Update: Mike Love 'Upset' over Direction of Beach Boys Reunion Album, Tour

[JamesG]

Beach Boys Reunion Tour Ending With Three Founding Members Sacked Via Public Statement
09/26/2012


The Beach Boys might still be 'Keepin' the Summer Alive' with their U.K. tour, but for three members it will be a cold harsh winter.

The band's frontman Mike Love announced that the group will split after this week in the U.K. and three members -- Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks -- have been dropped from the group. The three did not find out they had been dropped until Love and Bruce Johnston released a public statement.

The statement announcing the big shake up reads: "The post-50th anniversary configuration will not include Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks. The 50th Reunion Tour was designed to be a set tour with a beginning and an end to mark a special 50-year milestone for the band."





The exiting Beach Boys will be replaced by the group's long-time backing band, which includes Love's son Christian, according to the Telegraph. Love added that the decision to drop the three members was financially motivated.

"You've got to be careful not to get overexposed. There are promoters who are interested [in more shows by the reunited line-up], but they've said, 'Give it a rest for a year'. The Eagles found out the hard way when they went out for a second year and wound up selling tickets for $5."





Wilson was blindsided.

"I'm disappointed and can't understand why he (Love) doesn't want to tour with Al, David and me," he told CNN. "We are out here having so much fun. After all, we are the real Beach Boys."

If the five members of the Beach Boys do not rekindle their bond, the September 28 concert at Wembley Stadium may be the last show they play together, CNN noted.





There is already a petition on iPetition.com asking for Love, who owns the rights to the band's name, to re-think the decision to break up the original Beach Boys.

The petition, addressed to Love, reads: "In order to preserve the validity of 'The Beach Boys' as a whole, and not as a 'money saving, stripped down version' that only contains 1 original member, and 1 member that joined in 1965, we ask you to re-instate the 3 other members to the touring group for your final years performing."

"It's the right thing to do, and it's what the fans want," the message concludes.

Jardine linked to the petition in a tweet. As of Wednesday morning, it had over 2,000 signatures.







In December 2011, the Beach Boys confirmed 50 shows to celebrate their 50th anniversary, Rolling Stone previously reported. The band formed in California in 1961. The reunion tour marks the first time the Boys have toured together in more than two decades.

Although the group had problems in the past, like nasty comments in the press and numerous lawsuits, Love swore that all the negativity was behind them.

"All that stuff is long forgotten," he told Rolling Stone.





Back in June, Rolling Stone had reported that Love booked shows for his version of the Beach Boys without consulting the other members.

On Sept. 19, the group played at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles to celebrate the opening of the new Beach Boys exhibit.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0..._1916065.html?

[Schmoopie]

I don't get why there is so much bad blood between these guys. They've been together forever and this has been going on for a long time. But at first it was just Brian Wilson who wasn't going to tour with them. They came here and I refused to go. I like Mike Love and the other members, but without Brian Wilson, it's just not the Beach Boys. Thank God I got to see them when they were all together. I don't think anyone would care if they never did another tour, b/c they are getting up there in age. I mean they had an amazing legend and sometimes too much is too much. I'll always love their music though!

[70s show watcher]

that sucks

[AKA]

Yep. That sound like Mike Love's M.O. Sad.

[MrCleveland]

That's Mike Loathe for you...I know his name is Mike Love, but he makes us loathe his way.

If Brian Wilson has a concert anytime, please tell me and I'll go for Brian!

[AKA]

Exactly, MrCleveland. Brian has a great band (The Wondermints), and Al performs with them from time to time. He doesn't need The Beach Boys, but The Beach Boys need him. He'll be okay; the fake "Beach Boys" will be back to playing state fairs and casinos.

Mike Love and his giant ego have been treating Brian and Al like crap for more than half a century--usurping creativity while they were in the band, and lawsuit after lawsuit after they left in 1998. I would say that Mike ought to be ashamed of himself, but I don't think he has the capacity.

[TheCars1986]

Without Brian Wilson there is no Beach Boys. You could even make the argument that without Dennis and Carl Wilson there is no Beach Boys.

[MrCleveland]

Originally Posted by Brad

Exactly, MrCleveland. Brian has a great band (The Wondermints), and Al performs with them from time to time. He doesn't need The Beach Boys, but The Beach Boys need him. He'll be okay; the fake "Beach Boys" will be back to playing state fairs and casinos.

Mike Love and his giant ego have been treating Brian and Al like crap for more than half a century--usurping creativity while they were in the band, and lawsuit after lawsuit after they left in 1998. I would say that Mike ought to be ashamed of himself, but I don't think he has the capacity.

Yes...and Mike's ego started by 1967, one of the reasons why "Smile" was postponed until 2004 and released by Brian Wilson...NOT The Beach Boys! Brian, though was on drugs and had situations...made one of the best Albums out there "Pet Sounds" and a #1 Hit song, "Good Vibrations"! Mike Love's Beach Boys has kept the same Surf-Rock shtick since "Endless Summer" and we get another #1 Hit song "Kokomo"!

Let's compare those songs...




What song would you rather listen to?

[AKA]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

Without Brian Wilson there is no Beach Boys. You could even make the argument that without Dennis and Carl Wilson there is no Beach Boys.

To be fair, there were a lot of instances during Dennis' lifetime that the band existed without him (he was asked to leave many times in order to sober up). Carl even left for a short time in the early '80s to pursue his solo career, but returned when Dennis died. It wasn't until Carl passed away that the Beach Boys crumbled into their current sad, pathetic state ("The Mike and Bruce Show").

I thought it was great that they they had four original members (plus Bruce) for the fiftieth anniversary. If they couldn't get Carl and Dennis, this was the next best thing.

[AKA]

Originally Posted by MrCleveland

Yes...and Mike's ego started by 1967, one of the reasons why "Smile" was postponed until 2004 and released by Brian Wilson...NOT The Beach Boys! Brian, though was on drugs and had situations...made one of the best Albums out there "Pet Sounds" and a #1 Hit song, "Good Vibrations"! Mike Love's Beach Boys has kept the same Surf-Rock shtick since "Endless Summer" and we get another #1 Hit song "Kokomo"!

Let's compare those songs...




What song would you rather listen to?

"Don't **** with the 'formula,' Brian!" --Mike Love, 1967. What an ass.

[70s show watcher]

Originally Posted by Brad

Exactly, MrCleveland. Brian has a great band (The Wondermints), and Al performs with them from time to time. He doesn't need The Beach Boys, but The Beach Boys need him. He'll be okay; the fake "Beach Boys" will be back to playing state fairs and casinos.

Mike Love and his giant ego have been treating Brian and Al like crap for more than half a century--usurping creativity while they were in the band, and lawsuit after lawsuit after they left in 1998. I would say that Mike ought to be ashamed of himself, but I don't think he has the capacity.

you took the words right out of my mouth mike love is a jackas;; and alwas has been

[UMFaninMD]

Well, I'm not surprised this happened. But I guess Mike Love wants to go back to state fair and public park concerts, because they haven't seen this much hype and excitement for a long time until Brian Wilson's short-lived return. I think he's afraid that the renewed popularity would mean he wouldn't retain his status as the #1 Beach Boy. It's pretty pathetic he still acts this petty at this stage of his life.

[AKA]

If anyone is wondering what kind of person Mike Love is, look no further than this video.

[JamesG]

Beach Boys' Mike Love: "I Did Not Fire Brian Wilson"
10/5/2012
by Erik Hayden


Mike Love wants to get one thing straight: He didn't fire Brian Wilson.

However, the singer does give numerous reasons in an op-ed why he issued a statement saying he would continue to tour as the Beach Boys without Wilson, Al Jardine or David Marks -- chalking it mainly up to tour logistics.



"I did not fire Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys. I cannot fire Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys. I am not his employer. I do not have such authority," Love wrote emphatically in the Los Angeles Times.

"And even if I did, I would never fire Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys. I love Brian Wilson."







As Love explains in the Times, the 50th anniversary tour was just meant to be a "limited run" and he had other tour dates that were already set up.

"Like any good party, no one wanted it to end. However, that was impossible, given that we had already set up shows in smaller cities with a different configuration of the band -- the configuration that had been touring together every year for the last 13 years," Love wrote in the newspaper.

"It is not feasible, both logistically and economically, for the 50th anniversary tour to play these markets," Love explained.



The Mike Love and Bruce Johnston version of the Beach Boys are playing on Friday at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ear...ch-boys-376770

[AKA]

Counterpoint:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...r&dlvrit=95857

‘It kind feels like getting fired’ — Brian Wilson to Mike Love

By Brian Wilson
October 9, 2012|7:01 a.m.

The Beach Boys’ recent 50th anniversary tour reunited original members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks and longtime member Bruce Johnston for the first time in almost two decades.

Near the end of the tour in London, and the day before the band was saluted with a new 50th anniversary exhibition at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, Love announced that he and Johnston would continue touring under the Beach Boys’ name in his pre-anniversary edition of the band, minus Wilson, Jardine and Marks

His announcement, which he said was issued to avoid confusion in smaller markets where the Love-Johnston band had been booked, caused a firestorm of publicity as some media outlets interpreted the move as Love firing Wilson, his cousin.

Love’s response to the reaction, published exclusively in The Times on Saturday, stated among other things that he never fired Wilson and does not have the authority to do so, adding that even if he did have the authority, he never would fire the man considered the group’s creative leader.

Wilson and Jardine submitted the following response to Love’s letter, in Wilson’s words:

I’ve been asked to respond to a letter that my cousin Mike wrote to the L.A. Times regarding the circumstances of the last couple weeks and the confusion of the future of The Beach Boys. Normally I wouldn’t respond to something like this, but because I love what the 50th has done for the band’s image and its legacy, I feel I need to.

First, I want to say that the last few months have been some of the happiest in my life. Recording That’s Why God Made the Radio was a dream come true, to be able to co-write and produce an album for the boys and have it so well received by fans all over the world was the best!

The tour that followed blew away all my expectations. We had a blast, the fans were so supportive and I loved being able to record and sing with the guys. My only regret was that Carl and Dennis were not there to share this experience with us.

Now on to the rumors: As far as I know I can’t be fired—that wouldn’t be cool. The negativity surrounding all the comments bummed me out. What’s confusing is that by Mike not wanting or letting Al, David and me tour with the band, it sort of feels like we’re being fired.

What’s a bummer to Al and me is that we have numerous offers to continue, so why wouldn’t we want to? We all poured our hearts and souls into that album and the fans rewarded us by giving us a No. 3 debut on the Billboard charts, and selling out our shows. We were all blown away by the response.

Al and I would like to be included in the continuous promotion of That’s Why God Made The Radio. That’s what I’ve been doing for over a decade: making records and going out and supporting them. It’s what I do. Capitol Records has been so cool to us this year in terms of supporting the 50th and I personally want to say thanks.

Mike kept saying throughout the tour “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” and both Al and I agree, which made us all think that he wanted to continue. We originally started out with 50 shows, but the success and the demand kept growing and we obliged. No one knew in the beginning that this was going to be so rewarding and popular with our fans. Once we got cooking we were all stoked!

After Mike booked a couple of shows with Bruce, Al and I were, of course, disappointed. Then there was confusion in some markets when photos of me, Al and David and the 50th reunion band appeared on websites advertising his shows.

At that point my attorney merely suggested to Mike’s attorney that a possible press release in those markets might be appropriate to stop the confusion, which was in no one’s best interest. That’s it, plain and simple, and a strategy was open for discussion, which never happened.

That’s why I was completely blindsided by his press release. I had no idea that it was coming out, since it was crafted by Mike’s personal PR firm without my knowledge or approval. No one in my camp would have approved it or the timing.

I’m disappointed that Mike would now say that the release was done at the request of my representative. The first I heard about it was at the Grammy Museum event. We hadn’t even discussed as a band what we were going to do with all the offers that were coming in for more 50th shows.

Al and I just assumed based on everyone’s enthusiasm we would at least want to take those offers into consideration since we all knew about them. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play the Hollywood Bowl again, Madison Square Garden and Wrigley Field? And what better way to celebrate New Year’s Eve than with the 50th band? That would have blown the lid off things.

There were also offers for more shows in the U.K. and markets we weren’t able to play during the tour. As I said before, it’s my opinion that we should all go out together as the Beach Boys in support of all our new releases. We really weren’t out on the road that long for an anniversary of this magnitude and I actually think we should make one last record together.

It’s Al and my opinion that all of us together makes for a great representation of the Beach Boys.

While I appreciate the nice cool things Mike said about me in his letter, and I do and always will love him as my cousin and bandmate, at the same time I’m still left wondering why he doesn’t want to continue this great trip we’re on. Al and I want to keep going because we believe we owe it to the music.

That’s it in a nutshell, all these conversations need to be between the shareholders, and I welcome Mike to call me.

In any case happy anniversary, I loved it and I think we knocked it out of the park for what it’s worth.

Love and Mercy,
Brian Wilson