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Brian Wilson - Beach Boys

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netibiza | 13:13 Mon 12th Nov 2007 | Music
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Can anyone tell me how he is these days? I've seen a youtube vid from 2004 and he looked great. Is he still performing and have his demons all gone?
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This is so interesting - thank you both. I read (was it in smudge's post) that Brian accepted that mike was going to sue for the lyrics and credits of "Wouldn't it be nice" and arranged it as they couldn't make up their minds how much to give, and in court agreed with everything that Mike said (I hate him also) and Mike was awarded 13m$ outof a 25m$ that Brian got from (was it Capitol)?: I do so love Brian and find it hard to reconcile his image now to what he was - but then I don't look so hot now.
Honestly Mike Love is not that bad. He was very outspoken about Dennis's and Brians drug use, which is a good thing in my opinion and tried to keep the Beach Boys in the tradition they started.

He is also a very generous man and still an active Transcendental Meditation preacher spreading peace in the troubled parts of the world.

He also criticsed SMILE, which has to be the biggest let down in Pop history when Brian finally published it a few years back. If the Beach Boys did release it after Pet Sounds, I believe it would have been the end of them, there and then.

Go and see Mike Love live and he still puts on a very good show.
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But he was such a creep, waggling about and trying to be so "cool".
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I don't think we should forget Carl, as I fel he did more to keep the band going than anyone. If he had probs then he kept them to himself.
Carl was very concerned about his weight, especially in the early years. He was never really that fat, a little chubby maybe but the pressure of being a teeny band must have played on his own insecurity.

When Brians falsetto high was racked by his smoking (1970-1984) Carl voice was simply the best in the band. However, to this day most of his songs after 1970 are reminiscent of Michael McDonald or MIchael Bolton and, to be brutally honest, not a very cool sound. Dad rock at its mind-numbingly worse.

But his guitar licking was second to none, and as said, did keep the band together.

Regarding Mike Love, near enough every front man in the history of rock and pop swagger don't they?

I may form a Mike Love appreciation society. The guy is great, honest.
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I guess you're right re: Mike Love, it's only in later years that he started to get on my nerves.
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So back to my original q, is Brian still suffering, cos he's performing again.
There was a Beach Boys documentary on the Mainstreet channel on Sky last night.

It was made in 1976 by Lorne Michaels (the guy who put together Saturday Night Live).

There are mini interviews with all the members (Carl and Dennis were still alive then) plus lots of clips of some live concerts (obviously from the early / mid 1970s).

In some of the songs Mike Love is wearing this bright gold sequined jacked and trying to be a sort of Mick Jagger, with lots of camp posteuring and prancing around the stage.

But it does not come off and he just looks a bit of prat.

One funny scene is where the comedians Dan Ackroid and John Belushi go to Brian's house to arrest him under the "Catch a wave" act for not doing any surfing.

He is lying in bed in a large green dressing gown (looking very overweight).

They bundle him into the police car, still in his dressing gown, and take him to the beach where they force him to surf. The waves are rather large and he keeps falling off the surfboard.

Brian seemed fairly happy to go along with it all.
> Mike Love was very outspoken about Dennis's and Brians drug use

Famously he was very upset about the song on Pet Sounds called "Hand on to your ego" which Mike thought condoned drug use.

He convinced Brain to change the title to say "I know there's an answer" to indicate that you did not need drugs.

Many Pet Sounds boxed sets feature both songs.
I am going to Hammersmith on 4th April to see the Beach Boys and I CANT WAIT!!
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That's the trouble living on a small island, can never get to see anything. Last pop concert here was The Hollies in 1971 just before I arrived so I even missed that!!
>I am going to Hammersmith on 4th April to see the Beach Boys

No you are not.

The Beach Boys were 5 people - Brain Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Al Jardine, Mike Love.

Carl and Dennis are dead, and Brain and Al do not tour with that group.

The only member you will see is Mike Love.

He has a nerve even touring under that name with only 1 member of the original group.

It is like going to see Ringo drum and say you have seen the Beatles.
I am going to see the Beach Boys as well (Brighton and Cardiff).

VHG, Bruce Johston is still there!!!!

They put on a very good show.

The Proms is a good night out, but Mozart or Beethoven never show up do they? Same principle. Mike Love was and still is the front man. Brian laid the foundations and Mike and Bruce sings them,

I LOVE MIKE LOVE.

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