The Smiley Smile Message Board

Well, these three things have been stirring in my mind last little while and may not have enough to merit an independent thread. But here goes.....

What was the story behind the band getting the satin jackets with their respective names on the front? I can recall Carl,Mike, Al, and Brian wearing them at different times, but not Dennis or Bruce? Was Dennis on the outs when they were distributed? Was Bruce still out of the band at that point? I seem to remember reading somewhere that the band wearing them would give them more of a group feel to them.


When Dennis sidles up to Mike in the 1980 Knebworth concert during Surfer Girl, does anyone know what Mike was thinking. To me, he sort of gives an uncomfortable face but for a split second seems to relish the moment. Were the two on at least speaking terms for a bit during this tour?


Also, a question I have attempted to get answers about before but thus far noting. If Brian wasn't able to sing on Kokomo (due to either Mike's reason - that Landy wouldn't allow Brian to unless he was a co-writer etc. or Brian's - there wasn't sufficient notice of the session given), how was he able to participate on the Kokomo in Spanish session?  Did something change to allow this to happen?

Wow, you just caused me warm & fuzzy feelings, followed by a good hard laugh.  Can't quite remember whose idea the tour jackets were, or who ordered them, although my guess is it was tour manager Rick Nelson, who was never a fan of me.   When they showed up, everyone got one but me!  Dennis surprised me by being so outrageously pissed off at the oversight, he immediately insisted I take his!  That's why you never see him wearing one of the tour jackets, altough you do sometimes see him in a different silver one, issued specifically for the Russian shows.  (By the way, the jacket he gave me happened to be my favorite color scheme of the selections  - black, with a gold lining).

My laugh came from the memory of the first time he saw me wearing it, just a day or two after having given it to me.   I'd taken it to a seamstress, who removed the Dennis lettering, and had written in Eddie.   "You ruined it!", he screamed; "You just wiped out all of its value!"  How strange that he was aware of people one day selling his clothes!  However, I'd have felt silly walking around in a jacket with his name on it.  Plus, I removed the possibility of him ripping it from my back the first time we got caught in cold weather without him having a coat...   Ah, memories...

I wondered about that too.  Ed, were you at that show?

I always thought Mike was like 'wtf is this guy gonna do to me now?'

If only someone could still make him feel that

No, I wasn't at Knebworth, but I'm sure they were at least on "speaking terms".  Don't forget, they were in England, and Dennis had returned to the band with both gusto, and Christine on his arm!  Things didn't seriously fall out between them again until Dennis fell in to his out patterns, which had a definite effect on their performances.

Yeah, I guess time heals as they say. After being off the road for a year after duking it out with Mike onstage in L.A., all was probably forgiven with Dennis. At least temporarily.....