The Smiley Smile Message Board

I was thinking about Bruce Johnston and I felt kinda sorry for him. Ask the average person to name the Beach Boys, just an average human on the streets and they'll either not know, or say John Stamos. Now ask the average rock history nerd and you'll probably get the Wilsons, Mike Love and the short guy, that Al Jardine person. But Bruce has kind of had his history in the band fairly ignored and your average Bitchfork commenter who heard Pet Sounds and BWPS and might actually be Panda Bear when he's at home might argue that Bruce doesn't count, but he's on Pet Sounds for god's sake, he wrote Deidre, which is a great song, but he picked the wrong side in the legacy thing and ended up on Team Mike, and now all the hipster kid and everyone else pretends he never did sh*t.

Poor Bruce.

I agree, even if when I saw The Beach Boys in July all Bruce did for most of the show was fiddle with the knobs on his keybord!

Same here at my show in August, but he sang pet sounds songs, which is really all he needs to do.

Poor Bruce?

He's Grammy winner on his own. Had his songs performed by some extraordinary artists, including his own band.  Had a career before the BBs. And a career outside the BBs even when he was with them. Is all over some of their best albums. Got to be part of one of the greatest bands in history while having a life and career of his own. Made more money than most people would dream of. Toured the world while performing this great music. Is an insider of the California music scene of the late 50s early 60s. As a teen he worked with Spector, Valens. Seems to lead a great musical and family life. Is an accomplished musician. The list goes on and on...

That the average rock fan may not know him is minimal next to all those things. I'm sure he doesn't care

It's ironic because between the 60's and early 70's Bruce seemed a bit of a hipster himself. But all in all I am sure he himself feels that he has had more than a rewarding career.

I imagine Bruce comforts himself, and cries himself to sleep each night in the large, large, friekishly large pile of cash he's made over the years.  He's prob. worth, what, 10 million? 

Bruce rullzz. He has our love, hopefully that's enough. I thnk he's more known than the OP is talking about (while yes, occasionally discredited a bit).

And yeah, taking his entire career into account, I'm sure he's pretty satisfied.

I'd also like to say f*** Panda Bear imo

I've always had a lot of time for Bruce, a lot more than some of the other members.

Actually, Bruce is apparently the wealthiest of the Beach Boys, mainly from his inheritance (I believe it was a pharmaceutical company).

Bruce is a pro, no doubt about it.  He earns his wage for sure, but his heart is right in it.

He brought Pet Sounds here in 66, and was talking SMiLE up over here on the BBC just last week.

He's the only BB who bothers to communicate directly, and off his own bat, with fans via the BBB board.

He supported Bri with backing vox at that early solo gig filmed during the Imagination "era".

People hammer him for HCTN 79 but that wasn't really his baby.

He'd stepped in to cover for Brian production-wise on that LA (Light Album) which produced some of the last big hits of the BBs career (KokoPops excepted).

He plays the defensive diplomat maybe, with regard to the past, but at least he makes his own choices in that regard.

He's the only Beach Boy who still surfs; perhaps the only one who still enjoys a beer!

I used to think he produced Simon & Garfunkle, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash but that was Bob Johnston.  :lol

Bruce is okay in my book.

Hey, don't forget that Bruce 'Wrote the Songs' ... :-D

Bruce still lives next to Oprah in Montecito, doesn't he? THAT'S some expensive property. Plus, he put four boys through college at some prestigious schools. Guy rakes it in, big time, just on royalties and investments alone. Plus his lucrative proceeds from walking across the stage in his white shorts clapping, smiling, and waving in the touring Mike and Bruce band.....

And he probably owns half of the Pacifico brewing company.

Yeah, poor Bruce.

Very nice.  So in other words, he was already independently wealthy, but still chose to tour with a rock band his ENTIRE LIFE?  He's more of a bad-ass than I thought.  He's approaching a Mike Love level of badass. 

I've messaged him a couple times on various message boards, he seems to be a really kind and gentle guy.  Good for him. 

Wasn't there a thread here that talked about how Bruce had a split personality these days? He seems like smart and interesting person to talk to if he is in a good mood.

Bruce is OK by me.  A tireless performer and pr spokesperson for the BeachBoys.  Met him once.  He actually spent a considerable time with me just making small talk.  Very polite and tolerant.  I always thought it was a shame that his grammy song didn't get the proper treatment by the Beachboys.  Imagine the background vocals on that one.  Whew!

I know they tried to do it live a few decades ago but I witnessed some very loud booing once when Mike told the audience that Bruce was going to do a song he wrote and the audience thought it was I Write The Songs.  Turned out it was Disney Girls, but the message was sent.  Some people were quite averse to hearing the Beach Boys do Barry Manillo.

As for his inheritance, I think it is on Wikipedia under the Bruce Bio.  Seems it was Rexall affiliated.

Does he REALLY live next to Oprah?

That's your money putting his kids through school!

Yeah, at one point he lived across the road from Oprah I think and she also bought the property next door to him. He complained about all the construction noise while he was in his home studio or whatever it was. His home was up for sale a few years ago, but I think he decided to stay or moved down the road. He still surfs there.

If I'm ever in the States again I'll drop by and he can buy me a beer with my money!  :lol

$10 million, plus considerable change.

He does seem to share the same fate as Ronnie Wood as, forty odd years into his tenture, he's still considered the new guy in the band.

He doesn't like the album 'Friends' - so I just don't know what to think...

that make the whole world sing?

 >:D

... But Sunflower is his favourite BB album, so he's forgiven.

Which band?  Faces?

RIMSHOT!

That was definitely a bad  mark on his record. ::)

That's a highpoint on his record.  He's probably made a fortune off of it.  He even got a GRAMMY for it, lol.  I mean sh*t. 

Does anyone know if Bruce has his own Facebook page?

That does not make it a good song though.

Yes it does. 

If Barry Manilow hadn't had a hit with it, and BJ had had a flunk single instead, we'd be referring to it as a lost classic, like Guess I'm Dumb or something.

Exxxxactly.  Bruce wrote this song about Brian Wilson, it was never understood, blah blah blah I hope they boot a later take of it on the "KTSA" box set, did you get yours yet?  Mine's in the mail, I ordered mine from the wrong place so I'm going to get it 6 hours late, blah blah blah.


:) 

Seriously any song a songwriter made a fortune off of is by definition a GREAT song.  Don't really care if anybody agrees. 

I've honestly never heard Manilow's version, the only one I know is Bruce's off Going Public. Which IS a great song btw.

"That was definitely a bad  mark on his record. "

Come on. Don't let the Manilow memory put you off.  If it had turned up on MIU or LA it would've improved the album considerably (especially the former)

I never got why people want to bag on somebody like Manilow anyways.  We get it, he's not what I listen to either, but for a lot of people they really enjoy his music, plus Manilow keeps a low key life doing his thing entertaining his fans, and isn't your cliche'd ego maniac musician who constantly has to have the spotlight, etc.  I've got nothing but love and respect for Barry Manilow. 

I don't like "I Write the Songs" all that much. It's alright. And I'm not anti-Manilow. I love "Mandy".

...some people already have the Smile box and here we are talking about Barry Manilow!

There's a Youtube clip of Bruce playing Disney Girls around 1975 on the Grey Whistle Test show. Really good. For some reason he asked that it be removed from Youtube a couple of years ago, but I see it's still up there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63NBh0NqaLY

The reason was that the clip is on an available-for-purchase Old Grey Whistle Test DVD and Bruce thought it was wrong that people could see it without paying for it. He got really mad at the person who originally posted the clip but since then it's been uploaded by multiple users.

It's a stunning performance.  A reminder of what he CAN do.

For my money Disney Girls is one of THE all time Beach Boys pinnacles!

Bruce rules!

And any guy who can hold the same facial expression for almost 46 years is cool with me.

I'd beg to differ.  There is no one that is more un-hip than Bruce.  Considering he was in a rock & roll band, this guy rocked about as hard as a pillow.  Even Neil Sedaka could kick his ass in a fair fight.  It would not be unfair to say that (with the obvious exception of Dennis, of course) that the members of the Beach Boys themselves were kinda square when compared to the Mick Jaggers and John Lennons of the day.  So believe me it is saying a lot when you have to refer to Al Jardine as the second dorkiest member of the band.  I mean, you know when you're in trouble when the biggest achievement in your career was a hit for Barry Manilow.  And who can forget Bruce's ill-fated attempts at hipdom?  An 11-minute disco-fied remake of "Here Comes The Night", anyone?  Or a "Britney Spears" version of "Surfin'"?  And then of course there was *this* monstrosity:

(http://cdn.7static.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/011/746/0001174680_350.jpg)

Taking a gander at all of Bruce's uncoolness makes it that much more mind-boggling how he ended up singing on a Pink Floyd album. 

I still love "Disney Girls" though.

I know.  It's almost like you're wrong about all that. 

Bruce is no hipster, but to say that he doesn't rock is flat-out wrong. He may have turned into a Adult Contemporary schmaltz-meister, but many of his early pre-sixties records rock like nobody's business.

The last couple of decades Bruce has been the epitomy of mailing it in. Waving, clapping and the odd vocal/keyboard tinkering. At one concert I focussed on him and found myself laughing , thinking, "what the hey does that guy do?" Great gig!

That said I also don't care for Disney Girls at all! I do like Tears In the Morning the best of his songs.

Totally agree. I was referring more to his fashion sense.  :lol

I wrote 'early pre-sixties' but I meant 'early sixties, pre-Beach Boys'