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Author Topic: Bizarre Mike Love Interview  (Read 14488 times)
absinthe_boy
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« Reply #25 on: October 14, 2011, 05:09:18 AM »

Mike Love may be an ass, he may say things that I disagree with....but I have no doubt that he believes and means what he says. And I have no doubt, despite the disagreements over the years, that he loves his cousin Brian. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Mike sometimes wells up genuinely thinking about Brian, or the song "Brian's Back".

The whole Brian's Back campaign may well have been misguided, but the original sentiment expressed in the song was true...im my humble opinion.

As a Brian fan (above being a BB fan) I am sometimes apalled at the way Brian suffered from Mike's apathy and negativity towards some of his greatest material...but I do not for one second believe that Mike intended Brian to suffer breakdowns and illness. Mike is more commercially minded, wants to make sure he and his family are taken care of financially...whereas Brian would go off in search of new and exciting music regardless of whether it sold. Both valid points of view, but not necessarily compatible. It made for a heady brew circa 1964-66 but thereafter things became difficult.
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oldsurferdude
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« Reply #26 on: October 14, 2011, 05:50:26 AM »

Of course it's legit.  When does Mike say or do something fake?  Ever?  He's the complete opposite of that.  He sues people he's related to.  He sues mentally handicapped people.  You mean to tell me if he's got the all out BALLS to do that, he'd fake crying about something?  Why?  This is the guy who's so honest when he sings a song about driving, he moves his hands like he's driving.  Or if he says the word love or heart, he holds his heart.  LOL.  He's a pretty literal person, I don't think he'd fake crying and to be honest I don't think he lies very often.  You have to WANT to deceive people and WANT people to like you to do that.  Mike clearly wears his heart on his sleeve and doesn't give a sh*t what people think of him.  I'm sure he's very proud of that song. 
Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin.

Sorry, Ron. Just the violins will do.  Grin

What are you talking about?  I'm not polishing anything, as a matter of fact I said he was openly an butthole.  He's not a liar, however. 
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Amy B.
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« Reply #27 on: October 14, 2011, 05:52:04 AM »

I dunno man the "goodnigt baby sleep tight baby" really is what makes WIBN amazing. Takes it from average to extraordinary

I realize you're joking, but I can't even believe Mike claimed that as a legitimate contribution to the song. That's like Ringo claiming 1/3 of the credit for Helter Skelter because of "I got blisters on my fingers." The melody, harmonies, instrumental arrangements, and lyrics are what makes WIBN what it is. A little cliche coda does not.
I think Mike is a jerk who has the capacity to be a decent person. I certainly don't think he wished anything bad on Brian; I just think he wanted things (including Brian, Brian's music, and Brian's preference for collaborator) to stay the way they were when he was a teenager.
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Nicko1234
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« Reply #28 on: October 14, 2011, 05:57:08 AM »

The interview sections date back to earlier than 1994 don't they? Back to when Landy was still firmly in control.

I don't doubt that there were a huge number of things that could have been heartbreaking to Mike at that time. That Brian was working on solo stuff, that he was being brainwashed by Landy, that he was being given the wrong medication, that the BBs had paid huge amounts of money to try to cure Brian and instead were being libelled by him (or not by him...) etc.
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donald
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« Reply #29 on: October 14, 2011, 08:09:44 AM »

People cry because they are having painful thoughts.  No one knows what Mike was thinking on that tape.
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Chocolate Shake Man
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« Reply #30 on: October 14, 2011, 08:13:19 AM »

The interview sections date back to earlier than 1994 don't they? Back to when Landy was still firmly in control.

No - 1994 was after the Landy period was over.
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JohnMill
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« Reply #31 on: October 14, 2011, 08:31:07 AM »

Mike Love is such a polarizing individual isn't he?  For me I think a lot of the contempt that Beach Boys fans or Brian Wilson fans have for Mike is rooted in several things.  

First off with hindsight being what it is, it's painfully obvious that Mike's objections whatever they may have been to "SMiLE" back in 1966/1967 demonstrated a severe lack of foresight and probably played a significant role in the demise of what probably would have become a seminal rock/pop album of the sixties.  With the album's non-release it changed the course of Beach Boys history in an overall negative way and I wouldn't be surprised if many fans still to this day resent Mike's interference with their favorite album.

Second of all, I think there are a lot of fans who take issue with the direction Mike has taken the band or the image of the band over the years.  There are many of us who feel that The Beach Boys should be placed on the level of say The Beatles or The Rolling Stones as important rock groups of the sixties but to a lot of the general public their image as important musicians has been tarnished by how they've been marketed as an oldies act.

Finally lets be honest about something:  Unless you are a fan of Jerry Springer, nobody likes feuding families, nobody likes lawsuits so when Mike pulls out his lawsuit card (which legally he has every right to do) there are a lot of Beach Boys fans who resent him for that.
=====================

Personally I don't fault Mike for any of these things.  Do I agree with all of his decisions?  No certainly not but they are within the realm where they fall into the "benefit of the doubt" category for me.  Most of them basically center around making money or trying to maximize earning potential and quite frankly I find nothing wrong with that.  We live in a society that is mostly dominated by the dollar and also a society that has unfortunately become extremely litigious in the past couple of decades once people found out that they can clog our legal system with every petty dispute that comes their way.  I am not saying Mike is guilty of this behavior but the point of the matter is we do live in that type of world today where it's not uncommon for lawsuits to fly back and forth like paper in the wind.  

I think for me what it all boils down to in the end is that old adage used about athletes where they say "Cheer for the jersey not the person wearing it".  The reason being is when you invest too much stock in someone who you don't know on a personal level more times than not they will do something that will upset you or let you down.  So that being said I try not to get too emotionally involved with this stuff.
« Last Edit: October 14, 2011, 08:34:28 AM by JohnMill » Logged

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« Reply #32 on: October 14, 2011, 09:23:32 AM »

But seriously: just how responsible was ML for the image of the BBs in the minds of the general public? Sure, we would like the world to regard them as highly as the Stones or Beatles, but even at their heyday the BBs did not score half the No. 1 hit songs or albums the Beatles did. They were never that big nor that highly regarded. Their image was defined from the very start. And the Beach Boys at their highest o lowest artistic form are always a bit of an acquired taste when compared with those two monster groups (the falsettos, the harmonies, the jazzy chord changes, the lyrical matter be it car songs or Surf's Up...).

Carl was as much in charge when the band took the direction it took. Mike was happy to ride along in the late 60s or in the Grateful Dead era. I think he is a pragmatist and that's all. But so was Carl, and so were the other guys who kept (keep) earning their income (partly) from the endless touring that rests on the Love's hard-working shoulders.

I don't think Love has ever been such a powerful influence so as to define the image of the band in the public mind.
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« Reply #33 on: October 14, 2011, 09:27:38 AM »

The era of 1985-1995 was a horrid period that ruined the public image of the band as a serious group. Thats the only period I can blame Mike for the group's image problems.
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And production aside, I’d so much rather hear a 14 year old David Marks shred some guitar on Chug-a-lug than hear a 51 year old Mike Love sing about bangin some chick in a swimming pool.-rab2591
JohnMill
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« Reply #34 on: October 14, 2011, 09:32:18 AM »

But seriously: just how responsible was ML for the image of the BBs in the minds of the general public? Sure, we would like the world to regard them as highly as the Stones or Beatles, but even at their heyday the BBs did not score half the No. 1 hit songs or albums the Beatles did. They were never that big nor that highly regarded. Their image was defined from the very start. And the Beach Boys at their highest o lowest artistic form are always a bit of an acquired taste when compared with those two monster groups (the falsettos, the harmonies, the jazzy chord changes, the lyrical matter be it car songs or Surf's Up...).

Carl was as much in charge when the band took the direction it took. Mike was happy to ride along in the late 60s or in the Grateful Dead era. I think he is a pragmatist and that's all. But so was Carl, and so were the other guys who kept (keep) earning their income (partly) from the endless touring that rests on the Love's hard-working shoulders.

I don't think Love has ever been such a powerful influence so as to define the image of the band in the public mind.

On the other hand I have often heard them referred to as the greatest American band ever.  Also it's hard to argue that in the fall of 1966, the group was on the cusp of something really special.  They had toppled The Beatles in the NME poll, had a worldwide hit record at the top of the charts and were poised to release "SMiLE" by the end of the year. 

I think ML to a degree is responsible for how the band is viewed today but there are a lot of mitigating factors as well that come into play obviously
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« Reply #35 on: October 14, 2011, 10:10:22 AM »

Mike sometimes wells up genuinely thinking about Brian, or the song "Brian's Back."

I can totally picture Mike sitting in his big leather arm chair, lights dimmed, drinking chardonnay straight out of the bottle listening to that song on repeat for hours while silent crying to himself.
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« Reply #36 on: October 14, 2011, 10:17:27 AM »

Mike sometimes wells up genuinely thinking about Brian, or the song "Brian's Back."

I can totally picture Mike sitting in his big leather arm chair, lights dimmed, drinking chardonnay straight out of the bottle listening to that song on repeat for hours while silent crying to himself.
"brian's back" is  Mike's "be my baby" obsessive listening song. LOL
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And production aside, I’d so much rather hear a 14 year old David Marks shred some guitar on Chug-a-lug than hear a 51 year old Mike Love sing about bangin some chick in a swimming pool.-rab2591
letsmakeit31
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« Reply #37 on: October 14, 2011, 11:43:33 AM »

Mike Love is just being Mike Love Period!!! Love him or hate him. The question to ask yourselves is how would you deal with Brian during the past 50yrs. Of course Mike said that a lot of Brian's problems is to do with Murry but then ask yourself if your only job was making music and your best link to that was behaving "Loopy" when fortunes was low how would you react??. I'm not a big fan of Mike But... I do understand his side of things. On the other side we can see that dealing with a much loved (and I do believe that Mike does and still does love Brian very much) of course Mike has made the wrong choices in the past but I also do think that both Brian and mike for better or for worse love each other very much. 
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Ron
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« Reply #38 on: October 14, 2011, 02:11:30 PM »

How many here heard all the testimony the jury heard? Hold up your hand. 

I think Mike's rep [and the editing of this sleazertainment show] might be preventing some of us from realizing Mike is actually a sentimental and tender hearted guy. I could be wrong on all three counts though.

I read a pretty extensive account of it that's floating around the net, from somebody who attended every day.  Basically the whole jist of the thing was, Mike got screwed out of songwriting credits for years, and stood up in court and said that he didn't want to take Brian to court but Brian's lawyers forced him to, and said that he would have settled out of court for 750k. 

So basically I completely agree with Mike on this one. 
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Ron
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« Reply #39 on: October 14, 2011, 02:19:09 PM »

Mike Love is such a polarizing individual isn't he?  For me I think a lot of the contempt that Beach Boys fans or Brian Wilson fans have for Mike is rooted in several things.  

First off with hindsight being what it is, it's painfully obvious that Mike's objections whatever they may have been to "SMiLE" back in 1966/1967 demonstrated a severe lack of foresight and probably played a significant role in the demise of what probably would have become a seminal rock/pop album of the sixties.  With the album's non-release it changed the course of Beach Boys history in an overall negative way and I wouldn't be surprised if many fans still to this day resent Mike's interference with their favorite album.

But yet Mike let the band release "SMiley Smile" by any accounts an even stranger album.  Mike may have objected but it didn't stop Smile from being released.  Brian drove the Smile car off the cliff.

Quote
Second of all, I think there are a lot of fans who take issue with the direction Mike has taken the band or the image of the band over the years.  There are many of us who feel that The Beach Boys should be placed on the level of say The Beatles or The Rolling Stones as important rock groups of the sixties but to a lot of the general public their image as important musicians has been tarnished by how they've been marketed as an oldies act.

Finally lets be honest about something:  Unless you are a fan of Jerry Springer, nobody likes feuding families, nobody likes lawsuits so when Mike pulls out his lawsuit card (which legally he has every right to do) there are a lot of Beach Boys fans who resent him for that.

Those are fair criticisms, I just don't share them. 
Quote
=====================

Personally I don't fault Mike for any of these things.  Do I agree with all of his decisions?  No certainly not but they are within the realm where they fall into the "benefit of the doubt" category for me.  Most of them basically center around making money or trying to maximize earning potential and quite frankly I find nothing wrong with that.  We live in a society that is mostly dominated by the dollar and also a society that has unfortunately become extremely litigious in the past couple of decades once people found out that they can clog our legal system with every petty dispute that comes their way.  I am not saying Mike is guilty of this behavior but the point of the matter is we do live in that type of world today where it's not uncommon for lawsuits to fly back and forth like paper in the wind.  

I think for me what it all boils down to in the end is that old adage used about athletes where they say "Cheer for the jersey not the person wearing it".  The reason being is when you invest too much stock in someone who you don't know on a personal level more times than not they will do something that will upset you or let you down.  So that being said I try not to get too emotionally involved with this stuff.

I pretty much agree with all that.  I don't believe Mike is mainly motivated by Money, though.  I think he's motivated by what he perceives to be 'unfair treatment'.  It's pretty unfair that they screwed him out of songwriting royalties all those years... so he feels it's the 'right thing to do' to sue Brian and his circle.  He has to pay money to use the Beach Boys name, that's the deal he made, so he feels it's unfair for Al to use the name without paying for it.  So he sued him.  Etc.  If Mike was mainly motivated by money he wouldn't have tried to settle with Brian for the 750k. 
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Ron
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« Reply #40 on: October 14, 2011, 02:20:02 PM »

But seriously: just how responsible was ML for the image of the BBs in the minds of the general public? Sure, we would like the world to regard them as highly as the Stones or Beatles, but even at their heyday the BBs did not score half the No. 1 hit songs or albums the Beatles did. They were never that big nor that highly regarded. Their image was defined from the very start. And the Beach Boys at their highest o lowest artistic form are always a bit of an acquired taste when compared with those two monster groups (the falsettos, the harmonies, the jazzy chord changes, the lyrical matter be it car songs or Surf's Up...).

Carl was as much in charge when the band took the direction it took. Mike was happy to ride along in the late 60s or in the Grateful Dead era. I think he is a pragmatist and that's all. But so was Carl, and so were the other guys who kept (keep) earning their income (partly) from the endless touring that rests on the Love's hard-working shoulders.

I don't think Love has ever been such a powerful influence so as to define the image of the band in the public mind.

I agree 100%. 
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Cam Mott
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« Reply #41 on: October 14, 2011, 02:45:29 PM »

But seriously: just how responsible was ML for the image of the BBs in the minds of the general public? Sure, we would like the world to regard them as highly as the Stones or Beatles, but even at their heyday the BBs did not score half the No. 1 hit songs or albums the Beatles did. They were never that big nor that highly regarded. Their image was defined from the very start. And the Beach Boys at their highest o lowest artistic form are always a bit of an acquired taste when compared with those two monster groups (the falsettos, the harmonies, the jazzy chord changes, the lyrical matter be it car songs or Surf's Up...).

Carl was as much in charge when the band took the direction it took. Mike was happy to ride along in the late 60s or in the Grateful Dead era. I think he is a pragmatist and that's all. But so was Carl, and so were the other guys who kept (keep) earning their income (partly) from the endless touring that rests on the Love's hard-working shoulders.

I don't think Love has ever been such a powerful influence so as to define the image of the band in the public mind.

I agree 100%. 

I also agree.
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« Reply #42 on: October 14, 2011, 05:24:49 PM »

During the 2nd Landy period in 80"s.. BW was required to pay 1/3rd of Landy"s bills + BB 2/3rd"s.. They did that by playing a concert or 2 a month the entire time Landy was involved with BW... I think this is awfully generous + loving.. And caring.. And was voted on by the whole group.. I did not get this info on internet.. It was in a large article about BW/BB in a music magazine....Which i have in storage..Not all decisions by the group were motivated by greed.. I think the bad feelings erupted in 90"s because(one of many} BW after Landy still wanted to go solo for most part + not participate in BB.. I can see where this would create stress + huge problems..!!.. BW is once bitten twice shy when it comes to Mike + BB ..I see both sides.. Its a meess..Hence..Lawsuits..!!
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runnersdialzero
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« Reply #43 on: October 14, 2011, 07:04:03 PM »

People cry because they are having painful thoughts.  No one knows what Mike was thinking on that tape.

He had explosive diarrhea. He was scared. He was terrified.
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« Reply #44 on: October 14, 2011, 07:13:35 PM »

I dunno about you people. but if I wrote a song and when the lead singer of the band who's duty it was to go out and perform that song for the next 40+ years came up with a killer couplet and melody for the end of the song that sounded great, encapsulated perfectly the tune's basic theme, and I liked it so much I used it on the finished product, and this guy had the nerve to ask for a fraction of the songwriting credit: ......... I'd probably say "sure thing" and everyone would go away happy.

I'm frankly amazed at the complete lack of basic human consideration that is directed at Mike's every word and deed.
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Ron
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« Reply #45 on: October 14, 2011, 08:27:52 PM »

Yeah.  In regards to that line, one of the first songs I ever really appreciated by the Beach Boys in my teens was that song.  "Wouldn't it be Nice".  It's still one of my very favorite songs, of all time, by anybody.  What I always thought was neat about the song, was that it kind of follows a storyline; either the guy is talking to his girl about getting married, and then kissing her good night at the end of the date, OR, the song follows an arc and the last line suggests that they actually did get married.  I had no idea who wrote what, I thought it was all written by Brian. 

So of course the other lyrics, the incredible harmonies, the beautiful lead by Brian, the masterful backing track, all of that makes the song great.  That last line, though, lives up to the rest of the song and is also great. 

Anytime somebody wants to denegrate Mike's talent, all you have to do is say "Yeah, he wrote Good Vibrations.". 

Period. 
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« Reply #46 on: October 14, 2011, 08:32:07 PM »

I don't think anyone likes GV primarily for its lyrics...
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« Reply #47 on: October 14, 2011, 08:49:33 PM »

Yeah, but they are good words and Mike did come up with the "I'm picking up Good Vibrations" hook over the chorus. And when that chorus comes in after the weird drum fill with Mike singing it with the killer bass line underneath: that's one of my all-time favorite, most spine tingling moments in rock!

It's OK to give credit where it's due.
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Ron
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« Reply #48 on: October 14, 2011, 09:29:47 PM »

I don't think anyone likes GV primarily for its lyrics...

Then you don't think often.  The lyrics to Good Vibrations are oh, the best part of the song?  Are you kidding me?  Greatest lyrics ever. 
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« Reply #49 on: October 14, 2011, 09:37:03 PM »

I don't think anyone likes GV primarily for its lyrics...

Then you don't think often.  The lyrics to Good Vibrations are oh, the best part of the song?  Are you kidding me?  Greatest lyrics ever. 

...
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