The Smiley Smile Message Board

Frankly I think NONE of them should have aired this in public ever. They should have just finished and gone on with their work. ALL of this could have been taken care of in private. I enjoyed the LP, the tour, it was a great final creative burst. Too bad that the personal stories couldn't end as smooth. The future is unpredictable with these guys, but either way I'm fine. All that great stuff they did from inception through the early to mid seventies is all that I truly care about and their lack of public grace notwithstanding they can't ever taint the music to me. Hell even when I personally have a beef with an artist I still like their music. Let's remember it's about the music.

I don't much care, really. They're still the best fucking band in the history of rock music.

I agree entirely it's about the music. The most important things right now are that fans have the choice of watching two fine live acts on tour and that there will be a new album coming out featuring Brian, Al and David. Good times that won't last...

The interviews I couldn't care less about and I only believe about 7% of what they say anyway.

Right on! That's what I want this thread about. Do you all still love the music? Nicko, Jason and I aren't the only ones who don't care about the circus.

I think everyone is way too involved with the people and their personal life's than we probably should be.

I like all of the members equally and each contributed his own special something-or-other to the group. That's about as simple as it is. It all goes back to the music. f*** the politics. The music is timeless. They're the best fucking band in rock music. I'll shout it at the top of my lungs in the pouring rain...while I scream, fist pumping, FUM HIM THE MOURDOROUS BASTARD!

YES FUM HIM!

They probably worry about these issues less than fans.  While they do bring it on themselves to a degree, honestly you get any of them to talk about music and all of the other stuff doesn't matter. That's why they are special.

Yes! Completely agree. Sometimes I think the posters who contribute to it have no lives of their own!   :-D

I'm sorry. I have to go the other way. This stuff does bother me.

For me, and I think a large part of diehards of any group, this dissension sticks in your craw. It makes you think, and not in a good way. I mean, don't you spend entirely too much time thinking, reading, and writing about these conflicts. It shapes your opinion, maybe even subconsciously. I also think fandom is a work in progress. The basis is formed early in your following of a group, and remains basically the same. But over time, and in the Beach Boys' case we're talking decades, you learn more, you live more - YOU actually change - and opinions change. You might still love the music, but you're not naive. And, it's perfectly normal to become cynical or jaded.

I really wish that "General On Topic Discussions" was split into "General On-Topic Music Discussion" and "General On-Topic News Discussion" but it seems like this will never ever ever ever ever happen for the Smiley Smile board, and people will just have to deal with 48145249859372832 Mikelov threads swamping invaluable facts and observations relating to the compositional skills of Mssrs. Wilson and company.

I kind of do . . yeah. As much as I'm interested in the personal life of Oscar Wilde or Picasso. It's part of the 'bigger picture' and, to be honest, part of their arts as well.

Just to relativise the situation at hand . .

We've already forgotten that the British tabloid press started all the "firing" talk. I think the press has been exaggerating the conflicts all along, and a lot of reporters just repeat erroneous information once it gets started. At least the press has begun to recognize the band broke up (again), something they mostly didn't notice from 1998-2011.

I see the Beach Boys as real people, ones who have given us a great gift of music. I'd just as soon the guys get back together again, but that's not my call to make.

And I miss Carl and Dennis madly....

Some people want to rehash Smile for the millionth time. Do they need to get a life?
It's all interesting, whatever floats your boat.

Don't wanna hear about the latest interview controversy,  skip the thread.

Well... I'm a big fan of the Band. I love their three first albums and dig the rest of their output till '75. The solo albums don't move me all that much. Levon Helm literally HATED Robertson's guts, Manuel commited suicide, Danko died a junkie.

But you know what? They made those fantastic two albums, "Music from the Big Pink" and "The Band". All the rest is a footnote.

I feel like that about the Beach Boys. Sure, I'd rather see them living in peace and all, bit it's their lives to sort out. There will always be their recorded Legacy from 1962 to 1977. Everything that came after, scandals, bickering, reunions, solo careers, is a footnote.

I agree. Discussion of the sort-of breakup of the band, band names, potential band lawsuits, etc. is plenty on-topic to me. Skip threads that don't interest you.

I think that is what makes this fanbase unique though for better or worse. I don't think there is another fanbase as invested in the personal lives and relationships than Beach Boys fans are as it pertains to the members of the band.  We tend to speak of them as if they were our own family members instead of entertainers we've maybe met a small handful of times and then only for a few precious seconds.

So to answer the original question: Yes I think the vast majority do care about the conflicts.  I think the amount of emphasis the fans place upon the personal lives of The Beach Boys' more than anything else defines this fanbase and has been that way from at least in my experience since the day I first visited the Hunt/Lane forums.  Smiley Smile Dot Net Message Board, BlueBoard, The Old SMiLE Shop...more or less have all revolved around a fanbase which for the most part carries themselves with an air of almost intimate familiarity when it comes to The Beach Boys.   I'm not saying that is a bad thing but to deny what it is would be patently ridiculous at this stage in the game.

The Beach Boys re-formed, and then broke up again. This all happened last year -- and the fallout from that breakup is still making news via interviews with the band members themselves.

How can this not be of interest on a board devoted to discussion of the Beach Boys?

Virtually all band members feud, and most who have been around for as long as the Beach Boys feud in the press. It's the way things go. I think it's fascinating, simply because the intrigue around these guys never stops. The fact that these crazy people made such beautiful music is one of the basic contradictions of the BB story.

And that's not all. Both groups -- Mike's and Brian's -- have some of the best touring musicians that Beach Boys music has ever had. That's an amazing thing, that this music is getting so widely played these days, and so well.

Hey Wirestone, I thought you were going to take a hiatus from the board until MIC comes out.  Couldn't resist, eh?  ;D

Eh. I tried.

That Al Jardine. He keeps pulling me back in. Plus, I bought tickets for BBAD in Boston and am kind of pumped about that ...

The whole thing is tacky, and has been some sort of promotional ploy/stunt starting from the very beginning. I can't believe so many people (much smarter than me) can't see right through it. This kind of sh*t maybe could have been alright to sell gossip mags in the 90s, but this group has a legacy to preserve and they're blowing it in their attempts to sell more concert tickets and box sets. Someone should tell them to grow the f*** up, all of them

im with The Real Beach Boys, they are the 'best fucking band in rock history'...... I think half of the politics makes this band
the most intriguing........it would make a good movie........ err hang on, there are already how many? and one more on the way?....
let alone the idea of making 'the drummer'.........

its a shame from a family standpoint........and maybe its adding more tarnish to the band's name, or maybe a little more legend.... who knows...

I also agree, these 'original' guys are on a limited time frame, so they have to start thinking about who the reins will be handed to for the next generation....

and yes, I also agree it's going to get more ugly before its all over......

still, collectively or individually....... the Music! is the Star here........ not the individuals


RickB

I like everyone in the band.  I think we as fans make a bigger deal of the comments than the guys do.  If they were able to reunite last year and play happy band mates then I'm sure they could again.  I think they are seasoned pros and know when to pull together and when to stir up a little crap now and again.  They probably love watching our reaction to it all!

Don't want to make it seem I have no interest in them as people, especially as it informs their songs. Though I too have opinions on any given topic, I just fail to see why some threads get so heated.

The "drama" does not effect my enjoyment of the music.

It is in their power alone to end the conflicts. Seeing its been going on for decades now this soap opera
probably will continue. We have to take the Beach Boys as they are and I am glad we still have them with us
warts and all.

I think it's just sad to see what money and greedy hangers on can do to a band who changed the music world like they did.

The joy from the 50th anniversary did not last long did it, we knew something was wrong like 4 days into it.

Face it, folks. C50 was one of the greatest miracles in world history. So much water under the bridge, so little love lost amongst so many for so long. For one last summer the music managed to overcome a half-century of intricate in-fighting and bizarre, shape-shifting alliances. It will probably not happen again.

The choice: accept it as the cosmic joke that it is or decide to FUM THEM ALL!!

Or do both at the same time....  :hat

Al: "Hey, uh, Wirestone, how would you like to jump on my pc and upload ww.smileysmile.net.com for a bit of light reading for yourself??"
Wirestone: "That's a bit of a weird offer and I'm kinda on a break from the boards... but I think I'll take it Al!"
Al: "Good... Good!"

The wrinkles on Al's forehead bunched downward to form a look of determination. As he prepared to study Wirestone turning on the computer, his focus darted between the various peripherals, trying to make sense of it all. As he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the monitor, Al momentarily contemplated growing a ponytail, unaware that concurrently, Wirestone was turning on the computer.

Windows 95's startup theme broke Al from his gaze, making him aware he'd blown another opportunity to learn to turn on his computer. Tears of frustration began to well in Al's eyes. As he watched Wirestone with poisonous jealousy, he gently hummed his favourite Kingston Trio song to himself in an attempt to anaesthetise the pain.

I'm going to copy/paste what I just posted in the 'unpopular opinion' thread.


So, I don't care about who is right, I just want them to quit acting like bitches.

All of the public conflicts would go away tomorrow if fans stopped showing up for the BAD and Mike Love's Beach Boys shows. 

The Beach Boys have been my favourite band for a good 33 years, and I've always found something of value out in just about everything they've done (whether it be a big something or a that will have to do something).

While I admire the BB's as individuals, they live/lived in a world that is pretty far removed from mine - so, I'm happy to leave them to their day to day lives, mind my own business and take the music and the few gigs (we get down here) at face value and on a come as you are basis.

Agree that this is the best band ever, that they created the best rock (n roll) music ever and wish the conflicts were buried in a hole on the beach.

But at the same time the conflicts informed our understanding of some of their music - especially the last two tracks on TWGMTR, as well as Brian solo stuff like MAD.

And the bitter suite contrast between their turgid personal/home lives endowed their music with so much more ironic gravitas…

Afraid the music and the squabbling are what made our boys what they are. Our knowledge of it contributed to the appeal of the music, to us.

Inseparable.

This is a band that can't help but shoot itself in the foot at every given opportunity. It just wouldn't be The Beach Boys without some sort of behind the scenes drama going on.

Beatles got along worse at times!

I find it fascinating as it highlights the fact that there are, in fact, at least two bands conceptually, (commercial fun-in-sun or artistic vehicle for Brian/Dennis/Mike/Carl/Al/Bruce, etc, really) songwriting-production talent. And those concepts war with each other, like gods. And the people who follow a particular god fight.

Also I see the conflict as an interesting springboard for metaphors from 'America's Band' symbolizing the struggle between commerce and creativity in the USA itself.

I do occasionally find the arguments distract from the music...

When I feel like this I just listen to The Troggs Tapes...

Eagles! Other than being bone headed enough to keep going to the press, my point was that the Beach Boys situation isn't unique as far as infighting.

The Eagles - now there's a band that are together simply for the money. They can't stand each other and have yet to make a single valid artistic statement since getting back together nearly 20 years ago.

The saddest thing to me is the fact that we're so close to the end. There will come a point when The Beach Boys are no more...and they leave off their amazing legacy with lawsuits and fighting? It was embarrassing when Mike sued Brian over 10 years ago, and it still is now.

It would be amazing if they could end things on a high note, but Mike doesn't like to get high.  :smokin

Not that it's his fault of course, but it just doesn't seem possible that an agreement that satisfies all parties will be come to.

Probably. But 90% of the people attending BAD and/or M&B shows aren't (hardcore) fans - they're there to hear "Surfin' U.S.A.". They get "Surfin' U.S.A." and they go home happy. They don't know and/or don't care about all that behind-the-scenes bullsh*t. At the end of the day it's those people who provide the majority of their (touring) revenue. Individual people shunning a M&B concert because Mike gave an unfortunate interview or attending a BAD show to hear "Little Bird" - they don't matter.

Plus they can only get $5 a ticket for their shows  ::)

Careful!! If that gets back to Don Henley there's gonna be trouble!! A whole new category of legal infraction--"hearsay slander"--will get invented by the Eagles' legal beagles...

That is really f*cking funny btw

The guy that founded the band Boston is famous for his lawsuits.

(http://i42.tinypic.com/11cfg9z.gif)

 :lol

Thank you for this, i had no idea before reading your comment!  And, I'm a huge Spinal Tap fan!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En4ase-1-FA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9n46CZLAH8
 :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

I think every group that's been at it for many years has conflicts, but do the fans of other bands get as heated about them as we do? Do Beatles fans say "f--- that McCartney for wanting to reverse the writing credits to McCartney/Lennon"? "That Ringo is just a talentless hack making money off his luck at being part of the greatest band in history?"

Of course they do. Any fandom in general is the same, really. Nobody can hate like a fan hates! Normal people just shrug and move on.

"Joel is better than Mike and I'll FIGHT ABOUT IT!"

"Take that back about Colin Baker! He was a great Doctor! Moffat is sh*t!"

"John Cale's solo albums are clearly superior to Lou Reed's, you stupid bastard!"

Judging by the amount of "conflict" topics on the front page of this board, I'd say the answer is yes.