http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080327/FEATURES/803270704/1006/SPORTSVibes good again for Love
By Gerry Galipault
Published Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Mike Love is in an exceptionally good mood, and not just because his nephew, UCLA freshman center Keith Love, is in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division I basketball playoffs.
Love is relieved that he and former Beach Boys member Al Jardine have settled their long-standing legal dispute over the use of the band's name, avoiding what could have been a lengthy trial.
In his first interview after the deal was announced Friday, Love says the Beach Boys -- who will play Sunday night at Sarasota's Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall -- can finally focus entirely on music and not courtrooms.
"That is such good news, to finally resolve a case that's been going on for five years and has cost jillions of dollars," he said over the phone. "Time heals all wounds, as they say, so now we can start thinking about being creative again, whether it's individually or collectively. When that psychic drain has been lifted from your lives, you can get more creative."
Details of the settlement were not disclosed, but Jardine's lawyer said his client was pleased with the result.
Love says he even had a nice chat with Jardine after the two-day mediation session in Los Angeles Superior Court.
"On the way out of the courtroom, Al and I were talking about music and what he's doing with Stephen Stills and that he's recording 'Help Me Rhonda' with Steve Miller," Love said. "He also sang this song to me that he's been working on, and I said, 'That's great.' We were talking about creative things for a change, rather than being at odds."
Love sued Jardine, claiming that he fronted a group that used various versions of the Beach Boys name. Love is the sole licensee to perform under the name.
The band was founded in 1961 by Love; brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson; and Jardine, Brian's childhood friend. (Dennis drowned in 1983; Carl died of cancer in 1998.)
Love says he and longtime Beach Boy Bruce Johnston are looking forward to returning to the Van Wezel, which he calls "the purple cow."
"I've always liked personal appearances better than recording," he said.
Recording has "always been Brian's thing. He always preferred the studio and didn't like touring. But now, he's told me, as recently as last Tuesday, that he likes going out, seeing the crowds and playing his music. I said, 'It's great. You get to be Brian Wilson again.' "
Could there be a "Kokomo" in the Beach Boys' future?
"That's a distinct possibility," Love said, referring to their 1988 hit, which was used in the Tom Cruise film "Cocktail." It was the group's first No. 1 single since "Good Vibrations" in 1966.
"There's a lot to talk about us being creative again, because in a few years it'll be the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys, which is nuts," he said.
"Right now, I'm totally into writing. In fact, I've stockpiled about 20 songs and Al's in about the same category, and Brian told me just a few days ago that 'My head is full of music. That's all I think about. I get depressed sometimes, but mainly I just think about music.' "Love says the group, which performs 170 shows a year, would like to do a live disc, an album with a symphony orchestra and an album of new material."Also, Barry Manilow and Rod Stewart shouldn't be the only ones to rerecord old songs and sell a million records," Love said, with a laugh. "There's lots of songs we could do, but we've just been so dysfunctional for the last 10 years."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
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