The Smiley Smile Message Board

So the board created so that no one would ever get banned again... just banned me.

They love to dish it out, but they can't take anyone who answers back, apparently.


Love and merci,
Dan Lega

That thread about Mike, Bruce and Al writing new words for SMiLE at their current age is pure gold. One for the BB Messageboard HOF.

Normally, I would say a thread pitching Mike Love in 2025 writing new lyrics for "Smile" is what the younger folks call "ragebait", like those cooking video shorts on Instagram/TikTok where they prepare purposely gross/messy/dumb recipes and pretend that they're a genius and that it tastes amazing.

But there are a few select folks over the years who are professional at "Missing the Point", so it's anybody's guess how serious the premise of that thread was/is. Can someone's brain turn to mashed potatoes to the point of truly incredulously asking if Mike Love (and Bruce Johnston and David Marks and Al Jardine) in the year 2025 should re-write Brian and Van Dyke's "Smile" lyrics? Can someone really ignore that many layers of improbability and unreality?

Tbf, Fullpage was way ahead of her time. Would be accused of using AI these days but she's an original  ;D

Consider it a badge of honor, Dan!

I think someone had a jealous delayed reaction to VDP's sudden ability in 2003 to write "simple" lyrics for BWPS and wanted all the others to get the piece of the pie they left to molder in MacArthur Park, recognizing that they'd never have that recipe again once Van could cover their work as well (to wit: "Is it hot in here or is it me? It really is a mystery...")

But the mystery is why any of those guys would even consider such a thing, even for a nanosecond. Now, of course, it's a whole different matter if we're talking Stanley Shapiro...  :lol

Need some acme crates with OSD…

My sister Liz and I both posted there for awhile. Endless 'harmony'? Hardly. We had so many arguments with Feel the Plague (sic) in particular. When Liz finally decided to leave the board, AGD's response was 'Result!' So I went too.

FdP's latest daft suggestion about the BBs (whose project it was, don't you know) putting new words to some SMiLE songs left me wondering whether to laugh or cry. Mike would no doubt turn one of them into his usual gazetteer. God forbid!

Someone posted on 'endless'  '.. it's pretty clear that Totten and Cowsill were canned a couple years ago because they wouldn't go along with Mike and Stamos' plan to overhaul the setlist with "Smile" rewrites.' No idea if this is true but if so my respect to the two gentlemen.

That was me, and that was very much a joke. Nobody on the face of the planet, including Mike Love himself, has given thought to Mike (or Bruce, etc.) *in the present day* writing new lyrics to "Smile."

This idea entirely sprung from the mind of one person who either has the most gross misunderstanding of the band's history (and reality) despite years of fandom, or they're ragebaiting (see: Iain Lee), or both. As is usually the case with such things, the best course would have been to 100% ignore it like we ignore the person who has been posting Beach Boys palindromes for 20 years with zero response.

Relieved to learn that it was just a joke.  I's have thought the first post on the subject was a joke had it come from anyone else!

Dan, I'm sure they "accepted" you as a member only to ban you ASAP. No kidding.

Well, as far as I know Artificial Intelligence (I prefer the full name in order to differentiate it from our beloved Al Jardine) does not troll people on purpose, as that person has done for decades.
And I agree with you, that "idea" of Mike etc. rewriting SMiLE is Hall of Fame stuff. In a way, genius.
Also congrats to HeyJude for feeding the "idea" to ChatPGT. The result is pure GOLD, too! :D

It is!

I wasn't banned but no doubt I would have been had I stuck around any longer! I wear as a badge of honour 'poisonous little madam', AGD's insult to me, and also the 'three witches' descriptor of my sister, a friend who posted as Starry and me.

Banned or just given a time-out, Dan?

Let us know, when you know. There’s a huge difference.

Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven…

Right. One should examine the forum banners.
(Seeing me out now... )

Joking apart, I can't imagine what could a person like Dan say worth of even a one day ban... unless stating strong opinions, well researched and written, on a purely artistic matter is suddenly a crime.

Thank you, Zenobi!

As for whether it's a permanent ban or not, I don't know.  They didn't contact me.  I clicked my tab for the site and instead of the forum I got a full blank page, except for big letters that said "you've been banned from this forum," or something to that effect.  (Wouldn't want anyone there saying I'm "lying" about being banned!  You know how much a stickler they are for the facts over there.  Well... the facts and "facts they make up" that represent their position.  Other facts that dispute their position are not recognized as real, nor even existing.)

Perhaps the ban's not permanent?  But as for now I don't know as I haven't even tried to go to the forum again.  I've really got more important things to do at this time. 

If it is a "time-out" no one let me know.

Let's remember, the motto of one of these people is '"Shut up", he explained'. That doesn't give a reason either.

It always reminds me of someone saying 'I didn't come here to be insulted" to which the rejoinder was 'Where do you usually go to be insulted?'  The name of that forum is a bit of a misnomer.

Hi All,

Apologies for interrupting the flow of a stimulating conversation.

I just this second ended my first and only visit to the EH board; I’ve done a fair amount of slumming in my life, but there are limits. But when I saw the passing references here to the non-serious idea of Mike (and Bruce and Al, but you know it’s really Mike) writing new lyrics for the SMiLE music, I had to see what the fuss was all about.

That’s because they put me in mind of a project I toyed with a few decades ago: if Mike had written the words for “Surf’s Up,” and VDP had written the words for “Good Vibrations,” what would those lyrics look like?

I didn’t make much progress with the VDP “Good Vibrations,” but I did come up with a reasonably complete set of Mike-ified “Surf’s Up” lyrics. It took some searching to find them, and when I did I realized that they needed a touch-up here and there. That said, they’re more-or-less as written all those years ago.

Without further preamble, here they are. I wouldn’t dream of suggesting that they’re an improvement on the ChatGPT product; if ever a lyricist’s style was made for AI, it’s Mike’s.

Thanks for your kind indulgence!

C&N

“Surf’s Up” (Wilson-Love)

My small-block eight is runnin' strong
Hear the sidepipes hummin' on, oh
Got some honeys comin' along
(Hodad, Hodad)

You know we always get around
The other guys – we shut ’em down
And we go home with the blondes
(Hodad, Hodad)

Column shifter in my GTO!

Canvas the top and plush the floor-mats
Who's got shotgun?

Manhattan Beach to Waikiki
Nobody's cool as Mike'll be
’Long as we don't mess with the songs
(Hodad, Hodad)

My fuelie is a costly ride
The seats are trimmed in Naugahyde
We hit the gas and we're gone
(Hodad, Hodad)

Column shifter in my GTO!

Canvas the top and plush the floor-mats
Who's got shotgun? Cousin Bri?

Waves rip and curl, the girls,
The sun, the sand, a perfect day
Living in paradise,
So nice to know it’s all OK

There’s always time for fun, fun, fun.

The drink was raised, the tiki glass,
The sweetness of the rum,
The small umbrella.
The melting ice, the wedge of lime

That dreamy look
There in her eye
That’s all it took
To feel a tropic contact high

Surf’s up! Out on the lonely sea
Load up your woody now
With extra positivity

You know the words
You know the tune
The same old song

The same old song – now let’s do it all again
The vibes are good and the summer never ends

Al Jardine at his sternest: "Mike, don't 'go near' the Formula!"

I got into a few debates last week and very quickly got the lie of the land.

One was about the boot of Wind Chimes - the one with the false start with count-in before the chorus.  A few of the posters over there insist the section is part of the song - it just has some other parts mised out.

So you come over here to boast and whine about it. You got exactly what you were aiming for when you signed up at EH. You wanted to stir the pot. Why even go there seeing you hated the place to begin with. You were asked nicely to lighten up but you "pounded your chest" and laid it on even thicker. No pats on the back from me. "Love and merci" indeed.

Oh. Good luck over here. I see the sister duo is back. Enjoy that!

If Jodi Q's message was a reference to me and my sister, the only one of us to have posted in this thread is me.

As for EH, they're very selective about what they choose to ask people to lighten up about in my experience.

I wasn't posting here...but now I am.  Do you have a problem with me Jodi?  Would you like to explain what it might be.

Why did you come over here?  Not enough interesting stuff happening on the Endless Boredom page any more?  You should have kept Dan! Go back and report now but keep it light!  And remind Andrew that 'shut up' isn't an explanation but an instruction.

Is MIU still open?

Interesting perspective.  

Yeah, it does rile me that they believe they have all the FACTS.  I believe the other side of the coin should be presented.  I have FACTS on my side, too.

They said they would never ban anyone.  I even 'snuck' in over there after Brian died to see what was going on, and, lo and behold, saw that someone posted again just recently, "I'm so glad I'm on a board where we can say what we want and no one gets banned."  

And of course no one replied to the poster, saying, "Sorry, we've changed, we do ban people."

They're such hypocrites other there.  As I said, they love to dish it out.  They made fun of me left and right.  And they treated Mike, who posted above, like sh*t!  It's unbelievable what they said to him, not once, but numerous times!  But when I dished it back they couldn't handle it.

So Jodi Q, why did you come over here?  To stir the pot?  If you can do that here, then why can't I do that over there?  And I'd say you're even worse than me, because I got on their case about how they like to ignore facts, (like David Leaf quoting Brian as saying the number one reason he quit SMiLE was because Mike Love hated it,) yet you come over here and throw shade at other women with absolutely no reason at all?!  How are you "better" than us?!

Love and merci, indeed,
Dan Lega


(PS -- Mike, I do think they might be right that the "false starts" in SMiLE's "Wind Chimes" are on purpose.  The false starts made me laugh when I listened to them with that perspective, and I figured that, hey, Brian certainly could have done that on purpose!  But if you can't hear it, I don't blame you.  I couldn't hear it for years, either.)

I saw Hey Jude's post about the Jonathan Wilson 'Brian's last recording' songs. I can't find it on 'endless' now - maybe just missed it.

I really love one in particular of these. It's not melodically like Brian - the second rather reminds me of Chris Rainbow's Love You Eternally.

I DO think Mike should write new lyrics for Smile, record and release the album as Mike Love Presents Smile - everytime I see "BWPS" I think "Brian Wilson's Pet Sounds". For that matter, Mike could redo PS as well, make it more positive. "Caroline, Yes" for starters. "Wouldn't it Be Nice"? "It IS Nice"! "Heroes and Villains", of course, would become "Blondes and Brunettes". And in the interest of staying on top of things technology-wise (like Summer in Paradise atttempted to do), he could record the entire thing on an iphone with NO REAL MUSICIANS.

I remember there was a site (Ear Candy, I think it was) that had a parody page advertising a "Mike Love Presents Smile" back around the time that BWPS came out.

Yup!

I’m still waiting for Bruce Johnston Presents The Slim Shady LP…


except Bruce doesn’t “drop” the mic, he merely adjusts it

:lol :lol :lol

Nice one! 😀😀😀

Hi all, I hope I'm not going too far with my post: mods, please feel free to heavily edit if necessary.  I am only a member here; I am not a member over at the other board, but I do lurk on occasion, especially since this board has (unfortunately) gotten much less action than its "harmonious" counterpart has.

I think it's hilarious how many act high and mighty over there act like this forum and its mods were "the big bad bully" of sorts.  With regards to AGD in particular. he is a great source of knowledge, and I've had a couple of pleasant exchanges with him (over Facebook and email), but the way he treated one or more fans that suggested that potential "final" Brian studio albums be overdubbed by Mike, Al, Bruce, Matt Jardine, David, Blondie, Ricky, etc. was ridiculous and rude in my opinion.  Obviously, I have no idea what exists, so (even if the band politics or powers that be were able to make something like that possible) who knows if enough contributions (piano, vocal, etc.) from Brian are on these tapes to actually be able to do something with them in a "final product" is another issue.  But it's something that I thought too. Thankfully, one of their mods corrected the claim (regardless of whether it was a false memory, a fact that AGD was unaware of, or a deliberately false assertion) that TWGMTR was always meant to be the final album (since it was reported in at least one source that Brian wanted to do another album when the reunion was going well -- until Mike ended everything, that is).

But the idea of Mike, Al, Bruce, David, etc. working on their own version of Smile, coming from those who might have been fans longer than I've been alive, is ridiculous; if I know that is impossible, then the user who made that comment should too.

There might have been other things I was going to mention, but I can't remember at the moment, and I'm too lazy to try to remember again at the moment.  

 :bw


EDIT: I think one thing was that I tried to sing those hilarious AI Surf's Up lyrics; they're hilarious!!

Yes, I too read AGD's absolute ROASTING of someone who suggested he would like the remaining Beach Boys to overdub/finish Brian's unreleased material.  I was appalled!

Their holier-than-thou attitude that everyone's opinion is respected is just ridiculous.  They were not nice to Mike, on NUMEROUS occasions!  Whoever the poor bloke was that AGD turned on didn't deserve that in the least!

And of course from what I saw the moderators didn't say anything to AGD about being nice to people!  (Nor ban him, like they did me.)

And that girl who came on this thread and said nasty things about posters here who have been nothing but thoughtful and pleasant as far as I've seen is just completely wacko.

And most people over there probably still think the board doesn't ban people, as I saw a recent poster say!

(BTW, I can go over there and "read only" if I don't try to login.  That's how I've read a few things even though I've been banned.  And I've only gone back after Brian's passing, just to see if there was anything worth reading over there.) 

In the entire time you’ve been here I’ve never seen you post anything that would raise an eyebrow, much less deserve a ban! I can’t even fathom that.


Regardless though , recent events have shown just how insignificant this board vs board stuff is .

Imho Dan is a rare gem in BB fandom. Banning him is self-condemning.
And this comes from a fan who recently had a pro-Mike Love meltdown here...

P.S.
Being a fan of Mike's does not entail liking his fans. Oh, not at all.

Yes, well said.  I really don't like discussing this stuff at this time.  There are other things I wanted to say, but I've been doing my best to hold off on them.  I'm still feeling the loss of Brian.  It's a very sad time.

Hey it's a badge of honor, man.

Theyre a bunch of bitter old men (plus filledeplage) who bullied me every chance they got and then tried to paint me as a trouble maker anytime I stood up for myself. These guys are like 2.5x my age, I came here as an excited starry-eyed uberfan who wanted nothing more than to share (what I thought was) an interesting new perspective on SMiLE and from the very first Mikie, John Manning (and to a lesser extent drbeachboy) mercilessly harassed me from thread to thread. I was just a teen, lonely and bullied in school, looking for a connection with like-minded people. None of my "friends" in real life liked the Beach Boys and made fun of me for listening to them, so I wanted a place to discuss this amazing music that changed my life and helped me rediscover my spirituality. You can imagine how hurt I was to then get singled out for being, what, too enamored by Brian's most ambitious work? Like, cause that's somehow a bad thing, apparently? You'd think they'd be excited that young people like me were so passionate about their favorite band and trying to keep its legacy alive with fresh ideas and lively discussion, but I guess they'd rather let it all die out with the boomers.

All the same, I attributed the bad reception I was getting to this site and tried out the then-new Pet Sounds Forum and follow-up EH. I probably did more to fill out the various sub-forums of both sites with interesting content than anyone else and still they antagonized me over the pettiest nonsense. I said "vinyls" instead of "vinyl records" so I must be a horrible person who needs a nasty condescending lecture on "how to speak proper English." (Wow, how "rock 'n' roll" of you JohnM, that's the spirit of freedom and rebellion your precious 60s was all about!) I called out filled when she went on insane off-topic political rants out of nowhere and accused me personally of being "brainwashed by liberal professors." I used "they" pronouns as a default for someone when I wasn't sure if they were a guy or girl (which is the grammatically correct thing to do, regardless of gender ideology). I had the audacity to talk politics in the designated politics subforum that THEY CREATED. I didn't put Good Vibes on my SMiLE mix. I didn't give the Surf's Up album a high enough rating. All of that was used against me. I had many private messages patting me on the back for calling these ornery old farts out on their crap but nobody would back me up publicly until Mikie attacked me openly with a vicious, unhinged rant that was so indefensible that a dozen or so members left that site and started the Beach Boys Today forum. After I was banned (for screencapping his sadistic ravings and posting them for posterity) and could no longer defend myself, they spent days and days castigating me openly on the forums, talking about how I've "always been a terrible person" and words to that effect.

I don't mean to whine about ancient history but I couldn't help browse this place again for old time's sake after Brian's passing, and happened upon your thread. I think it's important to add my two cents in case anyone (lurkers?) thinks the OP is being melodramatic or petty by beefing on EH. No. They absolutely deserve it. They're old enough to know better and for literal years got their jollies picking on someone young enough to be their grandkid (often with images of their actual grandkids as profile pictures--did they never think "what if someone talked to my little Timmy like Im speaking to poor Leni right now?") Then they have the audacity to circlejerk about how "we never have drama over HERE, not like those evil jerks at SS!" and deliberately whitewash the ugly way they treated me (and OP and many others) which I don't appreciate. I think on some level they know how horrible they are for that, so they'd rather pretend I never existed than recognize how truly messed up that whole sorry incident really was.

Frankly, they ought to be ashamed of themselves for punching down on someone younger and neurodivergent like me, to say nothing of how they've also treated the rest of you. I even stopped listening to the Beach Boys for a long time because I associated the music with the nastiness of those cliquey forums and lost out on some friendly connections I'd made with other posters from those days because they decided literally from the first that they needed a punching bag. Was I totally blameless in all this? Perhaps not; I'll admit looking back now that I could be long-winded, opinionated and mercurial but I always meant well. I kept those boards active with engaging content (not just SMiLE related either) and I didn't deserve to be treated like that. Their antics are also responsible for giving ALL Beach Boys forums a bad name, if you look on r/BeachBoys and several other places. We (this forum, its offshoots, the community, etc) are associated with pettiness, drama and exclusionary behavior. That insufferable little posse of petty tyrants is the cause of it.

Anyway, all this is reminding me why I left forums behind and started blogging instead. I know Im a controversial figure here as well so I'll take my leave. Until the next Beach Boy passes, my friends. (Hopefully not for a very long time.) Wish you all well.

Julia, I can guarantee that HERE nobody will ban or harass you as long as you don't blatantly troll people or be actively "toxic" for the forum.

I have been always rather controversial, including having a pro-Mike Love "meltdown" some months ago, and nobody ever harassed me in any way, or tried in any way to limit my freedom of expression. This forum is a real class act, guided by two great guys.

Trust me, you would find a friendly "home" here. Yes, it is quieter here, with fewer posts, but on the other hand the "noise ratio' is much, much lower. Here you won't find threads discussing Brian's IQ.

Seconded.

I put up a page on FB so we could co-ordinate tour meet ups - now called Celebrating Brian Wilson. That's generally friendly too  - so, mainly is Brian's own MB.

Julia, please don't think  some of the EH people are just against you on the basis of age. My sister and I've had disparaging treatment and  my sister got fed up with it and  after the response to her quitting the board was 'Result!' I came off it too. Both Liz and I are no spring chickens!

Smiley Smile has some real expertise from various contributors. One of the places you can go back to old threads and find fascinating information.

Seconded (thirded?). Ageism is not the problem there.
In fact, I have always found that age matters less than people think. If an elderly person behaves like Confucius, you can bet that person was a gentle and thoughtful youngster earlier. If a youngster acts like a jerk, you can bet they will do the same later in life. Somebody learns, but sadly too few.

I think that some - certainly not all - who post there have inflated opinions of their own levels of expertise and are intolerant of the opinions of those with whom they disagree.

Julia, thank you for your message.  I'm sorry I'm just seeing it now.  When I grew up there was no Internet and no Forums.  I was the only person I knew of, besides my older brother, who loved The Beach Boys the most out of all the bands in the early 70's.  I knew I felt a little out of place because of it, but luckily I don't remember anyone making fun of me because of it.  For you and the others who have been treated so horribly by other Beach Boys "fans," well, I don't know what to say.  It seems you, and the others who speak of the same treatment, have been able to get past it.  I don't think I was following the boards too much when the "Great Schism" occurred.  But from what I've seen of it afterwards it's always been the EH board people who are the most snarky, and the most hypocritical.  They still proclaim their "tolerance," yet whenever I visit I'm always seeing those same folks taking pot shots at others on their board and off their board.  I went there and took pot shots right back at them.  But, no, the board that proclaims all opinions are of value couldn't stand someone fighting back.

Ever since the "Great Schism" I've never seen posts on this board that are mean to other posters, other than posts that point out specifically bad things that were done to them by posters on the other board.  So when we're not discussing that, all the posts I've seen here are polite and meaningful.  Those here have created the type of board the ones who left supposedly "aspired" to.  Yet when they broke away all they did was create a place where the same bad actions that got them banned from this board can take place, apparently!  

I don't follow the boards, except in spurts, but I'm grateful for this board, and all its regular posters!

Dan's having been banned shows that EH will ban you just for expressing "heretical" opinions.
Not here at Smiley, or I would have been banned a few months ago.
Persistent trolling, of course, is another matter...

They're just a clique and afford themselves special rights as a result. They dont apply their principles equally. I was made to feel like a bully for telling Filled she was full of it but whatever I said was nothing compared to what they put me through on a regular basis. And unlike Filled I never made wild assumptions of her life experiences as she did to me. Like, no, it's possible to just think our country needs reform without being brainwashed by "liberal activist professors" in college. My college economics textbook was literally called "Free Our Markets" for gods sake... And nobody told me about Distributism, I found that for myself researching political science on my own time so I could be better informed when discussing these kinds of topics.

But now Ive said the dreaded "p" word so I'll leave it at that