Billboard ariticle on Mike and song writing w/ Brian issues from last album

[AM Radio]

Mike talks about intended plans that were changed by others during TWGMTR project.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5650662/mike-love-upset-over-direction-of-beach-boys-reunion-album-tour

[SMiLE Brian]

This is in billboard, Mike is pushing his story of what happened in C50 hard.

[ontor pertawst]

"I talked to Brian about a year before we even started doing any of the recording for (the album)," Love explains. "He and I talked about doing a project and he was excited about doing it, but it never came to fruition at all."

I'm guessing he's referring to the original idea that they just re-record some hits. Well, they did DIA and it kicked off a tour and an original album, and he's still upset it wasn't a lazy retread album instead? Yeesh.

Mike doesn't seem to have much of a problem swinging his weight around to get his way, was he really bested by the likes of Joe Thomas? Boy, that's embarrassing. Out-maneuvered by a mullet! He wasn't ALLOWED. Mr Bigshot Executive Producer, and he wasn't even ALLLLLLOWED. Oh, my heart bleeds.

 I guess he thinks this is a good tactic to take in the press, Brian under the sway of these terrible forces who won't allow him into a room with his beloved cousin who was the McCartney to his Lennon, but no! They treated him like chopped liver! Oh the humanity. Well, maybe next time if things go even MORE Mike Love's way, this terrible injustice can be avenged and they can just do an album of their old material to salute Nascar or something. None of that suicide-inducing melancholy drivel!

Can someone just get their wives in a room and sort this sh*t out?

[SMiLE Brian]

Mike seems afraid to move on from the 1960s BB era.

[Gertie J.]

blahblahblahblahblah......

[clack]

Yeah, Mike makes it clear once again that there will be no future Beach Boy lps unless he's allowed to write songs from scratch with Brian. No just being assigned lyrics to write for  nearly finished songs, he wants instead to be a full creative partner.

I have some sympathy for his position, but where was this full partnership stipulation when they recorded Pet Sounds? Smile? Friends? Sunflower? Surf's Up? Carl and the Passions? Holland? Love You? Even back in the Mike/Brian early 60's glory days, Mike was only just one of Brian's partners (although the most important one, granted).

[El Molé]

Someone else may have brought this up recently but  I was flicking through Brian's old autobiography a few days ago and I thought that the following passage was interesting -

"I need Brian alone," he protested. "I can only write if I'm alone with him."

"We wrote the song," said Dr. Landy. "If you want to add your thoughts, let's do it now. Here"

"Sorry," he said.

"Brian," said Dr. Landy, "do you want to go write with Mike or do you want to write here?"

"I'd prefer to do it here, Gene," I said.

I know that the book has very little credibility with anyone, but given that Mike's openly expressing a similar problem now, I'd guess that it's likely to have been an issue for Mike for quite some time.

[ontor pertawst]

Mike's a bit of a bastard, but boy -- hard not to take his side vs. a ghostwritten Gene Landy! Even with the baseball caps factored in. I'd want to stuff him into a broom closet if he started giving lyrical advice.

[Rocky Raccoon]

That's how they wrote Good Vibrations though.  Mike should see that as a winning formula.  Brian has a song pretty much finished and then Mike comes in with his contribution.  Boom.  #1 single.  What's the problem?

[Loaf]

The Landy era was a whole different story, so don't draw too many parallels.

But if Brian wanted to write with Mike, it would have happened. I'm guessing Brian wasn't too keen on it, because (and i speculate and generalise here) because Mike wanted to push a fun-in-the-sun angle and Brian wanted his more downbeat stuff on there (which he'd been saving since 98).

Seems Brian used his usual passive-aggressive techniques to get others to be the fall guy(s) here and he makes out squeaky clean.

[ontor pertawst]

That's how they wrote Good Vibrations though.  Mike should see that as a winning formula.  Brian has a song pretty much finished and then Mike comes in with his contribution.  Boom.  #1 single.  What's the problem?

That's what I don't get either. It's not like Mike has much to contribute at the composition stage for feels or melodies, can he even articulate what he wants or would it just bog Brian down? I don't see what's so horrible about penning lyrics for some of the most incredible, inventive backing tracks ever recorded. It's a privilege.

Seems Brian used his usual passive-aggressive techniques to get others to be the fall guy(s) here and he makes out squeaky clean.

It definitely does fit the usual pattern, huh? But it's been a successful one for them. If Mike gets to be boss on stage and run the touring band, can't he compromise a bit and let the Stalin of the Studio oppress the masses at Ocean Way?

[TimmyC]

It's disappointing to say the least that mike refuses to record as the beach boys unless he's able to write with Brian. But having said that it is true that both he and we fans were led to believe that the album would contain wilson-love originals.

[ontor pertawst]

You feel duped? Seems like a typical Beach Boys record to me. Brian with his collaborators, Mike with some lyrical contributions and his archive track. Al with bupkis.

[HeyJude]

So are Mike's comments targeted towards Joe Thomas, or someone else? I recall Howie Edelson's discussion mid-tour with Mike included Mike raving about how nobody but Joe Thomas could have put the tour together. Mike formed a production company with Brian and Joe Thomas to do the tour. If his beef is now with Thomas, then that itself seems a little bit non-confrontational or passive-aggressive to complain after the fact.

Also, I have nothing but my own guessing to back this up, but while I don't doubt that he had issues with the song writing on the album, I think these comments are partly to avoid discussing the finances of the tour that may not have been to his liking. He has alluded to finances in the past, but won't directly talk about it. Or the ego/power issues that could be at play as well.

[TimmyC]

You feel duped? Seems like a typical Beach Boys record to me. Brian with his collaborators, Mike with some lyrical contributions and his archive track. Al with bupkis.

Duped was way too strong - I edited it to "led to believe" which I think is fair and accurate

[drbeachboy]

If what Mike claims is true, that it was agreed to a year in advance, then I can see him having issues and taking exception of what went down. He still did it anyway, but I can see taking a stand the next time around. You have to assume that he had certain expectations going in that did not come to fruition. He has 3 co-write credits out of 11 tunes, plus one of his own. Even with that it is only 1/3 of the album, not 1/2 or more as probably expected.

[Micha]

Which reminds me of Carl refusing to further work on the Paley tracks. Did he leave because he found the tracks not good enough or because he was excluded from any creative input? I'd understand it if it was the latter, because that stuff was good. Way better than SIP, where Carl did participate although he probably wasn't given a chance to participate creatively by Mike either. So we can be happy that Mike did participate in album and tour after all.

[Kurosawa]

Mike should just find someone else to write with and make solo albums.

[guitarfool2002]

I guess the first impression I got would be why is there still the desire to keep rehashing the past rather than looking ahead to future plans, if there are any even being considered.

It's confusing in a way to see this issue come up again, as it is past history by now. So where are the folks on this board posting the "kicking a dead horse" emoticon to greet this interview? 

[ontor pertawst]

The too bored and disinterested (yet willing to post dozens of times about it) brigade should be in shortly.

Imagine how much dead horse battery will go on when that biopic comes out! Phew.

[Cam Mott]

Mike should just find someone else to write with and make solo albums.

Or people could just stick to their word to Mike.

[Mikie]

It's confusing in a way to see this issue come up again, as it is past history by now. So where are the folks on this board posting the "kicking a dead horse" emoticon to greet this interview? 

Exactly.  

[Doo Dah]

There's something amiss here. Loaf alluded to it:

IF we are to accept the Joe Thomas account of the sessions, the ever-so-wily Brian Wilson was sitting on tracks from '98, approached Capitol on his own volition, and basically closed the BB's deal on his own. That's what Joe reported, for what it's worth. If that DID happen, then how in the hell does that leave room for sitting down at the piano with his cousin Mike? A deal was struck on preexisting tracks, and even with a few more to follow - that doesn't sound like a brand new soup to nuts Brian Wilson / Mike Love creation. It sounds like a Brian Wilson creation with (selected) input from Mike and the boys.

Why is that a problem? Mike's deluding himself if he still thinks he's got the moxie to create an entire conceptualized album. Leave it to the professionals, like Brian, Joe and now, Don Was.

[Mikie]

Imagine how much dead horse battery will go on when that biopic comes out!

Exactly again.  

[SurfRiderHawaii]

That's how they wrote Good Vibrations though.  Mike should see that as a winning formula.  Brian has a song pretty much finished and then Mike comes in with his contribution.  Boom.  #1 single.  What's the problem?

But isn't, as I understand the story.  Brian had the song written, lyrics by Tony Asher. Mike rewrote the lyrics and, as Mike states, came up with the "I'm diggin up.....". But they weren't sitting in a room and wrote GV from scratch.