I love J&D. They had an irrelevance that very few other 60's acts dared to have and I think they anticipated the humor of people like the Mothers and the Ramones. They were not a harmony group, not like the Beach Boys or like harmony duos such as the Everly's and Simon and Garfunkel.  They had harmonies and a lot of vocal based songs, but that was only part of their thing. They were somewhere between a garage band and a Phil Spector production. They were a lot more rock and roll than the Beach Boys were, but obviously their music was never as beautiful as a lot of Brian's music.

People think they were like the Beach Boys but with lesser singing, but in reality they really weren't. There was crossover because Brian wrote and sang on some of their big hits and those hits do sound close to the Beach Boys but there's still a difference.

Jan & Dean also had the sex appeal up front with Jan while the Beach Boys had theirs stuck behind the drums.

No Chuck, no rock. Period.

I'd do everything I could to stop Mike and Bruce from using the name for that gig if I could. I don't care if they play it, but for Al and Dave and even for Brian, having the name associated with someone so divisive and hates is just bad business. I mean, Al's last name isn't really Jardine, his name is "Al Jardine of the Beach Boys". Turning that name to mud is bad business.

Brian sort of has an existence without the name, but Al, Dave, Bruce and Mike do not. It's a bad business decision for all of them.

Terrible. My first concert was ELPowell, now they're all gone.

I find Trump disgusting but this does make sense for him and for Mike and Bruce. He is going to have few choices in musical acts for his...ugh, thing. Figure he'll get Nugent and maybe Alice Cooper, maybe someone like Toby Keith. Any young hipster fans wouldn't be caught dead at a M&B show, anyway. And the real Beach Boys did play at Reagan's inauguration, of course although I didn't agree with Reagan's politics, he himself was not a sickening pig of a human being and pure evil like Trump is.

I still hope they don't play for him. It would sully their good name and connect them to a highly polarizing figure, not to mention a person who was easily beaten and largely despised in their native California.

I think being interviewed by a woman makes a difference with Brian too. I know there's a lot of things I'm more comfortable with if the other person is a woman. Like I'm much more at ease with female Doctors and managers/supervisors at work. Of course that's not ab absolute, but it does make a difference to some people, and I think it might for Brian.

I guess Sloop Pony means they did get a horse into the studio after all.

Pet Sounds is not an album that any person other than Brian Wilson could have made. It is so intensely personal that only he could have made it. It has nothing to do with race any in any way, shape or form. And it's also not really a rock album.

Also, part of what is in the article claiming that no black musicians are seen as auteurs is absurd. Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones, Prince, and several rap artists (admittedly my knowledge and interest in rap is minimal) are among black musicians who are seen this way.

Pretty good picks by Mike except for Summer In Paradise and Pisces Brothers. A lot more mellow than I would expect. Wild Honey is a pretty rowdy song live but the studio version is more on the odd side. It's a much better live song, especially the early 70's version with Blondie on lead. 

Kinda surprised he didn't mention "Big Sur"...I think that's the best song he ever wrote on his own, it is a legit classic.

"That all makes sense. I'm just curious what in the world restarted his latest round of rage on the topic. My best guess is simply that he has had way less of a vested interest in making nice with Brian or anyone to do with Brian post-C50."

Why was Mike so angry the night he and the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?  That was one of the crowning achievements of the group's career, totally deserved.  He should have been all smiles and happy that night and celebrated the achievement.  Instead, he goes off all angry and gives a ridiculous speech and embarrasses himself.  Go figure.     

Because, deep down, he is insecure enough to have wanted the props from the Beatles, Jagger, etc. Just like the hopelessly nerdy (in an uncharming way) kid trailing after the cool kids hoping to get their attention and approval. I think that night, whatever resentment he felt toward his cooler (and more successful) contemporaries became too much. Ergo, his RRHOF speech.

Roger Daltrey handled being in a similar situation to Mike with total grace. Of course, he did have the luck to be the sex appeal of the Who, whereas Mike had zero to negative sex appeal and of course Dennis was the sex appeal of the Beach Boys. I imagine that is part of why Mike hates Dennis so much.

I was at the Raleigh show, too. It was fantastic. And I agree with others above. Matt Jardine is a major talent. They all are, really. Enjoyed watching Blondie play some lead guitar. And Mike D'Amico paid homage to Dennis by playing drums "Denny Style" on "Surfin' U.S.A." . . . Left hand playing the hi-hat and the right on snare.

I was playing that way once and bent my hi-hat....the cymbals were kinda cheap but I still got a laugh out of it.

saw the show in Asheville last night. Brian and the band got a great reception and did a fantastic performance.

been avoiding this thread to keep from spoiling any possible surprises this tour, so I was indeed surprised by the "River Deep" intro to CA Girls not to mention Funky Pretty! Wake the World and California were also great treats to hear. I wasn't expecting Billy to be in the band so that was very cool too. Matt sounded really great... the crowd loved him. Brian telling folks to "please be seated" 2 or 3 times over the course of the show was this tour's crack-up moment. Blondie was feeling great and it showed, I don't think too many in the crowd were expecting his presence at all especially when he cranked up and rocked out... I was loving every second of it. and what can you say about Al that hasn't already been said... he was solid as ever, his voice is the fountain of youth, and he dressed the part in his white suit and matching guitar. I may have shouted out "Keep it Clean!" at one point, can't quite recall.

Brian wasn't nearly as animated or talkative as last summer's tour, but I like his new vocal approach on some of the songs... almost talking his way through verses at times and playing with the timing, similar to Willie Nelson or Bob Dylan. really seems to suit him at his age and it's great to hear him trying something new.

picked up a poster and tour booklet, which features several outtakes from the front and back cover shoots I'd never seen before. the $100 bronze bust of Brian was a cool thing I'd love to own, but I had to pass.

I was at the Raleigh show tonight and it was very similar to the show you went to.  Brian missed a few cues and a lyric or two, but Al was there to pick him up. He did the talk/singing thing, but it has that quirky Brian charm and it does seem like he is telling a story, especially in You Still Believe In me.  It almost seemed like he and Matt were playing the roles of couple; it kind of reminded me of some stuff Daltrey and Townshend do. And I can't say enough about how great Matt Jardine is....this is my second time seeing him, I saw him a few years back with the Surf City All-Stars with Al, David and Dean and he was fantastic there too. And Brian's band is just ridiculously good.  It was also exciting to see Billy, as I didn't become a huge BB fan until after his and Ed Carter's time in the band was over.

I picked up the "Help Me Rhonda" baseball tee....pricey at $50, but I've wanted that shirt for years.

I couldn't be happier.

Yeah it sounds like he needs some lexopro or something. It's a strange combination of TM and anger for Mike that isn't working.

From the way the Rolling Stone article came off, if it wasn't for TM, Mike would be 100% "MIKE SMASSSSSSHHHHHH PUNY WILSONS!!!!"

Got my ticket today for the Raleigh show on August 19th. Can't wait!

Drive In

This. "big butter popcorn and an extra large coke a few chili dogs and man I'm goin' broke"

Love it.

I love Jan & Dean, so I really want to check this out.

OP, do you mean "We'll Run Away"?

He was in a lot of pain...he had terrible carpel tunnel and nerve problems with his hands. It must have been hellish for him. So very tragic.

Hearing about the passing of Sir George Martin gave me the chance to reflect on one of the truly unexpected and mind-blowing moments of my life. Back in 2007 I was in London with David Marks promoting our Lost Beach Boy book, our wives Nadia and Carrie were on the trip too so it was a fun family time, and Dave and I totally geeked out on the Beatles thing when we visited the location of Abbey Road studio. A few days later we went to see the band America perform at the Hammersmith Odeon which is an auditorium that the Beatles, Stones and so many other British Invasion groups performed at in the 1960's. Again, I was completely in a state of wonder and awe just soaking up the vibe of this historic place, when suddenly we were backstage saying hello to the America band members, and somebody (I think Jeff Foskett) says to me, "Jon...have you met George Martin??" I turn to my left and he's standing right there, giant of a man, quite old even then, but very noble and bright...a massive presence. And he's looking at me...and he puts his hand out and shakes mine, says hello...and And my brain is frying...splattering all over the dressing room. Not literally, but you know, i was BLOWN AWAY. HOLY sh*t!!! George f'n Martin...talking to me. Looking me in the eye. As if I had any significance to a dude who stood side by side with Lennon and McCartney as they changed the world, changed my world. I was a fumbling, stuttering, grinning mess, and Sir George could not have been more gracious in our 20 seconds of interaction. And for me this was one of the truly HUGE moments in my life. The chance to say hello to George Martin, I'll never forget it. RIP Sir. And thanks for all you did to make my life better.

Beautiful story and what an honor.

Truly he made all of our lives better and our culture richer.

Okay, okay, I hear what you're saying Debbie.

What if, like, Carl was named Steve instead?

What if Van Dyke was named Van Dick Parks?

SPOILER: He'd probably be very popular with the ladies.

That'll be his name in the Vivid Video parody of "Love and Mercy".

[In his view, Wilson/Love should be regarded as one of the great 60's songwriting teams, alongside such teams as Goffin/King, Bacharach/David, Jagger/Richards.]

Mike has in past interviews been pretty explicit about what he desires. In his view, Wilson/Love should be regarded as one of the great 60's songwriting teams, alongside such teams as Goffin/King, Bacharach/David, Jagger/Richards.

He was cheated of this recognition during the band's mid-60's heyday, and he feels his contribution is still not given the public and critical recognition it deserves. Granted he is going about seeking this recognition in an abrasive, clumsy way -- but is trying to cement his popular music legacy really so beyond the pale?

He's out of his frickin' mind if he thinks that will ever happen. Brian had too many co-writers for Wilson/Love to stand out in the Goffin/King, etc level. Plus a lot of Brian's best and biggest songs were written with writers other than Mike.

I don't hate Mike like OSD or smileBrian do, but he ain't nothing special either. As a singer, he's Jan without the flatting, as frontman Jan was way better, funnier and had sex appeal. I still can't believe how dumb the Beach Boys were for putting the best looking guy they had behind the drums and putting a balding old man as the lead singer. Imagine if they had a real manager like Brian Epstein instead of Murry.

Trying to think of a case equivalent to Mike's : closest I can come up with is Johnnie Johnson, Chuck Berry's pianist and uncredited co-writer on most of Berry's classic tunes.

Of course, Mike wound up in a mansion, Johnson wound up driving a bus.

Johnnie was also a thousand times better musician and more important to the history of rock than Mike is. Mike wasn't even the best surf rock frontman, that was Jan Berry.

Nobody in the Beach Boys "story" is "all good" or "all bad".  Brian isn't a saint and Mike isn't a devil.  We should keep in mind that there is more than one Beach Boy who has mental health issues, however.  And becoming world-famous at an early age has helped a great number of celebrities to become f--ked up.  

Not the least of which is Mike.

This is all true.

But I am hesitant to start setting any sort of equivalency in this regard when it comes to these guys. There's one person who by leaps and bounds, time and time again, continues to often come across like an a-hole. Not all the time. But often, and far more often than the other guys.

Maybe we can all do better to try and understand Mike, and interviews like this actually do help. But Mike might do well to try and not simply occasionally acknowledge, but actually understand and *EMPATHIZE* with points of view totally contrary to his own, whether those points of view are coming from other BBs or fans or pundits or the press, etc. I see maybe a teeny, tiny bit of that in this article. But it's still mostly variations on "I'm sorry if YOU were offended" or "I'm sorry if YOU don't understand that what seems like being an a-hole is just my style of humor."

I have to give some credit to this interviewer for at least attempting to broach some topics may have wondered about, such as the contrast between espousing the virtues of meditation versus coming across as angry and bitter, filing lawsuits, etc. Mike didn't really give an answer (other than, I guess, he meditates so he's not even MORE pissed off all the time?). But at least someone finally asked.

The article does humanize Mike. I've never made fun of his baldness, wearing a hat, etc. I think he genuinely looks better sans the hats. But I've never sensed he's trying to hide anything on that topic. It's pretty obvious. It's just an appearance thing he prefers. What else is he going to do? I guess he could wear a different style of hat, as he has on occasion over the years. But then we're into cowboy hats, or berets, or whatever.

I don't know if this interview makes me feel any better about his upcoming autobiography. I think we may get more details (e.g. talking about his former wives) than we might have thought. But I don't see any evidence of humility or admitting mistakes. I guess we'll see.

None of the guys owe me any explanations about themselves. If they share, fine. If they don't, that is fine too. It is their lives to live, warts and all. I am not religious by no means, but I am a firm believer in the saying "let he without sin cast the first stone".

I don't think anyone says Mike *owes* anybody anything. He's the one asking his wife why he's the villain. Does he actually want an answer?

All great bands that have problems (and it seems they all do) have a designated villain I guess. Paul McCartney, Mike Love, Mick Jagger, Roger Waters. It's not fair or accurate but it is what it is I suppose.

The Eagles did a lot more with less talent than the Beach Boys ever did, mostly because they had strong leadership in Henley and Frey. The Beach Boys lacked that due to Brian's health issues and timidity and Mike's lack of songwriting skills.  The Eagles' music can't touch the Beach Boys at their best, of course, it's good music, not great music, as Biran noted. But they ran a tighter ship, that's for certain.

Don Henley has a lot more talent than ML, but he's every bit of a creep. The difference is that he pretty much was the main guy in the Eagles, whereas ML is the #2 guy at most in the Beach Boys if Brian is around, and if Carl was still alive he'd be #3.

So very sad...she had a lovely voice.