Al joining Mike and Bruce for Jones Beach show

[ToneBender631]

Yep, Mike is to blame no matter what. We get it.

No one is saying that. But a few of us have said repeatedly that there are numerous plausible and reasonable scenarios that could account for this that might show that the blame goes on Live Nation, Al, Mike or, more likely, all three.

Also, Jones Beach isn't remote for the majority of the people that go to the shows there. The amphitheater, right on the water, regularly serves 15K people, 4+ nights a week, every summer. It's easily accessible for the majority of people on Long Island, which if it were a state would be the most densely populated state in the union. It's just not convenient for someone that lives in NYC  with no car (not that they couldn't rent a zip car, figure out some trains/buses, carpool or hire a car service).

As per Wikipedia:

The park – 10 mi (16.1 km) in length – is renowned for its great beaches (which, excepting the Zach's Bay, face the open Atlantic Ocean) and furnishes one of the most popular summer recreational locations for the New York metropolitan area. It is the most popular and heavily visited beach on the East Coast, with an estimated six million visitors per year.

[HeyJude]

It was reported on the BBB board on June 6 that Al wouldn't be appearing so I imagine Mike knew that  by then, if not earlier. (Funny, a certain regular poster here disputed that news, even offering to bet people, oh the irony  ).

Point is, Mike knew a month ago and his mgt failed to remove Al from the billing.

And Al failed to remove Jones Beach from his list of upcoming gigs. After that rumor was posted on Beach Boys Britain. If you read that thread on the BBB board, someone even posted there they knew they rumor could not possibly be true, because they went over to check Al's personal website, and the Jones Beach gig was still listed as an upcoming Al Jardine personal appearance, even after that rumor was circulated.  Don't you think Al's management or whoever runs his website should be held to the same standards as Mike's management?

None of the parties should have put Al's name out there (Al, Mike, LiveNation) if there was even a slight possibility that Al might not appear. If it was an informal agreement all along, no matter what happened to make it not happen, they should have had Al just show up and play without advance billing; it would have made for some nice news stories for everyone involved if he would have shown up to play out of the blue. Or at most dropped a hint that "a very special guest may appear." Then, if only Dave showed up, they were covered for a "very special guest" whether Al appeared or not.

But the problem is that I think there’s a pretty strong possibility that Al was pursued in order to hype up the show and sell more tickets. This seems even more likely if in fact Live Nation was the entity who contacted Al rather than Mike’s operation.

If Live Nation contacted Al, and Al learned either through Live Nation or someone else that he was being added for “one night only” due to slow ticket sales, that might have contributed to the potential to be skeptical about doing the show and about the motives for asking him to join in. Not totally unlike fans’ decisions on whether to buy tickets to the show, maybe Al was skeptical but unsure when approached. Maybe he thought it was kind of tacky to get the offer from Live Nation, and maybe he thought he was being used to boost sales for one show only, but he thought maybe something good could still come of it. Maybe it was a 50/50 proposition at that stage, and then some other negotiation aspect slowly killed the deal.

For the sake of fans and group unity, it probably indeed would have been better to not announce Al. When I saw Al play with Brian in June 2007, it was completely unannounced and unbilled in advance. I think it was just close enough to Monterey that Al tagged along and played.

As an aside, there is always a “slight possibility” that an individual can’t make a gig. Part of the problem, both legally and logistically, with the Beach Boys is that they (or most of them anyway) choose to have a setup where the “brand” and the “touring band” and the “corporate band” and the “band that appears on new albums” are all different at different times, even setting aside deaths that are outside of their control. Think about back in the 80’s and 90’s. Brian and Dennis may or may not have shown up to any particular gig in the early 80’s. Mike missed a few shows in 83 and 90. Al missed a few shows in 90. Carl missed random shows in 90, 95, probably other random dates. They always played the show anyway. Was there ever anything implicit in who would be at those gigs? Promoters used old photos of the band randomly. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dennis snuck into photos after 1983. The only measure they may have had back then was an internal corporate rule requiring a certain amount of “core” group members on stage, and it’s possible this rule (or a variation on it) carried over into the agreements they made with promoters.

I’m digressing, but if they just got their s*** together and just toured all together, then this crap wouldn’t happen. They could make a simple rule. All five, or no show. Brian calls in sick? Postpone it. Al breaks his guitar tuning finger? Postpone the show. Bruce can’t find his shorts in time for the show? Postpone it.

As long as they dilute their trademark/brand, the consequence is always going to be on occasion some confusion among fans, ticket buyers, promoters, and so on. I would say that Mike perhaps shouldn’t have attempted to integrate Al into the show for one night only if he had no further plans to play with Al or reform the full band, but I would imagine that could well come to pass now.

[HeyJude]

I was excited that Al was playing with Mike and am bummed he is not. In my mind, Al in the band makes the group much more authentic. I really wish Mike and Al could mend the issues that continue to divide them.

I think there are some fans that feel this way, but this is probably one of the reasons the whole process of trying to integrate Al was dicey to begin with. If Al cancels and the take-away from that event is that he would made the show more “authentic” and whatnot, that then implies that the “standard” touring lineup lacks authenticity. There could be parties involved that wouldn’t like that implication.

I would like to know how enthusiastic Mike was about Live Nation approaching Al. If it was Live Nation’s idea, sort of a variation on “Hey, you need more ‘original members’ if you want this show to sell more tickets”, then Mike may have been skeptical or ambivalent about having Al there from the get-go. I stress this is beyond even speculation; just throwing some scenarios out there. Once someone (Live Nation?) made the call that Al would/could be there, then anyone would go into full PR mode and talk enthusiastically about it. But I wouldn’t be surprised if part of what is irking them about Al bailing on the gig is that they might have been kind of annoyed about the whole thing all along, and just became more annoyed when, after they sucked it up and went along with it and tried to make it a joyous positive event, the thing fell through and all they were left with was all involved looking like jackasses because what they said would happen did not.

As an aside, I was interested to read David Marks’ quick post confirming his appearance at Jones Beach, where he makes it explicitly clear that it’s a one-time event. I wonder if that is due either to making it crystal clear he’s not re-joining full time, and/or because he may want to do more gigs with Brian?

[HeyJude]

HeyJude: Points taken, but at the same time where is Mike's explanation or even a statement or comment about Al's appearance July 5th? This is the way Jones Beach was mentioned in the David Beard "Examiner" interview posted June 22, just over a week ago:

Will David Marks will be joining you for Jones Beach Theater concert on Saturday, July 5?

Mike: We’re planning on it, that’s for sure. David and I have had a long friendship. There was one time – when we were in Hawaii in the early days – David was sitting on a balcony, and was getting ready to fall off, and I grabbed his ankle as he was on his way down. He attributes that act as saving his life. Literally. David is a bright and witty person…a lot of fun to be around. I care about David a lot, and we always have had a great relationship.

At least an "elephant in the room" situation here, right? 

In the Rolling Stone article from mid-May, they quoted Mike:

"Year after year, it's been a great source of inspiration to see the happiness our music has brought to multiple generations of Beach Boys fans in so many parts of the world," Mike Love said in a statement. "This summer I’m particularly excited for the Jones Beach show, which is such a terrific, iconic venue. It will be very special to share the stage with some old friends and bandmates, Al Jardine and David Marks."

Right, and just around a month later (give or take a week) the interview with Mike where Jones Beach is mentioned has not a single word about Al, in either the question or the answer.

Doesn't that seem like a pretty glaring omission? Especially when I'd assume most people seeking out and reading these interviews would have read the May interview where Al is mentioned "sharing the stage", and then by June 22 Al isn't even mentioned. That's the "elephant in the room", right?

It’s hard to say what Mike knew or meant to convey at that stage, or when precisely the actual interview took place. He was asked specifically about David Marks, so it’s possible he was simply answering that question the affirmative without addressing Al one way or the other. I agree that if Al was a sure thing, it would make sense to also mention him in that response.

I’m also curious why the question was only asked about David Marks. If I was interviewing Mike about a big upcoming semi-reunion gig and I didn’t know that Al had backed out, I wouldn’t only ask the question about David, I would ask if David and Al were joining. 

[Custom Machine]

I have hesitated to delve into the whys and wherefores of Al's non-appearance at Jones Beach, but a possible scenario follows.  On May 8 it's announced that Al will be joining the touring Beach Boys at Jones Beach on July 5.  On June 20 Al posts on FB, "Despite some reports to the contrary, I am not touring with Mike Love and the Beach Boys this summer. I will, however, be joining Brian Wilson on July 4th in Cork, Ireland and July 5th at the Hop Farm Music Festival in Kent, England."  

Note the way Al put this - he did not say he would not be appearing with Mike Love and the Beach Boys at Jones Beach on June 5.  Instead he said, "I am not touring with Mike Love and the Beach Boys this summer."  Then he goes on to list two specific dates he'll be appearing with Brian Wilson.

So a possible scenario is this - Al ultimately told Mike or Live Nation or whomever that he'd agree to appear at Jones Beach with the touring Beach Boys as long as he was included in other BB gigs this summer.  Then they were either unable to reach financial agreement to compensate Al for additional appearances, or Mike flat out told Al "no", saying that the agreement was for one show at Jones Beach.  Al then contacted Brian about appearing with him and when he got an OK he bailed on Jones Beach.

I have absolutely no idea if this is how things played out, but it's no secret that Al has been interested in rejoining the touring Beach Boys, so I'm throwing this out as a possible scenario.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

I have hesitated to delve into the whys and wherefores of Al's non-appearance at Jones Beach, but a possible scenario follows.  On May 8 it's announced that Al will be joining the touring Beach Boys at Jones Beach on July 5.  On June 20 Al posts on FB, "Despite some reports to the contrary, I am not touring with Mike Love and the Beach Boys this summer. I will, however, be joining Brian Wilson on July 4th in Cork, Ireland and July 5th at the Hop Farm Music Festival in Kent, England." 

Note the way Al put this - he did not say he would not be appearing with Mike Love and the Beach Boys at Jones Beach on June 5.  Instead he said, "I am not touring with Mike Love and the Beach Boys this summer."  Then he goes on to list two specific dates he'll be appearing with Brian Wilson.

So a possible scenario is this - Al ultimately told Mike or Live Nation or whomever that he'd agree to appear at Jones Beach with the touring Beach Boys as long as he was included in other BB gigs this summer.  Then they were either unable to reach financial agreement to compensate Al for additional appearances, or Mike flat out told Al "no", saying that the agreement was for one show at Jones Beach.  Al then contacted Brian about appearing with him and when he got an OK he bailed on Jones Beach.

I have absolutely no idea if this is how things played out, but it's no secret that Al has been interested in rejoining the touring Beach Boys, so I'm throwing this out as a possible scenario.

Bingo!

[ToneBender631]

HeyJude: Points taken, but at the same time where is Mike's explanation or even a statement or comment about Al's appearance July 5th? This is the way Jones Beach was mentioned in the David Beard "Examiner" interview posted June 22, just over a week ago:

Will David Marks will be joining you for Jones Beach Theater concert on Saturday, July 5?

Mike: We’re planning on it, that’s for sure. David and I have had a long friendship. There was one time – when we were in Hawaii in the early days – David was sitting on a balcony, and was getting ready to fall off, and I grabbed his ankle as he was on his way down. He attributes that act as saving his life. Literally. David is a bright and witty person…a lot of fun to be around. I care about David a lot, and we always have had a great relationship.

At least an "elephant in the room" situation here, right?  

In the Rolling Stone article from mid-May, they quoted Mike:

"Year after year, it's been a great source of inspiration to see the happiness our music has brought to multiple generations of Beach Boys fans in so many parts of the world," Mike Love said in a statement. "This summer I’m particularly excited for the Jones Beach show, which is such a terrific, iconic venue. It will be very special to share the stage with some old friends and bandmates, Al Jardine and David Marks."

Right, and just around a month later (give or take a week) the interview with Mike where Jones Beach is mentioned has not a single word about Al, in either the question or the answer.

Doesn't that seem like a pretty glaring omission? Especially when I'd assume most people seeking out and reading these interviews would have read the May interview where Al is mentioned "sharing the stage", and then by June 22 Al isn't even mentioned. That's the "elephant in the room", right?

It’s hard to say what Mike knew or meant to convey at that stage, or when precisely the actual interview took place. He was asked specifically about David Marks, so it’s possible he was simply answering that question the affirmative without addressing Al one way or the other. I agree that if Al was a sure thing, it would make sense to also mention him in that response.

I’m also curious why the question was only asked about David Marks. If I was interviewing Mike about a big upcoming semi-reunion gig and I didn’t know that Al had backed out, I wouldn’t only ask the question about David, I would ask if David and Al were joining.  

Interviews tend to have pre-conditions, i.e. you can ask about X, you can't ask about Y. So, there's a good chance that Mike wanted to use the opportunity to plug the show but made it clear that Al was off-topic.

[Dancing Bear]

It was reported on the BBB board on June 6 that Al wouldn't be appearing so I imagine Mike knew that  by then, if not earlier. (Funny, a certain regular poster here disputed that news, even offering to bet people, oh the irony  ).

Point is, Mike knew a month ago and his mgt failed to remove Al from the billing.

And Al failed to remove Jones Beach from his list of upcoming gigs. After that rumor was posted on Beach Boys Britain. If you read that thread on the BBB board, someone even posted there they knew they rumor could not possibly be true, because they went over to check Al's personal website, and the Jones Beach gig was still listed as an upcoming Al Jardine personal appearance, even after that rumor was circulated.  Don't you think Al's management or whoever runs his website should be held to the same standards as Mike's management?

None of the parties should have put Al's name out there (Al, Mike, LiveNation) if there was even a slight possibility that Al might not appear. If it was an informal agreement all along, no matter what happened to make it not happen, they should have had Al just show up and play without advance billing; it would have made for some nice news stories for everyone involved if he would have shown up to play out of the blue. Or at most dropped a hint that "a very special guest may appear." Then, if only Dave showed up, they were covered for a "very special guest" whether Al appeared or not.

But the problem is that I think there’s a pretty strong possibility that Al was pursued in order to hype up the show and sell more tickets. This seems even more likely if in fact Live Nation was the entity who contacted Al rather than Mike’s operation.

I see. Did Mike also hack Al's website to insert the Jones Beach date to his list of gigs to come?

[startBBtoday]

I don't know whose fault it is, nor do I really care, but it's extremely unfortunate that there is a founding member of The Beach Boys who wants to be a Beach Boy but can't.

I have no doubt that Al can be difficult to work with and I'm sure that it's far more cost-effective for Mike to go out with Bruce. It just sucks.

[Rocker]

I'd love to have an insider-book about everything that happened surrounding the reunion. Starting with the landmark dedication, the rooftop reunion, then Brian and Al touring Pet Sounds the Beach Boys tour and the aftermath with all the details of what happened and why those bastards can't play together even if they want to. 

[Foster's Freeze]

I would say that Mike perhaps shouldn’t have attempted to integrate Al into the show for one night only if he had no further plans to play with Al or reform the full band, but I would imagine that could well come to pass now.

I agree.  Either Al is in or not.  How all of these guys have handled this is a joke.  I don't mean Jones beach, I mean how since Carl's death this has been handled.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

It was reported on the BBB board on June 6 that Al wouldn't be appearing so I imagine Mike knew that  by then, if not earlier. (Funny, a certain regular poster here disputed that news, even offering to bet people, oh the irony   ).

Point is, Mike knew a month ago and his mgt failed to remove Al from the billing.

And Al failed to remove Jones Beach from his list of upcoming gigs. After that rumor was posted on Beach Boys Britain. If you read that thread on the BBB board, someone even posted there they knew they rumor could not possibly be true, because they went over to check Al's personal website, and the Jones Beach gig was still listed as an upcoming Al Jardine personal appearance, even after that rumor was circulated.  Don't you think Al's management or whoever runs his website should be held to the same standards as Mike's management?

None of the parties should have put Al's name out there (Al, Mike, LiveNation) if there was even a slight possibility that Al might not appear. If it was an informal agreement all along, no matter what happened to make it not happen, they should have had Al just show up and play without advance billing; it would have made for some nice news stories for everyone involved if he would have shown up to play out of the blue. Or at most dropped a hint that "a very special guest may appear." Then, if only Dave showed up, they were covered for a "very special guest" whether Al appeared or not.

But the problem is that I think there’s a pretty strong possibility that Al was pursued in order to hype up the show and sell more tickets. This seems even more likely if in fact Live Nation was the entity who contacted Al rather than Mike’s operation.

I see. Did Mike also hack Al's website to insert the Jones Beach date to his list of gigs to come?

What if....... What if Al and Mike had verbally agreed that Al would play, say 20 gigs, with the band this summer. Then Mike changed his mind to  just a one off. ?...... What if......... Obviously,  they had agreed to something,  or maybe Al just misunderstood what Mike was offering.  And then when all became clear, Al was not doing the show.

We just don't have the facts. It sucks that Al isn't playing. It sucks for us fans that Al isn't in the band. But it is what it is. Least these guys never bore us.

[Foster's Freeze]

I don't know whose fault it is, nor do I really care, but it's extremely unfortunate that there is a founding member of The Beach Boys who wants to be a Beach Boy but can't.

I have no doubt that Al can be difficult to work with and I'm sure that it's far more cost-effective for Mike to go out with Bruce. It just sucks.

It does suck and this isn't a bag on Mike but I can't imagine anyone but "newer" fans even consider his version "The Beach Boys."  This is no different in my eyes than when he and Dean Torrence headlined shows together as "Mike and Dean w/ the Endless Summer Beach Band."

I grew up loving the Beach Boys and the way Mike runs the show now has completely devalued "the brand" to the point where I don't take them seriously at all.  It does suck and it is sad that these guys can't get along.

Sad and stupid.

[SMiLE Brian]

So true.

[Nicko1234]

Why would Al need to apologize to fans for not performing for them July 5th when he'll be in England performing for fans July 5th? Perhaps there is more to the story, right? Or perhaps not.

I can parse and twist words and meanings with the best of 'em, but since we haven't gotten an official word or full explanation publicly as to what happened, unless Al broke a legal contract/agreement to be there, why does he owe an apology?

And for those who are having a tough time finding the negatives against particular members scattered among this board as an almost expected pattern, I'd suggest getting a stronger pair of reading glasses. I'll stay cryptic for now, but it's often a more successful tactic to "accentuate the positive" on what you're promoting than it is to try boosting a legacy or an image by diminishing or casting doubts on another.

Sorry but this is a slightly curious post to me.

Of course Al may have had a very good reason not to play with M&B but a simple, `I`m sorry for fans who bought tickets for the Jones Beach show expecting me to be there...` wouldn`t have gone amiss. The fact that he will be playing thousands of miles away on that day is no help to the fans who have already handed over their $$$.

And the legal/contractual thing will doubtless be of interest to Mike and the lawyers but it has no real impact on how fans will react or how they are affected.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I don't know whose fault it is, nor do I really care, but it's extremely unfortunate that there is a founding member of The Beach Boys who wants to be a Beach Boy but can't.

You don't have to look any further than four people/entities - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and the Estate Of Carl Wilson. Years ago there was a vote, and, simply, the bottom line (i.e. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) won out.

There are a multitude of unanswered questions that we fans on this board would like to see answered. However, presently, are there any questions more important than what would it take to change/amend the license, do the voters even WANT to change the license, do they still prefer money over art/the music/the "brand"/the legacy (that question is rhetorical for me), and, has any of the voters EVER TRIED to start a movement to gather support to affect a change (meaning trying to get enough votes on their side)? Al appears to be the only one not happy with the status quo. I wonder what he is doing about it, other than upsetting people?

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

I don't know whose fault it is, nor do I really care, but it's extremely unfortunate that there is a founding member of The Beach Boys who wants to be a Beach Boy but can't.

You don't have to look any further than four people/entities - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and the Estate Of Carl Wilson. Years ago there was a vote, and, simply, the bottom line (i.e. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) won out.

There are a multitude of unanswered questions that we fans on this board would like to see answered. However, presently, are there any questions more important than what would it take to change/amend the license, do the voters even WANT to change the license, do they still prefer money over art/the music/the "brand"/the legacy (that question is rhetorical for me), and, has any of the voters EVER TRIED to start a movement to gather support to affect a change (meaning trying to get enough votes on their side)? Al appears to be the only one not happy with the status quo. I wonder what he is doing about it, other than upsetting people?

Taking whatever scraps he's given, unsuccessfully trying to leverage offers from Brian and Mike against the other, and trying to make the most of being the odd man out.

[Andrew G. Doe]

There are a multitude of unanswered questions that we fans on this board would like to see answered. However, presently, are there any questions more important than what would it take to change/amend the license, do the voters even WANT to change the license...

Think the answer to that is obvious: no. The only person who would want to is Alan. Mike's happy doing what he loves as the legally sanctioned (touring) Beach Boys... Carl's estate isn't going to pass up on a nice chunk of cash every year obtained by doing precisely nothing purely on a point of alleged artistic integrity... ditto Brian's management (Brian himself could likely care less, to judge by his infrequent comments on the situation), the more so as he now has a separate identity: any way you slice that, it's a 3-1 vote. Ain't gonna happen.

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

There are a multitude of unanswered questions that we fans on this board would like to see answered. However, presently, are there any questions more important than what would it take to change/amend the license, do the voters even WANT to change the license...

Think the answer to that is obvious: no. The only person who would want to is Alan. Mike's happy doing what he loves as the legally sanctioned (touring) Beach Boys... Carl's estate isn't going to pass up on a nice chunk of cash every year obtained by doing precisely nothing purely on a point of alleged artistic integrity... ditto Brian's management (Brian himself could likely care less, to judge by his infrequent comments on the situation), the more so as he now has a separate identity: any way you slice that, it's a 3-1 vote. Ain't gonna happen.

Poor Al. What a way for your career to end. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be kicked out of your own band, treated like a side kick if not ignored by your bandmates/second family and just left out to dry. If I were in his shoes, I'd be driving myself crazy thinking "Really guys? All those decades of music...all the ups and downs we've been through...that means so little to you that you're just gonna abandon me like this?"

It's like something out of a Greek tragedy. He could have anything in the world...except play with the band he co-founded. Oh the cruel irony!

[Nicko1234]

Poor Al. What a way for your career to end. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be kicked out of your own band, treated like a side kick if not ignored by your bandmates/second family and just left out to dry. If I were in his shoes, I'd be driving myself crazy thinking "Really guys? All those decades of music...all the ups and downs we've been through...that means so little to you that you're just gonna abandon me like this?"

It's like something out of a Greek tragedy. He could have anything in the world...except play with the band he co-founded. Oh the cruel irony!

I think all fans would say that it is a travesty that Al, easily the best singer of the remaining members, has played so few gigs (C50 apart) since 1998.

He has had a big role to play in that though. After Carl`s passing it was Al who said that there shouldn`t be a Beach Boys anymore and he chose not to pay to use the name.

[Sheriff John Stone]

There are a multitude of unanswered questions that we fans on this board would like to see answered. However, presently, are there any questions more important than what would it take to change/amend the license, do the voters even WANT to change the license...

Think the answer to that is obvious: no. The only person who would want to is Alan. Mike's happy doing what he loves as the legally sanctioned (touring) Beach Boys... Carl's estate isn't going to pass up on a nice chunk of cash every year obtained by doing precisely nothing purely on a point of alleged artistic integrity... ditto Brian's management (Brian himself could likely care less, to judge by his infrequent comments on the situation), the more so as he now has a separate identity: any way you slice that, it's a 3-1 vote. Ain't gonna happen.

Totally agree. Next question....Why doesn't it (the positions that you laid out) seem to bother fans on this board? Because they/we/I LIKE this setup? Because they/we/I know that NOTHING is going to change? Why isn't there more outrage that our band is going down the path of The Platters on a PBS Special? Do you realize how dangerously close that is true? God forbid, but Bruce could visit his cardiologist next week for a checkup, and the doctor could advise him to retire from the road. Mike would then hire a keyboardist to replace Bruce. Would anyone - Mike, Brian, Al, Carl's Estate - even blink?

[RioGrande]

Yep, Mike is to blame no matter what. We get it.

 

Your stance, instead, seems to be that Al is to blame, no matter what. Of course, because Al counts nothing anyway, right?

[RioGrande]

I don't know whose fault it is, nor do I really care, but it's extremely unfortunate that there is a founding member of The Beach Boys who wants to be a Beach Boy but can't.

You don't have to look any further than four people/entities - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and the Estate Of Carl Wilson. Years ago there was a vote, and, simply, the bottom line (i.e. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) won out.

There are a multitude of unanswered questions that we fans on this board would like to see answered. However, presently, are there any questions more important than what would it take to change/amend the license, do the voters even WANT to change the license, do they still prefer money over art/the music/the "brand"/the legacy (that question is rhetorical for me), and, has any of the voters EVER TRIED to start a movement to gather support to affect a change (meaning trying to get enough votes on their side)? Al appears to be the only one not happy with the status quo. I wonder what he is doing about it, other than upsetting people?

Taking whatever scraps he's given, unsuccessfully trying to leverage offers from Brian and Mike against the other, and trying to make the most of being the odd man out.

This.
Sadly.
And I add, being bashed in the process by people who should be "fans" of his (in strict theory, of course) and know zilch about what really happened.

[Dave in KC]

Huge Labor Day festival 1998 here in KC. Beach Boys headlined. When they started playing and I couldn't see or find Al, I knew it was over. I was crestfallen but went home saying it is what it is. I haven't missed much in the BB saga over the years(1968).

[Foster's Freeze]

Poor Al. What a way for your career to end. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be kicked out of your own band, treated like a side kick if not ignored by your bandmates/second family and just left out to dry. If I were in his shoes, I'd be driving myself crazy thinking "Really guys? All those decades of music...all the ups and downs we've been through...that means so little to you that you're just gonna abandon me like this?"

It's like something out of a Greek tragedy. He could have anything in the world...except play with the band he co-founded. Oh the cruel irony!

This the saddest, funniest then saddest post I have read on here and it's 100% correct.