The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.modbee.com/2014/10/02/3569033_brian-wilson-al-jardine-bring.html?sp=/99/2628/&rh=1

This interview is already on one of the other endless threads with interviews with Al talking about the Mike & Bruce band and the Brian Wilson band and the end of the C50 and how bitching about it goes nowhere fast and the subject is really old hat and nothing can be done about it on a message board anyway!!

I think Al has pretty consistently praised Mike in interviews ... even when he also insults him in the same interviews. In the recently posted radio interview, he talks about how he thinks Mike is one of the best baritone voices ever, for example. Nothing really shocking about this one, from my perspective.

Al Jardine wants back in the Beach Boys and will give Mike positive accolades whenever possible. Al stops just short of compromising his position with carefully worded statements yet doesn't want to be perceived as kissing Mike's ass in interviews.

"In my case, I threw it all away. I quit the band and went back to college.  I thought we had a great run.  We had one good album.  Then I went back to school like an idiot." 

I would love to hear that album.   :o

Time and again Al steps up to demonstrate the incredible depths of his memory

If Al really wanted in on the M&B Beach Boys as badly as some think, he would have sucked it up and played at the Jones Beach show. 

Oh yeah, I have that album.  I think it was recorded in the Wilson's Hawthorne living room.  That weekend when Murry and the Wife went to Mexico.  It had some songs on it like, "TV Dinners" and "Dennis Is Banging A Chick In Mom n' Dad's Room" -- which was really just an early version of "Cuckoo Clock."

All of it was really kind of sophomoric and juvenile sh-t if you ask me.  I don't know what the fck Al is talking about.  "Good album?"  Naaah...

:lol

To be fair, Al could be remembering the Hite-Morgan sessions as an album.

Oddly, some 16 years after the fact, I don’t know if Al has ever point-blank been asked in an interview if he would like to rejoin Mike’s touring band. Not a full reunion. But would he just like to be added to Mike’s current touring band?

Whatever happened with Jones Beach, it’s probably somewhat representative of how he might feel about rejoining Mike’s band. He may be indecisive about it. My sense from interviews is he isn’t fully sure. That it’s not a very likely possibility is probably why he doesn’t consider the prospect more.

My sense is that in the late 90’s and early 2000’s there were a lot of bad feelings (understandable considering lawsuits and whatnot), but by the mid-2000’s Al seemed like maybe he would have entertained it. The problem was (and is) that he usually talks about it in the context of the full band reuniting (which I think we all agree is the far better scenario). So I don’t know if he would be into just being shoehorned into Mike’s band. I think maybe he’d go for it, but he wouldn’t want a Bruce-like position as far as being salaried and whatnot. I think theories involving Al “guesting” at scattered shows probably doesn’t appeal to him either. It’s maybe not so much ego, but more dignity. I’ve wondered if, buried in the myriad of things that caused the Jones Beach deal to sour, Al also didn’t appreciate the idea of a one-time guest star spot in his own band. 

I’ve never been super enthused about the idea of just Al rejoining Mike’s band, because Al would still not be featured very heavily. He’d get some of his standard leads, and not much else. Just like we sometimes get “Disney Girls” from Bruce, maybe sometimes we’d see Al dig out “California Saga” or something. But there wouldn’t be a lot of leads for Al to take. In Brian’s band (or his own), Al does some Mike leads. He obviously wouldn’t be doing that in Mike’s band.

When I think of all the teeth Al could've saved, sometimes I wonder if he made the right choice.

If Al were to join the touring band without Brian and David, I don't think it would last long. He'd get the lead on Help Me, Rhonda, maybe WIBN and on the occasional Then I Kissed Her. He'd probably have no say in the setlists and I don't see Mike, Al and Bruce hanging out after the shows. It would be great but I don't see it. The biggest question I have is if Al did join, would Mike make him wear a Beach Boys hat?

I completely understand if Al doesn't want to join Mike's outfit. Al is just as completely a Beach Boy as Mike is, and more of a member  than Bruce. Why should he "guest" in his own band? The great thing about C50 was , for the first time in years, The Beach Boys weren't Mike's band, but were actually functioning as they should, with each member a complete part of it and each having a place. It might not matter as much to David, since he bowed out so early and has been "guesting" ever since. And, Bruce has basically said it's just a job. But, for Al, he's one of the voting members. To be relegated to "guest" status in a band he wants to see back in form must be insulting.

Having said that, he might agree to joining Mike if he had full status. And, we all know how likely that is.

As to the interview, Al hasn't been hiding his feelings about the end of C50. He's not happy with Mike. But, there's no reason for him to be petty and shoot down the man's contributions to the band.

I think everyone could understand if Al doesn`t want to be a guest in his own band. The only unfortunate thing with that show is that people bought tickets expecting him to be there and that his non-appearance was announced so late.

I can never see it happening now but it would be pretty great if Al were to perform with the touring band imo. Not as good as C50 obviously but, of the songs regularly performed by the touring group, Al could sing:

Surfer Girl
Help Me Rhonda
Then I Kissed Her
Wouldn`t it Be Nice
Sloop John B
California Dreamin

(And I suppose it`s possible hits like Come Go With Me or Heroes and Villains might be added)

They would actually be very, very few songs in the setlist not being sung by true Beach Boys.

I can completely understand why Al wouldn`t be interested though.

Since when does Al NOT want to join Mike's "outfit". Al's Arabian horses don't bring in nearly the income as a very lucrative deal playing as a Beach Boy. Only reason I can think of that Al would turn it down (and he hasn't said anything of the sort) is because of the exhausting touring schedule. Otherwise, Al could obviously rake in the big bucks like he did back in '98 and on the C50. Compared to playing a handful of gigs with Brian? C'mon, if Al were asked I'll betcha he'd jump all over the chance. He might have conditions, but he ain't dumb!!

Being Mike`s employee may well be another reason...

Something along these lines may well have been Al's "issue" back circa 1997, and the issue that Carl didn't back him in contesting.

That Al would consider returning now would or could mean all sorts of things: The last 15 years was a bit clusterf*** of a waste. Or, Al is being the bigger man and "getting over" it. Or, Al has lowered his standards. Difficult to say.

Considering they couldn't get on the same page for one gig at Jones Beach, I'd say the most likely scenario where Al appears on stage with Mike would be another full reunion tour.

Hopefully someone can point-blank ask Al if he would join Mike's band as-is.

I'm not sure if Al would want in now. Mikes budget is pretty lean and another member, especially an original, could blow it out.

Another point worth noting maybe. Its only another 14 months until 2016 and in some form or another, health permitting, I believe Brian should be front and center in some form of 'Pet Sounds 50th'. Whether that could involve some form of tour, mini-tour I don't know but I think Al should stick with Brian for it.

It could be an interesting time. Ideally the C50 line-up would be great because otherwise there will be comparisons in the media such as 'Brian's touring the art of Pet Sounds while Mikes doing his normal hits show' or the like.

Many here have said the C50 line-up won't happen again and that may be so but despite all the bs all parties including both Mike and Brian's bands know the importance and value of that album.

True.

But Mike and Bruce plugging `50 years of Good Vibrations` seems more likely at the moment.

Don't need to add any more band members. Just subtract one through attrition (like Mike's son) or by other means. Maybe Al would be satisfied with that, who knows?

...and won't it be another Beach Boys missed opportunity to celebrate both? A damn shame IMO.

I think the fact that Al presumably was not the first one called (or called at all) when Christian left, and the fact that instead of Al he added Foskett even though the band already had a falsetto guy, speaks pretty well to the idea that Mike isn't super into adding Al to the band.

I'm getting mixed signals here. I thought among the reasons for the late-2012, post-C50 decisions regarding touring was that it would be more profitable for Mike to go back to his usual touring schedule and setup, so how does that square up with the notion of a "lean" budget?

And mentioning Brian and the 50th anniversary of Pet Sounds...he did that already. Not for the 50th, but he did it, through a specific "Pet Sounds Live" tour, a "Pet Sounds Live" album, and don't forget there was at least one prominent gig where he, apparently on a whim, said to the band "let's do Pet Sounds"...and they f*cking pulled it off! All of those were warmly received, they got "press", and having heard what his band did in performing those arrangements as tightly, accurately, and as respectfully as I'd assume any group of musicians could do especially on a studio album now (rightfully) considered a masterpiece, I don't know what the appeal would be to add to what was already done. They did a masterful job of staging the full album, even somewhat ahead of the curve with the recent trend in concerts featuring bands playing classic albums live in their entirety (everyone from Liz Phair to The Pixies to The Zombies have done it).

Maybe I'm just too cynical. But having Brian Wilson decide before one of his more recent shows to do Pet Sounds, unplanned, and actually pull it off is hard to top in my mind. Same with the Smile tour - That was pure magic for me, I'm afraid it's not something you'd try to repeat again because it was so well done the first time around. I know I'll most likely never see or hear a better live show than that in my lifetime, and that's a bold statement.

I think the meaning probably being that it is profitable because it is so lean. Keep the costs down to make a reasonable profit for each show.

Not that I believe that money is the only reason by a long way that Mike wouldn`t want to tour with Al.

Like any `anniversary show` it would shift tickets but, as you say, if it were just Brian then they couldn`t really top what they`d done previously. If Al were involved for a tour (even a mini-tour) then that would add something extra.

If it were the C50 line-up then that would be a different thing of course.

I just can't see PS50 going unnoticed myself. Sure its been done but potentially a whole new audience will be out there in 2016 compared to 14 years previously.

Come to think of it, a C50 line-up plugging '50 Years of Pet Sounds and Good Vibe's' does have a nice ring to it!


edit....The unannounced performance of PS last year and its well received reception just indicates there is still a demand for it years after the 2002 shows.

Exactly. As the RS story of 2012 said, Mike's way of touring is very lean. Minimal party flying coach.

What would be interesting... mighty interesting... would be if, come 2016, Brian, Al, and David are planning a Pet Sounds 50th tour, and Brian asks Mike & Bruce to join them on the tour (or at least on a few dates). The space-time continuum might derail sooner than that happens, but I do wonder what the response would be? I could see it happening. Maybe.

I'd hope Mike would man up and join them, though I fear he may claim he's "busy" touring, which was the excuse at the 2005 Hawthorne monument ceremony. THAT was stupefying and tragic for Mike to miss.

If Brian publicly (in the media, in advance) states his intent to make such an offer, AND states that he'd work the touring AROUND the rigorous M&B touring schedule (no excuses, Mike!), would Mike have the nerve to find another excuse to be a no-show at a Pet Sounds 50th tour? Let's hope not.

I really don`t see Mike and Bruce `guesting` with the other guys. If they are to tour then I think it would have to be planned and negotiated well in advance as C50 clearly was.

You mean a 'set start date and set end date'? :lol

Brian could always start a campaign and 'goad' Mike and Bruce. Call them "chickensh!t to get up on stage with the Brian Wilson Band" or the like. Mike might just appreciate the humor! ;)

:lol

Don't forget You're So Good To Me, which is great with Al on lead, even though it's Brian on the studio version.

Al's Arabian Horses is a good album title.

What's ironic is that it's the same behavior that Mike uses towards Brian... lots of backhanded compliments.  The entire band is grumpy old men, it's not as big of a deal as everybody makes it out to be.  When you've known somebody for 50 years they're family and people say off handed things about family all the time.  Since they're all Rock Stars it seems more extreme than it usually does in family situations, but it's the same exact thing.  These guys all sued each other, multiple times, but two years ago were standing on stages touring having a good time, high fiving they're way across the world. 

Never say never. 

WOW, AL LIKES TO FLIP FLOP WAY MORE THAN FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JOHN KERRY.

EITHER CHASTISE OR PRAISE MIKE LOVE, OKAY AL? NONE OF THIS GOING BACK AND FORTH YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO FEEL ONE WAY ABOUT SOMETHING.

Why are you yelling at him? He's not deaf, is he?

The last time I can recall Al singing "You're So Good To Me" was around 1999 in the "Family & Friends" days. He may well have done it at some other random solo gigs in subsequent years. That was one they gave to Brian on the C50 shows at which they performed it; that would have been a good one to give to Al. I'm not sure Al could sing it still in its original key, but he could have sounded better than Brian on that one.

"You're So Good To Me" is one of those weird setlist picks that isn't quite "obscure", but it's not a regular in the setlist either. Even on C50 it was only sporadically performed. I don't think it would be a regular inclusion in a Mike/Bruce setlist, but I'm not sure.

That hurt my eyes.

But more importantly, of course he's "allowed" to feel more than one way about something. First of all, the idea of allowing or disallowing feelings is absurd: feelings happen as they happen. Second, feelings (and thoughts) can be complex and sometimes even contradictory. That's life. It's complex sometimes.

Feelings; nothing more than feelings

No Mike, Brian and Al together=no Beach Boys to me.

That's what went through my head in response to the response to my intoxicated post.

Really? What went through mine was, "what a handsome and clever intoxicated man responding to that intoxicated post."