The Smiley Smile Message Board

Mike was hawking his book on "Access Hollywood" this morning.  It was more of the same from him.  He talked about how great TM is and how he was into it in the 60's while the others were doing drugs.  He talked about Charles Manson and said Susan Atkins had babysat for his children.  He mentioned how Dennis had dated one of his ex-wives and that made for tension when they were playing.  He went on and on about how great John Stamos is, which seems odd when he was there to promote himself and his book.  He asserted, again, that Brian has always been controlled.  First by his father, then by Landy, and that he is still being controlled.  He said if it weren't for the controllers, he and cousin Brian could sit down at a piano and write music again.  He seems to take a lot more song-writing credit than he is due.

All in all, nothing new from Mike.  The book does sound interesting however.

Sounds like he's insinuating that Melinda is controlling Brian, he's not very subtle.

He is trying to bait the Wilsons... ::)

A true master (at) baiting he is.  ::)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_K_u_iU2tY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_K_u_iU2tY)

Also Mike is going to be on The O'Reilly Factor tonight.  I know this because I was on the other board and filldeplage is trying to convince me that Bill O'Reilly is a credible journalist.  Go figure!

Mike come across as completely likeable in that interview.

Brian is still being controlled to a certain extent!  :-\

http://video.foxnews.com/v/5128971622001/mike-love-enters-the-no-spin-zone/?playlist_id=930909812001#sp=show-clips

thanks for the link!

I had never heard the  story about Dennis out at Manson's ranch witnessing Charlie murder someone and stuff him down a well!  :o

Probably because very few people believe that it's true.

myKe luHv and Billow- Ego Brothers.

Bull.

I guess it depends on what "controlled" means ::)

Well I don't know about "credible journalist" - that's stretching it a bit  :) - but he got a few good quotes from Brian when he and Mike were on the show in 2012. Brian said that "another word for genius is 'clever'," and called Mike a "conceptual genius."

Am taping tonight's program and might look at it later, if I read that he said something other than what he's been saying lately.

(http://i66.tinypic.com/29e5g2e.jpg)

:lol


Oh....kay  (have to read it in Bull Shannon's voice to make it funny though)

 That just made me think of the Beach Boys song  "It's OK" done in that inimitable voice…   :lol

:lol

Think that's funny, imagine  Take a Load off Your Feet in Alf's voice!

Ha!

Hey Willie Little Tomboy!  ;D

OMG :lol

Well, Alf's girlfirend was named Rhonda!

In an alternate universe, The BBs wind up making regular appearances on ALF instead of Full House. ALF becomes the occasional BBs drummer, Mike talks about ALF regularly in interviews (even going so far as to divert a Charles Manson line of questioning into ALF/BB cross promotion)... and Stamos today winds up being little more than a washed-up poor man's Joe Penny.

:lol

And Bruce already eats kittens, so it works!

the ALF/cat signs were there all along starting with Rockin The Man in the Boat...

Sorry, it is Friday after all  ;D

'Brian is controlled', I believe he is supported, now how much is another question.  I don't think Brian would be doing what he is doing
is he really didn't want to.   In the history of Brian, he has always needed a fire up his ass to do good things, and I think it is
the same way now.  Without those around him, he would probably wither and die in a corner somewhere, so we should be thankful
they have found the means to make the big fella 'put out'.
Still, the man is 74 years old, I am a bit concerned that he is doing more than expected.
I'd rather see him kickin around home and venturing into the studio to do a few things here and there instead of touring the
word and wearing himself out.  Something does not seem right having Bri commit to x amount of dates and counting,

You win!

Brian isn't controlled...like all successful people he is loved and assisted.

Control 'this'.   :lol

I would say the jury is out on how "controlled" Brian is by others - it depends on what you mean by controlled, and how willing Brian may be to let others make some decisions for him so he doesn't have to deal with it.  If you want some degree of control by others and allow it, is it really control or delegating?

I would say that Brian is "protected" by Melinda and her team - protected from unpleasant or what they believe would be unpleasant interactions, protected from situations that would adversely affect his mental health and his mood, protected from situations that would be bad for his physical health.  And there's nothing wrong with that.  And I believe Brian has the ability to do something he wants to do despite his "team" not necessarily thinking it a good idea, if he really wants to do it.

What I noticed after watching a bunch of video interviews of Mike promoting his book is that he's talking about Brian having an agent and manager and other staff working with him as if it's either a negative thing or like it's something no other successful or celebrity musician or artist has...including Mike. Mike has an agent, a manager, a PR staff, tour staff, a producer who works on his records, a legal team...so is Mike being 'controlled'? Maybe I'm seeing a negativity by mistake, but a lot of it comes down to the questions of whether Mike and Brian would work together again, or of them working together period. And Mike comes back to saying "if we could go into a room together with a piano, we'd write a song...", then suggests that can't happen due to reasons including agents, managers, and other outside influences depending on what interview it is.

It just feels like an unusual point to keep making, considering Brian has been married for 21 years and has a family, and if that's what Mike is hinting at via keeping the two of them out of the proverbial room with a piano, that won't be changing anytime soon as a marriage and family would tend to outweigh collaborating on songs. And bringing up managers, agents, etc as possible reasons why they're not in that room with a piano is as odd of a reason as it has been for years considering it's the way the entertainment business works. Artists have lawyers, agents, and managers, and Mike is no different. So how is Brian different by having the same kind of setup as Mike and tens of thousands of other artists? I just don't get it.

Mike has a PR staff Craig?  Fire them.  They're doing a piss-poor job.

I think he means that he can't just "come over" or call and say "Hi, Bri, whatcha doing." In his book he speaks lovingly of their writing all night and collapsing at 2 am, emotionally drained. I think he simply means that Melinda just won't permit anything like that from happening. So "managers, etc" is code, as it has been since the Capital roof reunion, for "Melinda."

And we all react to this differently: many defend her as a noble lioness. I rather would think she could see beyond and work actively to get the cousins together for the sake of world artistic history--the cosmic history that the 2 men participate in and in which she has no rights nor role.

BTW: guitarfool is a brilliant writer--best critical prose on this board

You hit the nail on the head

But what if Brian doesn't want to work with Mike?

They are 74 and 75 year olds. The days of writing until 3 AM are long gone.  Mike's gotta realize that, we all wish we were younger.
I can't honestly believe Mike would ever believe that if Brian wanted to work with him, it would be like 1965 again. I wish I was 21 again, but it's not practical. I'm sure Mike knows this. But this is where it comes down to ego, if Mike wanted to he could have a relationship with Brian. But that's where Mike needs things on HIS terms and can't put the ego aside.  I wish he realized that the hour glass sands are almost out. I think Al realized that in the last decade and chose to put some things aside to strengthen his friendship with Brian. If Mike wants that, he could do it. If he doesn't, then he needs to stop talking like he does.

Somehow my post regarding the Wild Honey cover wound up here, sorry about that.
EoL  

Well, there's that strong possibility given that Brian has been pursuing other projects and neither Mike nor Brian seemed to make much effort to write together on the C-50 tour. and Melinda certainly was not there over periods of time, so anyone trying to blame her doesn't have a clue or is not being forthright.

Regarding these videos, I am both exhausted and ever-more convinced that I do not want his tabloid/click-bait book (like, not purchasing it at gun-point, or FdP demands).  I was fully expecting the O'Reilly buddy thing, but the interviews to date are all grotesque versions of what he apparently sees as the truth being portrayed here.  Same old awful stuff, the occasional new spin.

May we please move on from this thing, and soon...

I'm not speaking to anyone here, nor criticizing - just begging the great powers of the Universe, whatever and wherever they are.  This is as unbearable as the US Presidential election. 

You reply to wrong thread - the Wild Honey cover is this: http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,24389.0.html

Oops

More like Mike Love enters the No Fact Zone.

Ok, Pulllleeeezzzzz, why is he capitalizing on the the story of the Wilson brothers?  I am so sick of his bringing up this stuff.  If I were to look at Mike Love today and Brian Wilson today, it might be an advertisement for taking drugs!   Brian is so much more chill and Mike seems to have a lot of residual issues around the wilsons drug use.\
P.S.  Why was Mike Love taking a shower at Dennis Wilson's house?   Does anyone else find that weird?  He just stopped by....and needed to take a shower?

Not buying it.

I feel like all of these interviews Mike has given the past few months have been 2.5% actual interesting content, 2.5% John Stamos, 5% bragging about not doing drugs, and 90% Charles Manson.

myKe luHv is totally controlled by his massive self destructing ego which will eventually do him in mentally. It started years ago and this book is going to play a big part in it.

myKe luHv is totally controlled by his massive self destructing ego which will eventually do him in mentally. It started years ago and this book is going to play a big part in it.

 :lol - Yes, I hope in my mid-70's, I'd be more like Brian's than Mike's public image. 

Like so many others, I found that "shower scene" pretty strange, and as usual the press didn't, well, "press" him.  Of course, it was a fluff piece anyway to them so they just let him pose teary-eyed about his many slights and didn't question any of the discrepancies in his claims.  If we aren't used to it by now, we'd better get used to it.

Thought the same myself. You might ask to use the bathroom but in order to visit the loo and wash your hands. A shower? Why would Mike have needed a shower? Please don't answer. Ignorance is bliss.

Wasn't it implied that he was going in there to hook up with a lady?

Brian and Mike could have found a way to write together if both of them wanted. I doubt Melinda would be opposed to the two of them meeting (if she really is in the first place) if Brian really wanted to write with Mike.

True, they are not kids anymore but where would the harm be in writing together? It could be therapeutic for Brian. In their mid-70's, maybe they can put out some very interesting material.

Brian's input is realistic - as the last three songs on TWGMTR show. Beautiful in the raw way he is facing his age. Mike may never grow up and wants to write fun, happy songs. I find nothing wrong with that. They have combined melancholy themes in upbeat songs before. Maybe they can do it again and maybe they cannot, but I would love to see them try.

I find it hard to believe that Mike could not just hop in a car and swing by Brian's to say hello without a lot of interference.

The idea that they are old and cannot stay up late is ludicrous. I have done some things in my 50s that I could not have done in my 20's. If you want it badly enough, you will make it happen.

I think most fans would love to see something like that happen if in fact Brian wanted it to happen, but the truth of the matter is that when Mike does things like miming a shotgun blast of the head when talking about Brian's most sensitive material on the album (and has the cojones to do something so insensitive  publicly, no less), it's pretty tough to think that privately, behind closed doors, in a situation with just the two of them, that he wouldn't similarly berate sensitive material. Maybe even more so. Does anyone think that shotgun thing is defensible, or remotely appropriate?  If Mike had his way, we might not even have had those last three songs in their current form.

And of course, this might cause that sensitive material to be junked entirely. It's certainly happened before.  Why does Brian need that kind of nonsense?  And why would anyone think it's out of line for Melinda to take actions to spare Brian from that type of potential interaction? I don't think anyone would begrudge her for doing that if it was a different collaborator who said similar insensitive things.

That said, I'm sure it's possible they could still write great material together. But it seems like Mike has a compulsion to be insensitive, like he literally can't help himself, and this presents a real problem.  Yes Brian is a big boy, but he deserves to be shielded from that type of stuff. It's dysfunctional and toxic behavior, and just because he may be "used" to it from Mike, that doesn't mean it wouldn't have some internal emotional effect on him.  Or at the very least, cause sensitive material to not come to full fruition.

How about the song "one kind of love"? Since Mike obviously does not care for Brian's wife, could a song like that even have come out on a BB album without consternation from Mike, if Mike had the input/clout he was seeking in the band?

What I read/heard seemed to vaguely imply that, but conveniently he left it open so that he can portray himself as the innocent who possibly didn't partake in the same indiscretions as Dennis and - with Dennis as host for awhile - a huge number of people in Hollywood.  No wonder those people were notably so terrified.

I was listening to the WSJ article.  There are so many interests I share with Mike - the origins of languages, history, mythology and Eastern religion, star-gazing, etc.   It would be so convenient to like him.   Important note:  I would like to make the point that Brian and I also enjoyed those discussions and he was quite well-aware and educated on all of these topics and quite capable of creating his own "concepts" in a quite literate fashion, even at the worst of times - thank you very much!

But then it inevitably starts - Mike's self-serving and ever-expanding history re-write, and his attacks on people I care about.  It's unbearable, yet I finally sat through the whole thing.  Good heavens, the longer you let him talk, the more he's willing to "give his side of the story" to the point of complete absurdity.  I seriously doubt that we'll see a "tit for tat" from Brian, and I think Mike is counting on that.  Just awful.

I know what you mean, Debbie. I go back-and-forth between having genuine empathy for him, feeling sorry for him not being happy/feeling underappreciated, and just rolling my eyes and shaking my head. He really is his own worst enemy, and it's very unfortunate because I genuinely think he has good person qualities too. Being that you know the people who are on the receiving end of the attacks, I can imagine it's an entirely different experience with you.

I'd agree that the implication was vague. Bringing up the indiscretions of others and being vague about one's own is not IMO a very honest approach to writing memoirs.

Maybe that's why we get so annoyed by the "Mike-hater" crap we're accused of.  I genuinely had pleasant experiences with him - as I've said many times before - and would like to enjoy him as a whole person before I die.

The WSJ article was the most excruciating for me.  It started so well (aside from his alluding to the fact that he was the "concepts guy."  Please note my edit to my previous post:  "Important note:  I would like to make the point that Brian and I also enjoyed those discussions and he was quite well-aware and educated on all of these topics and quite capable of creating his own "concepts" in a quite literate fashion, even at the worst of times - thank you very much!")

But then he always devolves into self-serving crap that over-exaggerates everyone else's challenges and limitations and ignores his own - until he takes it all into areas of ridiculous misrepresentation "Brian is controlled" - or the blatant implication that this is so.  Knowing how hard Melinda, Brian's family and support staff and friends work to see that his desires and interests are met, it is genuinely anger-inducing.

I have only read excerpts of the book from Amazon thus far, so I don't know if Mike describes the creative process that he and Brian had "back in the day." But aside from several of "the departed" who still seem bound and determined to elevate Mike's level of participation in the songwriting process beyond writing lyrics, I find it highly likely that Mike's own relentless desire for songwriting credit (again, read the salient passages in Jim Murphy's BECOMING THE BEACH BOYS for confirmation) may have had as much to do with Brian shying away from him and seeking collaborators who could bring something extra to the table that he felt he needed to "grow" his work...

And then, of course, the complications of family and the fact that Mike was an integral part of the performing group made it more difficult for Brian to achieve artistic independence, a process that kept escalating to the point where he was out there in late 1966-early 1967 trying to do something beyond his existing levels of expertise with the added pressure of having to follow up the freakiest #1 single ever released...

It sure seems that Brian and Mike had their last real set of "2 o'clock"-style sessions around the time of WILD HONEY. While there would still be songwriting collaborations here and there, most of the time after this Brian was working with other people--or, as in the case of LOVE YOU, on his own. Mike (and his minions) will iikely counter that there are a large number of Wilson/Love titles on MIU and LA, but anyone actually paying attention will recognize that these tunes came out of a "shotgun wedding" scenario and clearly suffer from what is clearly an undercurrent of coercion.

Even though Brian was quoted as saying he couldn't remember making MIU, I suspect he remembers the coercion--and doesn't want to relive those days in any way, shape or form. That he has someone like Melinda who can help him live the best possible life and screen out coercive influences seems to be something that really bugs Mike, and motivates him to do what he does, particularly on broadcast media, where he has always tended to come off at his worst.

Perfectly said.  MIU -no memories - can anyone blame Brian?  It was a horrible time for him.  He's had his share.  He should never have to re-live any of them.  Believe me, I know.  I can barely cope with having observed various times of what he lived through.  How he survived, I'll never know.  I'm just very appreciative that he was tough enough to do it.