UNCUT Magazine: Brian, Mike & Bruce feature

[Jim V.]

Well after finally reading the guys opinions on the photos (thanks Donny), I gotta say that in Mike's case, the "drag" thing about Denny's death is kinda lame. Mostly because, unlike Sir Paul, he's had what, 30 years to formulate an opinion on the matter.

One thing that does bother me however, is the fact that Mike used the occasion to comment on the photos as another chance to defend himself This time on the latest breakup of the group. Here's his quote on a 2012 photo:

"Brian has his way of doing things and so do I. By agreement we came together, but the 50th anniversary was always the term to it – anno, meaning 'year'..."

Once again, reinforcing the notion that it is he who doesn't want the reunion to continue. And honestly, the man has a right not to continue on with them. Continuing on with using the Beach Boys name is another issue though. And if he doesn't want to work with Brian and Al in the near future, I feel that things might change.

And then there's also a photo where Bruce somehow equates him not being in the photo with some of the other guys being on drugs. Didn't seem to bother him from 1965 to 1972 or 1979 til 1983 though. I get his non-drug agenda, but I don't quite get why he tried to fit that tidbit instead of just saying that he wasn't in the group at that time.

What an odd group of guys.

[Dave in KC]

Back in 1984, I interviewed ML for a news segment. The Beach Boys were in town! When I asked Mike backstage before the concert what he thought about Dennis, he said. " What a bummer, he musta got hypothermia, yah."  From his lips to this post.

[Jim V.]

Back in 1984, I interviewed ML for a news segment. The Beach Boys were in town! When I asked Mike backstage before the concert what he thought about Dennis, he said. " What a bummer, he musta got hypothermia, yah."  From his lips to this post.

It seems that Mike really feels that Dennis wronged him so badly during the time together that Dennis' death just isn't that big of a deal to him. He's just so flippant with the stuff.

[Andrew G. Doe]

No - it would have been the polite, the respectful thing to do.

Why on earth would you expect a total stranger to modify their off the cuff response to the death of a best friend/family member in order to not offend .....you?........

Polite and respectful to John's family, I was thinking.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Back in 1984, I interviewed ML for a news segment. The Beach Boys were in town! When I asked Mike backstage before the concert what he thought about Dennis, he said. " What a bummer, he musta got hypothermia, yah."  From his lips to this post.

Wow

[MBE]

Was Mike really thinking Dennis drowned because of the water, or was he blowing the question off?

[Mike's Beard]

Maybe we should be counting our lucky stars that Mike wasn't close to Dennis when he died. If not the BB85 album would probably have included a ghastly Mike penned tribute song to his fallen cousin. No doubt with Mike in ultra nasal mode singing

"YOU'RE MY COUSIN AND I LUUUVVVE YOOOU!
BUT YOU WENT TO A WATERY GRAVE!
YOU HAD FUN FUN FUN WITH THE GUUURLS ON THE BEACH
NOW YOU'RE RIDING THAT ETERNAL WAAAVE!"

to a lumpy 80's synth backing track. Think about it.

[LostArt]

Was Mike really thinking Dennis drowned because of the water, or was he blowing the question off?

  If not because of the water, how does one drown?

[SMiLE Brian]

Maybe we should be counting our lucky stars that Mike wasn't close to Dennis when he died. If not the BB85 album would probably have included a ghastly Mike penned tribute song to his fallen cousin. No doubt with Mike in ultra nasal mode singing

"YOU'RE MY COUSIN AND I LUUUVVVE YOOOU!
BUT YOU WENT TO A WATERY GRAVE!
YOU HAD FUN FUN FUN WITH THE GUUURLS ON THE BEACH
NOW YOU'RE RIDING THAT ETERNAL WAAAVE!"

to a lumpy 80's synth backing track. Think about it.

My god, thats worse than SIP!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Was Mike really thinking Dennis drowned because of the water, or was he blowing the question off?

  If not because of the water, how does one drown?

meaning , he drowned because of the water temp. That's how I read it.

[MBE]

Was Mike really thinking Dennis drowned because of the water, or was he blowing the question off?

  If not because of the water, how does one drown?

meaning , he drowned because of the water temp. That's how I read it.

Right that's what I meant.

[Rocker]

so what specific 80's picture of Brian were they referencing?  To be fair, during that period he does look good in some, not so much in others

Maybe this?

[southbay]

well that is certainly one of them that popped into my head.  Again, would be helpful to know what picture they were looking at when making the comments (both Mike and Brian)

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

No - it would have been the polite, the respectful thing to do.

Why on earth would you expect a total stranger to modify their off the cuff response to the death of a best friend/family member in order to not offend .....you?........

Polite and respectful to John's family, I was thinking.

I get that but I just don't see what was so tasteless or horrible about Paul saying "it's a drag" in the first place... I've lost several family members and take no offense to what Paul said... I think John's family knows Paul well enough to see that answer as being perfectly in line with Paul's personality.... Dealing with a recently deceased one's family members is tricky as well.... Didn't Ringo walk up to Yoko and say "Yoko, I know exactly how you feel" and she shot back "No, you do not"? ..... It's often that one simply can't win in such situations unless they avoid comment or the issue altogether, but then they look even worse...

And Mike hypothermia comment might seem odd, lame, weird in the context of where/when it was asked, but then again, his answer makes sense.

[KittyKat]

Did Brian "shave (his) legs for the very first time" for that piano on the beach photo?  He looks curiously lacking in body hair,  other than the patch on his chest.

[I. Spaceman]

Landy's surf Nazis waxed him.

[hypehat]

That's one way to get the shouty vocal sound....


"I wonder *aaaafhtzzzzzip* WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

[Generation42]

Paul McCartney was given a real hard time after he commented that Lennon's death was 'a drag', but as has often been pointed out since he was still in shock when he said it.

That's bullsh*t. When my father died, I was there, but I didn't go around telling people "My dad died, it's a drag". As ever, people fall over themselves to cut St. Paul of McCartney some slack. That kind of sycophancy repulses me: why can't they just admit, dude made a tasteless comment. He's human, it happens.

Oh, there was definitely some tastelessness going around, but it wasn't coming from Paul.  No, it was courtesy the horde of thoughtless goons asking "how does it feel" and the like.  I've lost people just as close to me and never said somethig along the lines of McCartney's statement, but then, I can't claim that I had some notoriously rude "journalists" laying in wait, just licking their chops and hoping beyond hope for a juicy soundbite.

Call me a sycophant, if you must (I've been called worse, certainly), but I've seen the video, too.  McCartney was being sarcastic and flippant to a group of arseholes who, rather than an official comment, were in truth much more deserving of a punch in the nose.  Remeber how you felt when that "news" outlet was asking you for dirt on Dennis after his drowning?  I suppose that might offer a hint of what Paul was feeling just then.  Paul's been guilty of an awful lot of poor choices and questionable, even indefensible, behavior and I'd be the first to side with you on this if I agreed, Andrew, but I just don't see it here.  Naturally, your mileage may vary.

On a lighter note, it's John who's the Saint.  You see we've St. John, Sir Paul, George the mystic and Richard the Ringo.  Or something like that.

[Lonely Summer]

If you actually see the footage of Paul having microphones shoved in his face the day after his friend died, you can see in his face that he is just totally devastated...and not up to talking. He wanted to get as far away from those cameras and microphones as possible and cry his eyes out. Macca can be a big time jerk many times, but on that day, he was truly, humanly devastated.

[MBE]

Landy's surf Nazis waxed him.

And they filmed everything. Priceless footage of the waxing is just sitting on the shelf.

[MBE]

If you actually see the footage of Paul having microphones shoved in his face the day after his friend died, you can see in his face that he is just totally devastated...and not up to talking. He wanted to get as far away from those cameras and microphones as possible and cry his eyes out. Macca can be a big time jerk many times, but on that day, he was truly, humanly devastated.

Yeah Paul can be a jerk but I never thought twice about it because he made it clear what was going on with him that day. I have no doubt in my mind Paul loved John. I have no doubt that Mike and Dennis loved each other in their own dysfunctional Wilson/Love way. Finally concerning Brian Jones, Bill, Charlie, and lately even Mick feel obviously sad about what happened. Keith is hard to read. I reallly hate what he says about Brian. Not because Brian was an angel, but because his role in founding the group and his musical legacy should not be spit on. Yet in the days when his brain wasn't fried, he too said nice things about Jones. I feel he feels some sort of guilt he can't deal with, or his ego has become so massive that he can't bear to think of Brian (or Mick for that matter) as an equal.