correction to the above: it wasn't Donald Trump's campaign who sat the father of the guy who shot up that Orlando nightclub filled with gays and lesbians in the VIP section behind Hillary Clinton during a campaign rally.

People who toss around claims that someone - anyone - is a racist are nothing more than ignorant asses. You love to toss around claims like racist, sexist, homophobe and xenophobe at the drop of a hat simply because their political views don't happen to be yours. You don't know Donald Trump. You don't know his company's hiring practices. All you know is what you're spoon-fed by the liberal media and toss those accusations out. Give me one Donald Trump tweet that makes him a racist. Give me one Trump hiring practice that makes him a sexist. It wasn't Donald Trump's campaign who sat the father of the guy who shot up that Orlando nightclub filled with gays and lesbians. It wasn't Donald Trump who called half the U.S. population deplorables simply because they thought Trump was a better choice than a vile, corrupt, and incompetent elitist who couldn't even be bothered to make one campaign stop in Wisconsin. It's not It's folks like me who have a wrong-0headeed view of the world - it's you. Just because folks like me want to make sure American citizens get the jobs ahead of illegal immigrants, want to see our country's borders secured, and want to save this country from the suffocating impact of political correctness that has turned Europe into a hot-bed of Islamic radicalism and endangered all forms of free speech on our college campuses doesn't make us racists, sexists, hompphobes, and xenophobes. That's your opinion, perhaps, but it shows how ignorant you are and how incapable you are of even considering alternative views than yours.

The Beach Boys can o what they want, and if because they play an inauguration that makes you think lesser of them to the point where it effects the way you enjoy their music, that's your problem. And it would just how shallow and petty you are.

...and BTW I wont bother to make a point about irony of your icon with the "let's be friends" logo. I think this whole country could use a little more of that sentiment.

Thank you. You just made my argument. You don't know Donald Trump personally. Neither do I. But to call someone a racist simply because of what you might have heard on NPR, CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post or New York Times or whatever does your cause (whatever it is) no justice and diminishes you. Maybe not to all those who might agree with you, but most certainly not for those who come here wanting to talk about the Beach Boys. Everything you stated is YOUR OPINION - you have no proof whatsoever. If you want to hurl serious charges like this you better have more proof or at least have the decency of posting at Daily Kos or Huffington Post. Again - and it's just my view - this board deserves better.

I know I'm going to be bashed for this but here goes.

I've enjoyed this board for a number of years. Been a fan of the group since The Beach Boys In Concert changed my life. Saw the group first at Boston Garden in 1975 and have seen them dozens of times until the Mike / Bruce band at Hampton Beach a few years ago. Since this board seems so much of a Mike vs. Brian thing I'll just say I don't take sides and simply say it's disappointing that they can't all ride out into the sunset on the same wave, but that's OK. You can't expect people who have known each other personally and professionally for more than 50 years to exist in some kind of time warp where everyone and everything stays the same. People change. Times change. As fans, all I can say is that we are blessed to love a band that has created so much joy and different music styles that you can go through phases where one kind of music touches you more than the others. Me? My favorite Beach Boys period runs from Pet Sounds through Holland. That being said...

It is disheartening to see this board go political and engage itself in the petty politics of whether or not the Beach Boys Band (I refuse to call them The Beach Boys) should or should not play at Donald Trump's inauguration. I get it that it seems the majority of folks here didn't vote for Trump. But back in my day, if someone had the honor of being invited to play an inauguration ball you did it out of respect for the office. Anyone can look at the election results and see that the country is divided. In my mind, any time the Beach Boys Band has the opportunity to share the joy of the Beach Boys music with a large audience can only be a good thing, and a way to - even in some small way - help heal the country. Brian's and Dennis' music was all about laying it out there. It's funny that a group so viscerally divided like the Beach Boys were could still be capable of generating songs of love and joy. What's wrong with sharing those same vibes with the American people?

I get it that a bunch of people on this board hate Donald Trump and the idea of his being president. Had Barack Obama asked the band to play at his inauguration I doubt you'd see the same kind of push back on this board that you're now seeing. In my view, it does this board a great disservice. It's not my place to say what people should or shouldn't post here, but if this board is going to become another vehicle for Trump-bashing you can count me out. And that's because my view it should exist for the music and for what the Beach Boys, collectively and individually, were as a force in American pop culture. If you want to destroy this board by turning it into a political forum, go for it, but I and those who think like me, won't be a part of it.