Do we really care about the conflicts?

[MBE]

Frankly I think NONE of them should have aired this in public ever. They should have just finished and gone on with their work. ALL of this could have been taken care of in private. I enjoyed the LP, the tour, it was a great final creative burst. Too bad that the personal stories couldn't end as smooth. The future is unpredictable with these guys, but either way I'm fine. All that great stuff they did from inception through the early to mid seventies is all that I truly care about and their lack of public grace notwithstanding they can't ever taint the music to me. Hell even when I personally have a beef with an artist I still like their music. Let's remember it's about the music.

[Jason]

I don't much care, really. They're still the best fucking band in the history of rock music.

[Nicko1234]

I agree entirely it's about the music. The most important things right now are that fans have the choice of watching two fine live acts on tour and that there will be a new album coming out featuring Brian, Al and David. Good times that won't last...

The interviews I couldn't care less about and I only believe about 7% of what they say anyway.

[MBE]

I don't much care, really. They're still the best fucking band in the history of rock music.

Right on! That's what I want this thread about. Do you all still love the music? Nicko, Jason and I aren't the only ones who don't care about the circus.

[alf wiedersehen]

I think everyone is way too involved with the people and their personal life's than we probably should be.

[Jason]

I like all of the members equally and each contributed his own special something-or-other to the group. That's about as simple as it is. It all goes back to the music. f*** the politics. The music is timeless. They're the best fucking band in rock music. I'll shout it at the top of my lungs in the pouring rain...while I scream, fist pumping, FUM HIM THE MOURDOROUS BASTARD!

[MBE]

I like all of the members equally and each contributed his own special something-or-other to the group. That's about as simple as it is. It all goes back to the music. f*** the politics. The music is timeless. They're the best fucking band in rock music. I'll shout it at the top of my lungs in the pouring rain...while I scream, fist pumping, FUM HIM THE MOURDOROUS BASTARD!

YES FUM HIM!

[MBE]

I think everyone is way too involved with the people and their personal life's than we probably should be.

They probably worry about these issues less than fans.  While they do bring it on themselves to a degree, honestly you get any of them to talk about music and all of the other stuff doesn't matter. That's why they are special.

[Mikie]

I think everyone is way too involved with the people and their personal life's than we probably should be.

Yes! Completely agree. Sometimes I think the posters who contribute to it have no lives of their own!   

[Sheriff John Stone]

I'm sorry. I have to go the other way. This stuff does bother me.

For me, and I think a large part of diehards of any group, this dissension sticks in your craw. It makes you think, and not in a good way. I mean, don't you spend entirely too much time thinking, reading, and writing about these conflicts. It shapes your opinion, maybe even subconsciously. I also think fandom is a work in progress. The basis is formed early in your following of a group, and remains basically the same. But over time, and in the Beach Boys' case we're talking decades, you learn more, you live more - YOU actually change - and opinions change. You might still love the music, but you're not naive. And, it's perfectly normal to become cynical or jaded.

[puni puni]

I think everyone is way too involved with the people and their personal life's than we probably should be.

I really wish that "General On Topic Discussions" was split into "General On-Topic Music Discussion" and "General On-Topic News Discussion" but it seems like this will never ever ever ever ever happen for the Smiley Smile board, and people will just have to deal with 48145249859372832 Mikelov threads swamping invaluable facts and observations relating to the compositional skills of Mssrs. Wilson and company.

[Lowbacca]

Do we really care about the conflicts?

I kind of do . . yeah. As much as I'm interested in the personal life of Oscar Wilde or Picasso. It's part of the 'bigger picture' and, to be honest, part of their arts as well.

Just to relativise the situation at hand . .

[Emdeeh]

We've already forgotten that the British tabloid press started all the "firing" talk. I think the press has been exaggerating the conflicts all along, and a lot of reporters just repeat erroneous information once it gets started. At least the press has begun to recognize the band broke up (again), something they mostly didn't notice from 1998-2011.

I see the Beach Boys as real people, ones who have given us a great gift of music. I'd just as soon the guys get back together again, but that's not my call to make.

And I miss Carl and Dennis madly....

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Some people want to rehash Smile for the millionth time. Do they need to get a life?
It's all interesting, whatever floats your boat.

Don't wanna hear about the latest interview controversy,  skip the thread.

[Dancing Bear]

Well... I'm a big fan of the Band. I love their three first albums and dig the rest of their output till '75. The solo albums don't move me all that much. Levon Helm literally HATED Robertson's guts, Manuel commited suicide, Danko died a junkie.

But you know what? They made those fantastic two albums, "Music from the Big Pink" and "The Band". All the rest is a footnote.

I feel like that about the Beach Boys. Sure, I'd rather see them living in peace and all, bit it's their lives to sort out. There will always be their recorded Legacy from 1962 to 1977. Everything that came after, scandals, bickering, reunions, solo careers, is a footnote.

[HeyJude]

Some people want to rehash Smile for the millionth time. Do they need to get a life?
It's all interesting, whatever floats your boat.

Don't wanna hear about the latest interview controversy,  skip the thread.

I agree. Discussion of the sort-of breakup of the band, band names, potential band lawsuits, etc. is plenty on-topic to me. Skip threads that don't interest you.

[JohnMill]

I think everyone is way too involved with the people and their personal life's than we probably should be.

I think that is what makes this fanbase unique though for better or worse. I don't think there is another fanbase as invested in the personal lives and relationships than Beach Boys fans are as it pertains to the members of the band.  We tend to speak of them as if they were our own family members instead of entertainers we've maybe met a small handful of times and then only for a few precious seconds.

So to answer the original question: Yes I think the vast majority do care about the conflicts.  I think the amount of emphasis the fans place upon the personal lives of The Beach Boys' more than anything else defines this fanbase and has been that way from at least in my experience since the day I first visited the Hunt/Lane forums.  Smiley Smile Dot Net Message Board, BlueBoard, The Old SMiLE Shop...more or less have all revolved around a fanbase which for the most part carries themselves with an air of almost intimate familiarity when it comes to The Beach Boys.   I'm not saying that is a bad thing but to deny what it is would be patently ridiculous at this stage in the game.

[clack]

The Beach Boys re-formed, and then broke up again. This all happened last year -- and the fallout from that breakup is still making news via interviews with the band members themselves.

How can this not be of interest on a board devoted to discussion of the Beach Boys?

[Wirestone]

Frankly I think NONE of them should have aired this in public ever. They should have just finished and gone on with their work. ALL of this could have been taken care of in private. I enjoyed the LP, the tour, it was a great final creative burst. Too bad that the personal stories couldn't end as smooth. The future is unpredictable with these guys, but either way I'm fine. All that great stuff they did from inception through the early to mid seventies is all that I truly care about and their lack of public grace notwithstanding they can't ever taint the music to me. Hell even when I personally have a beef with an artist I still like their music. Let's remember it's about the music.

Virtually all band members feud, and most who have been around for as long as the Beach Boys feud in the press. It's the way things go. I think it's fascinating, simply because the intrigue around these guys never stops. The fact that these crazy people made such beautiful music is one of the basic contradictions of the BB story.

And that's not all. Both groups -- Mike's and Brian's -- have some of the best touring musicians that Beach Boys music has ever had. That's an amazing thing, that this music is getting so widely played these days, and so well.

[Mikie]

Hey Wirestone, I thought you were going to take a hiatus from the board until MIC comes out.  Couldn't resist, eh? 

[Wirestone]

Hey Wirestone, I thought you were going to take a hiatus from the board until MIC comes out.  Couldn't resist, eh?  

Eh. I tried.

That Al Jardine. He keeps pulling me back in. Plus, I bought tickets for BBAD in Boston and am kind of pumped about that ...

[EgoHanger1966]

The whole thing is tacky, and has been some sort of promotional ploy/stunt starting from the very beginning. I can't believe so many people (much smarter than me) can't see right through it. This kind of sh*t maybe could have been alright to sell gossip mags in the 90s, but this group has a legacy to preserve and they're blowing it in their attempts to sell more concert tickets and box sets. Someone should tell them to grow the f*** up, all of them

[bringahorseinhere?]

im with The Real Beach Boys, they are the 'best fucking band in rock history'...... I think half of the politics makes this band
the most intriguing........it would make a good movie........ err hang on, there are already how many? and one more on the way?....
let alone the idea of making 'the drummer'.........

its a shame from a family standpoint........and maybe its adding more tarnish to the band's name, or maybe a little more legend.... who knows...

I also agree, these 'original' guys are on a limited time frame, so they have to start thinking about who the reins will be handed to for the next generation....

and yes, I also agree it's going to get more ugly before its all over......

still, collectively or individually....... the Music! is the Star here........ not the individuals


RickB

[mikeddonn]

I like everyone in the band.  I think we as fans make a bigger deal of the comments than the guys do.  If they were able to reunite last year and play happy band mates then I'm sure they could again.  I think they are seasoned pros and know when to pull together and when to stir up a little crap now and again.  They probably love watching our reaction to it all!

[MBE]

Don't want to make it seem I have no interest in them as people, especially as it informs their songs. Though I too have opinions on any given topic, I just fail to see why some threads get so heated.