The Smiley Smile Message Board

Bruce has said he was on every album from Summer Days through Carl & the Passions, but I don't hear him at all on Smiley Smile.

"GV"

I'd never thought about this before - I definitely can't think of one instance of hearing him on the entire record. "Good Vibrations" make sense, but it was recorded much earlier than the rest of the album.

Odd :\

He was probably pretty stoned at the time... :afro

Bruce is on "Heroes", "Vegetables" (probably just the fade), and "Good Vibes".  According to the session sheets, he's not on the others.  He once said he showed up at the Bellagio house, but thought it silly to sing in the shower and at the bottom of the pool, so he left.  The other guys being stoned probably was not to his liking, either.  Which is why he also didn't go on the "mini-tour" to Hawaii that August.

Doesnt he sing half of a line in windchimes, right before Dennis? If not someone is doing an imitation of him.

"Close your eyes and lean back"?

I could never tell who in the hell that was. Actually, I can't tell who is singing a good 60% of the time in that version. The vocal credits thread seems accurate about it, but it lists Dennis as singing the entire line and I don't think that's him on, "Close your eyes and lean back." Also doesn't fit the pattern of the rest of the song.

I don't think it sounds like Bruce. Could be, though. Hmm...

Edit: Sounds like Brian upon further inspection.

I've always thought it was Mike.  Definitely not Bruce.  He's not on any of those songs other than the ones I mentioned above.

It sounds like either Mike sped up, or Brian holding his nose.

Might it be Al?

That guy is such a square...

Could be, although I'm still thinking Brian.

That's what I always thought too.

I thought it was Brian doing a little bit of his "goofy" voice on that line.

Yeah, I can't even imagine Bruce singing much on Smiley Smile  ::)

Doesn't sound like Bruce to me on "Vegetables", his voice is higher and softer.

Whoever is singing that "close your eyes and lean back" line is stifling a yawn, which is why it sounds so peculiar.  Guess they liked how that sounded.  Could be any of them.

I always thought that it was Carl!  But I never thought about....

Hmm.  Does anybody else find this album...odd?   :lol

No. It is the utmostest totally average AOR calculated hi-tech product any band in the universe ever released. Don't be fooled by the vox pop.

For years I thought "Close your eyes and lean back" was Bruce, til the vocal credits thread. yeah, could be anyone of them doing a goofy voice. I wouldn't discard the possibility that it's those Hawthorne dudes mocking Bruce's unique vocal style.

It's soooo slick, and soooo overproduced that it sounds low-fi.

In a weird way...isn't that the story behind Smiley though?   :lol

 :lol :lol wonderful! You made the little discussion here go full circle, back to basics, hands down... :smokin

Has anyone ever asked Brian in an interview exactly what he was doing with SS?  Reaction to junking SMiLE?  The "humor" album?  Beach Boys' Stoners Party?  :hat

No. Any question about Smiley Smile will make Brian's head explode, Cronemberg's Scanners style.

I think I remember reading an interview a while back where Brian said something along the lines of "bad vibes", or something like that, and saying he prefers Friends.

Seriously, who doesn't?  ;D
Reading about Friends being Brian's (then) favorite record really deepened my own interest in the Beach Boys, by the way. I used to wonder why BW would prefer a group production over his very "own" records after all the turmoil and quarrels I had read about in his "autobiography".

Since we're discussing minute details about vocals in this topic, I'd thought I'd bring up something I just noticed but wasn't worth it's own topic: is it just me or does someone say "foda" (yes, "foda"!) at about 1:21 in "Honkin' Down the Highway"? You have to listen real closely to hear it. Those BBs, so crazy...

 Q: What did Bruce do on Smiley Smile?

  A: Inhaled.

just sounds like slapback from al's vocal to me..

After the May 1967 European tour ended, Bruce went to Ibiza and then to London. He was still there in early June.  His role within the BBs at that time is complicated.  He admitted in an interview at that time that none of the other BBs really socialized much with him...he was the only single one at that time.  You get the feeling that in 1967 he was still sort of seen as a glorified session man at times....it's possible that they rather coldly told him that his services weren't needed for the project...He also still saw himself as a producer...he worked with Graham Bonney at that time and others...He took a larger role in the group in 1968 in the 20/20 period.  I think that even Al had trouble for a few years gaining the full acceptance of "the family"

Hmmm. Also the guys had been a tight family group since before the beginning of their career.  :grouphug I am sure Bruce felt like an outsider for a while. I have learned here that the guys are like a "clique". The thinking "well he's not family" I assume came into all their minds then. It must have been one heck of a challenge for him. Al was Brian's school mate, so he had a slight angle n. Bruce didn't. Alienation can do 2 things, either push you out, or make you fight harder to want to belong. I know this feeling personally.  :poke

The Beach Boys were outsiders, not Hollywood kids in the way that Terry Melcher, Lenny Waronker, Kim Fowley, Daryl Dragon, Bruce, and Van Dyke Parks were. That's the distinction between Bruce and the Beach Boys.

"After the May 1967 European tour ended, Bruce went to Ibiza and then to London. He was still there in early June.  His role within the BBs at that time is complicated.  He admitted in an interview at that time that none of the other BBs really socialized much with him...he was the only single one at that time.  You get the feeling that in 1967 he was still sort of seen as a glorified session man at times....it's possible that they rather coldly told him that his services weren't needed for the project...He also still saw himself as a producer...he worked with Graham Bonney at that time and others...He took a larger role in the group in 1968 in the 20/20 period.  I think that even Al had trouble for a few years gaining the full acceptance of "the family""
Wasn't it round about this time that they tried to ditch him in favour of Billy Hinsche?

 I've never been able to hear Bruce singing on FRIENDS. Moreover, he is entirely absent from the songwriting credits on that album.

He "wanted a different mood and approach". Something like that.

Bet ya he's on the ballsqueezingly high harmony in the title track.

Bruce has no writing credits prior to 20/20. I would imagine that he is on Friends, as it would have been tough recording with Mike being missing during much of that time.

You can hear him more than clearly on the tag of "Anna Lee the healer".

Agreed. Bruce is, and always has been, boring.

Me. I prefer Smiley to Friends. I love Friends obviously, but I like Smiley more. The fans that don't 'get' Smiley? I don't get them.

It seems like once Mike got his head "straight" with TM in '68, it became a big boost for Al and Bruce. They became Mike's clean-cut buddies, and I think that really changed the dynamic of the BBs.

Before TM, Mike claims he was abusing pot and alcohol. There is the story, for example, of Mike & Brian writing "She's Goin' Bald" while they were stoned and watching a movie one night. I imagine Brian was having a lot of fun, getting really stoned with the Boys, recording in his home, and having  complete artistic freedom. Even Al probably toked up a few times.

Though Smiley Smile bombed, Brian had to know he was releasing a strange record. With Wild Honey, he took a more direct, commercial direction and scored a top 40 and top 20 hit. Sure, it didn't equal the success of albums like Today! or Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), but it had to be reassuring just to at least get back on the charts. Brian gets ambitious again, bringing in old session players for Friends tracks, improving the production quality, and writing odes to love, peace, and harmony.

However, sometime during all this, Mike comes back from India a new man and everything changes.

Scene: Mike drives over to Brian's spacious new mansion to write a song and talk about his experiences in India. Brian pulls out some hashish and a pipe.

Brian: "Hey Mike, wanna smoke grass? I've got some really good stuff from up north, man."
Mike: "Naw, sorry Brian. It's just ever since I went to India and met the Maharishi with the Beatles, I've been on this transcendental meditation kick and it's been way better for me than any high. You should try it."
Brian: "Transcendental meditation? Yeah, I'll have to try that some day." [Brian lights his pipe] "Hey, what was it like meeting the Beatles?"

Scene: Al is in Brian's living room listening to some new tracks with Carl. Brian pulls out some hashish and a pipe.
Al: "This is great, Brian."
Carl: "Really groovy."
Brian: "Hey Al, wanna smoke some grass? This stuff I just bought is really groovy, a really good, clean head high. You'll like it. It doesn't make me feel all tired like some stuff does." [Brian exhales a huge puff of smoke and laughs.]
Al: "Gee, Brian... I'd like to, it's just... I've been trying to take a break from that stuff. Y'know, clear my head."
Brian: "OK. Cool. I can respect that. Carl?"

A few months later, Friends bombs. There's trouble in paradise again. At subsequent recording sessions, you have the Wilsons in one corner, getting high, and Mike, Al, and Bruce in the other corner, tolerating what's going on but clearly not participating. Soon, Mike is wondering aloud what it might be like if the band took different directions, perhaps writing a retro surf song or relatable love songs, getting away from the strange "day in the life" songs and spacey instrumentals. Al and Bruce like the idea. Carl thinks it might be worth a try - maybe.

And soon enough, Brian stops showing up to the sessions...

that's a groovy scene or two you describe, Dada. oh to be a fly on the wall...


I used to think it was Brian, but now I think it's Dennis singing "close your eyes and lean back" in a goofy voice before finishing the rest of the verse.

funny that lance said someone is doing a Bruce imitation. could very well be.

If you look at how drastically Mike's contributions to the band in terms of songwriting changed for the worse over the next 10-15 years compared to his very good work on "Wild honey", you could wish that he never had stopped. I hate to bring this up but I believe the seeds for the affinity to write lyrics like "spring vacation, good vibration"were planted in those days when he got his head straight but couldn't understand that it's not '63 anymore. I don't mean to support drug taking in any way but I just can't stand Mike's at times radical one sided view of the Beach Boys and what/who they are and what that view brought to the Beach Boys' output.

I don't recall that story about the writing of She's Goin' Bald (is there more about it?). It's funny because the song to me sounds like a stoned "Along came Jones" by Leiber & Stoller and that song is about a movie.

There might be more detail on what movie (or type of movie) it was, but I can't remember. Also, the bizarre middle section of the song is a 'parody' of "Get A Job" by The Silhouettes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbGthv-dJp4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbGthv-dJp4).

Here's a video of Bruce talking about the SS album. Doesn't really shed light on his involvement, but interesting nonetheless:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUopawsbZIQ&feature=relmfu

Where is that interview from ?


EDIT: I like that Bruce also sees the Leiber & Stoller connection

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,13441.0.html

Thanks ! Didn't catch that

I like that Bruce refers to his hiatus from the Beach Boys as "time off for good behavior".

I don`t think Mike`s decline had anything to do with not using drugs. I think it had everything to do with first Do It Again being their biggest hit of that era, then Endless Summer being huge, then the whole nostalgic Brian`s Back/15 Big Ones era. The public had spoken.

Even now it can`t be denied that one reason why TWGMTR has sold so well is because it is nostalgic from beginning to end.

Wow. Apologises Bruce for my above comments, he actually comes across really well in this interview and i totally agree with his assessment of Smiley, in particular that Wind Chimes is great, and that GV doesn't fit...

Having said that, i would now like retract my apology having just watched Bruce talking about the Friends album. Is he getting confused with MIU or something? ''Not a bunch of great songs''? ''I'm surprised it even got to 126. 1026 maybe...''? And then he sneers about Little Bird - a song which is way better than anything he's ever contributed to the catalogue.

Yeah, it's funny. You didn't hear Bruce on Smiley Smile but you heard him a little bit on Wild Honey, and a tiny bit on Friends but a little more on 20/20. 

Come to think of it, you didn't hear him much on Pet Sounds (with exception to the God Only Knows tag) or SMiLE either.

Bruce's heyday was the albums released from 1969 - 1971. Then I think he was on one of the songs on C&TP. Then when did he come back again, for L.A. Light in '79 and then one album in '80, then '85? 

Wow. For most of the 70's, Bruce wasn't on a Beach Boys record!

Bruce is probably on "Susie Cincinnati" on 15 Big Ones and is definitely on "I'll Be He's Nice" on Love You.

I recall reading Bruce being asked about plans to reissue Pacific Ocean Blue, and he said he didn't care, didn't like it, he preferred Carl Wilson's solo albums, and that POB wasn't commercial and a reissue wouldn't sell (!). So clearly he doesn't rate Dennis all that highly. Funnily enough though, I also remember an interview with him from 1970 in I think the NME or Melody Maker (it's probably scanned on this site somewhere) where he's asked if he has any solo plans, and he says a Dennis Wilson solo album would be more commercial than anything he might be able to do.

I'm pretty sure Bruce praises "Baby Blue" quite a bit here and there, maybe because he was more involved with the Light Album.

Bruce who, let us not forget, wrote the Barry Manilow (s)hit 'I Write The Songs'. We can all await the exctatic reviews and record sales that will no doubt greet any future re-issue of Going Pubic. Sorry, Public.

Bruce has talent but sometimes has questionable taste. He probably bugs me the most of the Beach Boys, mainly because I see him as a sort of syncophantic goody-goody to whatever the corporate line happens to be at the time*. But whatever. He's a Beach Boy and for the half dozen or so songs he contributed, you have to give him props. Well you don't have to. But I do.

*unless it's hippy-inflected.

Bruce is a square, the Pat Boone of the BB's, but at least he calls 'em like he sees 'em.

Not surprising....

Can't say I agree, the pronunciation is totally Brian, and the setup of the vocals for the song dictates that someone else should sing that part. See the beginning - Brian sings, "Hanging down from my window" Mike sings "Those are my wind chimes." The "On a warm breeze" line, Carl sings "On a warm breeze the little bells..." and then Dennis sings "Tinkle like wind chimes." The entire song follows that setup, thus it'd be odd for one person to do an entire line. Add to that that it sounds just like Brian, and well...

If you can find the bootleg rough stereo mix, Brian actually sang "Close your eyes and lean back now" as per the original version. Hearing the way "now" is sung, the case for it being Brian grows even stronger, to my ears.

Like on all things Bruce flip flops a lot. I've heard him trash Smile and heard him say he loves it. Same with Dennis, same even with Brian at times. Just a strange character.

True. He's got mad eyes. I remember him saying in a Q interview several years ago re SMiLE: 'Brian had us crawling around doing stupid farm animal impressions, it was f**king embaressing [humiliating]'. Now here he is saying he loves it...

In that interview series he calls Dennis an amazing musician and underrated. I truly enjoy Bruce for his interviews. What he says in them can be at times bewildering. Bruce more often than not seems to be praising the genius of Mike Love. Is he trying to keeep the Loverster happy?

On stage I have no idea what he contributes. I guess he figures waving, clapping, and adjusting his microphone serve his musical abilities the best. I know Love gets a lot of flack for being the cheesemeister but Bruce IMHO is just  as much up there in the area of fromage.

His inconsistencies explained: Bruce is an unenlightened person. He doesn't pay attention. He has talent, but not the kind the Beach Boys need that much, unless you consider 'trained seal' clapping talent.

Isn't Bruce the 'guy' who came up with that brilliant concept of the Beach Boys being just surfing doris days?
If I had to single out one member of the Beach Boys who seems like a 'surfing doris day' it would be Brooce.

Message to Bruce. Get some proper trousers; get your boom mic stand repaired; keep your hands on the keyboard; discard the dopey hawaiian shirts and stand up straight. Show some respect for the band you're lucky enough to be in.

First, Mike deserves to get praised for his great work with the band.
I first saw this radical praising of everything Mike does (even stuff that's not worth to be mentioned) when Brian was goin' 'round telling everybody that his new band is so much better than the Beach Boys and Mike and Bruce were not happy with that. IIRC Bruce posted that he still has all the respect for Brian but was very displeased with those statements. And from there on it really became enormous with his praise of Mike. At least that's how I remember it and of course all of that could have nothing to do with it.





Context !
"The public thinks of us as surfing Doris Days."

I don't think Bruce needs his mic boom repaired. I saw him repeatedly adjust his mic in Berkeley earlier this month and I've seen him mess with it a lot on previous YouTube videos when he sang Disney Girls. I think it's a nervous habit. It's better than watching him adjust his schwanz, I guess. Bruce feels more secure in his white shorts walking across the stage smiling and clapping his hands and waving to the crowd. But I did see him do a helluva good version of Disney Girls out West here.

That's the quote, yes. Doesn't excuse the fact that he (Bruce) launched that inappropriate concept into Beach Boy lore.

First off, it's total b*llsh*t, even IF there was someway to prove it, which there is not.
What purpose does a comment like "the public thinks of us as surfing doris days." serve? It's not constructive. It's really more a veiled insult than a serious explaination of anything and it, more than any of his many questionable statements, belies the shallowness he commands.

Secondly, it's a double insult on Doris Day, who is a very talented and genuinely nice person who Bruce needlessly drags into his ridiculous comparison. She doesn't surf or perform rock and roll. So what he's really saying is that, like Doris Day, the Beach Boys are 'white bread'. Implication? The public rejects 'white bread'.

If 'white bread' is not the implication, then he's implying that Doris Day herself is short on public appeal. Which again is false.

I've often wondered what Terry thought about Bruce's thoughtless statement.

Certainly Bruce counted himself 'rather clever' with that little remark. Just like he probably thinks 'Tears in The Morning' is one terrific Beach Boy classic.  ::)

So when Bruce's comment is righteously unpacked, it reveals Bruce to be playing reverse devil's advocate for the sake of a moments media titilation and his own sense of 'cleverness'.

Bruce was also quite good on his backing vocals at the Camden, NJ show Saturday night. Al fiddles around with his guitar quite a bit during shows, like guitarists always did betwwen songs back in the 70s. Believe me, everyone up front was quite happy that Bruce was interacting with them throughout the show. Watching from afar or being right there makes all the difference when viewing what Bruce does at concerts.

See, the thing is that when he actually said the Doris Day quote, the hip and trendy did look at The Beach Boys that way. You need to understand the time and context that it was said in, not like he said it yesterday.

I doubt Bruce would say anything bad about Doris Day, anyway..

I take it that you consider Bruces remark a compliment to Doris Day?

Sure. IF the idea behind the remark was meant to be flattering to the Beach Boys (which is was not), then yes, comparing the Beach Boys (success and talent) to Doris Day's (success and talent) would not be anything bad.

But it wasn't meant to be flattering, so I don't understand why you'd say that.

The implication in the 'Doris Day' comment by Bruce is that there is something lacking or undesirable about Doris Day that allows an unfavorable comparison. No amount of back pedaling with 'context' or 'intent' can change that.

Let's be generous and say that Bruces statement was an unwitting insult to Doris Day and an uncalled for comment about the Beach Boys. He should leave that kind of crap to musicologists and sociologists.

Are you on something? Never heard anybody talk that much about Doris Day before...

(Bruce was friends with Doris Day's son, by the way..)


EDIT:
(http://www.dorisday.net/bj-pics/BruceJohnston-DorisDay1996.jpg)

You do know that Terry Melcher was Doris Day's son, right? The two sang together as Bruce & Terry and the Rip Chords. That Terry produced The Beach Boys long after that quote was attributed to Bruce. Believe me, Doris Day knows her fan base and they were not the kids of the late sixties. You are taking all this stuff way too much to heart. It was a joke, son, as Foghorn Leghorn would say. ;)

Doris lives just up the coast from Bruce's house.  He was heavily involved in the writting and production of Doris' album last year:

http://www.dorisdaytribute.com/blog/2011/09/09/rock-legend-bruce-johnston-of-working-with-terry-melcher-on-doris-days-album-my-heart

Of course I knew that. Why, otherwise, would I have even mentioned Terry?
Alright then. If Doris and everyone's OK with it...then I'll concede.
But I still think Bruce needs some decent trousers..and to ease back a bit with the trained seal clapping. That's something I'd expect from 'The Wiggles'.  :smokin

Sh*t.  The guy conceded.  Now what do we do?

He isn't changing. So, all I can tell you is don't go, don't watch, and don't listen. He has been dressing that way since he rejoined the band in the late 70s. Accept it, he ain't changin' and if nothing else, the man is consistent in his attire.

 
 :lol

 :-D That is good. I like that.

But as far as what Bruce did on Smiley Smile?

I've never heard him on that record. I'm sure wherever he is on it, I don't want to know.


Suppose by now, you've concluded that I don't put much Beach Boy stock in Mr. Bruce Johnston and there's a reason for that.

He's an MOR guy. He don't ROCK. The best thing he ever did was 'Hey Little Cobra', and 'Gone'.

If he was to reprise that kind of energy with the Beach Boys, he'd be Ok by me.

This I totally agree with. I do feel that he pays lip service to "how great Brian is" and blah blah blah, but overall he seems to give off the vibe that he thinks The Beach Boys are hopelessly uncool and somewhat unserious music, and I don't really agree with that.

Many people here also agree that they are uncool. So uncool that they are now hip. I have been a fan since 1964 and I can't figure what they are after 48 years. Maybe Bruce is just as confused as I am. I have found out over the years that being hip or unhip within each new generation can cause a severe identity crisis. ;)

They've always been cool. Cooler than hip, actually, ultra cool.

Why would anyone who thinks they are uncool even want to be here, let alone 'claim' to be a fan?

I'm sure there are members here who are associated with or have personal connection to the Beach Boys in some way or another. Those people, perhaps have good reasons for their opinions, and feel they have a need to be here, even if they can't stand the uncoolness.

Hipness don't count for beans in my world. I'm here for the music and the history.

All of us are here for those same reasons. Bruce's Doris Day comment was not directed to the likes of us. It was towards those who did not listen them, mostly because of their name. They were considered irrelevent due to their name, imagine that? I met a 66 year old guy today and he knew about the new album and reaching 3 on the charts. Claimed he was a big Beach Boys fan. When I mentioned Saturday's show and that they did Marcella, California Saga, All This Is That, the guy looked at me like I was talking jibberish. Some big fan! I'm pretty sure by the late 60s he thought they were surfin' Doris Day's, as well.

I always thought that the Doris Day comment was in the wake of Do It Again. Which Bruce stated he didn't like at the time. I read that somewhere. But after 4 albums of doing non surf/car music that became less and less successful, then getting their biggest hit in over a year with a surf song certainly makes sense in that context. Although, is there a date to that quote?

Surfin' Round the World actually did rock, in a big way.

didn't he help co-write: "Good Lord, How She Boogled It"?

Bruce is quite evident on backing vocals for TSS Wonderful....and I've read on the BBB that it's his favorite Smile tune...go figure those interactions are prolly why.

Yeah, he's the one who came up with the word "Boogle", which was the scary version of the popular word game Boggle.

Remember, Bruce is the one that didn't wanna be an old man & touring the greatest hits.....that's flip flop if you ask me....with where he is in Beach Boy Camp (Camp Love)...btw...is Steve Love on this tour to enforce Brian's participation?  ;)

Good point....and what is Bruce's favorite Beach Boys album, as mentioned in the EH documentary? Sunflower. On which BB album does he have the largest presence? Well, I really like Sunflower too. I'm not sayin'...just sayin'....

We're kinda missing the point a bit here. A flippant comment regarding the BB's supoosed lack of cool several decades ago is neither here nor there. Bruce saying one thing in one interview then changing his mind in the next - that's relevant to this conversation, especially when it involves him being negative about great songs and fellow band members.

Oh, and agreed - Bruce really needs to prise his head out from between Mike's bum cheeks. Perhaps his love of Love is behind his Dennis dismissal(s)....

This sounds plausible, might just have gone down this way.  Fun read Dada!

I remember he was asked how often he plays Beach Boys music and he replied "Why would I have that sh*t at home". In the same interview he was calling Brian brilliant. WEIRD!

Bruce again does have talent, but nothing he's done since Disney Girls has impressed me in the least. Maybe some back up singing since then but otherwise nada.
I can't even compare him to Mike. Love has contributed a lot more to the Beach Boys in a positive way (and to be fair negitive as well). Bruce has always praised Mike as a writer. I just saw a 1980 clip where he says Brian and Mike wrote all the best songs. So much for Mike's credits being only down to the lawsuits, though I'm sure the majority of us know that already. Still how can Bruce seem so dense and yet obviously know music? I do have to agree that he was the only one who didn't seem too hip by 1968 or so. The others had an unfair labeling but Bruce seems to have regressed to MOR around then. Why I don't know. He did cut some very credible rock and roll things from 1963-66 and except for the long piano outro on Tears I do like his 1970-71 contributions. Yet he didn't rock at all in his writing as a Beach Boy bar HSBITM.

Not so weird. I remember the interview you're referring to (in Uncut in 1998) and the comment there was in reply to a question that wasn't repeated in the article verbatim, but was rather paraphrased, about if he owned copies of all the albums.

Depending on how the question was phrased (for example he could have been asked "do you have the albums the band made before you came back, like 15 Big Ones and MIU?") it could have been a perfectly reasonable response...

The other quote that I keep remembering (and was posted on the BBB Board which somewhat disappointed fans at the time) was when Bruce said a couple of years ago that he wasn't interested in a Beach Boys reunion, and if there ever was one, he'd sit in the audience about 10 rows back from the stage and watch (or whatever it was).

Sure, Bruce. After all the money you've made this tour, care to elaborate?

People say a lot of dumb stuff when they are young (take here, for instance), but realize when they are older that they still have more to contribute, more than they thought they would when they were young or in mid-life. I will say that Bruce's comments on a reunion was a bit strange. I am assuming with the state of things back then between Brian & Mike's comments, along with suite against Al, that back then the reunion was almost an impossibility. He'd be so amazed if it happened that he would sit the audience amazed, along with all of us.

To somewhat contradict my own statement above, even as far back as 2004-2005, I knew inside that the reunion and an album would happen. I  was a year off, but I knew it would happen. Jason (TheRealBeachBoy) will back me up on what I'm saying, as we had many discussions about this through the years. Funny, Bruce couldn't see it coming, though.

I got to say, Mike, that your comments on Bruce over the last week have really been eye opening. Thanks for your valuable insights.

With all these contradictory quotes, perhaps it's time for Bruce to write a book and clear da air...

(http://i45.tinypic.com/opmdde.jpg)

This just made my whole day. Thanks.

Well I'm trying to "get" him as much as anyone, but I'm glad I can offer a little insight. As far as the interview I mentioned I do recall he was just asked about Beach Boys music not say the later catalog or any period. I think it was in Uncut.

He owns the Smile Sessions box that came with the surfboard and the light.  He mentioned that in the Google interview.  It was funny because after he said that Al Jardine made a remark that "we can't all be from Beverly Hills." Maybe Al thought only a guy who grew up in a wealthy home could justify spending thousands of dollars on something like that.  It shows that Bruce must like having that sh*t at home however.

Huh huh huh huh huh!   Good  'un, Doo Dah!   Little play on words there, eh?  ;D

I see no mystery here. It's easily explained.

Bruce Johnston (real name: Bennie Baldwin) is not an enlightened person. He's common, with common values and common attitudes.

(Not that 'common' is bad, it's actually quite common.  :lol I'm a prime example  ;D)

I'm just saying, he doesn't operate at the Wilson/Love/Marks/Jardine level, and he never has.

He started out rockin', then devolved into sappy sachrine, and now,  he does the trained seal clap.

Sad.

Spread the hate, baby! ;) Remind me not to clap in front of you.

Ha ha ha, what a great book cover! Hope there will be a whole chappter devoted into mic adjustments....hmmm that would be a great youtube video montage.....Of course looking back to BBB board, there must be a section called "DON'T CALL ME BJ!!"

No hate here. But when I shell out the big dollars for tickets, I want quality entertainment, not trained seal clapping and fake keyboard playing. 8)

So lessee.................who's Bruth gonna vote for?


The Beach Boys' Bruce Johnston had some heated words for President Obama while signing autographs for fans in New York on May 10th.

"Obama? Unless you're interested in never having any money," said Johnston in a video clip when asked about the President. Johnston reportedly called Obama "an asshole" and suggested the president was a Socialist, but the exact quotes are hard to decipher from the clip.

Johnston was also unhappy with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, asking fans, "And who's the Republican asshole? Our guy isn't any good."

He finished with a barb towards a fan expressing support for Obama. "Wait until Obama doesn't have to try anymore," said Johnston. "You're f***ed."

That is kind of unfair, because I shelled out $370 (big money, to me) for my ticket and I had no problem with what Bruce did on stage. I'm betting the average fan has no issues, either. Don't go, then. Your loss, not his.

He sang beautifully. That should be the the most important thing when speaking "bang for the buck".

Not going wouldn't be fair either. . . for Mike, Dave and Al.  :lol They're counting on me to yell "Barbrah Ann!!!!"

:lol Man, and don't think that they don't. It amazes me how many people actually do that during a show.

...shshh!   (one word) 






  ..................................... pogo