being their worst, anyone who'd buy a BB album wouldve done so regardless, etc.

the point is that a teen idol actor has no place in a legendary band

Agreed. Maybe a one-off tour or something, but hardly as a regular member. Especially if said teen idol has no discernible music talent.

Sad world where Stamos is more welcome than BW& Al to tour under the BBs name.

This is true.

It really is bizarre and depressing, when you put it that way. And its absolutely true.

Mike Love is no teen idol.

Right, and never was back in the day either. He conjured up the older uncle or perhaps grandfather image that made him not fit in with the rest of the group.  

That's interesting.  Video footage of him has him pantomiming away like crazy and making out like he's really hot.  I sort of assumed he was considered cool, but not even in 1964?  

Mike Love was never cool. His shtick was always corny, IMHO his lyrics were almost always corny, and he doesnt have the "hot" factor that Dennis, Grace Slick, Jim Morrison, Syd Barrett and Jimi Hendrix have. He became the front man more by default than because he was the best for the job.

Wait, you're actually blaming Brian Wilson for Mike Love wanting Stamos to perform with his licensed touring outfit? Some sad regression going on indeed.

Pretty weird stuff even for you, SJS. The last few shows I saw, BW was singing and playing quite a lot more keys throughout. They were even audible! He's definitely stepped up since Nurse Foskett moved on. But yeah, twist and turn and bring in your petty resentments against the Wilsons to center stage -- it's a lot easier than defending the sheer goofiness of John Stamos playing with the Beach Boys instead of BW and AJ.

Indeed. And besides, its irrelevant. The point is Brian IS the Beach Boys. They wouldnt have existed or made it big without him. All the hits are at least 50% his, their universally recognized best album is essentially a BW album featuring the Beach Boys, and the best songs they ever worked on are his and VDP's babies. If he EVER wants to tour with the band, either in 2012 or as a one-off even now, Mike should be thrilled and put him on without a question. Instead...well...thats not the case. But Stamos is a staple, despite having no real music talent and very little impact on the band's history or career and with a debatably detrimental net impact on their image. Makes no sense, no matter how you try to justify it.

I can state, without question, that I absolutely have met several people who, when I tell them about my BB fandom, they immediately dismiss it (and their reasoning drifts into mentioning Full House!) So for better or worse, the mega-cheesy connections with that show are without a doubt a factor in some people dismissing the band.  

That is not a negligible occurrence. It's legitimately a problem, at least on some level. We can debate *how* big a problem it is, but it cannot be qualified as a non-issue.

It's not like Davy Jones appearing once on a single Brady Bunch episode either... the BBs appeared many times on Full House, and kept reminding the world of the connection to Full House via the actor from the show, over and over again.  One can say "well, those people are snobs", but for better or worse, they were turned off (and understandably so, as I would probably be turned off by a famous band if I wasn't familiar with their deeper cuts, and kept being reminded of their repeated, incessant connections to The Wiggles, for example).

So lets not fool ourselves into thinking that there isn't fallout and damage that happened (and continues to happen) because of the never ending Stamos connection. Full House is considered nearly on par with The Wiggles by many people, and it can be too big a cheesy roadblock for a good number of people to look past. Their loss, yes. But at the same time, it's Mike's fault for wanting the band's connection to a mediocre actor (though a nice guy, I'm sure) and his crappy show to go on and on and on and on. The connection is pimped out to the degree of PROMOTIONAL PHOTOS being taken! It's lunacy!

But hey - if it keeps away the "snobby" contingent of fans, that may in fact be what Mike (and Bruce) desire - the "normal" crowd. Stamos may in fact inadvertently function as hipster repellent.

All that said, I don't have any big issue with the guy, he doesn't make me cringe at this point, I just am bugged that other people are more dismissive of the band. Once you are a superfan and can legitimately find some pleasure in songs like Problem Child, Stamos is just par for the course.

I can corroborate this. I always got made fun of in high school when I mentioned Brian Wilson as my fave musician and Pet Sounds my fave album. People acted like I was crazy and must have horrible taste. Not just other young'ins eithers. Even now, among my adult co-workers and family, some laugh when I mention it. Its really upsetting, and while Stamos wasnt specifically mentioned, he obviously doesnt help. Im a fan and even I cringe watching those stupid Full House cameos. Even my mom and sister, who are fans, thought they were stupid and thought Mike was really creepy in the one episode he grabs DJ's hair.

Really, I think anyone discovering the band from Full House did so in spite of how cheesy and stupid those actual appearances were, not because of them.

You're not getting the point, which is evident by your limiting Stamos' influence to his performing "Forever" on one episode of Full House and his connection with the worst album in the Beach Boys' history.

First of all, John Stamos had a couple of TV shows. I remember taping the episode of You Again with the Beach Boys performing "California Dreamin'" and "Surfin' U.S.A." - and memorizing it! But, regarding Full House, there were several reasons that people watched Full House. Maybe they thought Lori Loughlin was hot, or Candace Cameron was cute, or the Olsen twins were adorable, or Bob Sagat was funny, or maybe because the show was good family entertainment. The audience's attraction is not limited to John Stamos. Multiply that by the number of Beach Boys' songs performed on those shows. Now mulitply that by thirty years of continuous broadcasting of the show(s) worldwide. You are cutting things off 25 years ago. The influence is still ongoing today. It wasn't just limited to one Stamos performance of "Forever" back in 1992. All it takes is/was for one of those songs - one time - to "hook" somebody. Why is that so hard to fathom? The Beach Boys' music does that to people.

And, it wasn't that just one song or performance directly resulted in a potential fan purchasing SIP or Still Cruisin' or the boxed set. But, it surely led them there. Use "Forever" as an example. So somebody hears "Forever" on Full House and looks into the song. They see that it appears on the Sunflower/Surf's Up 2fer, but they don't know any of the other songs. Same with SIP. However, they also see that "Forever" appears on the boxed set, and hey, they heard of  "Surfin' U.S.A." and "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Good Vibrations" and several others, and Amazon just happens to running a sale on boxed sets. Bingo...sale! And a new fan is born.

This is especially relevant with downloading and iTunes and the like. Some kid is watching Full House, hears "Kokomo" or "Forever" or "Be True To Your School", likes it, goes on iTunes and sees all of these Beach Boys tunes with familiar titles, and the next thing you know, they not only purchased "Kokomo", but ten other Beach Boys' tunes. And, yet another new fan is born.

Why? Because they saw or heard a Beach Boys' on a John Stamos-related TV show. Stamos might not have been the one performing it, he might not have been the reason they were even watching the show in the first place, but he's the one who brought the Beach Boys' music to the show. And, you know what I don't understand, Hey Jude? Why people aren't thanking Stamos for it, instead of finding every way possible to criticize him. Actually, I DO know why people on this board are critical of Stamos. Sorry for the rhetorical question.

IDK, man. With this and your other posts, I think you're kinda grasping at straws on this. Nothing in this proves that Stamos had any impact on the Band's popularity--because by any discernible measure, he didnt. This is all speculation, anecdotal evidence and reaching. Im sure he turned a few people on over the years, but like Cam said, anyone who bought the songs or checked them out ultimately did so because they liked the songs, not because of Uncle Jessie. And considering how prevalent the BBs are, if not Full House, they wouldve discovered them eventually. I first really got into the Beach Boys finding an old tape in my mom's car, and later hearing a commercial on TV for a greatest hits comp. If it hadnt been for that, I wouldve discovered them later thru the radio--Full House even (yes, I watched it)--or within the past 5 years when I started really getting into Sixties albums and music history. To be fair, that last one happened mostly because of my interest in Pet Sounds and SMiLE, but I was also really into the Beatles for awhile back then too, so it wouldve happened either way.

This whole "Stamos introduced a whole new generation to the music!" thing is way overblown by my reckoning. Im sure he helped, but he also hindered by how cheesy he and the cameos and Full House in general are. It was a zero sum impact, Im willing to bet. And as the years go by and he's STILL doing shows, and his goofy persona is now part of their story, I really think he has a negative impact overall. Now its harder for future fans to just focus on the good stuff, without going "whos that? John Stamos? (googles him) Full House? Huh...a lame family sitcom no one over 12 likes? And the Boys did some cameos on it? Might as well check those out. (watches them) OMG kill me with a hammer."

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

Some people really know how to overreact to a D-list actor popping up at gigs and playing on a few songs.

Indeed. I never wouldve guessed this thread would go on for so long

[Toursiveu]

Anybody know if The Beach Boys (well, Mike and Bruce) will appear in "Fuller House" next year?
At least, they never appeared on ER...

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

Anybody know if The Beach Boys (well, Mike and Bruce) will appear in "Fuller House" next year?
At least, they never appeared on ER...

I had to look that up. Good GOD theyre making another one??? WHY??

Is Stamos in it? If yes, then Im sure they will. At least Mike. He doesnt seem to want to turn down any venue...except Madison Square Garden with Brian Wilson at least.

[bossaroo]

Hey!  wait a minute bossy!  Your assuming that all females, or at least the one in question, like Stamos.  It might come as a surprise to you to know that not all women go for weedy, swarthy, oily haired guys.  A brain helps, and I'm not so sure in this instance we have a whole one in action....

hey beebs!
i wasn't inferring that all females find him attractive, only that the ones who do tend to be women. no offense intended and i do appreciate your adamant and descriptive proclamation

[bossaroo]

Mike Love is no teen idol.

Right, and never was back in the day either. He conjured up the older uncle or perhaps grandfather image that made him not fit in with the rest of the group. 

That's interesting.  Video footage of him has him pantomiming away like crazy and making out like he's really hot.  I sort of assumed he was considered cool, but not even in 1964? 

check out The Lost Concert. quick pans to the crowd reveal an audience  both amused and confused by the Lovester's dorky stage antics. cool he ain't.

Dennis on the other hand...

[SMiLE Brian]

SJS saying John Stamos is a better musician than Brian Wilson. This board is officially f***ed by the kokomaoists.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Some people really know how to overreact to a D-list actor popping up at gigs and playing on a few songs.

That is because when you strip everything away, this is just another thread to bash Mike Love. Stamos is just another excuse to do so. That is what this board...does.

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

Some people really know how to overreact to a D-list actor popping up at gigs and playing on a few songs.

That is because when you strip everything away, this is just another thread to bash Mike Love. Stamos is just another excuse to do so. That is what this board...does.

No, not really. I think everyone here has been mostly on point. When a relevant point about Mike comes up, like his stage persona and weird willingness to tour with Stamos but not Brian, people weigh their opinions fairly. It IS weird that some random actor who let the band on his goofy show twice is now a regular while the founder and star of the band got kicked out against his will in 2012. Its also worth noting--since someone brought it up--that Mike is a goofball frontman and lacks that "cool" factor so many other frontmen and women have. Hes not dangerous or sexy like the ones I listed and a dozen others. Hes a cornball. It got brought up so its fair and relevant to weigh in my opinion.

The problem is, whether you like him or not, Mike's done a lot thru the years that warrants criticism and that criticism will inevitably surface on a discussion forum. Why people take it so personally or act like its trolling or hateful is beyond me, and the fact that certain people feel such a need to defend him and condemn anyone who says anything not 100% positive about him* is why every other thread here descends into the two camps arguing. Maybe if Mike didnt actually do so many questionable if not outright horrible things thru the years, he wouldnt get so much flak. Just a thought.

*This is so hypocritical too considering Mike himself isnt positive at all and brings up the Wilsons' personal problems/addictions at every opportunity even when asked what HE is most regretful for. Inexcusable then to turn that criticism around on us, for rightly calling out his own shortcomings when its relevant to the topic of discussion

[SMiLE Brian]

Its insanity from the biggest slimeball in rock and roll, Mike Love. He loves the M&B setup since he kicked out all the other members that founded the band and can run things his way. Stamos is only there to help pick up women for the wine drinking party after the show.

[filledeplage]

the point is that a teen idol actor has no place in a legendary band

But it's ok for actor Steve Martin to play bluegrass on banjo with Edie Brickell, Steel Canyon Ranchers and Martin Short on tour, or  former President Bill Clinton to jam on sax on Arsenio Hall or with indie electronica band M83?

Everyone has to stay "in their place?"

Seriously.  

big difference. Steve Martin is actually a quite talented musician and songwriter who was playing the banjo before his comedy career took off, and he incorporated the banjo into his act basically from the beginning. he treats the music with respect and reverence, which is not something you would expect from a zany comedian such as he.

meanwhile, Stamos is content to ham it up onstage with Mike and Bruce while the actual musicians do all the work. we've seen the photos where his guitar is not even plugged in. his drumming is barely passable and most of us have heard the stories of Carl rolling his eyes while Stamos did his schtick.

Bill Clinton? you can probably count the number of times he has blown sax in public on one hand. he is the epitome of cameo appearances. no comparison whatsoever, especially since he can actually play.

your constant gushing and rushing to the defense of "uncle Jesse" is so predictable, so played out. we get it. you're a female and you find him attractive. he got The Beach Boys on TV in the 80s and has therefore earned the right to perform with the band indefinitely and appear in their promo shots, unlike the actual musicians in the group.

seriously.

Seriously, first I've seen Steve Martin. Going back to his early days in comedy. He used the banjo as part of his act.  I see little difference and that is a matter of personal taste. Many men don't like him. I wonder why.

Second, the character Stamos played in FH had a band. Even playing with some of the long BB backing band musicians, including Gary Griffin who was in L & M.

Third I don't appreciate the sexist remarks. Yes, women are outnumbered on this forum, but that should not diminish their viewpoints. I thought I was clear earlier when I said I "became a Stamos fan 'after' I saw the way in which he showed extraordinary kindness to special needs kids and adults." I "followed his career." There is a difference.