The Smiley Smile Message Board

The Beach Boys are coming to town next month with TV ads sprinkled throught the day. In the venue's description they state that Mike Love was the band's chief lyricist. Anything to sell tickets I guess.  Sad.

I gave up on getting worked up about that stuff years ago. If they didn't just say "the Beach Boys' lyricist", then we should probably count ourselves lucky.

What's strange is that Mike pays to license the "Beach Boys" name so he doesn't have to start naming members and whatnot. Being able to call it "The Beach Boys" is what sells the tickets, not pointing out the band has one original member.

Mike Love *was* the band's chief lyricist! He wasn't the *only* lyricist! But chief lyricist? No one else, however talented or important, co-wrote more than 10 songs or so. More importantly, his approach unquestionably defined the band's lyrical style for most of their career, however much some of us might wish it hadn't.

Not really understanding the outrage either...look at a typical Mike and Bruce setlist, he's nearly the sole lyricist of the material they're performing...

Oh, that rotten Mike, trotting around the world with his fake Beach Boys, hoping no one will notice that Brian, Al, David, Carl and Dennis aren't there! How is this allowed? It certainly can't be legal! Someone take that clown to court - we all know Mike loves being in court - and sue his hat off!
 >:D >:D >:D >:D

Truth hurts, I guess. Tell me who collaborated with Brian on more Beach Boys songs than Mike. Then take into account the number of Beach Boys songs that Mike wrote lyrics for without Brian.  I certainly wouldn't say all of those are good songs and/or lyrics, but nonetheless, the statement is true.

I'm not sure in which way the original poster was outraged, but while I don't think there's any particular problem "factually" with calling him the "chief lyricist", I think the weird aspect is that he's using this in advertisements for concerts. He's a founding member and a lead vocalist, both of which would seem to be more of a quick and effective selling point for concert ads if they were inclined to need to tout anything beyond the band's name itself, which is by leaps and bounds THE main selling point.

I mean, what's the purpose of mentioning Mike's credentials in a concert ad when he's cleared (and pays) to use the actual "Beach Boys" name? One would be to inform people that there is some sort of authenticity still to the band. But again, that would be much more easily and better conveyed by mentioning he's a founding/original member and/or that he's one of the main lead vocalists. The other purpose would be, I guess, some sort of self-conscious attempt to counter the idea that Brian Wilson is the "genius behind the Beach Boys."

But yeah, I think the main weird thing is that this type of advertisement reads like the type of advertisements former band members use when they *can't* tour under their band's name anymore, and have to tour under their own name or some other band name, but want to advertise their credentials. Like, I could imagine Al doing a solo show and advertising that he's a "founding member" or "lead vocalist on their #1 hit 'Help Me Rhonda'", etc.

Perhaps Mike is simply proud of the fact that he **was** the Beach Boy's chief lyricist, which he was, of course, at least during the early days when most of the band's biggest hits were recorded.

That, to me, by no means offers a debate to the fact that Brian Wilson was, unquestionably, the genius behind the Beach Boys' music.

Yeah, I have nothing really to add that hasn't already been said. But, again, I really don't understand why this would be cause for anger, etc.

MOST of the most well known Beach Boys' songs were co-written with Mike and further out than that, over the course of the band's history, literally no one has co-written more with Brian. Mike has even had sporadic co-writes with Al and Dennis.

Mike might have done some crappy things throughout the years, as we know for a fact most of the guys have (even if we rarely address those) but the guy is human, so that's kind of to be expected.

Admittedly, its a weird angle of promotion, but it is a true, fair, and very much deserved angle. Not everything Mike does deserves a visceral reaction. All that does is diminish the criticism that he gets when he truly deserves it, i.e. his obsession with the Trumps, even after Don, Jr.'s swipe at Brian.

I don't even know if it rises to the level of full-on "criticism", but I don't mind pointing out that it's kind of tacky and carny status the way Mike sometimes promotes his shows, no matter how "factually accurate" it is.

When you have the resume that Mike legit has, and when you're paying to use the actual "Beach Boys" name, it's weird and kind of tacky to advertise your band as if you're Denny Laine or Joey Molland's Badfinger or something.

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