The Smiley Smile Message Board

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/beach-boys-christmas-mike-love-and-brian-wilson-launch-separate-holiday-tours-756837/

Heartwarming to see Mike Love put in his place.  :woot :woot :woot

I don't think it's out of line to point out some of the seemingly asinine aspects of the BB world, specifically that they remain splintered rather than being able to hold the whole group together.

I also don't mind a compare/contrast between the two tours.

But it's not like Mike Love only booked Christmas-themed dates because Brian's doing a Christmas tour. Mike's band, whether you love them or loathe them or anything in between, have usually done dates in December, and have often if not usually done mini-sets of Christmas songs (usually culled from the '64 album; the difference this year is that he's plugging his own new XMas album).

I sense Mike cranked an Xmas album out quickly because, while neither "Unleash" nor this new album are burning up the sales charts, they are likely cheaply produced and sell well enough to continue stamping them out. Indeed, it appears possible if not likely his Xmas album this year is outselling last year's "Unleash."

It's actually Brian who is newer to doing a large quantity of BB XMas music. And he and his band should be commended for one-upping any previous attempts by touring groups by doing the ENTIRE Christmas album.

But again, I don't mind an article pointing out the arguably slight continued absurdity of seemingly "competing" shows being out there doing now similarly-themed shows. But I don't think either was done in reaction to the other. Brian was rumored to be looking into booking Nov/Dec 2018 Xmas shows back in late 2017, and as already mentioned, Mike usually does Xmas shows when he's touring in December.

Interesting take on the article. I see major anti-Mike bias, for no good reason in this instance.
Pretty irresponsible journalism, really.
If he wants to make a point that it's either odd, or disappointing that Mike and Brian are doing seperate tours, that's fine. But this article shapes a narrative that Mike is touring in 'response' to Brian.  And he pushes the agenda of bad blood between cousins, while failing to, say, mention that as recently as this summer,  the band presented a unified front during the Sirius Q&A

I agree that this article really plays up the idea of an ongoing feud for no real reason other than to entertain.  Having said that, I have read Rob Sheffield's book "Talking to Girls about Duran Duran" and it's hilarious.  I highly recommend it to anyone who likes laughing and popular music. 

Do Mike and Brian even have an issue?

It's a camp vs camp issue

There is certainly major anti-Mike bias, but much of it is not unwarranted IMHO. Very opinionated piece, no doubt. I would certainly say it is not out of line to point out the hypocrisy in Mike going on and on about family unity, etc with regards to this Christmas album of his, all the while essentially also quietly saying "pay no attention to the fact that I won't play onstage with or record music with my own cousin - who's family too - and who is a person wants/wanted to do both of those things with me".

That's an inconvenient truth, and I don't see how Mike doesn't realize the irony of the fractured cousin relationship due to his own refusal to play live with/record with Brian, despite promoting some "family unity" image. Can't have it both ways, and the writer of the piece would be biased in a different direction to be aware of this situation and *not* point it out.

Well we can agree that he is heavily biased against Mike.
Mike's immediate family is all over Reason For The Season, so I don't think it is in anyway inappropriate to be mentioning family and Christmas in the same breath.

Leaving the family bias alone for a moment Mike's CD is really not that good. His vocals are weak, most of his family are average at best singers. Nothing more than trivial.

You won't admit to just a smidge of hypocrisy there with Mike? Brian is not only his family, but by far his most famous and famously-related family member.

I just don't get the point here I suppose. It's not hypocritical of Mike to link Christmas and family, even if he has a strained relationship with a brother or a cousin. Hell, half the country would have to attach a caveat to their Christmas proclamations!!

Really, to me, the article reads as though Mike is a bad guy, and he's doing a Christmas tour to compete with Brian. If the author wants to paint Mike as a bad guy fine, but he is trying to manipulate reality here.

I viewed it as a piece of humor and irony, and I think the writer is a master of both. I give these people poetic license and laughed a lot

As far as Brian not being out front when it comes to presenting Christmas music(?) - he created the original Christmas album and a second one, so the idea that he might have less of a claim in this area seems pretty weak to me. Both Brian and Mike can do what they want.

Whichever band you see, have a good time. I think your preferences in the style of performance are pretty clear. As far as a battle for people's hearts and minds on this subject, I'm about as serious as the author of the article.

If I could travel, I'm pretty sure anyone would know my choice. I hope to hear some nice recordings.

Exactly. Rob Sheffield does humor and irony very well and, let’s face it, the BB world (especially ML) is a rich source of humor and irony.

Priceless snark from Sheffield, pushing right to the brink of acceptability in every direction. (The line about Whitney Houston not being available for comment is a tour de force of left-wing nastiness, entirely in keeping with RS's continued mission as a "counterculture" publication...anyone who expects RS to use kid gloves with Mike Love is  being unrealistic.)

His sum-up of the crazy dynamic that has a good chance to enter its seventh decade is undeniably harsh, but it also has a ring of truth that transcends the factionalization that produces so much vitriol on chat boards, rendering otherwise reasonable people into grotesque, finger-pointing propagandists. Not keen on his put down of "California Girls" as exemplifying a style of music that either Brian or Mike needs to "escape," but that just reinforces the fact that Sheffield is actively trying to push buttons here. It's his party, and he can snark if he wants to...