Awesome New Mike Love Article!!

[drbeachboy]

Nobody in the Beach Boys "story" is "all good" or "all bad".  Brian isn't a saint and Mike isn't a devil.  We should keep in mind that there is more than one Beach Boy who has mental health issues, however.  And becoming world-famous at an early age has helped a great number of celebrities to become f--ked up. 

Not the least of which is Mike.

This is all true.

But I am hesitant to start setting any sort of equivalency in this regard when it comes to these guys. There's one person who by leaps and bounds, time and time again, continues to often come across like an a-hole. Not all the time. But often, and far more often than the other guys.

Maybe we can all do better to try and understand Mike, and interviews like this actually do help. But Mike might do well to try and not simply occasionally acknowledge, but actually understand and *EMPATHIZE* with points of view totally contrary to his own, whether those points of view are coming from other BBs or fans or pundits or the press, etc. I see maybe a teeny, tiny bit of that in this article. But it's still mostly variations on "I'm sorry if YOU were offended" or "I'm sorry if YOU don't understand that what seems like being an a-hole is just my style of humor."

I have to give some credit to this interviewer for at least attempting to broach some topics may have wondered about, such as the contrast between espousing the virtues of meditation versus coming across as angry and bitter, filing lawsuits, etc. Mike didn't really give an answer (other than, I guess, he meditates so he's not even MORE pissed off all the time?). But at least someone finally asked.

The article does humanize Mike. I've never made fun of his baldness, wearing a hat, etc. I think he genuinely looks better sans the hats. But I've never sensed he's trying to hide anything on that topic. It's pretty obvious. It's just an appearance thing he prefers. What else is he going to do? I guess he could wear a different style of hat, as he has on occasion over the years. But then we're into cowboy hats, or berets, or whatever.

I don't know if this interview makes me feel any better about his upcoming autobiography. I think we may get more details (e.g. talking about his former wives) than we might have thought. But I don't see any evidence of humility or admitting mistakes. I guess we'll see.

None of the guys owe me any explanations about themselves. If they share, fine. If they don't, that is fine too. It is their lives to live, warts and all. I am not religious by no means, but I am a firm believer in the saying "let he without sin cast the first stone".

[Debbie KL]

Nobody in the Beach Boys "story" is "all good" or "all bad".  Brian isn't a saint and Mike isn't a devil.  We should keep in mind that there is more than one Beach Boy who has mental health issues, however.  And becoming world-famous at an early age has helped a great number of celebrities to become f--ked up.  

Not the least of which is Mike.

This is all true.

But I am hesitant to start setting any sort of equivalency in this regard when it comes to these guys. There's one person who by leaps and bounds, time and time again, continues to often come across like an a-hole. Not all the time. But often, and far more often than the other guys.

Maybe we can all do better to try and understand Mike, and interviews like this actually do help. But Mike might do well to try and not simply occasionally acknowledge, but actually understand and *EMPATHIZE* with points of view totally contrary to his own, whether those points of view are coming from other BBs or fans or pundits or the press, etc. I see maybe a teeny, tiny bit of that in this article. But it's still mostly variations on "I'm sorry if YOU were offended" or "I'm sorry if YOU don't understand that what seems like being an a-hole is just my style of humor."

I have to give some credit to this interviewer for at least attempting to broach some topics may have wondered about, such as the contrast between espousing the virtues of meditation versus coming across as angry and bitter, filing lawsuits, etc. Mike didn't really give an answer (other than, I guess, he meditates so he's not even MORE pissed off all the time?). But at least someone finally asked.

The article does humanize Mike. I've never made fun of his baldness, wearing a hat, etc. I think he genuinely looks better sans the hats. But I've never sensed he's trying to hide anything on that topic. It's pretty obvious. It's just an appearance thing he prefers. What else is he going to do? I guess he could wear a different style of hat, as he has on occasion over the years. But then we're into cowboy hats, or berets, or whatever.

I don't know if this interview makes me feel any better about his upcoming autobiography. I think we may get more details (e.g. talking about his former wives) than we might have thought. But I don't see any evidence of humility or admitting mistakes. I guess we'll see.

I'd be more optimistic if this author was also the book's author.  At least some real questions were asked.  Whether they were answered or not, it was more telling than the usual silly interviews.

I do have have a question though, what proof is there that the quote was a transcription error about what parts Matt sings?  I'll wait and see on that one.  I'm far from convinced, given some of the other comments in the article.  There was a time in Brian's band (briefly) when he had both Matt and Ike.  Possibly there was once a reference to that by a reviewer.  It certainly wasn't a "lie" on Brian's behalf.

[bossaroo]

what is he even getting at with the whole Matt Jardine thing? does he think they're trying to fool the audience into believing it's Brian singing falsetto? they're not. is this really the stuff that consumes his waking thoughts?

the article is a revealing peek into the unstable (by his own admission) mind of Mike Love. you almost feel sorry the guy, which is exactly what he wants.


here's a man who lives in the lap of luxury and owns the rights to the Beach Boys name which he wrested from his founding bandmates, yet still believes he's getting the short end of the stick.

a man who refused to keep working with his founding bandmates after a mega-successful album/tour/reunion, yet still has to ask his wife why he is the villain. what did i do??

a man who took his cousin to court and was awarded several million dollars and name recognition on dozens of songs for the rest of eternity, yet still asks how it can ever be resolved.

a man who claims to have meditated twice a day for nearly fifty years, yet still lacks the self-awareness and humility to finally stop blaming others for his misery.
 

[HeyJude]

Nobody in the Beach Boys "story" is "all good" or "all bad".  Brian isn't a saint and Mike isn't a devil.  We should keep in mind that there is more than one Beach Boy who has mental health issues, however.  And becoming world-famous at an early age has helped a great number of celebrities to become f--ked up. 

Not the least of which is Mike.

This is all true.

But I am hesitant to start setting any sort of equivalency in this regard when it comes to these guys. There's one person who by leaps and bounds, time and time again, continues to often come across like an a-hole. Not all the time. But often, and far more often than the other guys.

Maybe we can all do better to try and understand Mike, and interviews like this actually do help. But Mike might do well to try and not simply occasionally acknowledge, but actually understand and *EMPATHIZE* with points of view totally contrary to his own, whether those points of view are coming from other BBs or fans or pundits or the press, etc. I see maybe a teeny, tiny bit of that in this article. But it's still mostly variations on "I'm sorry if YOU were offended" or "I'm sorry if YOU don't understand that what seems like being an a-hole is just my style of humor."

I have to give some credit to this interviewer for at least attempting to broach some topics may have wondered about, such as the contrast between espousing the virtues of meditation versus coming across as angry and bitter, filing lawsuits, etc. Mike didn't really give an answer (other than, I guess, he meditates so he's not even MORE pissed off all the time?). But at least someone finally asked.

The article does humanize Mike. I've never made fun of his baldness, wearing a hat, etc. I think he genuinely looks better sans the hats. But I've never sensed he's trying to hide anything on that topic. It's pretty obvious. It's just an appearance thing he prefers. What else is he going to do? I guess he could wear a different style of hat, as he has on occasion over the years. But then we're into cowboy hats, or berets, or whatever.

I don't know if this interview makes me feel any better about his upcoming autobiography. I think we may get more details (e.g. talking about his former wives) than we might have thought. But I don't see any evidence of humility or admitting mistakes. I guess we'll see.

None of the guys owe me any explanations about themselves. If they share, fine. If they don't, that is fine too. It is their lives to live, warts and all. I am not religious by no means, but I am a firm believer in the saying "let he without sin cast the first stone".

I don't think anyone says Mike *owes* anybody anything. He's the one asking his wife why he's the villain. Does he actually want an answer?

[AndrewHickey]

I do have have a question though, what proof is there that the quote was a transcription error about what parts Matt sings?  I'll wait and see on that one.  I'm far from convinced, given some of the other comments in the article.  

There's no proof. It just seems like the most likely explanation for why Mike would say Matt was singing "my parts" but then in the same sentence talk about how he was singing Brian's old falsettos. It's either a transcription error, a slip of the tongue, or Mike thinks Matt is singing both the bass and the falsetto simultaneously somehow. To me the transcription error seems by far the most likely explanation.

[CenturyDeprived]

Nobody in the Beach Boys "story" is "all good" or "all bad".  Brian isn't a saint and Mike isn't a devil.  We should keep in mind that there is more than one Beach Boy who has mental health issues, however.  And becoming world-famous at an early age has helped a great number of celebrities to become f--ked up.  

Not the least of which is Mike.

This is all true.

But I am hesitant to start setting any sort of equivalency in this regard when it comes to these guys. There's one person who by leaps and bounds, time and time again, continues to often come across like an a-hole. Not all the time. But often, and far more often than the other guys.

Maybe we can all do better to try and understand Mike, and interviews like this actually do help. But Mike might do well to try and not simply occasionally acknowledge, but actually understand and *EMPATHIZE* with points of view totally contrary to his own, whether those points of view are coming from other BBs or fans or pundits or the press, etc. I see maybe a teeny, tiny bit of that in this article. But it's still mostly variations on "I'm sorry if YOU were offended" or "I'm sorry if YOU don't understand that what seems like being an a-hole is just my style of humor."

I have to give some credit to this interviewer for at least attempting to broach some topics may have wondered about, such as the contrast between espousing the virtues of meditation versus coming across as angry and bitter, filing lawsuits, etc. Mike didn't really give an answer (other than, I guess, he meditates so he's not even MORE pissed off all the time?). But at least someone finally asked.

The article does humanize Mike. I've never made fun of his baldness, wearing a hat, etc. I think he genuinely looks better sans the hats. But I've never sensed he's trying to hide anything on that topic. It's pretty obvious. It's just an appearance thing he prefers. What else is he going to do? I guess he could wear a different style of hat, as he has on occasion over the years. But then we're into cowboy hats, or berets, or whatever.

I don't know if this interview makes me feel any better about his upcoming autobiography. I think we may get more details (e.g. talking about his former wives) than we might have thought. But I don't see any evidence of humility or admitting mistakes. I guess we'll see.

None of the guys owe me any explanations about themselves. If they share, fine. If they don't, that is fine too. It is their lives to live, warts and all. I am not religious by no means, but I am a firm believer in the saying "let he without sin cast the first stone".

But wouldn't that "let he without sin cast the first stone" ideology that you believe in apply to Mike himself?

Hasn't he cast more hypocritical stones than you could shake a stick at, like publicly griping how Al is the one who holds onto resentment, going out of his way to somehow finger Brian's band for "false advertising", etc etc?  If he is asking why people vilify him, don't you think it's at least in part because of the way he often publicly judgmentally picks on people for things he himself is often guilty of? If you're such a firm believer of it, I would think this would bug you considerably.

If you don't want to find fault in Mike's (or any BB member's) actions, fine. But at least concede that Mike should lay off hypocritically picking on people for stuff he does all the time.

[Debbie KL]

I do have have a question though, what proof is there that the quote was a transcription error about what parts Matt sings?  I'll wait and see on that one.  I'm far from convinced, given some of the other comments in the article.  

There's no proof. It just seems like the most likely explanation for why Mike would say Matt was singing "my parts" but then in the same sentence talk about how he was singing Brian's old falsettos. It's either a transcription error, a slip of the tongue, or Mike thinks Matt is singing both the bass and the falsetto simultaneously somehow. To me the transcription error seems by far the most likely explanation.

Like you said, all are possibilities.  The greater mystery is why Mike brought it up at all and thinks that people are "lying" on Brian's behalf regarding what his band does.  Have we seen any evidence of this?  I haven't seen any photos of the C50 band promoting Brian's shows, so misrepresentation doesn't seem to be his "thing."

[drbeachboy]

That's Mike's business with those people and not for me say. How you or I feel about anything that was done between these guys means absolutely nothing. For some reason we think our fandom entitles us to impose our opinions on their lives. As I have stated here many times, we hate on these guys more than the guys themselves do.

[Autotune]

Nice article! It shows Mike in all the complexity and drama of our human condition. The contradictions and conflict shown defies over-simplification and easy judgement all of us are willing to make.

Just like any of us, he wears his scars as best as he can-- and he has quite a few scars. He seems like a nice and fun fellow, great sense of humor, hard-working, work-loving, probably not easy to work with, and overprotective of his role and place.

Regarding the Matt issue, the line is a bit confusing, and probably mixes up a two different ideas. But let us remember that during the C50 adventure, Joe T. said in interviews that Jeff Foskett was singing Carl's parts and range-- never mentioning that he was singing Brian's original falsettos. So maybe this idea just leaked in the phrase or phrasing.

[NHC]

here's a man who lives in the lap of luxury and owns the rights to the Beach Boys name which he wrested from his founding bandmates, yet still believes he's getting the short end of the stick.

He doesn't own the rights to the Beach Boys name, he has a renewable license to use it for touring, and he didn't wrest that from anybody, it was granted by a vote of the corporation.

[Pretty Funky]

You say renewable yet others have said he has the name pretty much forever. Is there a definitive answer out there? What is the period?

[Debbie KL]

You say renewable yet others have said he has the name pretty much forever. Is there a definitive answer out there? What is the period?

Only those in BRI meetings could actually answer this, and they are likely legally bound not to speak publicly, so - good point Pretty Funky.

[bossaroo]

here's a man who lives in the lap of luxury and owns the rights to the Beach Boys name which he wrested from his founding bandmates, yet still believes he's getting the short end of the stick.

He doesn't own the rights to the Beach Boys name, he has a renewable license to use it for touring, and he didn't wrest that from anybody, it was granted by a vote of the corporation.

sigh.
for all intents and purposes, the name belongs to Mike. when those same voting corporate members (Brian & Al) expressed a desire to continue touring and performing as Beach Boys alongside Mike, he's the one who kept it from happening. when they have used the Beach Boys name to promote a tour or release, Mike sued. he has done everything in his power to control the Beach Boys brand and prevent the others from claiming their rightful and equal membership. he's the Executive Producer don'cha know

[CenturyDeprived]

That's Mike's business with those people and not for me say. How you or I feel about anything that was done between these guys means absolutely nothing. For some reason we think our fandom entitles us to impose our opinions on their lives. As I have stated here many times, we hate on these guys more than the guys themselves do.

Fair enough, drbeachboy. But are you saying that your deep belief in the casting stones ideology only applies to fans, and that in your opinion, that belief doesn't apply to the guys themselves? Honestly - you're never tired of hearing Mike continually rag on the other Boys about the very same stuff he himself is guilty of?  Us fans just discussing stuff amongst ourselves isn't imposing anything on any of them. We can't make them treat each other better just by wishing it were so.  

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

here's a man who lives in the lap of luxury and owns the rights to the Beach Boys name which he wrested from his founding bandmates, yet still believes he's getting the short end of the stick.

He doesn't own the rights to the Beach Boys name, he has a renewable license to use it for touring, and he didn't wrest that from anybody, it was granted by a vote of the corporation.

sigh.
for all intents and purposes, the name belongs to Mike. when those same voting corporate members (Brian & Al) expressed a desire to continue touring and performing as Beach Boys alongside Mike, he's the one who kept it from happening. when they have used the Beach Boys name to promote a tour or release, Mike sued. he has done everything in his power to control the Beach Boys brand and prevent the others from claiming their rightful and equal membership. he's the Executive Producer don'cha know

What if he kicked the proverbial bucket say like tomorrow?

[Debbie KL]

That's Mike's business with those people and not for me say. How you or I feel about anything that was done between these guys means absolutely nothing. For some reason we think our fandom entitles us to impose our opinions on their lives. As I have stated here many times, we hate on these guys more than the guys themselves do.

We get that.  I'm not seeing any opinions being "imposed" on Mike.  People here are replying to Mike's query in the article about why he's "vilified" by fans.  That strikes me as a legitimate reason for this thread and I've been pleased that the responses have been reasonable, thank heavens.  No one is being vilified, nor "hating" that I can see, unless I've missed a stray post.  

[drbeachboy]

That's Mike's business with those people and not for me say. How you or I feel about anything that was done between these guys means absolutely nothing. For some reason we think our fandom entitles us to impose our opinions on their lives. As I have stated here many times, we hate on these guys more than the guys themselves do.

We get that.  I'm not seeing any opinions being "imposed" on Mike.  People here are replying to Mike's query in the article about why he's "vilified" by fans.  That strikes me as a legitimate reason for this thread and I've been pleased that the responses have been reasonable, thank heavens.  No one is being vilified, nor "hating" that I can see, unless I've missed a stray post. 

Deb, I am glad that you see and read that way. Sorry, but I don't. Amazing how 2 people can read the same posts and come away feeling differently. You know, I love this place, but this personal stuff with the guys just doesn't sit right with me. I guess the best thing to do is to just stay out of this particular thread.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Some old men get mellow and funny in their later years. Others get angry, cranky and complaining. Mike lives in a mansion, has a private Chef and all the bounties of a multi-million dollar annual income. Yet, he obviouslly is very unhappy.  This interview validates my opinion of him, which is based noet only on all the stories and stuff, but my little run-in witth him backstage at a C50 show. Rude, arrogant, hypocrite,  unlikeable!  

Edit add: This is my own personal opinion, you don't have to make it yours.

[Autotune]

That's Mike's business with those people and not for me say. How you or I feel about anything that was done between these guys means absolutely nothing. For some reason we think our fandom entitles us to impose our opinions on their lives. As I have stated here many times, we hate on these guys more than the guys themselves do.

I've been pleased that the responses have been reasonable, thank heavens.  No one is being vilified, nor "hating" that I can see, unless I've missed a stray post.  

One word: bossaroo.

Another word: oldsurferdude.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

That's Mike's business with those people and not for me say. How you or I feel about anything that was done between these guys means absolutely nothing. For some reason we think our fandom entitles us to impose our opinions on their lives. As I have stated here many times, we hate on these guys more than the guys themselves do.

I've been pleased that the responses have been reasonable, thank heavens.  No one is being vilified, nor "hating" that I can see, unless I've missed a stray post. 

One word: bossaroo.

Another word: oldsurferdude.

OSD simply asked a question. Bossaaroo stated fact. I believe it is true that when Brian and Al wanted to bill themselves as "original Beach Boys", Mike called in his legal team.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Good and bad, Mike is a legendary rock star. What surprises me is that he let this writer into his house and said writer kinda made a fool of Mike in the article.

In the end, Mike has nothing to prove. He's done it all to immense success!!!

[The Cincinnati Kid]

More than anything I thought the end of the article gave a glimpse of how Mike really feels about the situation between him and Brian.  Pretty sad. 

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Some old men get mellow and funny in their later years. Others get angry, cranky and complaining. Mike lives in a mansion, has a private Chef and all the bounties of a multi-million dollar annual income. Yet, he obviouslly is very unhappy.  This interview validates my opinion of him, which is based noet only on all the stories and stuff, but my little run-in witth him backstage at a C50 show. Rude, arrogant, hypocrite,  unlikeable!  

Edit add: This is my own personal opinion, you don't have to make it yours.

 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

In 1966, during the recording of Pet Sounds, did you really say what so many people think you said: “Who’s gonna hear this sh*t? The ears of a dog?”

Didn't he say that again in the PS boxed set booklet/liners, when he said that is where he got the idea for the name Pet Sounds?

[Doo Dah]

My take is, I don't dislike the man. I pity the man. You're allowed (anyone's allowed) to obsess over something until it drives you bats, but you reach a healthy place when you finally just let it GO. All the TM in the world, over many many years just can't seem to allow him to let it @#$'n GO. That's a drag, in my book. That's sad.

Enjoy the house. Enjoy the lifestyle. But the real bling won't be on the outside until it's on the inside.