The Smiley Smile Message Board

I was 15 (in 2002) when I fell hard for the Beach Boys. Everyone thought it was the weirdest thing that I loved this band opposed to any of the other popular crap-Britney Spears etc. of that time. I guess it was pretty weird but music was in my bones and the Beach Boys are the best example of real, good music.

Do you think it's possible for kids of this generation-this Lady GaGa (no offense to her) sexed up generation to love the Beach Boys? And I mean really fall hard and deep and appreciate everything the Boys have to offer?
I just don't know, I can't convince any of the young people I know, but I hope for humanity's sake that some do...

My sons (17 and 15) enjoy many of the artists of the 60s including the Beatles, Beach Boys and the Who to name a few. In fact, we went to the Pete and Roger Show last year. (Better be consistint!) They have watched docos about these groups plus others plus 'Woodstock'. My wife was 6 months pregnant with the older son when we went to a Joe Cocker concert.

I have a feeling that they and others may have a genral interest now but that may narrow as they get older. Maybe a deeper interest in the technical aspects of the recordings may follow. 

I live in hope!

I'm 22 and I was also quite alone in appreciating the Beach Boys. More serious music fans my age will say Pet Sounds is cool, but they don't really listen to it much, if at all.

For me, I felt like everything was already pretty sexed up by the time I was a teenager, although I guess our celebrities didn't walk around in their underwear as much back then (not that I'm morally outraged by that or anything). For example, I saw a TLC (remember then) video again recently, and they were barely wearing anything. I didn't really even register that fact when the video first came out, when I was probably 11 or 12, back in the insipid days of the TRL Countdown (does MTV still do that?). I can't I believe I watched that show... anyway...

Here's where I think the Beach Boys have a problem with the kids today: their music doesn't have a true edginess to it. Fans will talk about how the BBs smoked pot or wore cool clothes, but that's not what it's about.  I mean, sure, they used drugs, but they never had a "I'm an addict and I don't care, screw the world" type of attitude,  at least in their music, nor any kind of raw, aggressive sexuality or bitter, angry depression (again, musically speaking). Maybe Dennis had a song or two with raw, aggressive sexuality, but he usually seemed to use music to express his sensitive side. Which is funny, because they really probably could've used his rawer side more, musically, to get the public back into the group around the late 60s/early 70s. But, Dennis would rather record "Cuddle Up". That's the story of the group, really.

Of course, I personally don't care that the BBs were that way, but I do think it's why they aren't regarded as cool by most young people. However, I think that young people who truly appreciate music will always be drawn to the Beach Boys. It's impossible not to be. Their talents were just too great.

Well, the generation right before, the Xers, they really did. These are folks from their mid- 40s to early 30s. These are many of the folks in Brian's band. They were around for Brian's post Landy rehabilitation in the 1990s with the Was documentary and assorted tributes from folks like Sonic Youth, etc. I'm on the younger end of that -- 31 -- so I picked up on this stuff in high school. The Mints were all in their late 20s at that point, and the Beach Boys were still touring with Carl. This is only 12-14 years ago.

And that led to a lot of great stuff. Brian recording more, the addition of his touring band. The re-release of the entire group catalog and several discs of rarities. The completion of Smile. This all happened, really, because the post-boomer generation realized how important Brian and his music was.

But -- that underground cred eventually became part of the woodwork. Everyone accepted BW/BBs as pioneers and then began to look for other under-appreciated bands (the Kinks, for example, or Love) from that general era to champion. The 2000s ended up being a much messier, angrier, sadder decade than the 1990s. And we finally had a generation that was never able to see a more or less complete Beach Boys lineup live.

So generation Y (or whatever you call them -- folks born roughly from 1980 to 1995 -- or folks in their teens to late 20s) has had a less intimate connection with the music. But fashions come and go, and the BBs will always be back in one form or another. Actually, I think Dennis is a pretty good fit with the younger folks -- he can be positively emo. Maybe it's why the POB reissue did so well.

Great points Clay. Didn't realize we're the same age (I'll be 32 on 13 Aug). Even some of the bands lumped in with the alternative scene such as Stone Temple Pilots(who really didn't fit as they were really more of a retro band) showed obvious and not so obvious Beach Boys influences.

I'm 21. The Beach Boys are my favorite band.

I'm 45 -  brought to musical awareness in the 70s, around the time of punk, which somehow passed me by.  I bet there were long-time fans back then wondering whether this new gob-and-safety-pin generation could love the Beach Boys.

I'm 19, and obviously a pretty huge Beach Boys fan - I do get tired of saying they're my favourite band and just getting blank looks. I'm not sure most people my age recognise even Pet Sounds as an important album. I know a few who do, but that's all they know.
I think the lack of edginess might have something to do with it - The surf&turf image still persists, and BWPS hasn't exactly changed that*. And the vogue for the yoof still seems to be electro/fucking dubstep, so obviously the BB's are out of step with that (until the long-awaited Love You/BB's 85 reappraisal  ;D).
But of course this generation can love The Beach Boys - I fell in love with Pet Sounds & Smile at 15, as did my friend. I'm not sure if the scene/popular consensus will swing back for another reappraisal soon though, but plenty of bands wear the influence on their sleeve, so people will find them.

*before anyone says owt, it was a high profile, (relatively) successful release which showcased the more avantgarde Beach Boys music.....

I was also a BBs loner when in the 90s when I was in my teens. Nobody else seemed to get it. But as my friends got older and more mature, they are starting to listen, and like it. Your friends will start to listen when they realise they aren't too cool anymore. Then they will see what they have been missing!

... further to my post earlier, I recall turning up to gatherings of friends to which we'd each bring an album. Other kids brought Parallel Lines, Breakfast In America, and ELO's Discovery, I took Pet Sounds. Never even got a look in. Suspect things are a bit different today.

I think there's something about Beach Boys music that really speaks to kids. I fell in love with the band as a kid and it really had nothing to do with my parents as they never played any BB. I reckon kids'll be falling in love with this music for decades to come, or maybe I'm just a blindly optimistic fan.

Thats true, IMO. Thats when I got hooked...before I was 8 or 9...

I think that this band is timeless; as other bands come and go, they will always be around...they will span many, many more presidencies...

Expect a bit of a surge in popularity sooner or later...

I think if you can get a kid into the BBs early on, you've got something. What kid wouldn't like Good Vibrations or California Girls or Surfin USA?

I'm in generation X (I'm 34), and I feel like our music was a bit closer to the 60s, only because it was more organic than a lot of today's pop. We had grunge, and it was emotional. But then, I grew up listening to everything from Fred Astaire to REM. I loved the Beatles when I was a kid. I think there will always be those kids who love the Beatles. The Beach Boys are a tougher sell because I think to really love them you have to connect with them emotionally. But if you grow up listening to gorgeous melodies and harmonies, then you develop an appreciation for it and you're probably going to be more open to the BBs, despite their image.

Ah yeah, all of this talk of kids reminds me of my 9 year old brother. I was playing the song "Friends" in my car and he really liked it. He even requested that I play it again later. How's that for giving people confidence in our youth? These darn kids might still be OK.

I'm 31. I have no time for modern music. The best stuff has already been done and redone. There's literally 10000's of hours of undiscovered pleasure to be had with music from the past 60-70 years. I'll take that over Lady Cack Cack anyday.

This may look juvenile but I must say it.......

BEACH BOYS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt the same way when I was your age, in the '80s...and then there was an explosion of interest and respect in the Beach Boys.  So you never know.

I have always said that if you truly love music and are super passionate about it, good music finds you.   Really, of all the people I know, when I think of them, they are what  I deem as "casual" music fans with different degrees of moderation.  My sister, for example, I believe, has  a tin ear.  lol But she will listen to the radio on the drive to work, is aware of what the latest "hit" is on the radio, enjoys it.  But she doesn't go out of her way to download music, check out albums/artists, take time out of her day to sit and LISTEN/ABSORB music.   Most people I know are NOT like that.   I am.  lol  Since I can remember, putting those headphones on and zoning out...that was me.  Music. Music. Music.   And you don't have to be a musician to be like that.  I knew this guy once, and though he couldn't play  a note, he had TONS of albums/cds.  When I would go over to his house, he would always pull something out and say "listen to this!"  And he was hilarious to watch.  He knew every guitar line, drum tap, symbal smash...it was so funny to watch him. 

My point is there are people out there who just LOVE music more than the average passive/casual listener.  Everyone like music to some degree, whether at a club or a wedding, doing the dishes, driving to work, music is everywhere, everyone has music to some extent in their lives.  But there are people who it is, I guess, their hobby, which they are super passionate about.   And it is those people whom the GOOD music finds its way.  How the hell did I hear about Pet Sounds during the pre-internet days when NO ONE around me would ever dream of mentioning it.  The GOOD music found me.  It started with a dubbed greatest hits comp: "What is this" my musically inclined brain asked, like a heat seeking musically inclined missile lol  I was a huge Beatles fan, then read about McCartney talking about Pet Sounds.  What is this album I mused.  It is like I heard/knew about it before I bought it.  I remember just looking at the cover before I played it and knew "this is going to be great...man, that is Brian Wilson there?  He looks so cool and in charge!" lol 

So, yeah, no matter what generation, for those whose passion is music, the GOOD stuff always finds it way home into the hearts of those who are willing to let it in.

Mark

I think there will be people in every generation who will appreciate the BB's. The problem, though, lies in the perception of the surviving members themselves. None of the BB's scream out 'cool' when you look at them. If you weren't a fan and happened to be flipping through the channels and saw the BB's on DWTS last week, you wouldn't give them a chance. Same with Brian; alot of people know him as the crazy guy from the BB's, and if you'd happen to come across a random interview with him somewhere, you'd be hard pressed to believe that he wrote some of the greatest music of the 20th century.
 We live in a different time now, where slick, pro-tools enhanced songs about getting drunk at the club  are more popular than artists who pour their soul into an album. It's about how you look and if your music is by-the-numbers pop bullshit. Sure, there will be kids who stumble upon the BB's, whether by accident or by purpose. I think that it's going to be harder to get people into now then it was, say, 20 years ago.

I'm 19, There my favourite band ever, all my friends love them.

The Beach boys are forever  ;D

It's funny you mention this. My parents never really pushed me into anything music-wise as I was growing up, but the one thing I remember was my Dad taking me to classic car shows starting when I was 11 or 12 (I'm 27 now). The only music they play at those shows are hits from the '50s and '60s and of course the typical Beach Boys car/summer songs are played. I was casual on and off through my teens towards the Boys, but never really got into them. I was big into Elvis (still am) and newer country music up until my early 20s and have since in the last few years gotten back into the Boys, only this time, it's pathetically hardcore (and I love it).

So, my interest in the Boys was casual, if anything not even beyond those car shows in my teens, but since my mid 20s, I've grown to really appreciate and love them. Now when I go to the classic car shows and I hear the Boys come on over the PA system, I relish listening to them.

I definitely agree with the premise that the Beach Boys music speaks so much that it'll always be relevant. It will oscillate in popularity, but it'll always be there and people will definitely be listening. They were too good.

16 and still trying to devise a way to get my friends into them.

Same here . . . My dad was already 25 years old when the term Rock 'n Roll was coined in 1955. My mom was six years younger . . . so growing up I never heard any Rock 'n Roll from my parents. My older sisters listened to Rock in the '70s, and they introduced me to a lot of cool contemporary stuff.

What's funny is that my dad took my mom to see Elvis in concert in 1956, when E played a gig at my mom's high school (not long after she'd graduated). They viewed it as an oddity at the time. My dad graduated from college that year, after serving in the military. But as an adult, I turned my dad into a fan of Elvis and Buddy Holly. I pointed out to him that Scotty Moore was a veteran of the Korean Conflict, just like my dad. And I also explained that Buddy Holly was born in the same year as my mom. I played the music for him, and showed him footage from Sullivan and others. He was hooked. (Later, we took him to see "Buddy," the musical that had been on Broadway. Hell, he talked about it for a week afterward).

But I stumbled upon the Beach Boys and J&D as a kid in the '70s, quite on my own . . . by accident . . . and both groups really pulled me in. I think it's mostly an individual thing.

Younger people will continue to find their way to the music, without any kind of popular movement to lead them there. And older folks can sometimes be swayed, as well.

No. Not until  M.E.L ceases the farce...Then, maybe in time,  the general public will come around to where all the hip indie bands have already arrived: the musical doorstep of BRian Wilson.

You give M.E.L. way too much credit here. Believe me, his shows are not driving way old fans, nor potential new ones. I'm 52 yrs. old and I went through "The Beach Boys are so uncool" bit back in 69 and the early 70's. This band has gone in and out of style more than any band that I am aware of. By 1980 they were so popular, that I could feel the Philadelphia Spectrum arena shake when they broke into their "homestretch" of songs. I couldn't even hear them sing, because 20,000 people were singing along with them. Good music is good music. There will always be people who are drawn in by the music and the wonderful harmonies. Hopefully, with their 50th anniversary approaching, more interest will be generated, and a new generation will be exposed to Brian's music as performed by his messengers (as Dennis once perfectly stated); The Beach Boys. The music is just too good to go unnoticed, no matter the generation.

I have been a fan of the Beach Boys for as long as I can remember. I grew up with them through hearing them in heavy rotation on oldies radio in the late 1980s. WOGL-FM in Philadelphia used to play the Beach Boys a LOT back then, and they were generally more into playing the big hits from the beginnings of rhythm and blues right up to the early 1970s. Since then they've become mainly a 70s and 80s station, heavy on disco and the usual AOR hits, nowadays they even play Madonna on there. But back in 1987-88, when I can really remember my first exposure to their music, I was hooked. Even to a young punk like me then, the Beach Boys represented total freedom. The early surf and car hits were peppered with the great harmonies and the rock 'n roll beats, and the cockiness in the lyrics and Michael Love's vocals made them very special. Michael is considered the king of nasal vocals, but there's a real edge and a sneer to those vocals. And of course, I loved Carl's voice as well. Brian and Al's voices were kind of "there" in the beginning for me.

Two of the first records I ever received were Pet Sounds and Still Cruisin', both on cassettes. Naturally, being a kid in 1990 when those tapes were given to me, I loved Kokomo (still do). Pet Sounds was just "ok" at the time. Eventually I began to venture out into other forms of music; I got heavy into classic rock in high school. Back in 2001 there was a VH1 countdown of the 100 greatest albums in rock 'n roll. Revolver was #1, Nevermind was #2, and Pet Sounds was #3. Of course, I remembered the album, but had lost my cassette years before. I bought the 2001 mono/stereo CD at a mall, and I liked it a lot then, but wasn't 100% convinced YET. Then I bought Smiley Smile/Wild Honey and my interest began to rise. When I bought Sunflower/Surf's Up in the summer of 2001 when I was down in Ocean City for the summer, the band clicked with me in such a way that by the year's end I owned all of the albums, group or solo, in some form. The old surf and car hits and the later artistic material just seemed so perfect to me at the time. I rank that summer as being among the two or three best periods in my life.

As a junior in high school, I used to carry a small CD case with me, in which I would take a few CDs for the bus rides to and from school. Of course, this would inevitably happen -

Random friend - What are you listening to?
Me - The Beach Boys.
Random friend - Uhhhhh, the Beach Boys?
Me - Yeah.
Random friend - They're gay, they're like a boy band.

Granted, in 2001 it was a LOT cooler to like the Beach Boys than it had been for years, but it was still an upward battle. I was "that kid who listens to gay surfing music". The ridiculing didn't bother me. I knew what I liked and that was that.

When I went to college in 2003, I became a DJ on WYBF-FM 89.1 "The Burn", the radio station at Cabrini College, where I did two shows a week; one on Tuesday from 6 to 8 PM and one on Friday from noon to 2 PM. The Tuesday one was internet-only; the Friday one was broadcast via FM radio within a ten-mile radius of the campus. WYBF-FM specialized in what they called "modern and loud rock"; there was even a "loud rock" department. The DJs were an amazing bunch of people from all walks of life and all kinds of musical taste. The DJs would either do talk shows, news programs, progressive playlists, or underground punk and metal. One of the DJs was, at the time, a twenty year veteran of college radio, and he managed to meet all kinds of musicians from Frank Zappa to Neil Young to Jan Hammer. I recall that his shows were all over the place musically, and he actually had the nerve to play Zappa's "Dinah-Moe Humm" over FM frequencies on a show in which I sat as a guest DJ and "color commentator" for lack of a better term.

WYBF-FM shared the 89.1 FM frequency with Villanova University; WYBF aired on FM and was simulcasted on the internet from 8 AM to midnight on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and from 4 PM to midnight on Sunday. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, WYBF aired via the internet from 8 AM to midnight and from 8 AM to 4 PM on Sunday. When WYBF aired via FM radio, the blocks from 8 AM to 6 PM were supposed to be "modern and loud rock". When the shows were broadcast via the internet, anything could be played. On Fridays I did a show primarily loaded with that kind of material; I played a lot of then-new stuff, including John Mayer before his popularity exploded. On Thursdays I did progressive shows with material ranging from Frank Zappa to Miles Davis to Pink Floyd to Nine Inch Nails to Galaxie 500.

About three weeks after I began doing shows, in the middle of my Friday "modern and loud rock" playlist, I played Cabinessence on the air. I was breaking a lot of rules by doing that, since the rules were "modern and loud rock only from 8 AM to 6 PM". One of the other DJs (one of the station's administrators who made the rules), who was passing through the hallway to go into the production studio which was opposite the broadcast studio, came in and was like "who the hell was that?!?" I told him it was the Beach Boys. This dude, whose name I have forgotten, was one of the DJs on the show "Front Row" on Fridays, which was basically all hardcore punk, death metal, and goregrind.

"That sh*t's amazing, dude. You should do a whole Beach Boys show."

How could I resist? The following Tuesday I did precisely that, playing a set of both the hits and the lesser-known stuff, group and solo. Two weeks later I did a Smile show, which was designed as a narrative. I had no script, so I basically reeled off the information based on my own recollections. I received some mail from students who told me they enjoyed the shows a lot. In the process I became a sort of ambassador for the Beach Boys' music even though I never intended or even wanted to be one. The music became quite popular on campus, to the point that even some of the DJs who played hardcore punk and gangsta rap (yes, even some black guys) sat in for some of the shows. In December I did a four hour Smile special, this time with a script. I played a good two and a half hours of Smile material and fragments, both released and unreleased, which was a huge risk, since I was broadcasting over FM radio and the internet and the station didn't know I was playing bootlegs on the air. I also broadcast the show without commercials, which was against policy (people lost their broadcasting privileges for doing that); I only played commercials for 90 seconds at the bottom of every hour so I could load another CDR into the recording equipment to record the next hour. I put out the word all over the Beach Boys internet world; it even showed up on Bret Wheadon's website in the "news" section as an upcoming event. When I checked the station's logs during songs to see where the listeners were, I found people listening in the USA, Canada, Brazil, England, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand. The show itself was huge on campus. I had to pad it out, however, with an hour and a half of other stuff, so I decided to play the entire Orange Crate Art album, and a smattering of other related stuff.

Can this generation love the Beach Boys? I'd say if folks from this generation who were into hardcore punk, death metal, goregrind, and gangsta rap could get into a dude as unlikable as myself playing the Beach Boys' music on the radio, anything can happen. The Beach Boys and their music are timeless.

That was a great story.  :) Thanks for sharing it. Man, bootlegs, and Orange Crate Art....you've got guts. Did you play any Van Dyke Parks?  ;D

The real Beach Boys are timeless...Brian's music is timeless...Every gereation wil dig 'em if they get 2 know-the real Beach Boys. (Thank God for records & BRian's production) Note: to Mr. Positivity-brevity is the essence of witt...& the fact that you "love" Kokomo answers ALOT of questions-all the best! Aruuubba!

Real Beach Boy, While I don't always agree with all of your opinions (I'm a little harder on Michael but still try to stay middle ground) , that was one incredibly blankety-blank awesome story. Good for you! Great to have that story to tell. Being in your age bracket, (I graduated college in 03) I can totally relate to alot of what you said. 

@ The Real Beach Boy
I have your Smile show recorded, as I'm sure you are aware. All of your shows at Cabrini were well done.

These types of shows and the younger followers, as on this board, will help keep the music alive for new generations to discover. The deep seated love of their music is an acquired taste (I was 6 when I first heard Fun, Fun, Fun and got hooked when my older brother bought and brought home the 45), but if it clicks from within, then you are a fan for life. Some have come close, but no other music or band has affected my life like that of The Beach Boys. It's kept me a happy and grounded fellow human being.

I would almost be hurt by that statement if it wasn't written in a combination of 4chan, ebonics, and emo.

Well here's my 2 cents regarding the gospel according to the BBs. In 1984 I was 15 and had helped to get Beach Boys Australia started. I tagged along with Lawrence "the Professor" Lavery when he had a 2 hour slot on 2SER-FM in Sydney (broadcast from the UTS building in Sydney. We played a good cross section of BB material including some tracks from a then unreleased album known as "Smile". We dodged bullets by using official releases (at least that's how I officially remember the segments we played). I was so in the band at that time I was rattling off track locations by saying things like "track 3 side 2" for each and every album we used. It was great. The DJ assitant was dumb-founded by Here Today, and the Smile tunes.

It was a cool evening. With some great music played (IIRC we even played bits of Mount Vernon and Fairway!!)

Funny thing is, back then it was outside of the box, these days it is cool to like stuff like Smile, or even to mention BW in the same sentence as Led Zeppelin.

Ah I pine for my youth.

I'm 25, been loving beach boys for what seems forever....liked greatest hits as a kid, got into them hardcore in 2000, from viewing An American Family...been obsessed ever since. 

I think it still goes back to what Dennis said in early 70's about the BB's having rubbish representation at Capitol who couldn't see past the whole "early fun in the sun" thing and get behind the group as they developed and matured. Granted the band have shot themselves in the foot on more than one occasion in regards to expanding their audience and getting more cred, (actually I'm hard put to think of a band who have pissed on their chips more times throughout the years than the Beach Boys!) but I think it all goes back to them not having better promotion back in mid 60's and the endless Capitol comps that avoid the whole Warner  period that stop newer generations from embracing the 'Boys in the same way as The Beatles or 'Stones. The Beatles were inferior to the Beach Boys on every level but they had superb management. 60 years later that appears to be the difference maker.

As I was cooking my dinner and was hurrying my post I forgot to add how cool it is that we have quite a few teens on here that have 'got' the Beach Boys. There is hope.  

Well, who do ya think would know more about "cool" image-making, Murry "the Lawrence Welk-loving, child abusing square" Wilson or Leggy Mountbat...er, Brian Epstein?

What about early-20-somethings? We still count as young people, right?

Ages ago, when I was reading reviews on "Begin" by The Millennium, I was drawn to a statement which the reviewer said, "I envy those hearing this record for the first time..."

I sometimes think back to the first time I heard many a BB track. That feeling I'll never forget. Most prom,inent when in 1984 I first heard Do You Like Worms. It was cosmic, and I knew I was hearing very special music.

FWIW the BB will find respect with music heads of every generation.  There were lots of kids when I took my daughter to one of Brian's TLOS shows.  She is a big fan of "Good Kind of Love", bellowed along the "hey nows" on "Do It Again" with everyone else, and has "Rhonda" and "Then I Kissed Her" memorized.  Her favorite song on Smile is the Fire music (Mrs. O'lLeary's Cow).

For you young guys on the bus asked what you're listening to, you won't hear the "Faggy boy band" line if instead of the BB you say you're listening to Brian Wilson - they'll back off.  Even more so if you tell them you're listening to Dennis's POB.   Sorry Mike fans, but that's the way it is.

Mooger Fooger

Great post.  I concur lol  There is nothing like virgin ears hearing the material for the first time.   Oh,  I also love that Millenium album Begin.  It is in my top 10 favorite albums of all time.  For sure a desert island disc for me.

This generation does love the Beach Boys.  There are a lot of young fans at their concerts, and their music is played on all kinds of radio stations regularly, because the public in general digs their songs.

Don't get all grandma on us, you're only what, 23?  Of course this generation can love the Beach Boys, it's timeless music and will live long after they're gone.  They had the fortune to be around in a time when something new was still possible in music, they rode the early cusp of Rock and Roll and helped define it.  They'll always be remembered for that, and the music sounds just as good today as it did then.


If you ever doubt it, play some Beach Boys music around infants or young 4 and 5 year olds.  Watch their reaction.  They love it.... that's because it's just a human thing to like that type of sound, the vibe (pardon the pun) of the music is undeniable.

Oh, and I'm 31... when I was about 10, I remember the first day in a new school, all these kids were picking on me and I was a pretty nerdy little guy.  Anyways, they're all giving me hell and it's been a pretty f***ed up day... and the latest thing they're messing with me about is "What's your favorite band????" Well, at the time, all I listened to was 60's rock and roll, because that's all my dad listened to.  I literally had no clue who any of the new bands were.  So I told them "Um.... I'm not going to tell you; but their initials are BB".  So this little prick who's teasing me says "The Beastie Boys?" and I said "No" hoping he'd leave it at that.  Then he said "The Beach Boys?" and I sheepishly said "Yes" and he said "Oh;.... well they're cool" and walked away! I couldn't believe it!  THANK GOD FOR KOKOMO!

One more thing... it's my opinion (and only that) that there's absolutely nothing wrong with people seeing the Beach Boys as the fun in the sun band.  Those early songs stand up to any test you want to put them to, that's damn good music by a damn good band.  Sure it's cool to like the later stuff and maybe it's more artistic, but "Surfin' USA" is one hell of a record.  Play "Surfin' USA" for anybody and then find somebody, anybody who doesn't like it.  99% of the general public will probably not only like that song but love that song, it's part of EVERYBODY'S life, everybody has knowledge of that song.  Now play them the other 50 or so that they know just as well, even if they're not big fans!  There's no shame in any of those early songs, Surfer Girl is better than anything written in the past 10 fucking years!  Why act like there's anything wrong with liking what you like?  We're not 10 years old shying away from the bullies anymore, lol. 

The problem with the "Hanson Generation" which is the generation we are speaking of when we speak of the current generation of kids in their teens-early twenties is that unless their parents' musical tastes influenced them, they have no idea what music is prior to the year 2000.  Now there are obvious exceptions to that rule, the members on this forum in that demographic testify to that but there is a generation out there that grew up on industry processed music and that is all they have really been exposed to unless they choose to go deeper into listening to all different types of music and discover bands that weren't necessarily marketed to their generation.

As far as The Beach Boys go, I wouldn't be surprised that if the only exposure the "Hanson Generation" has gotten of their music is "Kokomo" and that might be stretching it since "Kokomo" in a lot of cases pre-dates the year of their birth.  Lets face it The Beach Boys despite the never ending tour, were not an active group during the past two decades.  With the exception of SIP, they didn't release records, didn't make many headlines and generally did not have an influence on the trends in music during the past twenty years (directly anyhow).  There are a lot of young people out there who know little to nothing about the group and many times what they do know is misinformation.  For example supermodel Brooklyn Decker who certainly fits into this younger generation we are speaking of (she's 25) made mention during The Grammy Awards that she was surprised to see The Beach Boys onstage because she "thought all the original members of the group were deceased".  This was obviously the same night where there was the infamous "Who Is Paul McCartney?" incident which may or may not prove out my initial statement regarding the lack of range when it comes to this particular generation. 

I'm 15, and I basically study all music of the 60's 70's and even back to the 50's

And I get unlimited numbers of sh*t for it.

So, no, everyone wants to be normal, only the strong ones can be different, and there's very few today.

Hi, my name is Sam, and I am an alcoholic a Beach Boys fan. I am currently 18. :)

I'm 20. I've been into 60s music for as long as I can remember, hardcore too. I discovered The Beatles when I was like 4. After that, I dug into the British Invasion (Searchers, Billy J Kramer, Gerry/Pacemakers), and throughout my early teenage years I was huge into rare and obscure doo-wop. Although I had (and have) friends, none of them ever connected with me on the same level musically I was at. It's kind of difficult because the music is such a huge part of my life, and sharing it is so much fun - but when your friends don't feel the same way that you do, you feel a little lost. I guess that's why we gravitate towards message boards so much!

Anyway, although I had the 20 Greatest Hits cd that I remember liking early on, I could never really get into the Beach Boys until about two years ago. In high school, I bought a copy of Pet Sounds because I had to see why this was one of the greatest thing ever, and I listened to it a couple times, but I didn't "get it" - looking back, I realised I wasn't mature enough, I needed some growing to to. I came back to it on my own, when i really needed that music, it came to me. And once I got Pet Sounds (and consequently, the rest of their music) , I'll be a Brian Wilson and Beach Boys fan for life.

My generation can love The Beach Boys. They just need to be found.

25 yr old here.  There will never be a shortage of fans.  Especially with new musicians constantly being influenced.

The problem with the "Boomer Generation" which is the generation we are speaking of when we speak of the current generation of adults in their fifties-early sixties is that unless their parents' musical tastes influenced them, they have no idea what music is prior to the year 1960.  Now there are obvious exceptions to that rule, but there is a generation out there that grew up on industry processed music and that is all they have really been exposed to unless they choose to go deeper into listening to all different types of music and discover bands that weren't necessarily marketed to their generation.


;)

Assuming the copyright laws get changed at some point to stop being so counterproductive, I think that once the cultural dominance of the boomers finally subsides, the Beach Boys will be *precisely* as popular as recorded music from earlier generations is now -- most people in thirty or forty years won't have heard of them, any more than most people now have heard of Charley Patton or Jelly Roll Morton or Paul Whiteman, but as long as people listen to recorded music there will be *some* people who will listen to them and appreciate and love their music, just as there are today for those older musicians.

I'll still be listening to the Beach Boys 50 years from now, i'll be boring my grandchildren by telling them how I saw the Beach Boys on their 50th aniversary tour! :lol

Kayla, you're proof that it's possible.  Everybody likes good music, and if the music is good enough, it'll stand the test of time.  It already has for 50 years. 

Sorry but I wholeheartedly disagree with the points put forth in your posting. :)

In fact I think your points made by rewording my posting are almost without merit as I feel there are key differences in the two generations we are speaking of but horses for courses I suppose.

Of course all that being said being that to my knowledge anyhow there has never been a study as far as cross generational trends in terms of what music each generation preferred, that any statements by either you or I would be anecdotal at best and therefore prone to subjectivity.  

What does this "generation" means ? we're all bunch of different people, many kids just enjoys dumb radio music and some other just really goes into music and get to know more artistic stuff, and this is nothing new, it has being going on for decades now.

I listen to Tom Waits, Nirvana, The Who, Pixies, Neil Young, The Strokes, David Bowie, Radiohead, Miles Davis, Oasis, Buddy Holly..
well, just many stuff from different generations as long it's quality, and i enjoy the Beach Boys, so yeah, i'm pretty sure there's bunch of other kids like me out there who can love The Beach Boys.

What percentage of the boomer generation would you say regularly listens to pre-rock popular music? One, two percent? Maybe as much as five percent? How many have even *heard* of, say, Kay Kyser And His Kollege Of Musical Knowledge (the biggest band of the early forties)?

In every generation there is a small number who go back and listen to older music, from the time of their parents, grandparents or whatever. That happened *slightly* more with my generation (I'm from the same generation as Wirestone -- I'm 33) than previous generations because we're a relatively small demographic group coming up after a huge demographic bubble, the boomers, who dominated the culture while we were growing up, but still very few of us went back any further than our parents' generation.

For the people now in their teens, the Beach Boys are the music of their grandparents' generation. Some will listen to them and enjoy them, but they'll be few and far between (just like when I was a kid listening to Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller records, no-one else in my school had a clue what I was talking about). There really is no difference between someone in their teens now saying "who is Paul McCartney?" and a teenager in the sixties saying "Who is WC Handy?"

Okay...my life story in a post time...

I'm 17, and listen to good music. I don't like to say I just listen to Classic Rock or anything, because that isn't true. There IS good music being created today, just not in the abundance it was. Obviously, I'm a Beatles Fan above all. I owe it all to them and Sir Paul, as his own being as well. I've seen him 5 times now, have traveled quite a bit to see him too. Same goes for Elton John, Billy Joel, Chicago etc...oh, and of couse, The Beach Boys!

A lot of people think it is something my parents have enflicted on me, but frankly, I have a better taste in music than they do. One word: Nickelback... ::)

My grandmother helped fuel the fire that was my passion for this music, because she grew up with it, turned me onto vinyl (played Rubber Soul for me for the first time on her turntable), and goes to all these concerts and events with me. Being a musician, and leading several musical groups, all of this influence has done nothing but enhance my own musicianship, and song writing. I'm writing a card for Brian for when I meet him, because I know I can't possible sum up my gratitude simply by saying "Thank You". I even "work" at my church now as Director of Contemporary Worship Music, basically, I run the Praise Band, and choose the music for our Contemporary worship experience. But I wouldn't have that skill and instinct, if it hadn't been for all these guys.

So for me personally, this isn't just liking The Beach Boys. This is appreciating quality music from any time period, and enhancing my lifestyle with it.

....thanks. :)

I think there is.  For example my mother had a wealth of knowledge about artists of the "swing music" scene because of my grandfather who apparently played that type of music throughout the house on a daily basis.  On the other hand she was probably one of the biggest fans of rock and roll that I've ever known.  So as I said a few posts up the chain there is really no way of telling but I think what we'll call the "musical generation gap" was a little bit smaller in the sixties than it is now just because there was less of a disconnect between certain genres of music back then as there is now.  So that being said I stand by what I stated.

I'm 23 and I post on here so... you know. None of my friends or girlfriend like or even ever listen to The Beach Boys, though I think they realise -- especially my musician friends, even if they're primarily interested in sundry sorts of "electronic music" -- their creative influence and possibly cultural import as well. They're taken for granted, I suppose. Actually, I've had big success turning friends on to "Celebrate the News" recently. That song is genuinely underrated (I think even by fans!) and its paucity of availability on official releases that aren't deleted or rare is sad. It's such a fucking good song, the last minute or so when Brian comes in is incredible. Those drums...

There's quite a big difference. Handy was dead in the 60s, McCartney is a mainstream artist always popping up on tv shows and releasing stuff to massive coffee franchises. There's a lot more McCartney music being exposed to teens now than Handy in the 60s, I'd say. Your other points are bang on, tho!

Anyone who wants this generation to send the Beach Boys to #1 needs to recalibrate their expectations. But the idea that they can be embraced by a larger-than-fringe group of listeners is not unrealistic and, in my opinion, probably likely to happen.

For one, it's just much easier to discover older music today than it was 20 or 30 years ago. No doubt that the majority of Millenials are exposed to music from traditional outlets, but a sizable (and growing) subset is discovering music online, where the playing field is much more level to older artists and genres. Truly, it's never been easier to explore music beyond Billboard.

Going off of that: writing music, writing about music, and the distribution channels for both are all steadily democratizing. Look at Gotye's recent #1, or Jack White's chart-topping solo album: the distance between those records and their multi-generational influences is not far. In turn, I think we can expect small-but-decently-sized fandom from this generation for groups like the Beach Boys.

It's really not a great conversation, things has always been this way through all generations, nothing will ever change it.

But of course no matter what, Beach Boys won't be forgotten.

Been a fan around eight years now and I'm 23. Heard the greatest hits all my life, saw both BB movies, saw Brian's A&E biography, and even liked Imagination  but was just a bit young to be into it. What got me was hearing Pet Sounds when I was 15. Hard to believe it's been that long  :o It has been the trip of a lifetime for sure.

A lot of my friends (even some older) don't get it. My boyfriend hates them. When I first became a fan I felt really alone. When I found social media sites such as MySpace and Tumblr, there is a much younger fan base there. Yeah they may not be posting here, but they are out there. Plenty of young bands are influenced by Brian. I don't think the fandom is dying as it is evolving.

Do you know if your college radio shows that you did had any impact on the population at your school? I've known you for most of your Beach Boys fan years, and you gave me great hope that young people today could be turned on to older rock and roll and especially, The Beach Boys. :)

I'm 14 and I'm constantly preaching to my friends to listen to Smile.

I'm losing friends.

Don't preach. Throw hints and let them listen on their own terms. I tried what you did with my friends and never won any converts. Usually, getting them to attend a concert with me did the trick.

Hmm, who knows but I do know a LOT of people listened to those from somewhere. Heck I even saw later someone posted a big link of to a blog. Still proud of those shows. I enjoyed finding all those rare and obscure covers like Mikiko Noda, Louis Philippe, and random Bollywood versions of Help Me Rhonda. I'm glad anyone remembers them. Dude, we need another fan convention so I can hear how the BBs doing the live version of Heroes and Villains is the best ;)

You and Jason did some mighty fine radio shows and I listened to both of you quite often. Grinning about the H&V reference. You were listening! :)

When I first became a fan I felt really alone. When I found social media sites such as MySpace and Tumblr, there is a much younger fan base there. Yeah they may not be posting here, but they are out there.

I really enjoy searching the BB/Bw hashtags and seeing just how many younger people respond. I read one the other day by a girl who was going to her first concert and said something like "I can't help myself---I'm such a fangirl..." I find the ability to express that excitement both reassuring and poignant, because when I first got into them in the late 70s as a junior high schooler I felt VERY isolated in my adoration. I remember getting laughed at for wearing T-shirts and (yes) having a pic in my locker with the "Sail On, Sailor" lyrics. I mean, in 8th grade in 1978-79 you needed Rush and Yes T-shirts to be cool. The BBFUN newsletter was a nice thing to have, but it wasn't interactive. On the plus side, I think experiencing the music so privately made me experience it more intensely. On the down side, it was a rude awakening to discover I am only the 99,999,999 introverted white guy to identify with Brian Wilson. But I love it that younger people have ways of connecting to a community that some of us middle-agers didn't in the olden days.

When I was 12 I became obsessed with The Boys, and people thought I was crazy. The good thing is I was able to convert some of those people into hardcore Beach Boys fans.

The trick to introducing them to your friends is to not apologize for them.  You have nothing to apologize for!  There's absolutely no reason people should feel ashamed because they like a song or whatever.  If the lyrics are 'corny' or silly, who cares?  It's only our perception of what others will think of us that keeps us from fully embracing stuff like that. 

Ultimately, as well, it makes no difference if your friends enjoy it or appreciate it or not.  It's their loss if they can't see what's so great about the beach Boys. 

Keep the Beach Boys to yourself. Be a tortured teenager. I'm not kidding.

I've told this story a million times, and here it goes again:

Second grade.  Our school had a "sixties" night, it was sort of this dance where everyone dressed up like it was the sixties and they played sixties music and all that jazz.  Well, my mother dressed me up in a leather jacket, a white t-shirt, and jeans, and gelled my hair.  I guess she was making me look more like a greaser than a hippie, but whatever.  In any event, at the dance, there was a dance contest.  Whoever won got this super cool backpack.  Well, I remember the "DJ" yelling out, "And now, the Beach Boys! Surfin' USA!" I freakin' loved it, and I danced my butt off to the song.  I won the backpack.

That was the first time I remember hearing about the Beach Boys, a fantasy sixties group that loved surfing.  I loved the sound of Surfin' USA, I'll never forget that.  It was really the first pop music I remember hearing, in truth.

Fast forward. When I was around ten, eleven years old, my family and I went to New York for the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Well, for whatever reason, the Beach Boys (I'm thinking probably just Mike and Bruce, I really have no recollection) were on one of the floats.  I knew my dad really liked them, and I held them in legendary regard in my own mind following my Surfin' USA dance experience.  I remember being very surprised any of them were alive, you have to remember, I had no real sense of age and time.  The "sixties" meant nothing to me, other than that was a real long time ago.  So I remember seeing them on the float and my dad going, "That's the Beach Boys!" He was so excited.

So we got home following the New York trip and I opened up an iPod shuffle my dad had lying around (he had won it somehow, I don't recall how).  And I went to my dad's music collection under our TV, looking for some stuff.  Well, I find this box set, right?  I had no idea, but it was the 30th Anniversary Box Set.  So I look at the back of the four CD's, and I spot Surfin' USA on one of them! So of course I pop that CD in my computer, upload most of the songs on the CD (I remember going through each one and only picking out the fast car and surf songs.  Girls and slow songs were of no interest to me at the time).  We were going on a Florida vacation soonish and so I decided I would be super cool and bring my awesome shuffle.  So I brought the shuffle down to Florida and listened to 409, Shut Down, Surfin' USA, Surfin' Safari, and all the early stuff endlessly.  I remember going home and trying to convince my brother to listen to Surfin' Safari, I thought it was so friggin' brilliant. 

Then, I sort of forget what happened.  There was this long lull where I really wasn't interested in music anymore, so I stopped listening to the Beach Boys.  A few years later, fifth or sixth grade, my best friend started obsessing over the Beatles.  Of course, I obsessed right along with him for a year or so, and then I decided to go back to my Beach Boys roots.  So I pulled out the box set again, brought the CD's over to his house, and showed him the box set.  Now, he was a little more knowledgeable in music, he knew about Pet Sounds at the time based on it influencing Pepper and all that, when I had no idea what the heck Pet Sounds was.  Anyway, he listened to that third CD, the one with the orange(?) on it, and immediately dug the Wild Honey stuff, of all things.  So then he started obsessing over the Beach Boys, and the more and more we listened the more and more we discovered.  I remember hearing Pet Sounds for the first time. It was just incredible, an incredible experience.  Time went on, we found out about Smile eventually, my friend found the Purple Chick boot and I remember him texting me saying, "I found the boot! I found the bootleg of Smile!"  You know, THE boot. Anyway, I remember hearing THAT for the first time as well and I was just blown away.  Even more so than Pet Sounds.  I became more obsessed, found this board, and now my friend and I discuss the Beach Boys all the time.  Our luck with other friends hasn't been so great.

So, that's my Beach Boy fandom story, in a nutshell.  I was exposed at a young age, I "converted" my friend, and the two of us sort of grew up with the Beatles and the Beach Boys.  I'm only 17, so it really is possible for this generation to love the Beach Boys.

That's  not entirely true.  I'm in my teens, and Endless Summer influenced my friends' parents and my parents a great deal.  That's really what turned on so many their age to the Beach Boys.  In fact, until recently, one of my friends' mother thought the songs released on Endless Summer were the first time the Beach Boys released those songs.

Good story Zach.  The Beach Boys have a way of creeping up on you!  I'm twice your age, but have a similar story I've told 100 times, probably in this thread.  Google that sh*t. 

I'm 14, and I've always liked Rhonda, Surfin' USA, pretty much all the uptempo ones on Endless Summer/whatever found its way on to Christmas compilations.

Then, a little over a year ago, I listened to GV for the first time after reading about theremins.

It blew my mind.

Now, I own as many BB albums as I can afford, all the SOT releases, a couple random boots, the PSS, and TSS.

More than 50% of the +3000 songs in my iTunes library are BB songs (most of them being boots).

And I lurve 90 percent of it.

If this generation can love The Beatles, it can also love The Beach Boys.

I am 27 and am the only one in my group of peers to consider the Beach Boys as a GREAT band. Most of the people I speak to think of 'Surfin USA' etc when I say I like them and I have to explain that actually some of their best stuff is largely unknown.

I grew up listening to the Beach Boys, from a very early age. My siblings and I would sing along in the car to every album my parents put on. I loved it then but didn't appreciate it like I do now. I didn't listen to them for years then got back into their music in my late teens. Since then the less famous stuff has become my preferred music and the Beach Boys are definitely my number one band. So my family are fans but I don't really know anyone else who likes them as much. I wish I could make them see what they are missing!

I just think that my generation had parents who grew up with the BBs or knew about them when they were young. With each generation there are going to be fewer fans passing their love on.

One word: Yes  ;D  Current generation here

I'm 23 and the Beach Boys are my favorite band of all time. I grew up listening to them with my parents and my sister, especially while riding in the car. For whatever reason, I clicked with them more than any other musical artist, including the Beatles or any band from my generation. My parents bought me the Good Vibrations box set, but we mostly wound up listening to the hits rather than the rarer album cuts or post-1970 material. Imagination was my favorite Brian Wilson solo album, I really loved it back in 1998. I went to Brian Wilson concerts with my family a few times in the late 1990s.

My friends thought it was weird how much I was into the Beach Boys. When I became a teenager, I didn't really listen to music as much because I was focusing more on school, getting good grades and getting into good colleges. But I rediscovered my favorite band a couple of years ago and haven't really stopped since then. I listened to Pet Sounds starting in 2010, and it completely blew my mind and changed my life. I've been a hardcore fan ever since.

I think with modern technology, people shouldn't underestimate just how easy it is for young people to get exposed to artists from older generations. I can't say that I've encountered too many people who like the Beach Boys as much as I do who are my age, but classic rock is still really popular on the college campuses I've been to. Some of my peers' favorite bands include Cream, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and other artists from the 60s and 70s.