Al Jardine Not Interested In A One-Off Beach Boys Reunion

[Emdeeh]

...practically the only thing that ever played was "Rag Mama Rag"!  I can picture it as if it was yesterday, the 2 of them singing their asses off to that song over & over, with Carl driving that thing at 80 or 90 miles an hour, while Dennis was whipping up "Golden Cadillacs" in a blender...

Now, that's a road trip to remember! I would love to have heard that singalong, must've been a hoot. Cherish those memories, Ed.

[Nicole]

Your "quick analogy" has sparked a memory of my experience of getting turned on to The Band, and if you'll pardon my musing, I'll try to be as brief:  somehow I'd drifted away from Dylan around the time of "Self Portrait", and wasn't impressed when I first heard "Music from Big Pink".  That changed while touring with The Boys in the spring of '72...  After their Carnegie Hall gigs, Dennis got it in him to do the rest of the tour in a giant motor home, and it created a buzz of others wanting to do it, too.  Carl decided to drive with us, and Al got another one, for he & Bobby & Carlie - probably Billy, too.
There's lots of great stories, (& photos) from that trip, but one of my favorites was Carl running into this little general store, and practically buying out the guys 8track tapes!  Yet somehow, practically the only thing that ever played was "Rag Mama Rag"!  I can picture it as if it was yesterday, the 2 of them singing their asses off to that song over & over, with Carl driving that thing at 80 or 90 miles an hour, while Dennis was whipping up "Golden Cadillacs" in a blender...  I've loved The Band ever since - and loved this band even more!  (By the way, I've still got the 8tracks for that trip.)

That's great, thanks for sharing

[Jonas]

Ed Roach, I wish I couldve lived a day in your shoes!

[SurfRiderHawaii]

I really like David's take on a reunion - essentially, if something happens he'll be there.

I love Al but he is still coming at the Beach Boys like it's the 1980s and he is still a big rock star.

Let's face it, if Brian and Mike agree to something, that's what will happen.  The big hits were Wilson/Love and they are still the major players for anything major. Mike has the license and doesn't really need a reunion. 
If Mike and Brian did something and Al didn't show, it would be bad on Al.

It's time for Al to go back to being a good team player and check his ego at the door.  That said, he has a point in doing a well thought out, rehearsed show.

And the cruel reality is that the end of the line is near and this will be their last chance for a day in the sun.  They should all make the most of it!

[Dave in KC]

Man, I kinda wish now that this topic would be put to rest!

Do Paul and Ringo need to reunite as "The Beatles"??

I dare say having both Carl and Dennis gone is just as bad as John and George being gone, so one could argue, there's not much point!

Yes, I know Brian, Brian, Brian!!! He created and did everything! But in regards to all that, his good work is happily in it's place in the pop music pantheon with healthy reissues n all. He has nothing to prove....

BUT, as a performing unit, Brian is hardly the whole enchilada, and was not even there for most of the Beach Boys career as amazing performers, therefore, no Carl, no Dennis is truely a bummer.

I guess this is why I think just getting Mike, Bruce, Al, and Brian around a piano to sing songs and tell stories would be the best thing.

This is the best idea yet. I'd pay to see that!

[shelter]

I guess this is why I think just getting Mike, Bruce, Al, and Brian around a piano to sing songs and tell stories would be the best thing.

That's an incredibly good idea.

[JR]

Who exactly would be their target audience???

Anybody who might like the Beach Boys' music.

Those PBS (or A&E, or MTV Classic, or National TV) specials are seen by a lot of people, especially when they are repeated over and over. We all agree that the Beach Boys' music is infectious and will hook you - whether you want to be hooked or not. All it would take is for some of those classic Brian songs to be seen and heard on TV and it will mushroom. That's why I think Capitol would be very interested.

This could be the next The Last Waltz!

Yes, the Beach Boys music is catchy enough that Mike and Bruce can go out on the road with a bunch of no-namers and call it the Beach Boys.  And the average fan probably wouldn't notice the difference.  Which means it's unlikely that a more authentic representation of the group (one with Brian, Al and Dave included) would warrant a dramatic increase of interest to the most average of fans.

That's not the point. The audience that a televised reunion concert would attract has not as much to do with the make-up of the band as the performance of the "catchy" music. Mike Love has stated over and over that the MUSIC is the star of the show, not those "no-namers" (like Brian's band?) that you refer to.

Brian Wilson's group is not calling themselves "The Beach Boys".  Not a valid comparison.

Right...except that he's playing mostly Beach Boys music.  People talk about how Brian's had this great solo career...yet 90% of the stuff he plays is Beach Boys music.  So in a way, it's a similar misleading element.  I know people who went to Hampton Beach and saw him play the hits last year and were actually really disappointed; they were hoping for/expecting more than a new song or two.  So Mike calls his band the Beach Boys, even though there are only two Beach Boys, while Brian bills himself as a solo artist--and plays mostly Beach Boys music.  Either way, Al's right that neither way is the way it really should be.  However, I've grown to second-guess myself when saying Carl's passing caused all this.  Remember, he wasn't always the most supportive of Brian's efforts towards the end, and killed at least two projects the others were all in for. So right or wrong, I guess we were always headed this way.

The fact that Brian Wilson plays Beach Boys songs is entirely irrelevant.  Pretty much any artist formally in a band that starts a solo career will play songs from that band.  Paul McCartney, Don Henley, Sting, John Fogerty, etc.  Again, legally speaking, there is *nothing* misleading about Brian Wilson touring as himself. 

It's not at all irrelevant.  He (his people) hails himself as a successful solo artist...yet none of the "hits" he plays at those concerts at solo tracks.  None.  He puts on a Beach Boys concert with a bunch of hired hands...sounds familiar, doesn't it?

And if you want to get "legal" about it...the courts say Mike's not breaking any laws, either.  So your point is flawed there, as well.

[DonnaK]

Your "quick analogy" has sparked a memory of my experience of getting turned on to The Band, and if you'll pardon my musing, I'll try to be as brief:  somehow I'd drifted away from Dylan around the time of "Self Portrait", and wasn't impressed when I first heard "Music from Big Pink".  That changed while touring with The Boys in the spring of '72...  After their Carnegie Hall gigs, Dennis got it in him to do the rest of the tour in a giant motor home, and it created a buzz of others wanting to do it, too.  Carl decided to drive with us, and Al got another one, for he & Bobby & Carlie - probably Billy, too.
There's lots of great stories, (& photos) from that trip, but one of my favorites was Carl running into this little general store, and practically buying out the guys 8track tapes!  Yet somehow, practically the only thing that ever played was "Rag Mama Rag"!  I can picture it as if it was yesterday, the 2 of them singing their asses off to that song over & over, with Carl driving that thing at 80 or 90 miles an hour, while Dennis was whipping up "Golden Cadillacs" in a blender...  I've loved The Band ever since - and loved this band even more!  (By the way, I've still got the 8tracks for that trip.)

That's great, thanks for sharing

Come on Ed!!!! Tell us more, tell us more!!!!!! Write a book about your adventures with Dennis and the BB or just on you and Dennis!!!! Please, please, please....great stories!!! What a time you guys must've had!!!!

[Sheriff John Stone]

I love Al but he is still coming at the Beach Boys like it's the 1980s and he is still a big rock star.

If Mike and Brian did something and Al didn't show, it would be bad on Al.

It's time for Al to go back to being a good team player and check his ego at the door. 

Good points. Wouldn't it be funny if the guys took Al at his word, decided to do a one-off reunion concert, only rehearsed for a week or so, and said, "Well, Al said he wasn't interested in something like this...", and didn't call him. Be careful what you ask for, Al...

[Nicole]

I just read this in another thread:

Dennis' Wilson's son Carl B. Wilson said that he would love to perform with the band. Carl B. and his cousin Justyn, Carl Wilson's son, are part of the power-rock trio In Bloom. Carl B. told LAUNCH that he would love for him and Justyn to step into their fathers' shoes if the band reunites: ["One thing that I would hope would be possible -- which I don't think would be possible -- which would be them to get back together, Justyn could play guitar for his dad and I could play drums for my dad. I mean, something along those lines. So yeah, that would be something that I would love to do. If there was ever a time, I'd love to be able to do something like that."]

That would be the coolest, wouldn't it?  The next best thing to having Dennis & Carl there.

Craig

I think someone in this thread also mentioned something like this. It sounds like a really good idea, to me.

[JR]

I just read this in another thread:

Dennis' Wilson's son Carl B. Wilson said that he would love to perform with the band. Carl B. and his cousin Justyn, Carl Wilson's son, are part of the power-rock trio In Bloom. Carl B. told LAUNCH that he would love for him and Justyn to step into their fathers' shoes if the band reunites: ["One thing that I would hope would be possible -- which I don't think would be possible -- which would be them to get back together, Justyn could play guitar for his dad and I could play drums for my dad. I mean, something along those lines. So yeah, that would be something that I would love to do. If there was ever a time, I'd love to be able to do something like that."]

That would be the coolest, wouldn't it?  The next best thing to having Dennis & Carl there.

Craig

I think someone in this thread also mentioned something like this. It sounds like a really good idea, to me.

Yeah.  And if you could get Matt and Christian in there, too, it would be a whole second generational thing.

The Hollywood Bowl, weeklong, rotating band thing is what I continue to hang my hat on, but I understand why it's not a great idea.  As Al said, rehearsals would take a month to make it any good, and then what happens after?  How can Mike ever tour as the Beach Boys again?  That's what confuses me about his pro-reunion comments (and makes me doubt them as anything more than trying to look like the bigger person). The one thing that would make it work would be putting out that one last hit summer single, garnering enough casual interest to afford a bigger tour budget that could make including Al and Dave possible, and withstand the reality that Brian wouldn't be joining them after the one-off, as they did for several years post-Kokomo/Beach Boys '85.

[JR]

I love Al but he is still coming at the Beach Boys like it's the 1980s and he is still a big rock star.

If Mike and Brian did something and Al didn't show, it would be bad on Al.

It's time for Al to go back to being a good team player and check his ego at the door. 

Good points. Wouldn't it be funny if the guys took Al at his word, decided to do a one-off reunion concert, only rehearsed for a week or so, and said, "Well, Al said he wasn't interested in something like this...", and didn't call him. Be careful what you ask for, Al...

Similarly, I think the same thing about Bruce saying he wouldn't do it.  If (and I don't really believe it to be true) Mike is really that serious about a reunion...he has a well-established record of cutting someone out to redistribute funds.  In other words, would it cost him that much more to continue on with Al and Dave than with Bruce?

[Sheriff John Stone]

As Al said, rehearsals would take a month to make it any good, and then what happens after?  How can Mike ever tour as the Beach Boys again?  That's what confuses me about his pro-reunion comments (and makes me doubt them as anything more than trying to look like the bigger person). The one thing that would make it work would be putting out that one last hit summer single, garnering enough casual interest to afford a bigger tour budget that could make including Al and Dave possible, and withstand the reality that Brian wouldn't be joining them after the one-off, as they did for several years post-Kokomo/Beach Boys '85.

Other than the hit summer single, that is a very practical and very possible outcome. It would be a good and official way to welcome Al and Dave back into the band, and give The Beach Boys a more legitimate lineup, not that I think it is necessary OR a priority of Mike's.

As far as Brian is concerned, I think Mike would be optimistic about getting Brian for a reunion concert, not as hopeful for a new collaboration/album, and probably not even envisioning a tour with Brian at this point. A few select dates, maybe. A full-fledged tour, no. That's been reality for decades. You ask how Mike could ever tour again after a reunion? It would be BUSINESS as usual. Unfortunately, it was after Brian quit the road, it was after Dennis died, and it was after Carl passed away. There's no stopping The Beach Boys' touring - until Mike stops it.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I love Al but he is still coming at the Beach Boys like it's the 1980s and he is still a big rock star.

If Mike and Brian did something and Al didn't show, it would be bad on Al.

It's time for Al to go back to being a good team player and check his ego at the door. 

Good points. Wouldn't it be funny if the guys took Al at his word, decided to do a one-off reunion concert, only rehearsed for a week or so, and said, "Well, Al said he wasn't interested in something like this...", and didn't call him. Be careful what you ask for, Al...

Similarly, I think the same thing about Bruce saying he wouldn't do it.  If (and I don't really believe it to be true) Mike is really that serious about a reunion...he has a well-established record of cutting someone out to redistribute funds.  In other words, would it cost him that much more to continue on with Al and Dave than with Bruce?

I'm not trying to rationalize Bruce's quote, but I thought he made it more out of "I'm not worthy" than "Don't include me in this sham". But, I could be wrong.

As far as money and the reunion (specifically a one-off concert, not a tour), and I might be wrong about this too, but... I think this might be one time where Mike is more concerned about getting this done right than the bottom line. Not that he won't be watching THAT closely, too.

[Pretty Funky]

I now think after reading Al's comments that a reunion other than another PR roof-top style deal is unlikely. Lets see, Al wants a year, Mike hints at a one-off, Bruce dito, Brian nada. Dave I think would be fine with any agreed set up.

What is needed is a personality who can pull something together and mediate amongst the members and shut down the egos and control the thing. That  type of person has not been involved with the Beach Boys for over 40 years and sure as hell wouldn't be welcome now.

[Alex]

I now think after reading Al's comments that a reunion other than another PR roof-top style deal is unlikely. Lets see, Al wants a year, Mike hints at a one-off, Bruce dito, Brian nada. Dave I think would be fine with any agreed set up.

What is needed is a personality who can pull something together and mediate amongst the members and shut down the egos and control the thing. That  type of person has not been involved with the Beach Boys for over 40 years and sure as hell wouldn't be welcome now.

Are you talking about the glass-eyed bezelbub himself, Murry Wilson?!!

How 'bout bringing Jack Rieley back into the fold?

[Pretty Funky]

 


Having said that, it would seem talks are going on.

http://heraldnet.com/article/20090807/ENT/708079930

He said he's also in talks to reunite with two other founding members of the group, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine, with whom he has had a famously litigious relationship.

“We have a 50th anniversary coming up in 2011,” he said, “so it would make a lot of sense to do something in advance of that.”

Interesting how Mike mentions in advance of the 50th compared  to 'for the 50th' awhile back.

[JR]

I now think after reading Al's comments that a reunion other than another PR roof-top style deal is unlikely. Lets see, Al wants a year, Mike hints at a one-off, Bruce dito, Brian nada. Dave I think would be fine with any agreed set up.

What is needed is a personality who can pull something together and mediate amongst the members and shut down the egos and control the thing. That  type of person has not been involved with the Beach Boys for over 40 years and sure as hell wouldn't be welcome now.

I think I just heard Dr. Phil's ears perk up...

Seriously, how great would that be?

[JR]

As Al said, rehearsals would take a month to make it any good, and then what happens after?  How can Mike ever tour as the Beach Boys again?  That's what confuses me about his pro-reunion comments (and makes me doubt them as anything more than trying to look like the bigger person). The one thing that would make it work would be putting out that one last hit summer single, garnering enough casual interest to afford a bigger tour budget that could make including Al and Dave possible, and withstand the reality that Brian wouldn't be joining them after the one-off, as they did for several years post-Kokomo/Beach Boys '85.

Other than the hit summer single, that is a very practical and very possible outcome. It would be a good and official way to welcome Al and Dave back into the band, and give The Beach Boys a more legitimate lineup, not that I think it is necessary OR a priority of Mike's.

As far as Brian is concerned, I think Mike would be optimistic about getting Brian for a reunion concert, not as hopeful for a new collaboration/album, and probably not even envisioning a tour with Brian at this point. A few select dates, maybe. A full-fledged tour, no. That's been reality for decades. You ask how Mike could ever tour again after a reunion? It would be BUSINESS as usual. Unfortunately, it was after Brian quit the road, it was after Dennis died, and it was after Carl passed away. There's no stopping The Beach Boys' touring - until Mike stops it.

You need the single though.  If they're smart, something in a movie or something.  They need something to, pun intended, ride the wave of if they want to be able to pay for three or four fulltime Beach Boys (which would mean playing bigger venues and/or securing much larger advances).  Kokomo, for instance, came out as a stand-alone single in 1988, and that pushed them all the way through the unplugged tour in 1993 in terms of selling out ampitheaters and mid-size arenas.  You need something new that will get young kids who (unlike most concert goers) haven't seen the Beach Boys by now interested to come out, even if it's a remake or rerecord.  So even from a purely business standpoint, I can understand Mike's statement that "any Beach Boys reunion needs to start with me and Brian sitting down and writing" or whatever he's said.  It's true--they need something to try and sell.  Otherwise, you end up on a beach in Hawaii singing with Belinda Carlisle.

[Sheriff John Stone]

IWhat is needed is a personality who can pull something together and mediate amongst the members and shut down the egos and control the thing. That  type of person has not been involved with the Beach Boys for over 40 years and sure as hell wouldn't be welcome now.

Not that Darian Sahanaja would be offered and/or accept the role you described, but, if he was/did, I wonder if Mike would accept him?

[Jay]

IWhat is needed is a personality who can pull something together and mediate amongst the members and shut down the egos and control the thing. That  type of person has not been involved with the Beach Boys for over 40 years and sure as hell wouldn't be welcome now.

Not that Darian Sahanaja would be offered and/or accept the role you described, but, if he was/did, I wonder if Mike would accept him?

I think I read somewhere that Darian can pretty much play any instrument known to man. A band with him and Mike and Bruce with Al and Brian would be way to much ego to handle.   

[JR]

IWhat is needed is a personality who can pull something together and mediate amongst the members and shut down the egos and control the thing. That  type of person has not been involved with the Beach Boys for over 40 years and sure as hell wouldn't be welcome now.

Not that Darian Sahanaja would be offered and/or accept the role you described, but, if he was/did, I wonder if Mike would accept him?

I think if Scott Totten were also in the fold, Mike would be cool.  He'd want "his" guy too, and that's fair.  I think I remember reading somewhere that Darian and Scott actually have a great mutual admiration for one another.  In fact, I bet if the two of them were there to work with the five Beach Boys, they could pull it it off very easily.

[Sheriff John Stone]

IWhat is needed is a personality who can pull something together and mediate amongst the members and shut down the egos and control the thing. That  type of person has not been involved with the Beach Boys for over 40 years and sure as hell wouldn't be welcome now.

Not that Darian Sahanaja would be offered and/or accept the role you described, but, if he was/did, I wonder if Mike would accept him?

I think if Scott Totten were also in the fold, Mike would be cool.  He'd want "his" guy too, and that's fair.  I think I remember reading somewhere that Darian and Scott actually have a great mutual admiration for one another.  In fact, I bet if the two of them were there to work with the five Beach Boys, they could pull it it off very easily.

Agree.

[Eric Aniversario]

Having said that, it would seem talks are going on.

http://heraldnet.com/article/20090807/ENT/708079930

This article is also interesting because it mentions Mike's solo material, which hasn't received much mention lately.  A song title that I've never heard of, "The World Is My Family", is mentioned too.  I really wish he'd just go ahead and release it all.  Some of the songs are pretty good, but if he waits too long, some of them will sound really dated and may have to be re-recorded to sound more contemporary ("Love Foundation" is a great example...sounds very 90's).

[Pretty Funky]

Scott and Darian would be fine but I would go for a outsider if a new album was proposed. Someone familiar with the target demographic (realistically 40 plus) and not necessarily a fan of their early 60s material, as certain group members would be tempted to stick with the formula and mimic.

Throw caution to the wind and go for a non-fan with no intention of reverting to numbers and willing to challenge group members with new, for them, concepts and methods.