My mom is like Mike Love.

[Mr. Cohen]

Here I was, a geeky teenager, in the passenger seat of my mom's blue Ford Focus. It still had that new car smell. We were on our way to Barnes & Nobles to pick up Brian Wilson's new release, SMiLE. Droplets from the soft rain outside dripped down the car's windows as we pulled into the parking lot. How could you take my sunshine away?

Once inside the great oak doors of the store, I quickly found the album prominently displayed next to such classic recording artists the Black-Eyed Peas and Bowling for Soup. I had to admit, the cover was a disappointment. It reminded me of a bar of soap, and the logo looked like a Middle Schooler's Adobe Photoshop experiment. Oh well, I was sure, at least, that the music would be good.

I get the register. It's over $20 with tax. A little steep, but it's Brian Wilson, right? That swimming pool doesn't pay for itself. We have to show our support.

"So, what did you get?," my mom asks once we're back in the car.

I felt a bit sheepish showing her the album's hideous cover, but I do anyway. She puts on her reading glasses and grabs the album for my hand like it was a box of McDonald's french fries.

"Brian Wilson. Who's that?"

"He's the guy that wrote most of the Beach Boys songs."

"Really? I like the Beach Boys. Put it in!"

So I do. After all, how could anyone deny the spiritual power of the psychedelic gospel hymn "Our Prayer"? Or the kaleidoscopic Americana awesomeness of "Heroes and Villains"? And the revelation that was "Cabinessence's" ending? Let's not even get into "Surf's Up"! That should have been the anthem of a generation. Maybe two generations.

But halfway through "Barnyard" she turns down the volume and asks me the question I thought I'd never hear in person: "What is this crap? This is weird. I mean... seriously? This isn't like the CD I have at home."

She hadn't even heard the band grunt like animals yet.  And for the record, the CD she was referring to was a greatest hits collection.

Jesus Christ. My mom is Mike Love.

[The Shift]

Bald, with many ex-wives?

[hypehat]

Good bass voice?

[DSamore]

Ahhhh the belief that artists should never grow...

[MBE]

Hell I once heard someone complain about Why Do Fools Fall In Love because it wasn't on their hits album.

[drbeachboy]

After reading this, you can almost understand why The Beach Boys went the way of an "Oldies" act in concert. For many casual fans, they have, and always will be time-warped.

[The Madcap]

She should meet my chorus teacher who reminds me of Murry.

[Andrew G. Doe]

After reading this, you can almost understand why The Beach Boys went the way of an "Oldies" act in concert. For many casual fans, they have, and always will be time-warped.

Hmmmm...

Mike in fishnets and a basque... jumping to the left... I'm one sick mutha... 

[filledeplage]

Here I was, a geeky teenager, in the passenger seat of my mom's blue Ford Focus. It still had that new car smell. We were on our way to Barnes & Nobles to pick up Brian Wilson's new release, SMiLE. Droplets from the soft rain outside dripped down the car's windows as we pulled into the parking lot. How could you take my sunshine away?

Once inside the great oak doors of the store, I quickly found the album prominently displayed next to such classic recording artists the Black-Eyed Peas and Bowling for Soup. I had to admit, the cover was a disappointment. It reminded me of a bar of soap, and the logo looked like a Middle Schooler's Adobe Photoshop experiment. Oh well, I was sure, at least, that the music would be good.

I get the register. It's over $20 with tax. A little steep, but it's Brian Wilson, right? That swimming pool doesn't pay for itself. We have to show our support.

"So, what did you get?," my mom asks once we're back in the car.

I felt a bit sheepish showing her the album's hideous cover, but I do anyway. She puts on her reading glasses and grabs the album for my hand like it was a box of McDonald's french fries.

"Brian Wilson. Who's that?"

"He's the guy that wrote most of the Beach Boys songs."

"Really? I like the Beach Boys. Put it in!"

So I do. After all, how could anyone deny the spiritual power of the psychedelic gospel hymn "Our Prayer"? Or the kaleidoscopic Americana awesomeness of "Heroes and Villains"? And the revelation that was "Cabinessence's" ending? Let's not even get into "Surf's Up"! That should have been the anthem of a generation. Maybe two generations.

But halfway through "Barnyard" she turns down the volume and asks me the question I thought I'd never hear in person: "What is this crap? This is weird. I mean... seriously? This isn't like the CD I have at home."

She hadn't even heard the band grunt like animals yet.  And for the record, the CD she was referring to was a greatest hits collection.

Jesus Christ. My mom is Mike Love.

You write very well and have lovely and unusually fine taste for an obviously young person.  In my situation at that time,  when the new SMiLE was released, I was trading "control of the music" in exchange for my kid not taking the bus to school.  (Yes, I am a chump. My mother did not drive and I took public transportation.) But my son, used to do the "barnyard" thing on the way, to give us both a laugh. And the bus did not have heated, reclining seats. 

No, it is not like the home CD, but and "studied and enhanced" version. I think they both have a place, and it might be a little harsh judgment to think that Mike did not like it.  He did do the lyrics for Good Vibrations, and fine vocals for the original Smiley Smile album, but the parent record company had not supported the more "avant-garde" stuff that Brian did.  So, it seems that they had forces from both the inside and outside working against them.  But they kept at it.

Now, at that time, Brian was not on the road, and Mike and the rest of the band, had to listen to fans yelling from the audience for more oldies, and the "more traditional" Beach Boys songs, while they had to share the stage time with two or even three other bands.
In those days they sang about 15 songs at most, and had many more hits than they could ever do in one show. 

So on balance, it is important to look at both sides of the coin.  Mike was dealing with the fans, and Brian was not, even though the music is beautiful, it took a long time for people to accept it.  But they worked at playing the new stuff at concerts and switched to doing a lot of college shows,  and went abroad, where the audience seemed to be more "receptive" to the new stuff, as long as they played the "car, girl-y and surf" songs as well. 

Bravo to your loving the music! And your writing! 

 

 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Now, at that time, Brian was not on the road, and Mike and the rest of the band, had to listen to fans yelling from the audience for more oldies, and the "more traditional" Beach Boys songs, while they had to share the stage time with two or even three other bands.
In those days they sang about 15 songs at most, and had many more hits than they could ever do in one show.  

You're being overly generous ! During the 1967 fall tour, the band's set was 11 songs.

Washington DC 11/19/67:

Barbara Ann
Darlin' (then unreleased)
I Get Around
Surfer Girl
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
California Girls
Wild Honey
Good Vibrations
Graduation Day
Johnny B. Goode

[filledeplage]

Now, at that time, Brian was not on the road, and Mike and the rest of the band, had to listen to fans yelling from the audience for more oldies, and the "more traditional" Beach Boys songs, while they had to share the stage time with two or even three other bands.
In those days they sang about 15 songs at most, and had many more hits than they could ever do in one show.  

You're being overly generous ! During the 1967 fall tour, the band's set was 11 songs.

Washington DC 11/19/67:

Barbara Ann
Darlin' (then unreleased)
I Get Around
Surfer Girl
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
California Girls
Wild Honey
Good Vibrations
Graduation Day
Johnny B. Goode

Yes, you are correct about that number, because I saw them in both April of 1967 and November of 1967, and the set list was written on their palms, but I wonder if that had anything to do with the number of warm up acts or "curfew" with the unions or local permits for the theater venues...

An even dozen or a Baker's Dozen with encores...I seem to remember one show where they were doing encores and were told they had to stop because of a "curfew."

Odd that Sloop John B is not on that set-list since it was a fairly recent hit or Help Me, Rhonda...

I recently had dinner with some people with whom I saw those two shows...in Boston's now long-gone Back Bay Theater...

The April show was on the heels of Carl's arrest and release, for the draft, and the November, a week after the one you mention, (with the Buffalo Springfield) show was the night after Thanksgiving...

[adamghost]

I think this is a great "teachable moment" that gives us some insight as to why the band did what it did.

I hate to say it, but a lot of people are moro---er, experience music at a very surface level.  And Mike Love, and to a lesser extent the rest of the performing members of the band and even Brian, understand this.  You can't play as long as they have and not take away this lesson.

[Sam_BFC]

But what about all the other deep stuff that was coming out at that time from Dylan and The Beatles??

[Emdeeh]

Another way of looking at the matter is the BBs and Brian have a long history of recording in a diversity of musical styles, some of which may not be to everyone's taste. Just because I'm passionate about Wild Honey doesn't mean that everyone else is.   

[Mike's Beard]

I swear to God I initially misread your post as "My mom is Mike Love". That would make a great topic for Opera or Springer!

[Alex]

I swear to God I initially misread your post as "My mom is Mike Love". That would make a great topic for Opera or Springer!

That would make a wonderful opera. If I had a better voice I'd have no problem donning a Viking costume and singing about how the Lovester went through 15 hours of labor to bring me into the world!

[Mike's Beard]

After reading this, you can almost understand why The Beach Boys went the way of an "Oldies" act in concert. For many casual fans, they have, and always will be time-warped.

Hmmmm...

Mike in fishnets and a basque... jumping to the left... I'm one sick mutha...  

Jeez Andrew! One glimpse of that would be enough to turn George Michael straight!

[Mike's Beard]

I swear to God I initially misread your post as "My mom is Mike Love". That would make a great topic for Opera or Springer!

That would make a wonderful opera. If I had a better voice I'd have no problem donning a Viking costume and singing about how the Lovester went through 15 hours of labor to bring me into the world!

I actually meant Oprah as in Oprah Winfrey!!!  But now that you mention it, I could see great possibilities for "Mike Love - The Opera". Hell, they did one on Manson didn't they? Imagine fat tenors wailing this in Italian;

Brian: Here is my masterpiece! It's going to shake the foundations of the music world!

Mike; What the f*ck is this sh*t? The words make no sense and you can't do the chicken dance to it!

Brian; Screw you! I'm off to my room to snort my own body weight in coke!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Well hell, my Mom's like Al Jardine!!!!!!

[The Shift]

Well hell, my Mom's like Al Jardine!!!!!!

That make you an only child with a 10-year gestation?!?!

[Amy B.]

But what about all the other deep stuff that was coming out at that time from Dylan and The Beatles??

There's an interesting question. Why were the Beatles and Dylan able to grow and maintain their appeal? First of all, was Dylan even THAT popular? Obviously he was an icon even then, but he never had the sales that the BBs and the Beatles did. Also, Dylan and to a lesser extent the Beatles had fairly cerebral lyrics--by 1965, Lennon was writing songs like Nowhere Man and You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. The Beach Boys did have their Please Let Me Wonder-type songs, but mostly they became popular for songs about cars and girls, and even their deeper lyrics were a bit more child-like and simplistic. So maybe their casual fan base was less cerebral, and less willing/able to grow with Brian's development? Also, the Beatles had their experimental moments, but they also had Let It Be and Hey Jude and other catchy stuff, while Brian offered up Transcendental Meditation.

Just a theory.

[rogerlancelot]

After reading this, you can almost understand why The Beach Boys went the way of an "Oldies" act in concert. For many casual fans, they have, and always will be time-warped.

Hmmmm...

Mike in fishnets and a basque... jumping to the left... I'm one sick mutha...  

Jeez Andrew! One glimpse of that would be enough to turn George Michael straight!

What about his pelvic thrust that drives you insane???

[Mike's Beard]

Oscar Wilde himself would have shuddered at the sight of Mike pelvic thrusting.

[PongHit]

Mrs. Positivity.

[oldsurferdude]

Mrs. Positivity.

with sandals and a turban.