The Smiley Smile Message Board

Maybe I'm just in a grumpy mood, but I must admit I am a little weary of all these stupid "lists" threads we got goin' on here.  I mean you got yer "List your 5 favorite Beach Boys songs/albums", "List your favorite pet sounds", "List your [I have nothing interesting to say]".  These can be fun every now and then, but I have to wade through all this crap just to find anything remotely *interesting* about the band.  There *is* stuff to talk about: potential new album (will it or won't it happen?), that super box set (just what the hell is going on with it?), and at the very least, we could all just throw some pies at Mike Love for good measure. 

But could we please give all these "lists of shallow topics" threads a break?  Please? :thud

Amen.  The lists have been done to death.  Time to bring on some halfway stimulating topics.

Good idea!

Please stick this one.

Relax dudes.  There's not much going on right now in the world of the Beach Boys.  All the lists and polls and such are just to keep the board active, I see nothing wrong with that.  Once we actually get some substantial news about the box set or a new album, the majority of conversation will turn to that.  But for now when it comes to new material from the Beach Boys, there's really not a lot to discuss.

Again, it's just my dark, cold heart talking, but there are too many of these stupid lists clogging up these threads.  I care not for your favorite song, album, color, sexual position, etc.  There are 50 years' worth of more interesting topics to discuss about the Boys of the Beach than shallow, unnecessary polls better suited for a bunch of third graders in special education.  

You won't be partaking in my "Rank the threads" thread then?

;D

Agree that here's plenty going on that should be being chatted up; suspect though that the lists take less thinking, certainly speaking for myself, and the advent of fatherhood and too much underpaid work cuts down on recreational thought time.

Am I right in thinking though that the lists seem to have migrated here from the Blooie, where it's all Battle of the Band etc?

If a list or other topic doesn't interest me, I just don't look at it.

I feel your pain, but I think I higher priority is weeding out the asshats and trolls.

So, to prioritise:

1. Stop the list threads.
2. Weed out some asshats
3. Get back to discussing the Beach Boys
4. ...Box set?

Can we not be so hasty about sexual positions ?

Positions ?

There's more than one ?  :o

Course not. There's the missionary position, the only legal one. The rest is entirely immoral and objectionable.

Wel all need to keep on top of this. And to keep it up.

I hear some of them even involve *two* people!

It's sick, isn't it? They should go to jail.

I know of two, top and bottom.

This thread is taking an interesting, nay, fascinating and thrilling direction.

If the people participating in this thread weren't the ones participating in it, they would be calling on a global moderator to kill it.  >:D

I'm hoping that the objection raised about lists does not extend to the rankings threads, which are both fascinating and maddening, but represent one of the best ways to document the overall impact of the BBs music.

Rank your favorite colors #1: Green
1. Green - I like this color because I do.

How informative. If I had known this earlier in life, I would love this colour more.

Thank you.
I try!
I used to like blue a lot, but then I realized one day, green is just better.
So, there you have it, the story of my favorite color.

I always wondered why this forum doesnt have a designated board for topics relating to individual albums or periods. It would make things so much easier. When The Smile Sessions board was made, it confused me that each track was confined to a single thread... who has time to read through 20 pages?

I suppose it's a bit too late to just make new boards now, now that there are a decade's worth of discussion swept under a single 'General' board

Not for us Smileysmilers, we have no social life.  That's why we spend so much time here!  :p

1. Green: I don't believe they did a greener green. Of all the greens, this is the one I regard as definitive though I have a soft spot for Brian's green era green. Since I read one of the earlier posts in this thread though, I can't help but think of two-person sex whenever I come across this green; it takes the edge off my enjoyment, but nothing can diminish the sheer accomplishment of Brian when it comes to this particular green.

SSMB > Real people*



*denotes debatable point

I quite enjoy all those "rank the album" threads. Come on, there's no use trying to pretend Beach Boys fandom is not geeky! :)

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/board,4.0.html

You've really got to stop trying to lead Mrs. O'Leary's cows to water.
It's obvious that if it doesn't show up here:http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/board,2.0.html   (General On Topic Discussions), it simply doesn't exist.
Why bother to check here: http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php ( The Smiley Smile Message Board) when you can complain about the lack of it? 

You can't make new threads in those boards. There's only a select number of topics you're supposed to post in, and it makes no sense as to why. That's the point I was making

I would like it if the threads lead to more in depth discussion. Like the 'compositions' one, I'd love to talk about the way Brian's works are written, fit together, etc, yknow? Or talk about the records in depth. Reckon these threads are avenues for discussion that just aren't explored.

Green, green the wonderful fruit, the more the green, the more I toot.

I think if I was to rank my favorite insults, asshat would be number one.

Well I suppose it would at least be better than "Rank your condom size"...

I'd be inclined to agree but I'm enjoying the thread about ranking album tracks.

There are far worse threads out there...

such as?

Any thread started by Newguy

Are you serial?

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,14852.0.html

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15027.0.html

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15025.0.html

And that's just on the first page.

How 'bout this one that's been done to death over the years?  Took some thought to come up with these:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15040.0.html

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15039.0.html

Look lads, do you want to start playing tic tack toe? We are in winter doldrums waiting for any news of a new reunion plan, album, MIC, etc., so we are inventing time-killers. I check in all the time as a break from my work, which is: reading, writing, grading. . .  ., and every check in is fun for a chance to learn something and see something new or to get real, life changing news that leads to a purchase of an album, DVD, or to an understanding of culture, history and beauty, or in some other way to a piece of art or a thought that then dominates your life.  I even got a guitar and, childlike, strum Surfer Girl by looking at internet chord images. We are all in for the BB , but let's stay focused on productivity and insight, not wacky stuff (too much).

To be honest about this, I think some folks either missed or are forgetting some pretty cool finds and posts from the past week. In the span of a week, among the "new" items that were found and shared on this forum:

1. A 1964 interview film and silent film clips of the stage show
2. An upgraded film/video copy of a concert nearly 35 years old
3. Just under two dozen (count 'em) candid photos from an appearance in 1969 showing new perspectives on what the band looked like and how they dressed on stage
4. Several vintage 1966-67 Beach Boys covers, most of which were new to at least my ears and great to hear in decent quality
5.. Various other stuff, including personal anecdotes and the usual mythbusting

Remember all of this is free, people look for and share this stuff here, and keep the conversations going with those interested. And I'm not singling out, but to see some of the "worst" threads of the recent past highlighted instead of the good, it doesn't feel right in light of the cost of admission to this place, and the general wealth of good people and interesting posts and discoveries.

There is the notion of a glass that is seen as half empty or half full, but this week I'd say our glass was full nearly to the brim with good stuff to enjoy, surely more good than "bad", and worth appreciating. Please, enjoy that and leave with a smile!  :)

Hey Craig, fair and valid point!

But you actually pointed out something I was thinking about ... the signal-to-noise ratio thing I've mentioned in the past. The legit threads seem to get buried in the 'nonsense' (or whatever you want to call them) ones at times. I don't mind the occasional '5 best' list or whatever, but they are hardly 'occasional' over the last maybe year(?!?) or so. I think a lot of casual visitors (including maybe some people we might love to hear from) may glance at the first page, or the top 10-20 threads and gauge things from there. I know I've even done it in the past, and missed some good stuff. So I'm kind of with the 'we need to keep things under control' crowd on this. Even if it means periods of low activity.

And it's stuff like this that drives this board to be what it is.  This is the kind of meat and potatoes that makes this place the besteses.

Yeah, it's weird I missed out on some of this stuff that's just been sitting around for a while now. I just feel like things have gotten so diluted here it's easy to miss out on actual legitimate threads. There's been a real negative reinforcement of my desire to even open a thread these days. After clicking on so many topics with ostensibly interesting titles, and finding, well, nothing, I usually assume the worst about any new thread. I really only find myself glancing these days for a thread called "Made In California Release Date: X/X/XX".

Come on, let's move on to Carl and the Passions!  >:D

Personally, I miss old board users, such as NOBODY and GHOST!  :)

maybe you should join them

I miss stuff all the time like this too.  Such is the world.  the solution is to have a "weekly update" thread/sticky.  something simple, just like what G-Fool just posted.  All the big finds get mentioned in there, with links to the threads.  It's a job though...


I do not agree with "not allowing" certain conversations, as many have hinted at.

Too subjective.   One person's "big find" is something someone else has coming out of their ears.  And it IS a hell of a job for someone to do, and to stick to.

Weed out the crap so we can get to the meat.  And I say this being a regular crap poster here. I just get carried away… "Sleepover" indeed!

Let's just throw all the threads up in the air, and if any don't get blown away by Wind turbines, they stay.

Paul is dead

Naw, he's outside looking in

I missed those - could you kindly point out the threads, please?

Scan down the list for #3, you'll see it.  Check out the BBs You Tube thread for leads on #2

Here's an idea: let's talk about Al Jardine's stage pants from 1965. We all know thanks to a famous tv documentary that Bruce had to wear a pair of his at a concert in New Orleans and they were too small for him. What if he had pitched a tent that night (if you know what I mean)?

Contest time:
Next person to bump this thread gets a free banana & strawberry smoothie enema and a free vacation to Cambodia?*

* offer does not include air flight to or from, hotel accommodations or cash but can be traded for a free MP3 download of Looking Back With Love (128kbps) from a scratchy vinyl rip (actually from a low bias cassette copy of said vinyl rip which is heavy on the noise reduction)

I hope I win....

Let's not and say we didn't.



No. What do you mean?

http://i.imgur.com/lJpT5.gif

All the better.  Headline, link to corresponding thread, perhaps a brief description.  Might be cool, could work.  There's a lot of silly folks around here (myself included) so we'd get some nonsense.

Aye but the page with the thread headings should essentially work as a digest or index.

A digest would only duplicate that and, depending in the efficacy of the compiler could result in more stuff going under the radar.

Man, That's Nice!  Is there really a hot dog in there?

Looks like Rog the Shrubber bailed.  Maybe he's busy trimming a bush.  Good thing Cactus is here to clarify things for us (and in graphic detail!)