The 'Love' Dance

[Shady]

so this  dance thing that Mike love does, was that a hit with the fans or was it just an emaressment to the guys.

Also did he make that dance up or was it the thing in the 60's 

[carlydenise]

It was a 60's type dance, which carried over into the 90's and beyond.  He doesn't play an instrument other than the sax sometimes and a tambourine, so he had to find something to do besides just standing there and singing. 

[Rocker]

I hate that dancing !! It was okay in the beginning, but from '65 on (maybe even '64) it was just embarassing.
Mick Jagger also didn't play any instrument and he has quite a cool perfomance, why not Mike Love? In the early 70s and also on he "It's ok"-Special he is really cool imho but that's it...

[Shady]

i sometimes find it funny and an intresting look at the 60's, since i was born in the 90's

But i gotta say, i love his 70's ego, like at knebworth, he was just full of it.

[Ron]

f**k it, I love Mike Love, I love the dance.  I embrace it in all of it's dorky splendor. 

[Shady]

f**k it, I love Mike Love, I love the dance.  I embrace it in all of it's dorky splendor. 

well said,

He is very funny to watch

[MBE]

Jagger is just as big a dork but that is why its fun watching them. The Brian's of both bands are SO much cooler though!

[Old Rake]

f**k it, I love Mike Love, I love the dance.  I embrace it in all of it's dorky splendor. 

well said,

He is very funny to watch

Agreed, agreed, agreed. One of my favorite things about Mike live.

He's a dork, but let's not kid ourselves: so is Brian Wilson.

[Ron]

As far as I've been shown, so is all of Hawthorne, CA, with the possible exception of Dennis Wilson. 

[Ron]

Oh, and BTW, didn't David Ruffin use to do a variation of the same dance?

[MBE]

I love seeing clips where the others roll their eyes at Mike. (Brian smirks quite a bit at Mike's dancing in the early days). Continuing the Mick Jagger comparison Watch Charlie Watts' eyebrows  in any of the 70s Stones clips where Mick is acting feminine.

[Aegir]

Or what's worse is when people dance along with him on TV shows! Like those shows where they had all the backup dancers, during the instrumental breaks they all come to the forefront and Mike doesn't look as big of an idiot. Or when they were in France and the French people in the audience were imitating his actions, so silly.

The actions he does to Fun Fun Fun are great, though.

[Aegir]

Or what's worse is when people dance along with him on TV shows! Like those shows where they had all the backup dancers, during the instrumental breaks they all come to the forefront and Mike doesn't look as big of an idiot. Or when they were in France and the French people in the audience were imitating his actions, so silly.

The actions he does to Fun Fun Fun are great, though.

the thing I don't like about people bumping super old threads is that my opinions have greatly changed over the years. I was such a Mike-disliking noob.

[TonyW]

Or what's worse is when people dance along with him on TV shows! Like those shows where they had all the backup dancers, during the instrumental breaks they all come to the forefront and Mike doesn't look as big of an idiot. Or when they were in France and the French people in the audience were imitating his actions, so silly.

The actions he does to Fun Fun Fun are great, though.

the thing I don't like about people bumping super old threads is that my opinions have greatly changed over the years. I was such a Mike-disliking noob.

Jack Kerouac said: "First thought best thought"

.... cue Kokomaoist flaming of drunken old Beatnicks with benzadrine, mother and cat fetishes ....

[Gertie J.]

Mike's dances might be quirky but 'least he has his own style. I for one never saw any frontman doing great Mike.

[Ed Roach]

Jack Kerouac said: "First thought best thought"

.... cue Kokomaoist flaming of drunken old Beatnicks with benzadrine, mother and cat fetishes ....

Wow, how encouraging it is to see/hear Kerouac quoted here

[Shady]

wow that is an awful spelling error by me, well I was 15 at the time 

[TonyW]

Jack Kerouac said: "First thought best thought"

.... cue Kokomaoist flaming of drunken old Beatnicks with benzadrine, mother and cat fetishes ....

Wow, how encouraging it is to see/hear Kerouac quoted here

Consider yourself beatified Mr Roach.


( ... the thought has crossed my mind as to what would have happened had Dennis Wilson met Neal Cassady ... the Dumb Angel and the Holy Goof ... )

[Roger Ryan]

...Every time I see various 60s fragments of dancing people they seem to me strange, i.e. people of that decade danced quite monotonously, ingenuinely, sometimes like robots or whatever. Don't know how to explain but there's something eccentric in their dancing way...

The thing is, on those 60s shows you're watching real people dancing for real. As image became more important in the late 70s, and even more so after MTV started, most TV shows and production companies hired professionals dancers who were choreographed to look like real people dancing. Sure, styles of dancing have changed, but go to any nightclub or bar today and you'll see plenty of monotonous and robotic dance moves.

[Mike's Beard]

True, Mike reached deep within and allowed himself to become one with the music, his body a vessel to channel graceful flowing motions as he waved his arms around like a chicken during Little Deuce Coupe.

[Ron]

I hate that dancing !! It was okay in the beginning, but from '65 on (maybe even '64) it was just embarassing.
Mick Jagger also didn't play any instrument and he has quite a cool perfomance, why not Mike Love? In the early 70s and also on he "It's ok"-Special he is really cool imho but that's it...

I'll try to answer your question. 

Mick Jagger is cool.  That's why his dance is cool.  Mick doesn't dance to look cool.  He *IS* cool, so nearly everything he does is cool.  It's very natural for Mick Jagger to dance cool, because naturally, he's cool.

Mike Love has never been cool.  That's why his dance is not cool.  Mike doesn't dance to look cool.  He *ISN'T* cool, so nearly everything he does isn't cool.  It's very natural for Mike Love to not dance cool, because naturally, he's not very cool.


Notice the similarity.  Both guys do what they do, with no pretention.... they just do what they're naturally inclined to do. 

Much less cool would be if Mike TRIED to be cool.  He knows his dance is uncool.  He knows it went out of style in 1964.  He does it anyways because it's who he is. 

Ultimately, being yourself, in itself, is cool. 

[Slow In Brain]

Jack Kerouac said: "First thought best thought"

.... cue Kokomaoist flaming of drunken old Beatnicks with benzadrine, mother and cat fetishes ....

Wow, how encouraging it is to see/hear Kerouac quoted here

Consider yourself beatified Mr Roach.


( ... the thought has crossed my mind as to what would have happened had Dennis Wilson met Neal Cassady ... the Dumb Angel and the Holy Goof ... )

This is gonna sound dumb but the late 1980s early 1990s BW resembled Kerouac 

[joe_blow]

I hate that dancing !! It was okay in the beginning, but from '65 on (maybe even '64) it was just embarassing.
Mick Jagger also didn't play any instrument and he has quite a cool perfomance, why not Mike Love? In the early 70s and also on he "It's ok"-Special he is really cool imho but that's it...

I'll try to answer your question.  

Mick Jagger is cool.  That's why his dance is cool.  Mick doesn't dance to look cool.  He *IS* cool, so nearly everything he does is cool.  It's very natural for Mick Jagger to dance cool, because naturally, he's cool.

Mike Love has never been cool.  That's why his dance is not cool.  Mike doesn't dance to look cool.  He *ISN'T* cool, so nearly everything he does isn't cool.  It's very natural for Mike Love to not dance cool, because naturally, he's not very cool.


Notice the similarity.  Both guys do what they do, with no pretention.... they just do what they're naturally inclined to do.  

Much less cool would be if Mike TRIED to be cool.  He knows his dance is uncool.  He knows it went out of style in 1964.  He does it anyways because it's who he is.  

Ultimately, being yourself, in itself, is cool.  

I totally agree with all the said! Great post, Ron! I love Mick Jagger's stage dances!

Speaking of that, has there ever been a worse video ever made...well maybe, but I wouldn't call Mick's movers here "cool"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G4jnaznUoQ