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For what it's worth:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/beach-boys-mike-love-wont-give-up-the-game-at-76-a7653946.html

The few bits that are of (unfortunate) interest:

Does Love still see Brian? “He has his own life and his issues,” he says carefully of his cousin, who has diagnosed mental health conditions, and is said to have suffered auditory hallucinations since 1965 due to drug use. “It’s unfortunate, but Brian is on his own trajectory.”

Why is it unfortunate that Brian is doing his own thing? How is that any more unfortunate than Mike doing his own thing? I get it, he's implying Brian's trajectory is incorrect (based on, I guess, Mike's standards).

In Love’s memoir Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy, published last year, Love notes the sometimes god-like view which some music fans take of Brian Wilson, wryly acknowledging: “For those who believe that Brian walks on water, I will always be the Antichrist.”

But there’s no ongoing feud, he says, despite what people might like to believe. He sighs: “All that’s what our President might call fake news.”

I don't know what's more annoying, that he's using "fake news" as his line now, or that he denies there's a feud immediately after insulting Brian's "trajectory" in having his own career after Mike quit the band in 2012. Yes, perhaps "feud" is overstating it; it's more like a passive sort of cold war where the best you can really characterize it is that "well, at least there aren't any pending lawsuits." I get the sense relations are frosty as always, and they all have just realized lawsuits are too expensive.

What a bummer. I am, however, fascinated by how Mike doesn't seem to care how poorly he's going to go down in history. Weird.

It's fake news Brian does deep cuts. ::)

Mike Love must've been a palm tree in his last life, because all he does is "throw shade" ::)

Here we go again.  Fake?  You've been eliminated from the only picture of 'The Beach Boys' I can see at BW dot Calm.  That's not "FAKE".  That's where YOU stand in the 2017 scheme of things 'love-bump'.  As for your quoting of the 'president'...how 'Mike' of you. ::)
-------------------------------------

By the way 'love-dump'...there is a short form for spelling out "Antichrist".  Just type asshole.  It's WAY more accurate anyway.

I don't read it at all that he is saying it is unfortunate that Brian is on his own trajectory, I think he is saying the mental issues/auditory hallucinations are unfortunate AND that Brian is on his own trajectory because of those issues.  That seems a rather reasonable reading of the quotes.  He didn't say "Brian is on his own unfortunate trajectory" for example, but that seems to be how the poster wants to interpret it.  But how the poster interpreted this sentence perhaps shows his/her own internal bias against Love.  Confirmation bias at work.

Fine for him to say that Brian's issues are unfortunate. But to suggest that's the reason why he and Brian don't see each other? And to suggest that his issues are still keeping him from doing what he wants (according to Mike--what-- seeing Mike?) , as if he's sitting at home staring at the wall and unable to function? That's not fair. He IS on his own trajectory, career-wise, of course.

Here's a more gracious answer: "No, I don't see my cousin. It's unfortunate, but we just haven't been able to work things out. I wish Brian well."

Or..."Brian knows that I'm an out and out dink and, as such, has chosen not to spend a waking moment wasting his time on the sorry likes of me."  Oh...wait.  That's the truth.  Mikey doesn't deal with 'true'.  Mikey makes things up to suit his 'plan'.  That it's 100% transparent...and that he's already told us all exactly WHY he does the sh*t he does should cover all of this but folks seem to forget that Mike does every  freakin' thing for his own "nourishment and revenge".  After that?  What's there to discuss?  ???

To try and give Mike the benefit of the doubt, maybe when he said “It’s unfortunate, but Brian is on his own trajectory", the "unfortunate" part of that may have been in reference to the fact that are basically estranged. That is unfortunate. But yeah, with Mike, it's never gonna be worded selflessly and with tact. There will be some semblance of "appearance" of tact, but it rings hollow, because it's ALLLLLWAYS tinged with some passive aggressive icing.

Amy's suggestion of what Mike should have said is absolutely on point. Yes, even a 76-year old man should take suggestions from people on how to come off better.

The fact that Mike is continually saying things to attempt to legitimize the current administration makes perfect sense when one considers how he is also continually saying things to attempt to legitimize his own lineup. I guess for Mike, there is much reason for there to be much insecurity about the legitimacy of both - the only reason for repeated product placement-like mentions. That Mike finds the need to throw an effective political endorsement into an unrelated interview is eyeroll-worthy at best.

Remember he's a pretty old guy, easy to slip over what you say.

1...And there-in lies his own undoing...and THAT's just with the '1/2 truths'.
2...What?  Mine wasn't as on the money?  :lol
3...This wouldn't be a problem if he wasn't such a dick.  If he was only 'pretty decent' as a man...more folks would give his unit the credit they collectively deserve for the job they do.  But he isn't THAT kind of guy and he discredits them and their effort just be opening his yap and spewing.  It's always ALL on  h i m.  And obviously he is not about to change.  What a dolt!!!  Has been for as long as I can remember caring about the development of the fresh new art the Beach Boys used to create.

No...this Beach Boy doesn't have a plastic pail, shovel or a legitimate clue.

I have no issues with Mike mentioning 'fake news' and Trump. For me, it is just another sound bite that gained some legs like 'alternative facts' or 'wardrobe malfunction'. People are using these popular sound bites everywhere and nothing Mike Love can say will 'legitimize' anything or anyone.

I do have a concern that I have not read a lot about the Mike Love/Charles Manson connection in the past. That was always a Dennis story, as he was much more deeply involved and affected. Mike seems to be using it as a point of interest nowadays, perhaps overstating his role in that part of Beach Boys history.

It did answer a question that many of us have. I think Mike may have misunderstood Manson when he said, "You can't do that. You can’t leave the group." Maybe he took that a bit too literally, and that is why he is still touring at 76 years old? ;D

Mike keeps bringing up the Manson bit seemingly simply because it's something *outside* the group that he can essentially "name drop", or perhaps "story drop" is a better term.

Just like he'll mention how he's buddies with John Stamos, and Stamos was on "Full House." As if, being a co-writer on a bunch of hits and being a member of "The Beach Boys" wasn't enough.

So he seems to be kinda doing the same thing with this regurgitated Manson story. Oh, Manson is a topic of interest again for some reason? Well *I've* got a Manson story! Extra bonus points since it also serves to promote his book as well as get in another dig on a Wilson brother.

As for Mike's "unfortunate" comment, perhaps it's the lack of clarity from the writer, I dunno. Saying "He has his own life and his issues. It's unfortunate, but Brian is on his own trajectory" doesn't really scan to me like he's saying simply their estrangement is what is unfortunate. He's JUDGING Brian's current trajectory, which makes total sense because that's really just a very small variation on his continued insinuations and implications that Brian is essentially currently in a Landy-esque kind of situation.

Further, if that *were* the case and he was simply talking about the estrangement being the unfortunate thing, it's worth mentioning that Mike has been the *main* source of that estrangement by quitting the band in 2012 and then continuing to talk s**t on Brian and Melinda (and Carl and Dennis) in interview after interview. Let's be clear: Reading Mike's book and reading interviews, he LOATHES (and I'm really just using that word in place of "HATES", which is a word I don't like to use but certainly feel seems appropriate) Brian's wife. Whether justified or not, it appears Mike loathes Brian's wife and Brian is ambivalent at worst about Mike's wife (never heard Brian say one bad word about Jackie), and perhaps Mike should point out why THAT might be why there's an estrangement between he and Brian.

Hmm. OK, I will be the first to say that writers can skew quotes, causing celebrities to be mis-represented. And yes, old people can get confused (though Mike seems pretty hearty. He tours the world and does 2-hour concerts).  But this is a pattern with Mike that's been going on for years. It's not the first time he has implied that Brian's "situation" is to blame for their estrangement. So it's not a single quote that we're judging unfairly. It's the latest quote in the same fashion as previous ones.

It's irritating for a few reasons. One is that it's hurtful to Brian and to Melinda. Two is that it's actually hurtful to Mike's reputation. I mean, how many people actually believe him, when the proof is right there that Brian is doing pretty well? He's touring, he's recording. He's attending events. So the fact that Brian hasn't gone over to Mike's house to write a song, when he has socialized and worked with so many other people...you can't blame his "trajectory" for that. You can't blame his past drug abuse and mental illness.   It doesn't make sense. His life is full. The deciding factor appears to be Mike himself. Mike's attitude. And many people realize this, so when Mike blames the trajectory, it hurts his credibility and makes him look like a jerk.

This. Exactly.

I kinda think that being hurtful to Melinda is, sadly, the point and actual *purpose* often times with what Mike publicly says. Very, very sad.

Is there any parallel in rock history of a bandmate hating another bandmate's (or ex-bandmate's) spouse *so* much that they will repeatedly try to passive aggressively drag that spouse through the mud publicly by making all sorts of only slightly-veiled very, very f*cked up/twisted insinuations? I don't know quite how much the bad blood between Yoko and The Beatles played out over the years, but the repeated, years-long feud (that continues to only publicly eminate from the Mike Love corner) really feels like it's in its own realm.

I wish it weren't so. I get that some people just can't get along. I don't get the idea that as a celebrity, it's ok to publicly sh*t talk the spouse of one's first cousin over and over and over and over again.  Not sure why Mike thinks that he's doing himself any favors. He is seriously cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs if he thinks he's helping his reputation. I imagine anyone in Mike's circle who dares to tell him this would get banished to Siberia like Mike did to his own brother.

I agree with all of this, HeyJude. I think Mike has taken the "I'm family, so that means I'm automatically right and nobody else gets to chime in" thing to such an extreme. I get that we're just fans who haven't grown up with these people, and are making observations from afar. But family members f*ck up relationships sometimes, and they need to own it.

Even the Beatles "feud" was coming to an end when John was murdered. The 1970s period seemed to be just a rough patch like the BBs in that era. Mike Love will not stop trashing and suing BW for the rest of his life due to the jealousy/ lack of awareness of how lucky he is.

Thanks member MikestheGreatest!! of giving us our confirmation bias check. I'm definitely gonna take a look in the mirror after this.


Regarding the "fake news". It's great how the current US president lambasts the "fake news", when it turned out that most fake news during that election came from those who support him/would see him in power and disproportionately to the extreme targeted his adversary.

But yea Mike, cheers for supporting that orange and angry boor. Great way to save an already tattered legacy I'm sure.

If Mike hadn't given a myriad of interviews in recent years pretty specifically *lamenting* Brian's life trajectory (e.g. he's "controlled and medicated"), then maybe this Cam-esque "let's give Mike his trillionth benefit of the doubt" interpretation would be worth further looking into.

Mike gives the same style of interview over and over and over. Pointing out that Mike is *consistently* insulting Brian and going negative does not equal "confirmation bias."

Mike could have even given the *most generic* of platitudes and just said "I wish Brian well" or something and left it at that. He can't even bring himself to do that. When the server asks him what toppings he wants on his pizza, this is the guy that still answers "I didn't do drugs like the Wilsons."
 
Additionally, even if this favorable interpretation is what Mike meant, it's still insulting to Brian to imply his mental issues are still hurting his trajectory rather than pointing out how he has OVERCOME those issues.

Good job, the most generous, open-minded interpretation of Mike's comment still has Mike refusing to acknowledge Brian's triumph over adversity and instead calls his situation "unfortunate."

One step away from Beard's "Is Brian brain damaged? Yes." article.

And let's suppose that Brian was giving it right back. Suppose that whenever Mike did an interview like this, Brian's publicist called up a publication and told them to print that Brian says Mike is a jerk, or Mike is difficult to work with, or Mike is obsessed with TM but hasn't learned from it? It would STILL be petty of Mike to do what he's doing. And it would be petty of Brian.

But as it is, Brian doesn't say anything, other than that he hasn't seen Mike in a while, or that he doesn't want to work with him. He leaves it at that. But Mike just keeps punching at him, even when he doesn't fight back. And that's REALLY petty. Especially at age 75. Let. It. Go. Find some peace in your life.

Does Love still see Brian? “He has his own life and his issues,” he says carefully of his cousin, who has diagnosed mental health conditions, and is said to have suffered auditory hallucinations since 1965 due to drug use. “It’s unfortunate, but Brian is on his own trajectory.”

"It's unfortunate, but no."

How hard was that? :-[

I'd like to see Mike give an interview under the influence of truth serum.

Would there be any difference? >:(

I would prefer that Mike not mention Brian's issues, past and current, when asked about their relationship, but there's probably more truth to what he says than most would care to admit.  I also cannot blame him if he's extremely irritated that he has to deal with someone who has no background in the music business, if he wants to work with or deal with Brian Wilson.     

Brian and Melinda have been married for more than 20 years, so I'd say Melinda has more than 20 years of experience in the music business at this point.

I hate to say it, but I frankly think Mike is holding back. His comments are of a passive aggressive nature, where he never actually *specifically* states how much he hates Melinda in the manner that I think he does.  I think if given truth serum, or behind closed doors, he would talk about her in a disgusting way that would make Donald Trump proud.  Sometimes I wonder if he hates her more than he hates Landy.

For the record, I very much hope it never gets that publicly ugly, but you can just sense the simmering ugliness that in and of itself (even when "sugarcoated" for public interviews) is pretty blatantly obvious, and just very sad, especially at the age that these guys are. Very, very sad. Yet Brian takes the high road.

I think you are right CD..... :-\

Mike on truth serum would be.... interesting. :o

And I'm sure there are also people at the same time who think that perhaps Mike's wife Jacqueline should butt out of Mike's career, hiring and firing cheerleaders (!?) for the group, and supposedly honestly being one of the main players behind the scenes during the C50 tour (along with Melinda). So I guess, its okay if this woman runs things for Mike, but if it's THAT Melinda lady, well then to them she's just some nobody who has no background in music.

Id love to have someone ask him point blank "why do you constantly talk sh*t about brian? Also i know you hate that people think of you as being kind of an asshole. Have you ever thought about being more gracious about him in interviews that it might make people hate you less?"

Of course he'd probably just say he cant help brian did drugs, hes just being honest, Etc

 :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup. It's the only avenue to encountering anything resembling the truth from myKe luHv. If you've got the needle ready, I'll hold him down.  :h5

I have no problem with Mike talking about Manson....it is a rather well-know part of their history.  Maybe they should release Never Learn Not to Love as a new single.  Or it could serve as a slogan for the NeverMiker's on this board...never learn not to Love, heh!

I'll bring the feather to tickle his bald head  :afro

I will ask the questions! :police:

Would Mike still talk about Manson all the time if BRI made a rule that for each Manson mention, Mike must perform Never Learn Not to Love in concert? Would the lure of more attention be worth him playing a song that he'd surely feel awkward as f*** performing?

Yes! and make him do 23 takes of the last part of "Cabinessense"   :-D

I hesitate to start a new thread for this because Mike threads tend to be a mess. But in case anyone is interested:

https://www.mytimesplus.co.uk/events/an-evening-with-the-beach-boys-mike-love#.WOFUl_LIQlA.twitter

Hats off to all of you for actually reading the thing.  I don't bother at this point because it's always so repetitive and annoying, and I assume that some of you will let us know if he says anything new.

I saw Brian last night.  He was in really good spirits and sang well. He's 74 and his trajectory looked fine to me.  He's clearly doing what he wants.  And Mike last saw him, um???

As far as Mike's attitude toward Melinda, it rather fits with his refusal to admit how well Brian has been loved and supported for a few decades - but then that wouldn't really suit Mike's endless narrative, would it?  "Fake news," indeed.  "Sad..." 

So damn well put, Deb. Thank you for that home run post.

Thanks, OSD!