Why I hate Mike Love
A few weeks ago on Jay’s message board, Matt asked me who my favorite Beach Boy is. (He claims his is John Stamos.) From there, it wasn’t hard for him to prod me into discussing my least favorite Beach Boy, Mike Love. Yesterday, I was talking to a co-worker, and wouldn’t you know it, but the subject of Mike Love came up again. I’ve touched on my dislike for Mike Love on this blog in the past, but if this is going to keep coming up, what I clearly need is a fact sheet on why I hate Mike Love to which I can simply refer people when needed. So, since I was pretty thorough on Jay’s forum, I’m reprinting my comments below to fit the bill. Now watch the litigious asshole sue me.
My favorite Beach Boy is obviously Brian because he’s the genius. Next comes Dennis because he was the coolest by far, emerged as a late-blooming significant talent in his own right, and once beat the living shit out of Charles Manson and reduced him to a blubbering mess in front of the Family. And then comes Al, because he’s basically the Ringo or the Michael Anthony — the friendly, funny-looking goof who just can’t believe his good fortune at being allowed to be in the band. Mike comes way down at the bottom after John Stamos.
There should be a Wikipedia page on Reasons People Hate Mike Love. My two primary ones are these: First, he hassled Brian so much that he had a breakdown and abandoned his masterpiece, Smile, thus leaving Mike free to take control of the Beach Boys and turn them into their own cover band, a corny travelling jukebox endlessly belching out their beach and car songs for the next 40 years. And second, when Brian finally got it together enough to release Smile as a solo album, Mike had the gall to sue him for promoting it in a way that, to quote, “shamelessly misappropriated Mike Love’s songs, likeness and the Beach Boys trademark, as well as the Smile album itself.”
Other reasons to hate Mike Love:
- He apparently beat his wife.
- He rewrote the Leiber/Stoller song “Riot in Cell Block 9” into the song “Student Demonstration Time”, which sucks ass, yet somehow made it onto the Surf’s Up album while excellent songs by Dennis such as “4th of July” and “Fallin’ in Love” stayed in the can. (Of course, Dennis got the ultimate revenge agains his longtime foe by marrying Mike’s illegitimate daughter and giving him a grandson just to piss him off.)
- His cousin Stan, along with Rocky Pamplin, kicked down Dennis’ door and beat the shit out of him, messing up his larnyx and ruining his voice.
- He really got into transcendental meditation, and just wouldn’t stop writing shitty songs about it.
- He pushed a very obviously mentally ill and terrified Brian onstage as part of the “Brian’s Back!” campaign, and even wrote a song called “Brian’s Back” in which he pretended to like him.
- He’s an alleged racist.
- He’s a right-wing Republican, but he did give $5000 in start-up capital to Tipper Gore to start up the PMRC to censor pop music.
- He thinks no one will notice he’s bald if he just keeps wearing a hat.
- He created a TV miniseries full of revisionist history to glorify his own contributions to the band and take credit for a lot of things he never actually did. He also used it to give the impression that John Lennon wanted to jam with him, although Lennon is quoted as calling him a “jerk”.
- He sued Brian over songwriting credits he claimed he never received, which might have been due to his not actually having done the songwriting he claims to have done.
- He did do a little songwriting, which used all kinds of hip slang that didn’t age well at all and sounds retarded years later. And his onstage patter was lame and unfunny.
- He keeps suing poor Al every time he tries to tour.
- He was a real dick to lyricist Van Dyke Parks during the Smile era, and even 20 years later, took a cheap shot at him on the “Wipeout” single the Beach Boys did with the Fat Boys.
- He introduced himself to Sean O’Hagan of the High Llamas, a huge Beach Boys fan who Bruce Johnston brought in to produce an album for them, by saying, as soon as he met him at the airport, “You’re English, right? Aren’t all you English guys fags?”
- He gave Daryl Dragon the nickname “Captain”, prompting him to abandon his awesome real birth name in favor of a nautical gimmick as part of soft rock duo The Captain and Tennille.
- He went on a drunken, bizarre, classless rant when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, calling out the Beatles, Mick Jagger, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, the Supremes, and possibly the MC5, for no discernible reason.
- His solo albums suck, even for Beach Boys solo albums, which mostly kind of suck to start with.
- He is responsible for “Kokomo”. And he’s proud of it.
- He just plain has one of those thin-lipped humourless-asshole-looking faces you want to punch.
- He’s still alive, while Dennis and Carl are dead.
Matt, for his part, was very satisfied with my vigorous dislike of the man, and responded to my call for a Wikipedia page on Reasons People Hate Mike Love by writing an introductory paragraph of one that I quite liked:
“Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) is an American singer and songwriter who was one of the lead singers and lyric writers of The Beach Boys. He formed the band along with Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and a school friend Al Jardine. He is an asshole.”
Filed under: I Hate Mike Love | 473 Comments
Recent Comments
Donald Roode on I checked all the registered h… carolyn on Go away, Jon Dore How to stop Thinking… on Why I hate Mike Love MrsTarquinBiscuitbar… on Why I hate Mike Love mrsTarquinBiscuitbar… on Why I hate Mike Love -
Entries RSS feed
Man vs. Clown! 
Just glad to be on the team, Peter!
MATT & PETER; Thought I would add a little bit more on the back ground of the infamous Beach Boy who has probably never been on a surf board or even in the water as far as that goes. A very greedy man to say the least, trying to cheat Brian out of all his music. When he does pass on and has his judgement day at the pearly gates, he will see Brian setting with angels playing music and say to God , yea I am at the right place, there is my best friend which I screwed many times and God will simply say you are not wanted here for all your sins. Another thing I read somewhere where he fired his brother Steve LOVE, whom used to be the manager of the band and help them with their success. Steve now lives on Kauai from the material I got and he is in his sixty’s and surfs everyday. so maybe he is the real Beach Boy and the only one that surf. I also read that he had made land investments for the beach boys by buying a house on the beach in Hanalei, Kauai for around 900 k plus or minus as a great investment as there were no more beach property available only a 1/2 acre near the pier which sold for 7 million. Now the land Steve invested in was 2.9 acres and had the only tennis court on the beach. To this day it is still known as the Beach Boys house. Mike did not like the fact that Steve was spending their money along with his funds almost half and Mike did not like him staying there and surfing all the time. So the fired him and let the properties Steve had invested in go to foreclosue and lost them . I believe they had another property on the Big Island, very private and secluded. Even let his parents stay there but had to kick them out due to the foreclosure. Now quick sliver the upcoming maker of surf shorts and then got into roxy for the women of sure purchased the home that Steve had invested around 900k and they paid any where from 20 to 26 million. It is pretty easy to do the # on that one. great investment for 900k there was no more room to build another home on the beach and those that owned hung on to it for that reason. If MR. Beach Boy MIKE LOVE would had just done a little research he and I mean a dummy like him would have seen the potential involved and would have been elated and given his brother a raise and let him stay in the house, but no lets fire the dude and get on down the road and see who else we can screw. This is all public knowledge if you look up the tax records for the property it will show the line of owners and what they paid and what they sold for. Lets see, 1 million 26 million minus the one million leaves 25 million. What kind of interest does 25 million get just in the bank. What a jerk for sure. no matter it is said and done and water under the bridge, but this guy is on a lot of people’s list as a person not liked very for he wrong doings to his own group for greed. When he get to where he is going he will truly sing like HELL!!! Juan Valdez from the slopes of Kona!!! So will the real Beach Boy please stand up!!! That would be the only one that surf daily lives in paradise already and his real name is Steve LOVE THE REAL BEACH BOY!!!! CIAO FOR NOW!!!! Juan
You’re pure ignorance and lack of accurate information is astounding.
I know you love your dad as you should, but that information is correct. You can do the research for yourself. You can ask your Uncle Steve he would know what happen.
Sorry but it is not completely accurate, my dad originally wanted to keep Steve his brother around however Steve stole several of thousands of dollars from the beach boys so the whole band wanted him gone. And side note my dad taught me how to surf so this whole thing about him “never going in the water” is inaccurate as well.
I have been having very real brain puzzles about this site of late. It started out as funny and sorta spiteful, yet not mean. Also, it was once full of facts and now it is full of odd, wrong comments. I worked for Mike and while he is not without fault, he is not the evil incarnate. Three things if you care: When he lived on the Mesa in Santa Barbara, Mike was in the ocean every damn day. I know because I had to find him constantly for calls. He was always in the water. Also, (again not a saint by any means) but he has ALWAYS been beautifully spiritual. Finally, Mike Love and I went four times to Venice to shit hole places to save Dennis. Mike really tried to get him on track. I gave Dennis money and Mike hated it. Yet he got it. Perhaps Mike and his path to save Dennis was not correct nor cogent. Yet go to bed knowing he tried several times and truly did. Our missions to save “Dennis in Venice” were 100% Mike Love’s idea. We tried and failed.
I think that about covers the REAL MIKE LOVE. Good job..
Oh another fun fact Steve love also put a life ensurance on Brian with high hopes of him passing soon so he would get some money off of his death. He also tried to con my grandfather into getting life insurance on brian as well and he referred to it as an “investment”. I think that’s a little messed up in my humble opinion as well. Bet no one knew that.
Bravo, Juan. You get it!
Aloha,
Steve Love
Love what you have written here, Cakes. Not helping me save the beach house on Hanalei Bay was the biggest business blunder of the group’s long career! No doubt about it, brah.
Take care, my friend.
Aloha,
Steve, former band manager and surfer
This is stupid. Straight up dumb
Mike the prick love should have his gob shut permanently for all the crap he talks
“Alleged racist”….yeah, that. In the 1970’s I was a part of a superminority: black fans of The Beach Boys. I was also a writer for my college newspaper. Went to see the Beach Boys at Central Park during the Blondie Chaplin era. The entrance to the press seats went past the backstage area..and The Beach Boys were there. I went over to Mike Love, extended my hand and said “I really liked your work on 20/20”. He looked at my hand like it was a turd on a plate. Then he looked at me, wordless. Just then, Dennis Wilson came over, elbowed Mr. “Love” out of the way, delivered a bone-crushing handshake and said “Forget him, he’s an asshole.” I guess maybe Mr. “Love” thought the black might rub off on him…..
Hey just a heads up I’m mikes daughter. Where he can be an asshole he’s not a racist. My mom (His wife of 26 years) is half black my whole family on that side is black he has always taught me to treat everyone with respect regardless of their color and to love and appreciate my black heritage. He’s a bit of an introvert at times. Maybe he just didn’t wanna shake your hand but I can assure you he’s not racist. I wish you well and I’m sorry you felt like that.
Ambha love
Not remotely surprising, but I am so sorry. Dennis was a mensch—he used to surf on our beach (a sundown town west of Hawthorne), and if he asked a kid to fetch him a burger, he’d always insist that we have one, too.
Ambha, I just saw your post above mine. As the mother of grown sons, I feel for you defending your dad against the comments of complete strangers, going back to the tender age of fifteen. He’s lucky to have your devotion; you’re fortunate to be his last daughter rather than his first, or one of the first few. Unlike your half-siblings, you enjoyed the luxury of growing up in an intact home during one of the most stable (if not THE most) periods in Mike’s life.
Many of us here go ‘way back: I grew up at the beach five miles west of Hawthorne, and was in kindergarten when “Surfin’” hit. I still remember how awesome it was for “neighbors” (your Uncle Dennis surfed on our beach, and I was one of the local kids who’d happily run errands for him) to make it as big as The Beach Boys have.
Anyway, it’s not easy to be a celebrity’s kid—I don’t have to tell you that. It’s got its downsides, and you’ve proved your loyal awareness of that fact.
Stay well. Love & mercy, MrsTBB
Hey, Wikipedia still comes through though. They have him described as the “villian” of the Beach Boys. And they do display a particularly punchable head shot.
I think I might print it, tape it to the front of a shopping cart the next time I do groceries, then ram it into a pyramid of tuna.
Poor tuna pyramid. To be destroyed by a printed Wikipedia article. the shame.
Aren’t all English guys fags though?
I read the title as, “Why I hate to make love”.
yes it happend to me too but its just cause we’restoned
How do yu end up with a last name of Love, when the only person you Love is yourself. You have made the Extinct band once called the Beach Boys a big Joke. I believe everybody including Glenn Campbell was a beach boy. Time to Hang up the collections of Hats Mike, and let the Beach Boys die a good death, with Brian doing the exit music. Kokomo was a gay song by the way, it only sold records because of the Beach Boy name. You have no shame, and you are disgusting on stage, could never play an instrument, and very jealous of Dennis because he could bed all the women and you could not get over that. Mike……RETIRE….Brian made you….not the other way around…sorry. the only problem is that you won’t accept it, but the world knows.
But what really grinds me is the new lawsuit over “Smile.” It’s this statement here: “Once again the people around Brian, my cousin and collaborator on many hits, who I love and care about, have used him for their own financial gain without regard to his rights, or my rights, or even the rights of the estates of his deceased brothers, Carl and Dennis, and their children… Unfortunately, history repeats itself. Because of Brian’s mental issues he has always been vulnerable to manipulation. I simply want to stop the infringers and stop the deception!”
The tone of that disgusts me. “Oh, poor, simple, childlike Brian, he thinks he was the driving force behind the Beach Boys, I just want to protect him from creative fulfillment.”
Douche. He’s even accused Al Jardine of being crazy. I fucking hate Mike Love.
See, even in those TV movies, Al always came off as the sanest one, with the possible exception of Carl. Mike really is a douche. Even Wikipedia hints at it, and they have that whole NPOV policy.
For maximum effect, Nick, what you want to do is ram your Mike-cart into a pyramid of canned vegetables. Then, after you knock the whole display down, yell, “Columnated ruins domino, bitch!”
Nice how a blog about hating some one could be so humorous.
The Mini-series could almost have been subtitled “THE GOD-LIKE LEVELHEADEDNESS OF MIKE LOVE”!Total revisionist history-MIKE LOVE IS THE ANTI-BRIAN !!!
Years ago I watched a long interview with Mike Love where they went to his house in Hawaii for a long up close and personal. I had no opinion of him before that, but his slimy asswipe presence turned my stomach.
As a bonus, they showed him in his pale, old-man freckled splendor in the hot tub with his 20 year old Hawaiian wife. Yuck.
She’s not Hawaiian they married when she was 24 and she is my mom. Have some respect.
Ambha, I’m confused… Why are you talking shit about your uncle Steve in those posts above? I mean, after all his Emily’s father (not to say Kevin..), and Emiily and you are like best friends, right? so why are you telling those things about him? even if thats all true, its not something that the haters should know about, dont you agree? love you and mike love! xo
I’ve no respect for a nasty, gold digging tramp who spreads her legs for a gnarly, old, bald fossil like your piece of shit father. You think she really loved your arrogant douche of a dad? Wrong, she just loved his money… err Brian’s money that is. Fuck you, and fuck your dad, eternally. Only other person in rock who comes close to his level of assholeness is Gene Simmons. You should be so proud.
Respect has to be earned, and Mike Love deserves none….don’t forget Christmas is coming. Buy him another Hat.
Well said Ambha, your mother is a wonderful woman, I was a year older than her when she married your father back in the 80s. I lost my mother to Dementia in 2018 and hold great memories of her, now my Dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimers and is now in a care home in Scotland, I cannot visit him because of the COVID 19 restrictions here in England, I cry a lot just thinking about him, but when this virus has gone away I will meet him again, the song your father did This Too Shall Pass has kept me going these last few months, I am so glad he recorded it!! Blessings to you and your family Ambha!!
I could not agree with you more. It almost feels like he slows down his radius. That is all he has ver been good with. NOTHING.
Good Lord, I can’t stand Mike Love. I hate how he’s so proud of the whole fourth of July fiasco. BRIAN got mike where he is today. mike owes brian soooo much gratitude, it’s ridiculous. He also owes him a gigantic apology for all the shit he’s put him through.
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH.
I can’t stand Mike Love, either, and for three extra reasons that you did not have on your most excellent list.
* Mike Love takes credit for naming the Pet Sounds record, when in fact Carl always said that it was Brian’s idea, and Brian always said that it was Carl’s idea. One thing that the brothers could “agree” upon was that the name was hatched at the Pet Sounds photo session for the cover, when the group was playing with the animals at the petting zoo and laughing and joking around. The naming of the album and its genesis was always a joke between the two brothers…that is, until Mike Love came along and cleared up the controversy by declaring that he and he alone came up with the title. This is especially nauseating when you consider that Mike Love hated Pet Sounds from the very beginning…simply loathed it.
* Mike Love was a regular Eddie Haskell when it came to Murry Wilson. He would be the consummate suck-up to Murry when he was around, but would be the instigator of all sorts of trouble when Murry had his back turned. Unforgivably, Mike Love frequently joined in on Murry’s tirades against his sons, egging him on, especially Brian. Mike Love also reportedly was a tattletale in the years when Murry was their manager, sparing no details about groupie activity and such.
* Mike Love is a pompous bastard, and you can see this in the clip for “Fire.” Watch at about 20 seconds or so, when Mike makes the little “smoking joint” motion with his hands and then rolls his eyes, no doubt in reference to Brian, who is quite obviously high in this clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxbm56A8LrY
Worthy additions to the list! I knew about Mike’s condescending little eye rolling during the “Fire” clip, but I forgot. Then again, as you say, Brian was obviously high as a kite, so I can almost forgive that one.
I cannot tell you how happy I was to find this blog…I guess I would have been naive to think that I wouldn’t come up with at least one quality hit by googling “I hate Mike Love”. Nearly every reason I could think of was here except:
One time I was serving for jury duty and met some of my fellow jurors, one of which was a record industry employee. While speaking, I brought up bands that I had loved growing up and mentioned The Smithereens. My new pal told me that he was a close friend of Dennis Diken, the drummer from the Smithereens and noted Beach Boys expert. He told me that, at that time (2000), Dennis had been asked to write an exerpt for the re-release of 15 Big Ones/Love You (Peter Buck wrote the counterpart for the latter). But, when Dennis credited too much of the Beach Boys’ genius and success to Brian, Mike flipped out and refused to use Dennis’s words unless he changed them to not fawn so much over Brian.
I had only one response…”I hate Mike Love….God, I hate that bald fuck”
True Story
That’s a great story. Thanks for sharing it. Eventually, we’re going to have to just make an anti-Mike Love wiki and let everyone have their say.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Love#References_to_Mike_Love_in_popular_culture
That is truly awesome. My first Wikipedia shout-out. In case it gets edited out, which I expect will happen, the Mike Love entry in Wikipedia now contains this note: “Blogger Peter Lynn of Man vs. Clown [1] has an unhealthy dislike of Mike Love[2]”.
Now it’s out there for all to see in a public forum (not that this isn’t one, but it’s no Wikipedia). Oh, it is ON, Mike Love.
He’s also the reason why the new SMiLE album didn’t use the “Smile Shop” art – Mike Love was geared up and ready to sue if they changed the top to “Brian Wilson Presents” from “The Beach Boys Present” and so forth. He’s a fucking douche, which frightens me to write, cause frankly, I’m scared of Mike Love and don’t want him to read this and send a goon to punch me in the face. So if you do read this, Mike, your voice is great in some BB songs (but you’re still a douche).
I hate hate hate him and unlike VDP I do NOT forgive him
i think i love you (sorry i hade to mention him to say it)
is the domain, “mikelovefuckedoveraljardine.com” taken?
He didn’t give his illegitimate daughter money for a liver transplant. She died of liver failure. He always wears them ‘old man Florida’ clothes; as in them dandy coloured ‘Hawaiian’ shirts and that white cap with pink writing on it from his golden ‘Kokomo’ years.
Could not agree more with all of the above.
I thought I couldn’t possibly hate him any more until I read that bit about Sean O’Hagan. As an Englishman I’d like to ask that pious bigotted prick how he thinks can say things like that, while merrily enjoying his ill-gotten Beach Boys royalties from the English record buying public. What a cock!
Just to chip in my part, I saw an interivew with one of his sons by an estraged girlfriend the other night, who is still clearly traumatised by the phone call he received shortly after his 11th birthday from his loving dad in which Mike told him he was no longer his son…
..no explanation. No further contact.
The poor guy is a successful extreme sportsman these days, but obviously still lives in vain to win his dear old Dad’s approval…
I’d like to beat Mike Love to death with his own stupid tasseled sandles!
Actually that would the British record buying public. You know we have record shops in Scotland too! Yes, even in Scotland we hate Mike Love, and trust me there are better people to hate here than that prick.
I just saw the reunited living Beach Boys last weekend at the Royal Albert Hall. Outstanding concert. I heard one young 20ish girl comment on the way out “how can such old guys be so cool?” Everyone laughed. The concert was fun and everybody had a good time.
Fast forward two days we found out that Mike Love fired the rest of the original Beach Boys so the concert we saw, along with the next days concert at Wembely stadium, was the last they’ll ever do together.
All I can say is that Mike Love is indeed a dick! Why ruin everything? The concert was great, Brian was looking forward to a studio album with the boys, and they all could have faded away into history on a positive note. No, Mike Love had to be a pretentious, self-important jerk.
All English are gay? Have him come over here and I’ll show him how it’s done. He’ll turn gay! Friggin Sod…
Great!! I couldn’t agree with you more. Mike Love has absolutely no talent and I hope he reads this.
Mike Love is such an ass. Great blog. Good to see there’s so much hate.
I love Brian Wilson and therefore despise Mike Love.
His stupid on stage talking voice in between tunes is nerve wracking. Just shut up and sing Brian’s songs, you asshole you. You’re blowing my high…
Unbelievable. It took me so many years to discover this site and immediately feel at home, together with people who also hate this guy. He was always my least (by far) favourite BB, but after I read Brian’s Biography (Wouldn’t It be Nice) I really disliked this person, also many of his family, for all the dishonest acting, and also for his lack of vision towards Pet Sounds, and any other creative work of the guys, leaded by Brian. This man wants only money. He simply don’t have the right to harass Brian or Al. A mediocre singer, a fake as a composer, absolutely non-reliable as a human being. If anyone still needs a living proof of what a farse TM is, this guy is it.
I’m actually here because I googled “Mike Love sucks”. I gotta agree with you. this man is annoying and ignorant and pure Brian could’ve been much better without him.
Hey, look-a-mee. I’m Mike Love.
I can’t sing. My voice is nasal and annoying, and every Beach Boys track would have been better if any other member had sung my part.
I can’t play instruments. That’s too tricky for me.
I have no taste. I think crappy music is good, and good music is crappy. The clothing that I wear is ridiculous.
I’m an egomaniac and think that if I lie about the past long enough, people will believe it.
Because I have no talent, and Brian does, it eats me up inside, and I hate it. The more I rail against it, the more obvious it is to everyone that Brian Wilson WAS the Beach Boys.
All in all, I am possibly the worst… musician… ever. Please send me more hate mail.
John, it’s been eleven years, so you may never see this comment, but I loved yours.
I’ve seen The Group d/b/a The Beach Boys several times at Wolf Trap (near DC), and I always got a seat fairly close to the stage. I also brought a thick Sharpie, a pack of beach balls, and wrote “THANK BRIAN” on them, inflated them, and set ‘em flying. Quite a few landed on the stage, where Mike picked ‘em up, and in time figured out where they were coming from, and from who. Death-ray glances ensued! “It’s your legacy,” my husband chuckled proudly.
I also did it at the 2012 reunion concert at which Brian, Al, and David Marks were performing. So glad to see them before Mike sacked them in Europe.
Yes Brian was the Beach Boys, there are many aspects of Mike that I cannot stand in one interview on youtube he actually said ‘I am a Ladies Man’ pass me a bucket I feel🤮, and those concerts ( on youtube wish they would be removed) back in the 80s and 90s where he would smile and behave in disgusting manner when they had dancers on stage so upsetting and highly distressing to watch.
So AWESOME to find this. Mike Love is a piece of shit.
“The Beach Boys” are performing in a town close to my hometown in Iowa. Even though the only “Beach Boys” on stage are Mike Love and Bruce Johnston (who wasn’t even in the original line up, but you have to include him).
Recently the local paper wrote an article basically touting Love’s accomplishments. Never in the article does it mention Brian. It also makes Mike Love sound like a hippie-progressive who cares about the environment which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Don’t worry friends, a group of my friends and I are planning a great time at this show. We bought tickets, and will attend the show. What they don’t know is that we will be wearing Brian Wilson t-shirts, and possibly bringing a SMiLE banner if we can find one. I also plan to boo loudly every time he plays a Brian song that he claims “he wrote”.
Fuck Mike Love, and fuck the “Beach Boys”.
I also happened here by Googling “Mike Love Sucks!” I am not sure what I thought might result, but what a wonderful little blog I’ve found! It looks like this has been active for over 3 years now.
I am amazed at how well articulated all my thoughts are here. I would like to add my own contribution to the growing list… one more reason I hate this guy is the ridiculous gold rings and other outlandish jewelry he wears in concert. It’s nauseating and fits him perfectly. In his defense, this would have been the style when Kokomo was a hit.
And I agree with CaptainReality. One thing that makes me feel better about this guy is that I believe deep down he knows. I think he looks out at the 2 or 3 thousand faces in the casino audience and knows that he could be an accountant fronting a 60’s cover band on the weekends and not much would be different. I saw Paul McCartney at the end of his summer tour last month. It makes me smile to think of how Mike Love feels about the never ending adoration of all 4 of the Beatles.
And for what it’s worth, John Cowsill is fantastic. I wish he would tour on his own.
I love Mike Love
Hi everybody.
Sorry for my english which is poor because i’m french and I never went in an anglophone country. I am 21 years old and I have to confess that I truly discovered the BB recently, thanks to “God only know” and three or four other songs that I already knew such as I get around, good vibrations…).
The moment I saw Mike Love I felt everything you have mentionned here, of course I could not describe it in english but I’m glad you did it. I just typed “Mike Love sucks” on Google and followed my instinct. Somehow I knew I was not alone.
Well I keep discovering each track of Brian Wilson but not feeling guilty anymore for thinking Mike Love is a jerk.
Beurk, i’m still thinking about him repeating “so many rain” after that awesome live of god only knows !
Mike Love fucked up the Beach Boys’ music so many times. He brought the Smile sessions to an end. His stupid songs got on Surf’s Up instead of Dennis’ excellent material. He stopped what would have been the last Beach Boys album. A collaboration with the High Llamas which likey would have been mindblowing.
He always said “Don’t fuck with the formula, Brian” and then on the Beach Boys’ last material he had them doing synthpop with members of the Culture Club, Rap and backing Country singers on covers of Beach Boys oldies. What a hypocrite asshole.
Does anyone else get physically ill when he pretends to be a gladiator whipping a horse when he sings the “roman chariot race” part of “Fun Fun Fun”? Another thing that has always made him the least necessary Beach Boy is his inability to play a musical instrument onstage. At least Davy Jones could bang a tambourine,and sported a full head of hair…
And Davy was beautiful! A quality Mike Love does not in any way possess. May I also add to your comment by stating that Love’s hand motions of a “curvy” woman’s figure anytime he mentions “girls” is also sick-making… And that he makes the same gestures EVERY time he sings a song? I have 10 year old singing students who know not to do that.
well said Lori, I too get sick when he sings my least liked songs Cal Girls and Kokomo on the Endless Summer TV shows on youtube including the 25th Anniversary TV show they did at Waikiki, they are 🤮.The song brings back traumatic memories for me, just the opening chords cause me to be physically sick, endure terrifying flashbacks, and I have severe panic attacks. I am having long tern counselling now, the road to recovery is a very long one for me to travel along.
WOW! How STUPID can someone get?!?! Come on dumbass, can you even TRY to do anything that Michael has done for the world? No you can’t. So I suggest you shut the fuck up if you don’t know shit about him. All you know is the diharea that comes out of idiots mouths in tabloids and all that shit. Go pray to God for forgivness._____ __ __ _______ __ __
| | | | | | / | | | / /
| ——‘ | | | | | ____| | | / /
| |___ | | | | | | | |/ /
| ___| | | | | | | | /
| | | | | | | |____ | \
| | | — | | | | |\ \
|__| \________/ \______| |__| \__\
_____
|| ||
|\___/|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
_____||_____
/ | | \
/ | | | | \
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | |
| | |
| /
| /
\ /
\ /
| |
| |
Dont know shit about him? I think the list (witch were all facts!) shows he knows at least a little about him. I can add few too that list also. Did you just say “do anyting Mike has done for the world”?? Haaa. Be a singer in a group of 6 to 8 members and play the saxophone? Wow!! One can only dream i guess! And no he never wrote a song (despite all his lawsuits). Did for the world?? He did NOTHING! Might be the dumbest thing i ever heard! Mike Love is a talentless douche bag.
If hes so racist why is my mom half black? If he’s talentless how did he write the hooks to all of the major popular songs including good vibrations? If he’s a greedy douche bag why does he insist upon going to India and donating his own money and time to support the lives of others? He has liberal ideologies he’s not a right wing republican. His brother* Stan beat the shit out of Dennis for selling Brian powder detergent telling him it was cocaine so stan got pissed and overly protective of Brian (who he was taking care of by the way). He NEVER hassled Brian into touring it was corporate bastards who forced it upon Brian and for your information Brain shelved the smile album due to a nervous break down caused by LSD and cocaine. I don’t know why I waste my time sitting here in math class trying to defend the guy because I guess I just have to accept the fact that he will always be misunderstood. I’m not dying he’s an innocent angel I’m simply saying that he deserves a little credit here. With all due respect The sheer ignorance of this post is overwhelming. Please at least check your sources before you go on a rant on how you hate a person without even having a first hand experience with them. Best regards, Ambha Love, PROUD daughter of the asshole Mike Love
We’re all dying, baby. Didn’t your old man at least tell you that?
Mike Love ruined Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. All the brothers hated his guts, Brian Wilson’s best collaborators were, in order of talent: Tony Asher, Van Dyke Parks, Gary Usher, his brothers and in dead last is that bald prick Mike Love. who undermined the contributions of the aforementioned, more talented lyricists at every turn to enhance his ‘legacy’.
Hey ALove1496, just because Mike Love screwed some black groupie in Uruguay doesn’t make him Martin Luther King. The fact that your mom isn’t with him is clear evidence he’s a little white pecker in more ways than one! Even groupies have their standards…
This is to , alove 1496, who needs to know that in America NOBODY is “half black”: In your rubric I’m 100% black, and your father is a racist punk who in other circumstances I would have decked for the way he treated me but I never touch shit bare handed. Please see my other submission for further information, and your father is still an asshole. Just like he was then.
WOW! How STUPID can someone get?!?! Come on dumbass, can you even TRY to do anything that Michael has done for the world? No you can’t. So I suggest you shut the fuck up if you don’t know shit about him. All you know is the diharea that comes out of idiots mouths in tabloids and all that shit. Go pray to God for forgivness.
haha whoops! I meant to put this comment on the michael jackson page where u talk shit about him.
No worries! Better luck next time!
Not to mention Mike Love tried to sue Brian Wilson over the “Smile” album, claiming Brian “shamelessly” misappropriated his song. Oh, puh-frickin-leeze! Mike didn’t even LIKE Smile when Brian came up with the concept back in the 60s…and now he wants to take all the credit. What an asshat he is. He’s just jealous cuz Brian has more genius in his little finger in one day than Mike will have in his entire body in his lifetime.
Plus I’m PO’ed Mike sued to use the name the Beach Boys. Way I see it, all one has to do is listen to Brian Wilson’s Smile (2004) and That Lucky Old Sun (2008) and even though it’s an entirely different band, it’s pretty damn clear who the REAL Beach Boy is…and it ain’t Mike “don’t fuck with the formula” Love.
p.s. I didn’t know about what happened to Dennis Wilson with him getting beat up like that. That’s just awful. RIP Dennis and Carl.
I can’t see that Irene ever posted her rant in the Michael Jackson comments section.
Well, we may as well keep this going even longer.
Mike Love is a tool! The first indication I had was his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tirade – since then I’ve read about different things – most listed here – and thought “What a no talent douche this guy is”.
I think it’s clear, as others have mentioned, that Love is so insanely jealous of Brian Wilson’s talent and genious that he can’t help himself. I also agree with whoever said he continues to make false calims and lies about his contributions to the BB so eventually people will believe it. Well as long as there are blogs like this it will never happen – not that I think anyone but Love believes his bull shit any way.
Why Oh why hasn’t Brian Wilson sued the freaking pants of this guy? Seems the best way to beat him int he long run would be to play the way he plays.
What an f’ing deuchbag, tool, no talent, loser.
Now, I hate him for all the things mentioned – but Kokomo is just an insulting POS of a song – insulting because it sucks – worst ever.
Brian hasn’t sued because Brian would rather hurt himself than hurt other people. His mom said so, and Brian agreed in a videotaped interview.
It’s a real shame that was Dennis who died in 1983 rather than Mike.
Whoa. That’s cold. True, though.
You and Andrew are quite funny. God forgive me for seeing the humor in your latest comments.
Dennis fucked up his own voice through drugs, alocohol and smoking.
HAIR TODAY
It starts with just a little patch now
Right away you’re worried ’bout your thatch now
You know you ought to comb it slower
Looking like you fought with a lawn mower
A brand new head of hair is such a beautiful thing
But if you go bald then think about the pain it could bring
It makes you look so old
It makes your head feel cold
You try to grow it long
But on the top it’s gone
You’ve got to keep in mind Mike had hair
Today it has gone
Tomorrow a transplant from your ass
That was brilliant!! LMAO!! Would you consider doing the entire Pet Sounds album with the above referenced lyrics??
Stephen,
This is hilarious! What clever lyrics. You’ve got talent. I’d love to see an SNL skit or something, a parody of God Only Knows, yes? Mike has single-handedly supported the hat and cap industry.
I’ve been sitting around my apartment *hating* Mike Love today, and I decided to Google it, ending up here.
I have only 3 reasons for my hatred:
1. His vocal contribution to “God Only Knows” RUINS THE F**KING SONG! I CAN’T EVEN LISTEN TO IT ANYMORE BECAUSE HIS PART SUCKS SO BAD. You know what I’m talking about… “Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba baaaaa…” Learn to sing, you no-talent nasal sounding ass-clown.
2. He road on The Beatles coat-tails right into the Maharishi compound with his suitcase packed with cigarettes, batteries and film which he proceeded to sell to everyone as they ran out of their own supply. Nice hippie spirit Mike. Go f**k yourself, and don’t forget to choke on your mantra.
3. Refer back to point one: He has no talent.
Mike doesn’t appear on God Only Knows (only Brian, Carl & Bruce). I’m not a big Mike Love fan, but this message thread is absolutely pathetic. I’ve never stumbled upon a bigger batch of losers. Beach Boys rule.
You misunderstand the topic. Most here love the Beach Boys. They are just ticked at how Mike Love ruins everything. Everybody knows a that one guy who’s a complete tool that comes off as a jerk no matter what he does. Mike is that guy.
Thank you for a blog to rant about Mike Love !! Found it like others Googling “I hate Mike Love”. Everytime I hear about this asshole I reach for my well-worn 1986 paperback copy of Steven Gaines “Heroes and Villains – The True Story of the Beach Boys”. Mike Love is easily the biggest asshole in a book knee deep in assholes like Murry Wilson, Jack Rieley, Eugene Landy, Rocky Pamplin, and Charles Manson. And of course let’s not forget Mike’s asshole siblings Stephen and Stan. A young Mike beating his first wife for smoking cigarettes (after he gave her a carton of them to impress her on their first date). Mike’s anti-semitic and homophobic rantings. Mike knocking his 4 year old kid across the room for interrupting his TM. Mike and his brother screwing and suing each other. And on an on. I despise this guy !!
Thank you thank you !! Mike Love, you are 69 years old and you can’t live forever and I can’t wait to read your obituary someday !!! You wrecked the Beach Boys back in 1967 !!
Pablo D, I agree with everything you said, except that Mike beat up his second, not first, wife Suzanne for smoking. (And yes, he did buy her that carton of smokes. She was only seventeen)
I too found this blog by googling “I hate Mike Love” and I’ve never been happier about finding so much hatred! Mike Love-haters of the world, unite and take over!
Could there possibly be another Smiths AND Beach Boys lover out there?
You mean, besides me?
I remembered the “he is an asshole” part of the Wikipedia entry, began giggling and Googled to see if any trace of it remained. After finding a screenshot, I stumbled upon this blog.
Every time I listen to “Johnny Carson” off Love You I think it was a stroke of genius by Brian. Mike just sounds so ridiculous and I think Brian did that on purpose.
Mike Love has done much evil to the world. Though what he’s done to Al and Brian are the worst of it, the ABC miniseries got under my skin worse than anything he else he’s perpetuated.
Now that you mentioned it, I just had to go look for that screenshot. It’s mentioned in this blog post, and the screenshot itself is here.
Oh, and if you want to hear a good example of Brian allegedly making Mike sound ridiculous on purpose, check out the Beach Boys’ version of The Battle Hymn of the Republic. I’ve seen it speculated that it was a joke that Mike, then in the grip of Bicentennial-mania, wasn’t in on.
I’m don’t have all same arguments as noted in your demonstration, but I totally agree that he wasn’t the ‘big brain’ behind the Beach Boys, but Brian. It’s real idiotic to claim those lyrics on Brian’s great works, ’cause the lyrics where he stand credited are often a bit shameful..
It’s something funny about the man but he doesn’t seem to have a bit of self-deprecation at all.
Let’s just leave I would say, we all know that not Mike but Brian’s made it possible that they’ve become such famous and made some music on a level that, perhaps, Mike doesn’t understand.
Great greetings from the Netherlands!
… or, as Beach Boys fans know the country, Holland.
Not coincidentally, the album of that name contains perhaps Mike’s single most pretentious moment, the spoken-word piece “Beaks of Eagles”, which I was obligated to put onto a mix CD made up entirely of songs about birds that my girlfriend recently requested. Every time this definitive track about avian incest comes up, the “skip” button gets a real workout.
I found this piece by Googling “Mike Love Prick” since I always remember him saying that “Murry was a prick” in an interview and thinking “actually, Mike is a complete prick himself!”
How many times has this guy been married? Seriously! Seems he marries teenage girls and divorces them by the time they’re adults as often as he fires off lawsuits.
Anybody who keeps bleating about how wonderful and successful the odious “Kokomo” was has to be a prick. Mike claims it’s The Beach Boys’ biggest selling record. No way… and it’s another thinly veiled swipe at Brian who was not involved in that monstrosity.
How about this one…
“In an ocean or in a glass…
Cool water is such a gas”
Only Mike would have the audacity to sing those lines in “Cool Cool Water” and it totally destroys that song for me. Hearing him sing those lines, I wince in agony. I’m surprised nobody has mentioned his “episode” in 1969 when he went genuinely mad, stripping off on a chat show and having to be captured by nurses shoving him into a straitjacket dragging him away to the nearest psychiatric hospital, a caper he attributed to “being tainted by the Wilson blood” – what a prick.
In 1992 when he was promoting the worst Beach Boys album of all, “Summer In Paradise” he bragged he already had the title for the next album – “Masterpiece”… WTF?
Yes, that story about The Beatles and Maharishi is true. He went there to get publicity for himself and by various accounts was a seedy pain in the ass. It’s even been alleged that he smuggled in dope to sell… He bugged The Beach Boys management to send film cameras to India to make a movie about it. And what came out of it? The disastrous tour with The Beach Boys and the Maharishi that cost an absolute fortune and was a total flop. Al Jardine summed it all up succinctly when he quipped that the only people making money on that tour was Interflora since Maharishi insisted there be flowers everywhere he went. So Mike can be blamed for that embarrassing fiasco.
And who would have the audacity to name a solo album “Looking Back With Love?”
Mike Love is a smug obnoxious hateful prick. Period.
HAHAH! Your post made me laugh for about 20 minutes. Wince in agony haha, seedy pain in the ass, Classic
Carl was my favorite Beach Beach Boy..Mike Love the least favorite..I read several books about the Beach Boys including Heroes and Villans..and it’s pretty plain who the villan is… I think it is in his nature to be a greedy, narcascistic.ultra conservative phoney. However I don’t hate him..I feel sorry for him. I really like the other four original Beach Boys and David Marks too. How they put up with him says a lot about their character and respect for the original group and what they accomplished and how important those accomplishments were and he was part of that as lead singer and frontman on stage…and he did do a decent job or else their songs wouldn’t have been such big hits. But that is all I can say good about him. My favorite songs are “I Get Around” and “Little Honda” and “Fun, Fun, Fun”. Also I just checked out Al Jardine’s new CD “Postcards From California” on his website through a link on the Coast to Coast website…Al was on the Coast to Coast radio show Saturday night (July 17) for an hour with Ian. Lots of videos and song samples on Al’s website..Steve Miller and Al do a bang up job on Help Me Rhonda. All and all some excellent music. Al also is lending his 1962 Fender Statocaster to Fender for a year so they can build a re-issue in their Custom Shop.
I see I’m not the only person who landed on this page by googling “mike love sucks” (or the equivalent). I’m in complete agreement with the article. I especially like this given reason: “He just plain has one of those thin-lipped humourless-asshole-looking faces you want to punch.”
I can’t add anything that hasn’t already been voiced. It’s just a shame that fate brought Mike Love into contact with Brian Wilson and the others. For decades he’s done his best to insert his retarded slant into the Beach Boys.
I hate the way he acts out the lyrics of songs when he’s singing them. It’s disgusting and laughable. He acts out driving a car during Fun, Fun, Fun. He acts out looking through a spyglass on Sloop John B. He acts out WAXING A SURFBOARD on Surfin’ USA. What a ridiculous fool.
Indeed! And what I’ve noticed from watching A LOT of 60’s video clips, those clever tricks captured the cameramen’s attention. How many videos have you watched where the focus is Mike, with nary a glimpse of Brian? As if he’s a supporting musician. Didn’t anyone on the set know anything? I guess not.
My personal favorite is one of the Pet Sounds promo videos where the Wilsons are playing cards (Old Maid), and Mike prances through the woods like a parody of a mincing transvestite. It kills me to hear that Brian suffered from not feeling “hip” in those days– when Mike had that category sewn up…
Of course to be fair Brian has done similar recently. “Don’t Talk” comes to mind (during the ‘put you head on my shoulders’ guess what he does). Brian doesn’t do it with a knowing smirk though and that’s all the difference.
Wonder what dance moves he does for Cal Girls and Kokomo?
I recently saw Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and the collection of ringers that call themselves “The Beach Boys.” I went only because it was free. I found my gag reflex kicking in several times. First when John Fucking Stamos came out to sing “Forever.” Poor Dennis does not deserve to have his ballad raped by some two-bit actor wannabe-rockstar. Then Bruce Johnston attempted to sing “God Only Knows.” Needless to say, he’s no Carl Wilson. Mike Love continued to do his same stupid hand motions and stage shuffle he’s been doing for the past 50 years while profiteering off the genius of Brian. Hearing them do “good Vibrations,” and hearing Mike Love try to take credit for it was nauseating. As soon as Stamos started playing the opening beat of “Kokomo” I split that pop-stand…I can still taste the vomit in my mouth…
Well said Brock!!, John Stamos is no singer, and Dennis did sing the song better after all HE sang it first, and Bruce is no Carl Wilson , I cannot stand Good Vibrations, California Girls or Kokomo for that matter they bring back traumatic memories for me.
“Mike Love also reportedly was a tattletale in the years when Murry was their manager, sparing no details about groupie activity and such.”
SNORT!
Ring ring ring.
“Hello, Pot? This is Kettle calling>”
His credit-hogging knows no bounds; he held up the Pet Sounds box for 18 months because he felt the liner notes emphasized Brian’s contributions and diminished his own. This goes as far as ripping off the record buying public; when Pet Sounds was finally mixed for stereo, the engineers only had bits and pieces to work with, and for one bridge, they couldn’t find a tape of Mike Love’s vocal to mix … but they had Carl Wilson singing the same part. Carl Wilson sings better anyway, so what’s the problem? Except Mike Love’s ego, obviously. He demanded that they create a weird edit where they use the old mono mixdown for his bridge, for the rest of the song, they could use the new stereo mix. I haven’t heard the result, but the mind boggles.
That “Pet Sounds”remixing edit that Mike Love demanded is ghastly. It’s the middle section of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – Mike’s voice was missing from the multitrack and he demanded it be reinstated. So they had to sync up the mono mix with the stereo to do it… it sticks out like a sore thumb, sounding like the song has suddenly turned inside out. It just doesnt work and gets that stereo mix off to a bad start… and all because Mike is an egotistical prick.
I hate him too!
Has anyone seen the BB documentary Endless Harmony, in which Mike Love says stuff about the band’s appeal being their positivity and that all coming from him? He is a deluded arse.
YES. I also googled Mike Love sucks and came across this site. I cannot express the hatred I have for this tool. The countless lawsuits against Brian Wilson, the god awful songs about TM, and how he actually sued for songwriting credit for that little tag on Wouldn’t It Be Nice, that worthless ‘good night, sweet baby, sleep tight…’ thing at the end. At least Brian is still out there, no doubt pissing off Mike for just being a much more talented genius. Suck it, Mike. You and Stamos will burn for Kokomo.
If you are one of the true haters of Myke Luhv like I am, then you should be thoroughly be enjoying the fact that Brian has released his new album to critical acclain. I have noticed VERY LITTLE or almost no mention of ML during the many reviews-in fact, one of the many vids for the new albums show Brian years ago with the BBs but ML was cut out of it. I friggin’ love it. Hopefully Myke is eating his heart completely out with jealousy and paranoia. Mr.”I AM THE BEACH BOYS” is once again being put in his place which is that of a sideman who can barely playa tambourine correctly. Brian and his brothers should have fired his ugly ass right after Pet Sounds-maybe then we coud have heard what Brian was really doing. The most hated person in rock and roll! Let Myke come crawling to the feet of Brian begging him for forgivness on stage in major cities. I’d pay huge money for that ticket.
Although I am not at knowledagable as some here you seem to have missed a couple of fundamentals:
All you are really doing is giving ML publicity for free. I bet he fucking loves that.
Call up a beach boys track and they’ll hear ML as the lead. Anyone could have created the backing frankly. It’s hardly complex.
So re-read the above two sentences and also consider the fact we all make mistakes, that’s part of being human. I expect he’s not quite as cool about the whole thing as people perceive. The difference here with a lot of haters is that their mistakes aren’t in the public view to be picked over.
Ultimately this whole blog is just advertising for someone you’ve never met and yet you apparently hate. It’s pretty fucking pathetic.
Your post is so fucking off base-THAT’S whats pathetic. Try discussing something you know about, not this-and I have met his several times. He’s got the personality of a dead rattlesnake-Brian was much more charismatic and a Hell of alot friendlier. Fuck your “advertising” theory-that’s bullshit-The truth about this piece of shit needs to be spread as much as possible
I don’t know that anyone who thinks the BBs’ orchestration is “hardly complex” can be taken seriously.
If anyone can pass on the link to the video where Brian is at the piano with Dennis and Carl nearby, and Brian does an imitation of Mike Love by singing while holding his nose… I will be personally grateful.
That was in Endless Harmony documentary, when they were recording their last material with Carl Wilson, for Stars & Stripes Part I the album of country singers doing BB oldies.
While I do hate Mike Love with an absolute burning passion I won’t deny that I like his voice (Though it obviously pales in comparison to Brian or Carls’). It was an integral part to the Beach Boys sound (and I don’t just mean lead vocals). I always like his bass vocals and some of leads were great (Aren’t you Glad, That’s Not Me, and All I Wanna Do are probably my favorite Mike Love vocals) And hell he did write one amazing song (The early version of Big Sur.) However Mike Love is a total piece of shit. He has no respect for his other band mates, held back Brian from going in the direction he wanted to go in, turned the Beach Boys live shows in the late 70’s into a shitty nostalgia act (compared to the early 70’s when they were just phenomenal live), and is totally egotistical. Blondie Chaplin said it best in this interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNsulymGkOE: “Well sometimes Mike likes to think that he’s the ONLY original member.” Truer words have probably never been uttered.
Mike Love raped my dog.
Mike Love raped our rat.
WTF Rocky Pamplin is technically my blood uncle and i have never met the guy in my life but i had no idea he did this shit thats fucking lame. as far as im conserned that is one of the most messed up things you can ever do and if i ever do met him i will personaly beat the living fuck out of him for ruining that mans life.
Wow. Look at all the people who hate Mike Love.
I’m so glad I found this. I’ve never understood the presence of Mike Love on ANY Beach Boys. The elimination of his nasally ‘no range’ voice could have been removed from every song and improved every song ten fold. His contribution to the lyrics was completely unneeded, and his contribution to the demise of the creative genius of Brian Wilson during the mid to late ’60s puts the point of the dull pencil of this no talent manipulative duplicitous hack called, Mike Love, The Luckiest No Talent S.O.B that ever walked the planet.
Mike Love seems to fit the profile of an extremely insecure BULLY.
Exactly. An “Eight” on the Enneagram chart – an unhealthy Eight.
http://historyaccess.com/theenneagramanaa.html
Ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto. If it hadn’t been for Brian, he’d be flipping burgers. You can hear him practicing counting out change at the beginning of Shutdown Part 2.
Want further proof that Mike Love is wacky? Go to the Smoking Gun site and check out the Beach Boys concert rider. Mike insists on no green lighters, working toilets(after all he’s full of shit) and press releases that claim the BB’s are not “an oldies act”(really? what’s with the 40 year old songs being purveyed by an almost 70 year old man?). It makes for great reading, folks! Also, Mike once claimed in an interview that he didn’t play an instrument because at one point the guys had to lug and set up their own gear). What a team player? As for the “revisionist movie”, it’s a joke. Mike’s vocals on the early stuff were pretty good, but he hasn’t grown as a musician since about 1964. All of the other members progressed(especially Dennis), and what did Mike do? Coast on a wave of nauseating nostalgia with a bunch of hacks who tarnish the Beach Boys name(which, of course, Mike owns). And then there’s what ..the 7 wives(?),,proof that he can’t make a relationship work. Let’s not forget his two brothers…Stan who beat the crap out of Dennis and Steve who embezzled funds from the band when he managed them.
Thanks for the tip! That concert rider is here. I’m surprised about the clause requiring the availability of a licensed masseuse/masseur. What happened to Anna Lee, the Healer?
I can think of two possible explanations for the “no green lighters” clause: First, it could be superstition; some people evidently think green lighters are bad luck. Second, it could be like Van Halen’s “no brown M&M’s” clause; it seems like rock-star excess, but it’s actually a way of determining at a glance whether the concert promoter has even read the contract.
Lastly, far be it from me to defend Mike Love, but I have to admit he did grow after a musician after 1964. The last song I heard before coming into work this morning was “All I Wanna Do”, from Sunflower. Not only is that song gorgeous, but it also shows musical growth. The trouble isn’t that Mike didn’t progress; it’s that he then regressed in the name of commerce, beginning with “Do It Again” and selling out entirely by the time of 15 Big Ones. That’s the frustrating thing: He had it in him to be better, but he seems to have mostly wanted to be richer.
Agree on All I Wanna Do. Mike was himself a victim of his own jealousy of Brian IMO. Your last sentence reminded me of Mike’s claim that at Dennis’ funeral he bought two of the most expensive bottles of champagne he could find in honour of Dennis. Most expensive? He should have just gone for best.
I recently read Rick’s 12/17/10 comment about Steve Love. It’s funny how we live in an electronic messaging era, and people still don’t take the time to get their facts straight before making slanderous remarks. The remarks should be aimed at Mike Love! Mike to this day still owes his brother about 1.5 Million dollars or more and has never attempted to pay Steve what he is owed. It was during Steve’s ten year that the BB made the most money.It was Steve Love that got them paid at a higher scale, and it was Steve that got them a bigger percentage of the gate. Brian’s Back , Steve’s brain child, if the BB were still managed by Steve they would not be touring at 72 years old they could afford to retire. As it stands they will most likely keep touring into their eighties because Mike needs the money, that is if anyone can stand to see Mike in diapers and a wheel chair.
Well hell, for fear of sounding as if I am defending Mike, (and I’m not) I do think the post about him having to sing for cash is stupid. I worked for the guy for seven years. He has a boatload of money, lives in Tahoe for taxes, to my knowledge has never paid a dime of alimony on his own, and even without this 50th hype, easily clears $6-7 million a year. Why stop? Mike is street smart, but an idiot. I don’t think he has ever read a paper. This is all he knows and as long as crowds still show up and they do, gawd bless him for collecting the cash. All he knows are airports, stages, hotel rooms and pussy and for $6 million a year, every year, he will never give it up.
Who do you think the chew is for? Yuck!
I grew up in the 80’s and remember reading a lot of lists naming Pet Sounds as one of the great LP’s of all time, I was positive that was bullshit because I’d seen a televised Beach Boys concert and fucking Mike Love was doing his usual shtick and singing the more novelty oriented tunes like Be True to Your School. How could a great album be associated with such an obvious douche bag? I later bought Brian Wilson’s first solo album and was intrigued enough to go back and buy Pet Sounds. I Hate Mike Love because he made ignore great music. As I became a Brian Wilson fan, I hated Mike Love more for the many reasons already lined out in this blog so thanks for this site, and I’d like to add that if Mike Love were to have a stroke right in front of me I would fight off Paramedics until Love other died or was totally incapacitated.
Thanks
I would like to add to that fantasy that one of the attending paramedics would be none other than David Lee Roth, humming “California Girls” under his breath as he tried to attend to the patient before finally shrugging and giving up.
I got here by Googling ‘mike love is a dick’. Say no more!
I’ll let Mike Love himself respond to the allegations of his being a dick:
He also insisted on changing Hang Onto Your Ego into I Know There’s An Answer
But no one told Frank Black that!
Thankfully! That was an awesome version. By the way, that Mike Love GIF is creeping me out.
I dig the photo of Dennis flipping off Mike though.
Alan Jardine is listed as “guest star” for the Beach Boys upcoming salute to Reagan. I would love to know the behind the scenes poop on this. I thought that Al couldn;t stand Mike and vice versa. Better yet, will Mr.Love allow Al to sing songs from the Post Card From California album(which are not BB “remakes” that is)?
Who knows with these guys. It’s a love-hate relationship that’s many decades old, and they go around and around, freezing and thawing like the hydrologic cycle. I can’t see Mike letting Al play any of his solo stuff, though. They won’t fuck with the formula.
But, hey, if you want behind-the-scenes poop, while any press coverage of this salute to Reagan will probably mention how the president overturned James Watt’s brief banning of the band from the Independence Day celebrations on the National Mall in 1983, no one ever seems to remember that Dennis Wilson banged the Reagans’ daughter, Patti Davis.
no one ever seems to remember that Dennis Wilson banged the Reagans’ daughter, Patti Davis.
Dude, half of California banged Patti Davis, the other half banged Stevie Nicks…Dennis I bet had em both!
We dont know Mike Love, so we can say he is a dick, he appears to be one.
The Ronnie Regan thing sucked moose tits, and Mike looks OLD, so did AL!
Dennis did in fact bang Stevie Nicks, even though he was in a long-term relationship with Christine McVie. According to the Jon Stebbins biography, he worked his way through every girlfriend, wife, secretary, and nanny associated with Fleetwood Mac like he had a grudge against the band. He was like the Keyser Söze of fucking.
Check out this The Best of Mike Love. It is Hysterical:
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!
It literally took me until the “We Love Our Children Telethon ’90” clip at the 2:30 mark to figure out that this was the opening “When” from “Be True to Your School”. I want everyone to keep in mind that the more recent clips in this montage show a nearly 70-year-old man singing about the glory of high school. Mike must have really loved Susan Miller Dorsey High School to still be raving about it as a septuagenarian.
Peter, great blog, thanks for keeping it going so long!
I bought Mike’s senior yearbook from Dorsey for an unsurprisingly low price on eBay. In addition to his photos from the track team, what really made me howl was his membership in the Audio-Visual Club, which in my experience (I’m fifteen years Mike’s junior) comprised the dweebs who’d roll the movie projector in and out of classrooms and run the films for the teachers. Seriously, big-time nerd activity.
Such a pointless intro. Wheeeeeeeen … LOL…what a clown.
what a narcissist. thing is, he can’t even stay on key for his big show-offy moment.
Been a few months since I visited. Still hate Mike Love. Find out how he is voting in the next election so I can vote the other way and cancel him out
I can’t belive all this crap! So what if Mike Love tokd Brian to shelve the Smile album? Big deal. It was Murray Wilson who gave Brian Wilson the writing credit of California Girls. I think that Mike’s voice works great on the Beach Boys songs. Apart from Carl and Al, Brian, Dennis and Mike had big egos and they clashed. I guess the haters here have nothing better to do.
Brian did say that he’s glad that Mike is out there keeping the Beach Boys music alive. Don’t blame the band, blame their money greedy lawyers. I think Mike, Al, Brian, & Bruce would like to get together, but the lawyers won’t let them.
Surf’s Up
Mark, you’re a weirdo.
Just because someone doesn’t agree with u doesn’t make him a weirdo EVERYONE should be entitled to their own opinion without insults There’s a lot of hate here from people who probably never even met Love Oh one more thing I really dnubt that Mike is a conservative not that his political views has Anything to do with music’and to his daughter I am sorry that u have to put up with such hateful words about your Parents No one should’have to hear that I feel like this is a high school bully website it’s all so stupid
Thank you so much for this. I enjoyed the article obviously and agreed with everything but you forgot to mention the dreadful dancing, the turban and the gold waistcoat. Truly cringe-making. Also the bringing pretty 16 year old girls on stage at the end of the show is a little dubious.
But the video – wow – I laughed ’til I cried.
just watched the 1988 BB r&r hall of fame acceptance speech again. when i feel my mike love hatred waning, i do this.
There’s no good reason why “Mark” shouldn’t believe all this “crap”. Mike Love earned his reputation by his actions, and will just have to live with it. My personal impressions:
Love is a member of the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame, and a familiar vocal sound of American sixties pop music for one reason, and one reason only: he was, fortunately for him, born the cousin of one of the era’s true geniuses (those who refer to Ringo Starr as “The luckiest man in show business” have overlooked our subject here!). Love’s nasally, limited-ability singing voice and corny stage presence, ironically, became an identifying part of “Surf & Car” songs (how many such records from that era were employing nasally-voice-paired-with-high-falsetto vocals? MANY! It defined the genre).
I’ve never begrudged Mike Love his fame as part of this brainchild of Brian Wilson’s. Pop music history has plenty of icons of somewhat underwhelming talent credentials. I, personally, have no problem with him touring the World, keeping the legacy alive with new players, either (this, too, is a common happenstance: Popular bands become marketable franchises in their fame. People still flock to venues to take part of the celebration of that particular band’s history, even when the actual players are not the originals – bands change personnel – it’s as natural as rainfall).
He did have a large hand in the song “Kokomo”, a number one hit without Brian Wilson’s participation. He really considers that a feather in his cap. Maybe so. I believe it’s quite likely that, if it were not for the producers of the the immensely popular movie, “Cocktail”, including this song in their hit film, that the song likely would’ve been relegated to being an album cut on one of their relatively-obscure albums.
All of the above has little to do with why people are calling an asshole an asshole. His lack of humility (sorely called-for), and his constant attempts to re-write the band’s actual history to exaggerate (or outright lie about) his importance to their output, as well as his attitude, in general, towards those around him, has established him as a pretty distasteful character. He’s earned his horrible reputation, many times over. He’s greedy, sarcastic, and mean-spirited. One has to wonder what he’d be like if he didn’t meditate every day.
Aside from all that, the thing that’s rankled me through the ages is the words he wrote for “Good Vibrations”: “…she goes with me to a blossom world…”…He should’ve been hung by his lyrics until dead for that one. It’s a testament to Brian Wilson’s magnanimity in wanting to allow his blood relation to participate in the creation of his vision, that such a sappy line was put into the song.
If my cousin came up with a line like that, I’d spank him and toss him out of the house!
‘they’ll hear ML as the lead. Anyone could have created the backing frankly. It’s hardly complex.’
You’re absolutely right – You’re ‘not at knowledagable.’
Great post, Bilse. I want to add a thought. I do this as a certified disliker of Mike Love. It’s my strong sense that his personal energy was important to getting the band rolling in the early days – to keeping it on track – to helping it climb the greasy pole. I give him a lot of credit for this. Every band needs someone like this – someone who pounds on ahead no matter what, someone who is fundamentally optimistic and energetic. I can imagine someone like Brian getting discouraged in the early days – genius is often easily discouraged, it’s one of the characterisitics of the breed; the reasons for this are complex, having to with the fact that they’re just really, really different. Too bad that Mike was unable to use his strong energy to evolve. He had it in him to become great, and he ended up a pompous goofball. Oh – by the way – Mike is a classic “Eight” in the Enneagram of Personality. Google “Enneagram Eight type” and you’ll get some useful insight into the promise and tragedy of Mr. Mike Love.
Mike’s getting old. I wonder when he’ll finally die, and what his obit will be?
clearly most people don’t give a crap. that’ll be his obit
Mark of Comment 101 is clearly a delusional Mike Love apologist. Mike Love gets the bad rap because he deserves it.
I got here by googling “Mike Love ruined the Beach Boys.”
I just finished a Showtime special on Brian Wilson and the SMiLE album. Great 2 hour doc, and a great album too.
i believe he did pile on to the project. Van Dyke gives references to members that grilled him about the lyrics and it sounds like Mike being the biggest one. hee, Brian was going to be the one singing the lead, but Mike couldn’t take that he couldn’t understand the lyrics…so Van Dyke left (of course for other reasons as well).
Ok, OK….though I am NOT a Mike Love Hater (don’t be flamin’ me now) I still had to chuckle at your reasons because hey, alot of them were spot on and..i have to admit…hilarious. Some of them were exaggerated, and perhaps two or three just not true. (For example..asshole or not…it was ANOTHER asshole that made sure Love didn’t get credit for those earlier songs that Brian admits he co-wrote..that A.H. would be Murry. That lawsuit was legitimate; as for the Smile lawsuit, and not letting Al make a living..I agree-total bullshit)
I met Mike in a professional setting…at a radio Program Director’s convention. Although he was not rude, I have to admit considering my expressed admiration for the band, he was a little cool..and perhaps a little bit of a jerk. But then again I had a predisposed expectation of that.
Yea, he missed the boat on Smile; although I understand NOW he is all gung ho with the newly announced coming release of the ORIGINAL Smile. Leave it to cold hard cash to get Mike’s “mind right”.
You talk like Mike and Bruce (and maybe Al again?) crankin’ out the old surf and beach hits as a bad thing. After all it keeps Brian’s music in front of thousands of people every month in a way that Brian is just not capable of doing. Yea, Brian and his Wondermints band is incredible…but they perform a very limited concert schedule. The continued heavy exposure to the Beach Boys library (and Mike and Bruce’s band have started to include some the more escoteric but wonderful of Brian’s tunes) helps spur sales and in a way helps take pressure off of Brian so he can better delve into his solo projects.
But yea, he can be a big dick…
uh, he missed the boat on Pet Sounds as well as Smile! He disagreed with Pet Sounds which had great critical acclaim, not so much commercial….but that’s what freaking Mike Love is about….commercial success. He’s a whore which is why we all post about how we hate him.
How about how he insults Mick Jagger in his HOF induction — yet totally rips off his stage dance routine.
Your all ASS HATS ! Love is a beach boy, and the beach boys are the greatest band in history ( that’s right you pathedic beatle worshippers ). Go Mike !! Keep touring and spreading the joy and music that is the beach boys.
“Your all ASS HATS !” <Why are EVERYONE of us here who happen to talk negatively about Mike Love "Ass Hats"; what for having a negative opinion on Mike Love? For giving reasons why we don't like him? For having different opinion than yours'? We have rights to our own opinions, so what if Mike is a Beach Boy, more power to him!
So, Joey Molland, is in my favorite band, Badfinger, even though there are reasons to not like him and I don't like him either, but I still enjoy the band he was in, same with Mike, don't like him, but I love the Beach Boys.
"beach boys are the greatest band in history" < "Well that's like uh, your opinion man!" I seriously like them, I just don't like Mike Love, that fair? He did ruin the reputation of the band (to me and others possibly) after the touring when Holland came out for me. Also who says were all "Beatle worshippers", people have the right to love The Beatles, no ones really bashing the Beach Boys here, unless it's on Mike's faux touring band.
"..Mike !! Keep touring and spreading the joy and music that is the beach boys."< I think he should stop and retire, but that's my opinion.
How old are you, Lindzy?
I found this blog by googling “Mike love is an asshole and sucks donkey dick”.
I results also turned up a bunch of photos of Mike Love with a donkey.
I wrote a poem about Mike Love:
Mike Love you’re a dick.
Your face looks like a tick.
You ruined awesome band
Your brain is the size of a grain of sand
Mike Love you’re a dick.
how about a t-shirt that says “Stop Mike Love”? I giggled so hard when I saw a bumper sticker with that saying.
Thanks, Sam. When I’m really frustrated I’ve found screaming your poem does me a world of good.
Love was a good singer on the early hits because at that time many singers had a nasally voice. It doesn’t mean he couldn’t sing, Del Shannon had a nasal voice. His voice was suited to the early good timing songs, but on the more ambitious stuff is where sounds out of place. This is probably where he started to feel insecure as compared with Brian and Carl, because they had better voices.
I hate Mike Love so very, very much. Dennis has always been my Fav and out of some weird Loyalty to Denny, I can’t stand Mike. He is a big prick and as previously pointed out sucks a large amount of Donkey Cock!
isn’t it weird that some people support him?
I love the bumber sticker “Stop Mike Love”! I’d like to make it into a t-shirt. Everybody in the know would understand the sentiment.
I meant “bumper” sorry guys
I found this site by googling Mike Love is a jerk. Classic.
I always disliked Mike Love, and even being a teenager I know a helluva lot about the Beach Boys and how Mike pretty much screwed Smile, regardless of Brian’s substance abuse. However, my dislike of him quickly grew when I went to a Beach Boys concert and he made the following joke (not word for word, but whatever)
MIKE: “I wrote this song about my first car, a 1946 Chevrolet something something. I loved that car, and it was special to me bla bla bla whatever. Of course, now I own a Bentley…”
What a narcisitic jerk…
He used the same joke recently at their concert at the Royal Albert Hall right before he fired Brian and the Boys during their 50th reunion.
Long LIve MIke!
and for the record
Murry Rules
Good to see hate and stupidity still walk hand in hand in the land of lost ignorance.
Wake up idiots … Mike is great front man for America’s best band.
You weren’t there so you don’t know …
Is it an honor to play in Mike Love’s band? Or a disgrace?
Let’s say it would be an honor to play the music of Brian Wilson but that is where it all stops dead in its tracks. For one thing, looking at or crosseyed at Mike means termination. Secondly, being a part of this oldies tribute band plays under a fraudulent premise saying they are The Beach Boys. Mike Love may have the license to do so but without Brian, Carl, Dennis or Al, how do you show up with any REAL legitimacy? Would Ringo bill himself and some pick up sidemen (like Mike did) and call himself The Beatles? Only someone with a tremendous uncontrolled ego problem like Mike Love would stoop that low. Thirdly, Mike Love is an asshole and the most hated laughed at rock and roll has been in the industry.
oldsurferdude says: “being a part of this oldies tribute band plays under a fraudulent premise saying they are The Beach Boys. Mike Love may have the license to do so but without Brian, Carl, Dennis or Al, how do you show up with any REAL legitimacy?”
Uh…maybe because two of them are dead? As for Brian, in many ways he has been doing his own thing since 65…..(I do agree that Al should come back to the group…would that make it more “legitimate”?)
The fact is all parties agreed that Mike and Bruce’s band are the “Beach Boys”…and a portion of everything they make goes into “Beach Boys Inc.” of which they ALL benefit.
But this argument is not about the legitimacy of a band. It’s really about not liking Mike Love personally, thus all these other silly claims.
Yeah and I bet you believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny too. I don’t care who agreed to what-that doesn’t pertain to legitimacy in the least. Myke Luhv is not the Beach Boys in any way shape or form. He may have been 1/5th or 1/6th of the band at one time, but that band is dead-long gone. And, why did that bald asshole fire Al Jardine because Al can sing circles around him and everyone else in that ridiculous collection of wannabees? Yes, another clusterfuck by the turban wearing clown. Brian, for very good reasons hates Luhvand the one and only reason they’ll ever record or play together again will be for the dough. I just hope neither happens, although I’d look forward to Luhv getting his ugly ass booed off the stage.
SurferDude…did Love sleep with your wife, or what? Chill the hate, dude.
Did Al shove a pie into Myke Luhv’s face? No, YOU chill with the wife comments, JACKASS.
I don’t know you but couldn’t have said it better myself-thanks jhop! Chime in anytime.
i got here from ‘mike love is an asshole’ and am glad to find so many people still drinking the h8rade for this douche.
what a nasty piece of work.
Can’t we all just get along?? love and mercy and all that…
Grettings from Spain. I’m glad you feel the same about Mike Love, the genuine all time pop villain. I recently read a book called “Sweet insanity” about Brian and the boys and I got surprised how many evil things mike did (and still doing) during his miserable career.
He’s the reason why many people hate the beach boys, beacuse when they think of the group they think of Mike Love, hawaian shirts and all that shit stuff.
8/23/11
RobGems.ca wrote:
One thing you can say about douchebagger Mike Love is this:He’s the closest in the family to resemble in oafish behavior to his Uncle Murry Wilson than any of the other Wilson family members. Not only was Uncle Murry an asshole with no remorse for Brian, Dennis, Audree, their mother, or anyone else,he had the gall to say if it wasn’t for his so called “genius”, Brian wouldn’t have a career in music, and then had the audacity to kick Brian when his band was down & out in 1969 by selling away the Beach Boys songs published by Sea Of Tunes, Inc. to Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss at A&M Records’ publishing arm, Irving Tunes,Inc. for less than they were worth. Brian never spoke to his dad after that up until his Father’s death in 1973, and never attended his funeral to boot! (Dennis didn’t attend Murry’s funeral either.) 30 years down the line, Mike’s suing-happy attitude matches that insanity the same as Uncle Murry was to Brian. Yes, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, even as asshole Uncle is to asshole Nephew. In case you wonder about mike beating up his ex-wife Carol back in the 1960’s, yes it’s true, and over her smoking a pack of cigarettes behind his back at that! The Beach Boys are still one of the greatest American Bands of the 1960’s, but because of Brian’s one good ear for talent (don’t even get me started about how Murry one time alledgely caused Brian’s deafness by using a 2X4 against his noggin.), and Mike is just lucky to be part of Brian’s world,even though he should be shunned out of it for over 45 years of pure douchebaggery. Don’t fuck with the formula, INDEED. It’s just as laughable as Murry bellowing at Brian during the “Help Me Rhonda” sessions “I’m A Genius Too, Brian!”
Great digest of WWHML. Also, let’s not forget the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame speech.
8/24/11
RobGems.ca wrote:
A correction to be made: Carol was Dennis Wilson’s first wife, not Mike Love’s. The abused wife in question married to Mike Love during the 1960’s was Suzanne Belcher. Also to be precise, Mike was accused of supposedly being an accused father to a Beach Boys groupie in 1964: this brought a lawsuit against him from the unmarried mother at the time. The child reputedly grew up to be Shawn Love Wilson who would eventually be Dennis Wilson’s 5th and final wife in 1982. How’s that for a Douchebag getting revenge on another Douchebag? Shawn’s mother was alledgedly named Shannon Harris,the case long settled out of court for paternity in 1965.
Well I never knew too much about the beach boys ,but I’m a long term Beatles fan,the Beatles story opens up the Charles Manson story which opens up the beach boys story,I knew Brian Wilson had some issues in the late 60s (70s?) but I didn’t know who was the most musically valid ,who was the singer on California girls? And other songs I might have heard
This is very interesting. I was born in 1960 so have a feeling for this topic. Although never a giant BBs fan, who could not like their music? That is too bad about Mike Love being an asshole, but it that is not uncommon when stardom, money and talent are involved– someone is always there to exploit the situation to their advantage and hurt others. Of course Mike had a good voice and if you did not know all these terrible things about him you would have thought he was a valuable member of the group, but actually if you look back at those oldie videos even then you could tell he was a bit of a poseur. The Eddie Haskell of the Beach Boys! What a hoot.
By they way, Todd Rundgren did a great version of Good Vibrations back in the 70s…
If Mike Love had contributed the same amount of songwriting, had the same voice, the same “silly front man” antics, but had been a “nice guy”, never sued his colleagues…never criticized Brian….he would be proclaimed by most of these haters as an intregral part of the Beach Boys.
Which he IS…yea, he’s a dick….and he’s not MY favorite member, but I don’t discount his contributions. In fact, ironically…his legendary “asshole-ness” has only contributed to the Beach Boys legend.
9/9/11
RobGems.ca wrote:
Dennis Wilson was the actual Beach Boys’ member to meet up with Charlie Manson,not Mike Love.He was conned by Manson by the lure of the so-called ‘sexy” free sex offered to him by Manson’s groupies, including Squeaky Fromme, Susan Atkins,Patricia Krenwinkle, and the other Manson women. Dennis was also gullible enough to fall for Mansons’ request to record some songs of his at Brian’s studio,and Mike was reportedly spooked by Manson’s presence. The murders happened nearly a year after Manson met Dennis, when Terry Melcher failed to come up with a recording contract for Manson’s recordings, with blessings at the time by Dennis. During the year, The Beach Boys did record Manson’s “Cease To Resist”, quickly re-titled “Never Learn not To Love” by Dennis when Manson requested no credit for the song, but wanted lots of money and a contract to Brother Records in exchange for the song. When Dennis didn’t get a contract or any confidence from Capitol Records, Manson completely lost it, at one point, pulling a bullet out of his gun and declaring to a close adversary, “If You See Dennis, this bullet is for him, and I’ve got a bullet for his son,too!” A couple of months later, after Melcher and Capitol/brother Records failed to comply, the murders were reported at the La Bianca/Tate residence (formely the home of Terry Melcher, whom Manson and his followers were after, as well as Dennis),and Manson and his gang were soon apprehended after one of the Manson women blabbed to a cell-mate about the murders, and Charlie’s involvement. Dennis never spoke kindly of Manson for the rest of his life , quoting during the early-70’s of Manson of being a “sick fuck” who had no musical talent in his body or soul whatsoever. As for the quote about Mike Love Acting out like Eddie Haskell, that credit can go to former Cream/Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh, who quoted this notification in his 1985 book, “Born To Run”.
Charles Manson himself said to a journalist in a letter-interview that Mike Love came to call when the so-called Manson “family” was squatting at Dennis Wilson’s house on Sunset Boulevard; the house originally belonged to Will Rogers.
After Manson, his girls, and their visitors ran up what more than one author has dubbed “the largest gonorrhea-treatment bill in history,” which Dennis paid, Dennis let his lease expire, went to hide out at friend Gregg Jakobson’s house, and had his business manager evict the Mansonites.
It’s amazing that they let Love sing leads on so many of their hits. You could find a better voice in most Karioki bars. Anytime a song called for a real voice, it was Brian or Carl who stepped up. Love is nuthin but a businessman. The Wilsons were all the talent and heart in the BB’s. Even Dennis had more talent than Love ever dreamed of. Sadly it’s Dennis and Carl who are gone while Love collects royalties.
Hello there 🙂 before I start, this is not a joke, I am Mike Love’s youngest daughter and I stopped by to correct you on a few things. FYI this is all factual unbiassed information…
-He has never laid his hand on a woman in such a way.
-shawn love is not mike’s biological daughter
-His brother* Stan, along with Rocky Pamplin, kicked down Dennis’ door and beat the shit out of him, messing up his larnyx and ruining his voice BECAUSE he was supplying brian wilson with cocaine, but instead of giving brian the actual cocaine he’d give him that powdered laundry detergent and keep the coke for himself… If i were brian’s cousin (stan) i would beat the shit out of him too.
-If He’s an alleged racist, then how come he married my mom? she’s half black…
-Lennon and my dad spent bonding time together in india doing TM and became friends…
There are many more facts i could prove and things to say about all of this but i don’t really feel like justifying ones stupidity with a solid response.
Note to self: Music is an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, and harmony. It’s supposed to be joyful. Each and everyone of the beach boys equally contributed to making this happy beautiful music we all love. You should be thankful that Mike held the group together while brian was blowing his brains out with drugs. My dad and Brian love each other dearly. they grew up together and are best friends. sure they had their differences but they were mature enough to put their differences aside and move on. now it’s time for you to do the same and stop acting like you know everything about these peoples lives. you make yourself look like an ignorant immature person … and that is meant in the least rude way possible. Take care sir, maybe next time you publicly bash an innocent human being, perhaps you should make sure what you’re saying is accurate prior to doing so…..
Sincerely,
Ambha Love (15 years of age)
While I’ll give you credit for sticking up to someone and not trying to debunk EVERYTHING negative about Mike Love, I do question some of the things you’ve said…
First Off, how do you know is the information you debunked is REALLY TRUE? I understand your Father not wanting to talk about certain things in his life and we all make mistakes and have our faults, but what could stop him from lying about certain stuff?
Like how do you know Mike actually said Shawn isn’t really my biological daughter, what if he just said he disowned her, which I might be wrong about but what do I know.
Secondly, even if the reason Dennis got assaulted was for doing something nasty, why was it necessary to hurt him or get him back for doing something bad? “Violence is not the answer”< Why would Mike want to do something violent, why would Brian like something like that? I understand that Dennis was being a little mean with that prank but why get him back by hurting him and why focus on something negative a person like Dennis who's dead did? Why not forgive and forget.
Oh, yeah swearing, saying "s**t" and excusing a nasty thing like that (assaulting someone) sure makes you the better person, IMO.
Also what Mike says about a Legend like John Lennon is what "he says" not what the Lennon estate would say, how do you know he's not making this up, I remember him saying some strange stuff about influencing the making of "Back in the USSR" in a Beach Boy documentary.
Yeah, I'm sure "Man v. Clown" is very stupid, let's hear about Mike's view on music itself..
As for Mike holding the group together, I would have let it go by 1973 or 1977, Beach Boys didn't have to stay together when things weren't all that fine by that period (my opinion mind you.)
Also why should I respect your father, he pretty much ruined the Beach Boys now by cashing in their name by touring with people who were never *real* members. Also, how do you know if Mike is all that innocent?
I'm sure he's done some pretty immature stuff himself.
First off, you didn’t come off “incredibly kind” when it came to talking about “Man v. Clown”,
secondly, yeah I might have come off somewhat arrogant and very sure, but I’m sure, I, myself don’t think I’m speaking THE TRUTH and may come off biased, but I just don’t have any respect of Mike Love when it comes to his work, personality and even back then. Also I’m sure I may be bringing up skeptical information that may not be true, but IDK, but I’m sure the stuff you heard from your father can’t all be true and I can think of reasons why he would bring up stuff, besides he could dismiss most of this as just opinions and rumours,
Thirdly, why would you want to know about some assault on a deceased famous musician who’s earned some modest amount of respect today?
Wouldn’t Mike just dismiss what happened, than bring it up, tell his daughter about it for no real reason in my opinion, than forgive, forget and pretend some nasty “getting back at you” thing never happened?
Why would he talk about it? Even more than once? What’s the point?
Yes, Dennis shouldn’t have pulled that prank if it did happen again and again, but your uncle didn’t have to assault him with some random guy, then let Mike know and get Mike to excuse it which really doesn’t set a good example for a member of a respected, well known band.
There’s no excuse and why talk negatively about someone who’s part of your family who’s dead?
Why would you want something like that to happen? Why does it matter?
Yeah, Uncle Stan sure “protected” Brian by beating someone, than finding another way to deal with it.
Sure, I must know nothing on you, but I do feel like I know Mike a little, even with the “good” and likable things he’s done, I still don’t like him.
You’ll get more respect from me (which you shouldn’t be so keen to want, since it’s the internet people will act in whatever ways they want to.)
Oh, and I get it with the whole “you aren’t violent” comment, I believe, but
why does Mike want to talk badly about his own cousin?
I brought your father into this because I think he knew what happened and did nothing about it.
As for the other commenters, I am not them, but why stereotype me with other haters, I get it that Mike did likable things but they don’t change my opinions.
Yeah nice one “Hahaha.” Laugh at me, because I don’t like Mike Love, well I don’t hate it and SO WHAT?
Anyway who brought up the whole Dennis getting assaulted thing anyway, Ambha? Doesn’t Mike have anything to say? Stan? I can see why they’d bring it up, but why disrespect the dead?
I have rights myself, and I didn’t mean to get all ancy about some random guy saying assumed stuff, I just didn’t like what you said and I understand.
I apologize (for that assumption on you) but I do think Mike and Stan would lie about stuff they shouldn’t care or bring up again.
But why care if someone says something about you on the web? Don’t take things personally here? I feel I got judged like you said I did to you.
If Shawn Marie Love is not Mike’s daughter, then
1). Why did Mike Love agree she could take his last name when she turned 18?
2). Why did Mike Love pay support until Shawn turned 18?
3). Why was Mike Love a perfect donor match for Shawn’s needed liver transplant?
Well said Ambha; and Kudos to you for the courage to post it!
Yeah because “Violence is THE answer”, a talented man who passed away more than 25+ deserved a beating for that supposed cruel prank, instead of letting things go and setting an example, as well as cussing and calling out some random guy on the internet.
Oh and I’m sure the stuff Mike’s daughter believed about Mike being friends with JOHN LENNON was “true”, even though I never heard of Lennon talking about Mike himself except for one negative comment.
Also why does it matter if Shawn Love IS Mike’s biological daughter or not it still sounded like she was his kin and why would that matter, it sounds pretty mean spirited.
Also how do we know if what Mike’s daughter said about Mike is 100% true and that Mike might have made stuff up just to look good and focus on his positive traits than negative ones.
I understand some things she said and I’m sure not everything is 100% true, but I don’t like that a deceased talented man DESERVED to get assaulted (yeah good message and good excuse Mike Love!) Can’t believe you and your own daughter think beating others out of revenge is the way to go, that is pathetic!
Excuse me sir, I have been incredibly kind and civil, I do not deserve to be reprimanded or spoken to by you in such a way. This incident was not just a one time prank, Dennis lied to Brian quite frequently about the cocaine and put detergent into a plastic bag and kept the cocaine to himself for a while. My uncle Stan was defending Brian. Perhaps he shouldn’t of used such violence. There’s always better ways to resolve an awful situation without violence however I do not blame my uncle Stan at all for what he has done because if your close relative is in harms way by his own brother, you definitely have to right to protect and defend. Lets make something clear, I do not know you and you clearly know nothing about me. I will treat you with respect so I deserve respect in return. Please do not think for one moment that I am an advocate for violence. In no way what so ever am I a violent person. Violence should rarely be used unless if it is necessary (which in my opinion it was). I do not understand why you’re bringing my father into this… He had absolutely nothing to do with that whole insident. I am terribly sorry if I offended you by using the word “shit”… I find it interesting that I get called out on my vocabulary, because when I look at the vulgarity on all the other comments and posts made that are WAYYY more foul mouthed than mine, nobody complains… Hahaha. Anyways please do not believe for one moment that I am saying my dad is an angel, by all means he’s not. He has made quite a few mistakes in the past and often comes off as an asshole but he does deserve a little bit of credit and respect here alright? He has also done some very great things. Do me a favor? Please do not make assumptions about me like that ever again. I do not like the feeling of being judged therefore I do not judge others. Even if I disagree with many of the comments made, I respect and appreciate everyone’s opinions so please respect and appreciate mine.
Best reguards,
Ambha Love
9/21/11
RobGems.ca wrote:
The Song that Charlie Manson originally wrote & presented to Dennis Wilson was titled “Cease To Exsist”,and would later appear on his 1970 album “Lie”,issued by ex-cellmate Phil Kaufman on his Awareness Label after Manson & his family got busted to prison. It was then changed from “exsist” to “resist” in the lyrics, then the title got changed completely by Dennis. Note to Ambha Love: the sources I’ve recieved about (alledgedly false as you claim) Mike Love’s suing in 1965 by a groupie & the subsequent birth by Shawn Love Wilson were taken out of context by Steve Gaines’ 1986 book “Heroes & Villains: the (so-called) True Story of the Beach Boys. If you feel offended by Mr. Gaines’ claims, I can understand your frustrations, & I apologize if I caused you any stress or heartache. As much as fans & foes of the Beach Boys’ keep talking about the antics of the Wilson Brothers, Mike Love, or even Al Jardine & Bruce Johnston well into the middle of the 21st Century, there will obviously be rumors , true or false that will previlal among us. Let’s not forget that Murry Wilson, however was not a nice guy to most Beach Boys fans, and the empire he left behind in 1973 will continue to be discussed and analyzed for years to come, whether it’s mock-cartoons by Peter Bagge(“The Murry Wilson Show was not only hilarious, but thought-provoking about the importances against child abuse and public drunkeness among family members,as Murry had some serious issues at the time.)As for Mike Love, we Beach Boys fans will continue to believe that Mike hated anything that strayed out of the Surf/Cars formula,like the songs for “Pet Sounds” and “Smile”, and we feel we have the right to prove him wrong ,as these songs have stood the test of time as great compositions. So what if Brian was stoned out of his mind when these two masterpieces were produced? Just about 100% of rock groups (especially Elvis & The Beatles) were all stoned out of their minds on drugs or booze whwn they made fine songs (in Elvis’ case, this is not always true, as his last pilled-up concerts made clear that his sanity was sapping out at the time ,though could it be arguable that The Beatles would have thought up “Rubber Soul”,”Revolver”, or “Sgt. Pepper” if they recorded the sessions completely straight & sober? I would say not, they may have tuned out to be boring if they did it sober.)Van Dyke Parks, it should be said was also chased out of the “Smile” sessions and on to a solo contract with Warner Brothers because it has been confirmed that Mike Love didn’t understand his obscure lyrical connections (“Consumated Ruins Domino” was puzzling to Mike enough to have him cofront Brian into asking whether or not Van Dyke Parks was a “sane” composer, enough to drive Brian into seclusion not only from the “Smile” project ,but also The Beach Boys as well. In this case, I defend Brian’s withdrawl over the huge stress he recieved at the time,wheteher you agree or not. Brian will always be an influental songwriter & musician for years to come, and if Mike Love doesn’t appreciate it, then we, the fans will keep debating it against him. That’s our Constitutional right. I hope your family finally gets it together, and someday will bring some much-needed peace to the Wilson/Love household. You sound like you desperately need it.
I would have to disagree about Mike giving Brian his props. There is no doubt about the legal entanglments, disagreements and personality clashes over the years, but in a recent interview Mike acknowledged Brian’s genius, and it was not begrudgingly. And whatever he may have done to diss the original SMILE project and Parks; it’s obvious he is on board with it all now with the SMILE release. Can it be that to a certain extent BB/WILSON enthusiasts perpetuate these conflicts more than the principles really intend?
True, but it does sound “out of the blue” for Mike to all of the sudden give “thumbs up” to a BB Smile release AFTER 40 years and it’s possible he wants to get peoples’ good sides.
“He’s still alive, while Dennis and Carl are dead.”
that sucks!
I got here by googling “mike love always wears a hat”
I cant actually believe he still thinks nobody will notice his horseshoe hair if he wairs his 1980’s white hat.
Kind of defeats the purpose when he was photographed on the sunflower album art with a really obvious combover!
10/19/11
RobGems.ca wrote:
Mitch, I Believe your comments in reply to mine are fair enough: Most of my resources about the Wilson Brothers and Mike Love were taken in context from Steve Gaines’ book ‘Heroes & Villains” (which, by the way, he has yet to update from sources last printed in 1986), and Peter Aames Carlin’s book “Catch A Wave”, which was more about Brian’s life than Mike’s, but still spilled a lot of beans about Mike’s asinine behavior and volatile mood swings, not to mention, the mood swings of Murry Wilson’s! While I feel that Carlin’s book was a fair document about the ups and downs of The Beach Boys’ career, Gaine’s book, on the other hand, was more like a tabloid reporter digging up dirt on the Wilson Family, The Love Family, and various ex-wives, ex-girlfriends, children,and notorious people involved in the Wilsons’ lives such as Steve Despar, Rocky Pamplin, Steve Grillo, Eugene Landy, and especially Charlie Manson among many others. Mr. Gaines’ must have taken it all in wicked desperation that only The National Enquirer might have been proud of. I feel now that it was all written in vengeance. Still, both Mr. Gaines and Mr. Carlin both believe that Van Dyke Parks was tossed out of the “Smile” sessions for personal reasons known between Mike and Brian, so if Mike wants to change his mind 44 years later after the fact, especially in the light of finally issuing the “Smile” session masters legally for November 2011, then it’s never too late for him to reconsider. Thanks for your information.
Dudes, give it a rest, I am awesome, end of.
Keep away from drugs, try T.M, and be true to your school.
Mike Love
11/3/11
RobGems.ca wrote in response to Mike Love:
Okay, Mike, I’ll try to keep in touch with my criticizings, but only if you can teach Charlie Manson to save his wretched soul with your T.M. before he’s doomed to a fate forever in Hell;I reportedly hear he’s still in the clink trying to harrass Phil Spector to record him in the prison recording studio; Phil, of course wants nothing to do with him. I also wanted to correct the mis-interepeted name of Nick (not Steve ) Grillo;sorry, that’s my bad. BTW;good luck on the boxed-set deluxe edition of “Smile”; the fans will prove to you that those songs of Van Dyke Parks And Brian were great, “Consumated Ruins Domino” can mean lots of things to Beach Boys fans. Peace and willing to be tolerant.
I just want to say, I too dislike Mike for many of the obvious reasons, but find some of your reasons to be a bit daft, overstated/exaggerated, and without a source. I like your post, for what it’s worth.
“He apparently beat his wife.”
I searched this, and found one story on a message board about how he hit his wife (Hitting someone isn’t necessarily knocking them out or giving them a bruise) for lying to him about quitting smoking. That’s a very personal thing, and may never have happened.
“He rewrote the Leiber/Stoller song “Riot in Cell Block 9″ into the song “Student Demonstration Time”, which sucks ass, yet somehow made it onto the Surf’s Up album while excellent songs by Dennis such as “4th of July” and “Fallin’ in Love” stayed in the can. (Of course, Dennis got the ultimate revenge agains his longtime foe by marrying Mike’s illegitimate daughter and giving him a grandson just to piss him off.)”
I hate the Surf’s Up album, but enjoy the live version of Student Demonstration Time. I can’t say that having two Dennis Wilson songs put in the can (Which is more the record companies fault because they hated the original album, and Carl had to pull Surfs Up, the song, out of the vault) gives him much reason to marry his second-cousin.
“His cousin Stan, along with Rocky Pamplin, kicked down Dennis’ door and beat the shit out of him, messing up his larnyx and ruining his voice.”
Not Mike’s fault.
“He really got into transcendental meditation, and just wouldn’t stop writing shitty songs about it.”
He wrote maybe two songs about it; both are good.
“He pushed a very obviously mentally ill and terrified Brian onstage as part of the “Brian’s Back!” campaign, and even wrote a song called “Brian’s Back” in which he pretended to like him.”
Brian came back to produce an album willingly, and if you watch those old live shows (of that 15 Big Ones era), Brian doesn’t look upset. There’s even footage of him playing bass and singing in front of a mic; a rare thing even today.
“He’s an alleged racist.”
To what extent? Two black men were in the Beach Boys; one of them, Blonde Chaplin, sang “Sail on Sailor.” I have never heard Mike complain that a black man sang lead on a iconic BB song. He was also good friends with M Yogi, who was Indian.
“He’s a right-wing Republican, but he did give $5000 in start-up capital to Tipper Gore to start up the PMRC to censor pop music.”
While I hate the PMRC, and don’t like donkeys or elephants, Mike is still a human being with his own beliefs, and he’s entitled to them. Why not write a blog on how Oprah helped Obama get elected? I’m sure if Mike helped Mitt Romney get elected, you’d have a field day. 😀
“He thinks no one will notice he’s bald if he just keeps wearing a hat.”
Ever shaved your head and gone outside too long? A hat helps keep your head from sun damage, keeps it warm at night, and probably makes Mike feel a bit more secure about himself. It’s not fun going bald.
H”e created a TV miniseries full of revisionist history to glorify his own contributions to the band and take credit for a lot of things he never actually did. He also used it to give the impression that John Lennon wanted to jam with him, although Lennon is quoted as calling him a “jerk”.”
I haven’t seen, or heard, of said mini-series, but have heard him say that HE was the inspiration for the “Ukraine girls” bit in ” Back in the U.S.S.R.,” which is believable. He and Paul get along.
“He sued Brian over songwriting credits he claimed he never received, which might have been due to his not actually having done the songwriting he claims to have done.”
Yes, this is where Mike looks damn nasty. However, the first case was justified, where he DIDN’T receive credit for songs because of Murray Wilson, and Brian acknowledged this. Any other lawsuit, where details are not crystal clear to us because we aren’t Wilson or Love’s people, might also be justified as well. However, if in later suits where Love supposedly asked for credit/loyalties on songs he never wrote is true, I completely agree.
“He did do a little songwriting, which used all kinds of hip slang that didn’t age well at all and sounds retarded years later. And his onstage patter was lame and unfunny.”
In the seventies, Mike did become a good front man (Before the cap and jacket routine, where he basically wore the same outfit for twenty years), and shared that role equally with the other boys; particularly Carl. Mike did write good lyrics and songs in his time, too; I love “Big Sur”.
“He keeps suing poor Al every time he tries to tour.”
And Al has sued other people in the group too.
“He was a real dick to lyricist Van Dyke Parks during the Smile era, and even 20 years later, took a cheap shot at him on the “Wipeout” single the Beach Boys did with the Fat Boys.”
Al Jardine didn’t like Parks, either. Carl and Dennis were supposedly not instant fans, either.
“He introduced himself to Sean O’Hagan of the High Llamas, a huge Beach Boys fan who Bruce Johnston brought in to produce an album for them, by saying, as soon as he met him at the airport, “You’re English, right? Aren’t all you English guys fags?””
Again, I don’t know if there is a reasonable source for this information, but it’s possible that this happened; we don’t know in what context, though.
“He went on a drunken, bizarre, classless rant when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, calling out the Beatles, Mick Jagger, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, the Supremes, and possibly the MC5, for no discernible reason.”
In print, it seems really bad, but when you watch it, some of the things he says make sense. I agree it wasn’t in the best taste, but if he was drunk, as you say, he doesn’t really need a reason. He was intoxicated; who hasn’t been a prick when they were drunk?
“His solo albums suck, even for Beach Boys solo albums, which mostly kind of suck to start with.”
Sure, they suck, but not the other boys. Carl, Dennis, and Brian have all made good albums.
“He is responsible for “Kokomo”. And he’s proud of it.”
Brian loves that song. I don’t, but Brian and the rest of the group did.
“He just plain has one of those thin-lipped humourless-asshole-looking faces you want to punch.”
Kind of a silly thing to say.
“He’s still alive, while Dennis and Carl are dead.”
Dennis died because he was drunk, and basically did a dumbass thing while intoxicated. Carl died because he smoked for many years. Should Mike be punished for staying, mostly, clean for all these years? Maybe we should hang Keith Richards for surviving years of drugs and alcohol?
Again, I like your post, but I don’t find Mike Love to be totally repulsive. He seems like an alright guy outside of his business, and I have never seen him irate with interviewers. He’s human, and deserves to be recognized as someone who has a right to fault as the rest of us are.
Lame excuses,humorless,loves bullying ,is that you Mike Love?
(And if you are ever assaulted,not to worry,no knockout ,no crime?)
No, it is not. I think you’re afraid of someone using actual logic?
My name is Patrick Aei. Look me up.
All I wanted for Christmas was a nice original copy of Dennis Wilson’s Pacific Ocean Blue on Vinyl, and instead Santa brought me a copy of ‘Looking Back With Love’ unplayed and sealed still with tags…
WORST CHRISTMAS EVER.
😦
Good tidings, and LOVE, to all who hate Mike Love.
i heard a song years ago about “God and the angels above kill Mike Love and his hat collection too…” or something like that! I do need to ask this blog to help me with something that stumps me: why is it that Mike showed up at every vocal session, and being the douche bag Brian back stabber he allegedly became/was, sang his parts, and very well. The Smile album shows some great Mike vocals on I Love to sy Da Da, Wonderful, H&V even Cabin-Essence, where he insulted VDP about “explain the crow flies uncover….” lyrics. And, on some of his on-stage talking, it is “locker room banter….” but he WAS corny yet a little funny at times yes/no? Mike does sing the bass parts on BB records great, and his soft voice is decent too. Who gives a shit if he wears flowered shirts and claims he thought of the name “Pet Sounds”, his dislike of the drugged out fuck heads that ruined Brian was on the money. Brian and Syd Barret are acid casualties of the 60’s, and Mike hated to see his cousin’s quick and horrible slide. Yet, he sings on almost every BB song, which is more than can be said for Bruce, Dennis or even Al. Listen to Friends, Wild Honey, 20/20, Smiley Smile, Sunflower, Holland…he’s there…and Brian and Carl needed him, especially live as an MC. Remember Brian’s book said Mike had a big Penis? OMG! You can’t be serious hating a Beach Boy this much. Besides, he’s a 71 year old crazy man who can’t sing anymore, yet Brian said “how can a 70 year old sound that great?” during the “Do it Again” re-record this past summer? Somebody is puttin’ us on…Brian still has a wit about him, and takes his fair of shots back at the bald wonder. And yes, Dennis should have kicked Mike’s ass a few times, maybe he did…Dennis was the REAL sex symbol and coolest on-stage by far!
What it really comes down to is that Mike’s contribution to the Beach Boys was minimal and yet he runs around claiming in public, on YouTube videos, etc., that it was significant. Any half-decent session singer with blond hair within a 200 mile radius of Sunset Blvd. could have done what Mike did, and there were dozens of such singers. There was one, exactly one, Brian Wilson. Re your “Especially live as an MC” — this is some sort of serious contribution?
I never paid much attention to the Beach Boys*, andI know next to nothing about them. But Mike Love made it perfectly clear during his R&R HOF drunken rant: he is, in fact, an asshole!
*Except for “I Can Hear Music”, which is one of my all-time favorite songs. I just can’t understand why it gets so little mention ANYWHERE…)
“I Can Hear Music” is, I believe, a Phil Specter song (speaking of assholes), and was recorded in the P.S. “Wall of Sound” technique. I love that one too. BTW, you really owe it to yourself to go out and buy ‘Pet Sounds’ right now and listen to it over and over, preferably with headphones.
The only Mike Love material I enjoy is the stuff he worked on w/ Doris Day’s son Terry! Terry was a musical genius much as Brian……….
Dear Mr. ManvClown,
I enjoyed your article above, as well as the following comments. I also learned quite a bit from them. To be honest, the Beach Boys always struck me as being rather (excuse me whilst I duck & cover) trite. I’d always presumed “Smile” got shelved because of Sgt Pepper: it would have been their “Satanic Majesties”, which would have been a far worse thing for the BBs than the Rolling Stones – even if “Smile” WOULD have been a well-acclaimed album at the time, because the Beach Boys were more musically similar. The Rolling Stones were rivals and “Anti-Beatles”, and, well… they WERE the Rolling-Effing-Stones.
Now I’m hearing that Mike Love heavily stifled attempts to break out of that mold. I’ll have to give “Smile” a listen…
BTW: here’s an oxymoronic concept: Mike Love on BrainyQuotes:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mike_love.html
Yeah, want to slap his puss!
Reasons not to love Mike Love:
* Summer of Love
* All of those ‘Love’ puns
* ‘Santa’s going to Kokomo’
* Too, too much stuff about cars
* ‘entertaining the audience’ with hand gestures (* see especially various live Kokomo performances when singing “…afternoon delight” as if to check watch and confrim that it is, indeed, afternoon
* Adrian Baker ‘collaborations’ and medleys
* The beachboysband.net atrocity website
Reasons why Mike Love maybe ain’t such a bad guy:
*Many very decent, distinctive and even essential vocals
*Refusing to let a stoned-out young man suffering from catastroshic depression totally wreck the band’s hard-won career
*ML may not have liked what BW was wrote for Smile, but look at sh1t which he later did let slip through on Smiley Smile like ‘Fall breaks into Winter’, ‘She’s goin’ Bald’ and Little Pad – all of which should have remained out-takes
* ‘Pink slip daddy’
You all need to get off his ass.
Mike Love will rot in hell, no doubt.
And what kind of surname is ‘Love’?
He should be called Mike Hatred
I worked for a company that worked with the BB for a long time. I saw it all. Quite honestly, the lion share of the comments are right on. ML is a bad dude, mitigated by TM. Without it, I cannot imagine what a man he would be. It has mellowed a dude that sincerely needed more mellowing than most. Dennis was a sad drunk, and sadly, as often the case, he used up all his good chips. He was a great guy in the wrong crowd with way too much time on his hands. Brian was a true genius who did become a virtual vegetable. Mike and even Marilyn would pull him out of his room when they needed him. Al is just a dumb, lucky guy, Carl died just fed-up and over them all and Bruce has played a game to keep a gig for decades. Mike used to marry pretty but dumb…They got caught up in backstage and travel quickly until he bored of them. He always, always treated them horribly in the end, and the sane around always thought his actions pretty much was the man. Mike is street smart and has kept the band in play all by himself…for better or worse. He takes home still about 7 million a year in touring and another 1.5 in publishing. To my knowledge, he never paid alimony once. These were all talented, complicated blokes who were just trying to keep it going. Not a one had any real education and learned as they went. How Mike got Brian to do this reunion is the mystery. There will be 20 guys on stage and it will sound ok.They are getting $250k a night. But what a sad and unnecessary way to leave the stage. I have years of great stories that I will put on paper someday. Groucho Marx’s son Arthur once wrote a nasty book about Bob Hope. His publisher didn’t want to put it out under the logic that Hope fans wouldn’t buy it and no one else cared. He was correct. But with the Beach Men, there are so many factions, interest just does not seem to wane. Cheers!
Sandy, your alimony remarks reminded me that there’s a reason Mike moved to the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe—it’s NOT a community-property state!
The irony of your comment is that meditation can actually make some people worse, according to John Diamond MD, therapist and author (“Your Body Doesn’t Lie” and many other excellent books). According to Diamond (and others) quiet sitting meditation can be a loaded gun in the wrong hands, bringing forth really nasty stuff that the meditator is not prepared to deal with. The world has plenty of examples of this happening. I daresay the rock ‘n’ roll world has several very prominent examples.
Hey Sandy, when are you going to put those stories on paper? I’d love to read them.
I won’t say that I hate Mike Love but I certainly dislike him. It is sad that he did not have the vision Brian Wilson did. “pet Sounds” was/is a masterpiece and my favorite of all the BB’s records. Mike Love would have spent his life pumping gas if it were not for Brian. I never understood his singing lead..terrible voice. And a really awful frontman. If in fact that was one of his kids who posted earlier, well sorry honey but your dad is not a nice guy.One of his most famous quotes to Brian Wislon was “don’t “f” with the formula”. How long can you keep writing car songs, surfing songs? Brian, Carl and Al had vocals that just gave me chills. But Mike seems to think he is the star. He turns 71 this month…and he still wants to sing “Fun, Fun, Fun”? His ranting at the BB’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was disgusting. A sad excuse for a man.
Yeah, couldn’t have said it better myself. I had the chance to meet a few of the B-Boys; Carl was swarm and friendly guy (RIP), Bruce was cool ever the promoter. Brian didn’t have much to say. I had no desire to meet Mike Love that no-talent sponge who keeps suing his former best friends….I really can’t believe they remaining original Beach Boys are going to stand on the same stage as that jerk…the beach Boys died when Dennis dove into those icy waters off Marina Del Rey. The death of Carl (one of the kindest people I’ve ever known) really put the nail in the coffin. Even Al Jardine who has been sued by Mike Love endlessly said, “I just can’t imagine the Beach Boys without Carl Wilson- his voice was such an integral part of our sound” They put a mic in front of Mike Love these days but he Does not sing he just stands there and collects the money what a fucking jerk.
Yeah, couldn’t have said it better myself. I had the chance to meet a few of the B-Boys; Carl was warm and friendly guy (RIP), Bruce was cool ever the promoter. Brian didn’t have much to say. I had no desire to meet Mike Love that no-talent sponge who keeps suing his former best friends….I really can’t believe they remaining original Beach Boys are going to stand on the same stage as that jerk…the beach Boys died when Dennis dove into those icy waters off Marina Del Rey. The death of Carl (one of the kindest people I’ve ever known) really put the nail in the coffin. Even Al Jardine who has been sued by Mike Love endlessly said, “I just can’t imagine the Beach Boys without Carl Wilson- his voice was such an integral part of our sound” They put a mic in front of Mike Love these days but he Does not sing he just stands there and collects the money what a fucking jerk.
Met Mike Love, which is how I ended up here. He thinks he’s still kinda smooth but he’s just really skeevy. The kind that gives you the creeps and raises all sorts of alarm bells the minute he starts eyeing you. I didn’t realize how big a jerk he actually was until I started reading this site and looked all this stuff up. How can someone that old still be that gross? Aren’t we supposed to get better as we mature? I guess some things about some people never really do change.
Mike Love is the “ONLY WEAK Link” in the Beach Boys! He has no talent & held the Boys back if anything……
He sued Brian & Al & he made a complete ASS of himself @ their”Rock n Roll Hall of Fame” induction when he went after Paul McCartney, Dianna Ross, Mick & the Stones….
I HATE his whorish, materialistic ass, & will never forgive him for the way he treated Brian & Dennis!
I try and not to hate Mike, but I have a strong dislike for him. I do not want to criticize his physical appearance, after all we have all aged and at age 57, I myself fight a receding hairline, so I can empathize with him on that aspect.
Why I dislike him is for his insistence that HE actually co-wrote over 45 BB songs. Cowriting is writing 50% of the song. First of all, Brian wrote ALL the music, so for any song, Brian is by default a 50% songwriter. IF Mike added a line or two, or suggested a verse, I’ll give him an assist, NOT a cowriting credit. Dennis was the one who suggested Brian write about Surfing which led to the first single, “Surfin.” I do not see any co-writing credit for Dennis on that.
In the early days of the BB, Mike, on stage would refer to Brian as “our leader,” or “Brian Wilson and his WRITINGS” That quote is taken directly from the 1964 LIVE album. Mike makes no mention of HIS involvement by using the plural “WE”
When Brian retired why is it the BB never had a big hit afterwards? If Mike was SOOOOOOO talented, why did he not take up the reigns of the BB, thrust them on his mighty shoulders and carry the group into the 1970’s?
Mike claims the split among the BB was due to drugs. AS early as 1964 Brian was taking LSD and pot. He wrote “Don’t Worry Baby,” high and he was on LSD when he composed the intro to “California Girls.” Odds are he was also under the influence when he composed other htis of that era, such as “Help Me Rhonda,” “Kiss Me Baby,” “I get around”, etc.
Why did not Mike criticize Brian at that time? Simple. Brian was still writing commercial hits and for Mike, that was good enough. If Brian could have maintained writing hits, Mike could not have cared less if Brian was smoking bananas. It was only when the cash cow stopped churing money that Mike turned on Brian. And then for years, Mike would prop Brian up on stage hoping that he would re-create the BB formula and make $$ again.
And SMILE and PET SOUNDS. MIke was not smart enough to understand the complexity of the music Brian was making. He wanted, like Capitol, more girls, beach, sun, fun, sand and cars and could not comprehend intellectual, adult music.
And the lawsuits. Where Mike sued Brian for songwriting credits that he had no business claiming he co-wrote. Or the lawsuit against Brian for SMILE. He bought the BB name, so I guess he had every right to sue AL for using the BB name. I cannot argue that point.
But if you believe Mike Love, he WAS half of a songwriting team Wilson-Love. That is untrue. He suggested a line or a verse or perhaps write the lyrics to a song or two.
When Dennis died, Mike held a party to celebrate. That has been reported in books and magazine artilces.
So thats why I strongly disklike Mike Love.
I just started to really realize how wonderful The Beach Boys early albums truly were (I am 22), and I must say, with my ever growing infatuation with all things Brian Wilson, so increases my vitriol towards douche-of-the-ages Mike “Shit-bag” Love. Anyone with half a brain can tell that the reason Brian Wilson went all crazy, became a mega hermit, became addicted to drugs and over-eating, and therefore really messed himself up is because Mike Love forced him to that point. Mike took all of the fun out of it, and drove Brian insane. Then, a bunch of years later, Brian wants to do music again–without Mike Love ruining it for him–and Mike Love sues him. What. A. Fucking. Dick. I would love to kick this douche in the balls so hard that he vomits.
Dude I only stumbled on this now in cyberspace. I loved your post. In my fantasy Mike doesn’t get to join the Beach Boys. Instead Glenn Frey is drafted in. Cheers from South Africa.
Glenn Frey–now there’s a major asshole.
The hall of fame speech says it all: arrogance, lack of judgement, and above all a blatantly unhealthy effect on Brian. Just look at how Brian – fitter and more lucid than at any point in his life since Hawthorne High – briefly loses his train of thought when Mike interrupts his speech to adjust the mic. What an attention whoore! (…and yet a classic BB moment).
Ambha: please post pics of Mike without a hat, if such a thing exists. Thanks in advance.
This is why I hate Mike Love:
This shit’s hypnotic. I for one was overjoyed to stumble across this thread that shares many of my sentiments towards ML. It’s currently no.3 in google when simply typing “Mike Love”. Let’s make this his 2nd no. 1 – it’s certainly of more value than godawful Kokomo
Now you’re talking! Number 3 is good – number 1 would be awesome.
Oh, Peter, am I glad I’ve found this.
“Thin-lipped.” Ha!
Stan Love’s a shit-bag. And wasn’t Pamplin nailing Marilyn around the time of the Dennis beat-down?
I see that he is currently booking dates for his own Beach Boys band while the reunited Beach Boys are still on tour, and without their knowledge. Or is that just a rumour?
I know its been said before but I need to say it:
Carl was the Voice of the Beach Boys,
Dennis was the Soul
Brian was the Heart
Mike is the Arsehole
Mike Love is a twat!
Lyrics are awful…he just drags down the whole Beach Boys image…..kick him out Brian and make Jeff a full time member
Well done. You omitted yet another reason: his awkward, hunch-shouldered stage mannerisms and dorky acting out of the lyrics while he’s singing. Would have been changing oil and cleaning windshields for last fifty years if not for Brian. By all accounts, as well as his thin-lipped-humorless-asshole-looking face, a titanic asshole.
This is Mike’s brother Steve. I was a little irked when I read Rick’s 12-17-2010 disparaging remark about my having embezzled from the band when I was its manager. I would like Rick and everyone else in the blogosphere to know that I was fully exonerated of the one count of grand larceny I pled no contest to (in order to avoid a circus of a trial) by Order of judge Nancy Brown of the Los Angeles Superior Court on FEB 22, 1996. Of the $906,000 that came under my control when I sold the Spaulding Ranch in Santa Barbara in 1979, $520,000 of that money was my share of the investment plus unpaid management fees that the Boys were trying to cheat me out of. I had to self-collect those fees. The Beach Boys’ $386,000 of investment funds I put into a magnificent beachfront estate on Hanalei Bay on the north shore of Kauai where I relocated and got into surfing full-time after being let go in the aftermath of “the heroin incident” in Australia, which led to Rocky punching out a drunk and belligerent Carl Wilson (see the excellent Steven Gaines biography for further details). Anyway, the Boys got in an uproar over my having moved the investment funds to Hawaii. I gave them, collectively, a constructive 50% interest in HBBH (the Hanalei Bay Beach House) which today would be worth $10 million. You see, the beach house was the best real estate investment I ever made. I personally had $400,000 in the deal and, along with their $400,000, that made for an $800,000 investment that went down the drain when they chose to fight with me instead of ally with me in trying to save the property from foreclosure. I laid this all out to them when I came out on tour to meet with them about this matter in the summer of 1985. Being a bunch of shortsighted dummies, they chose to do nothing to help me save the property. This was one of the most colossal blunders of all time in their bumpy history. At the time I lost the property it was worth $2 million; today it is worth $20 million. Some crime, huh? Anyway, I got all of the Boys and their legal representatives to sign waivers of restitution and manager Elliott Lott wrote a nice letter that helped the court determine that this was all an unfortunate misunderstanding, the upshot of which was my brief criminal record was expunged and I was fully exonerated. I hope this is a perspective-broadening explanation of what went down. In Mike’s favor – and I do not like the guy – he was the only one to sign the letter I brought authorizing some stopgap financing to save the day. None of the other principals would sign the letter I brought.
As to the blog, I laughed my ass off yesterday afternoon. Some of the comments are hilarious. I applaud Ambha for coming to the defense of her father. That’s what any good daughter would do.
And as for the lawsuit Mike brought against Brian claiming he was deserving of 50% of the royalties from the songs, I know there were shenanigans that took place in that trial that hopefully will see the light of day in the future. I gave Brian all the ammunition he would need to undo the wrong done him when I was deposed at length in AUG 2006 in connection with the Jardine-Love case. I feel that Brian was royally screwed by Mike and his highly effective lawyers. They really snowed that gullible jury. What a travesty that whole thing was. I believe it is one of the biggest injustices ever to occur in the history of pop music!
I was there during the whole conflict and I can say without a doubt that Steve Love SAVED the Beach Boys and has never been given his due.
I have known Steve since 1977 and watched his brilliant “Brian’s Back” creation resurrect the BB’s. I could elaborate but that pretty much conveys my feelings about the whole way Steve was falsely accused and never repaid for his efforts. JM Hawn
Nice how Steve admits to his misdeeds in his post. He misappropriated and comingled his personal funds, improperly, with the Beach Boys if he bought a house, that he himself lived in, with half of his own funds and half of theirs. And God knows where the 400,000 dollars he claims was his own money came from, probably from overpaying himself with band funds. S. Love never wrote a song, sang a note, or worked his butt of touring like his brother, the Wilson Brothers, and Al Jardine did. They should have sacked his behind way earlier than they did. He sounds like a guy who would have been right at home with Bernie Madoff or Enron.
Well said Steve, 90% of us love Mike and this 50th tour has proved just that
Mike is an excellent frontman for the Beach Boys. In all the years I was with the band (1969-78) I never saw him do a bad show. Offstage and in his personal life it is a different story. He is a big disappointment, to put it mildly. I hear that Mike doesn’t like gigging with Brian because Brian just sits there behind his piano like an unsmiling zombie while he (Mike) does the heavy lifting, so to speak. There is no joy in Brian’s countenance. It saddens me to see him paraded around like a show pony for the money. At this stage of the game, those guys should have been retired many times over.
Rocky asked me to post his e-mail address. It is as follows:
rushton1949@gmail.com
Are you saying there IS joy in MIke’s counteance?
And then there’s “God Only Knows”, one of the best songs ever written, possibly the best (and I’m not a big Beach Boys fan). Why we had to have Mike singing those ba-ba-ba’s in his sniveling, whiny excuse of a voice, I don’t know. My ears always sort of glaze over while that bit’s on.
News flash: Mike Love doesn’t sing on “God Only Knows”.
Of course Mike sings on God Only Knows…most evident in the final refrain, when first Bruce sings “God Only Knows what I’d be without you…..” and Mike answers with the same lyric, just before it goes into the glorious multi-voiced conclusion.
Rocky just checked in with me and said to convey his compliments to Alfie and Jason.
i googled mike love ruins every song…and this blog was the first heading…….. i agree with everyone who hates love …yukyuk …mike love boooooooooooo … didnt he ever hear the records? the sweet sounds of the wilsons and jardine etc ..wait whats that other annoying voice…its you you dum f…your ruining songs ..great classics……..sure a contrasting vocal is good like perhaps on help me rhonds”bow bow bow” but man he ruined good vibrations amongs other greats…..shoot him i say…go back in time and tell charles mansion that god wants mike love sacraficed that wouldnt work…. too laye…just shoot mike love in 1960 and put the gun in murray wilsons hands…excuse this bad spelling etc..but mike love voice riles me.. i just listened to good vibrations and had to vent.
No, I agree, the Wilsons, along w/ Al Jardaine, Bruce Johnston, David Marks, & even Ricky Fataar & Blondie Chaplin have made the primary Beach Boy sound we all love so much. Mike’s main contributions can be counted on 1 hand. He’s a very WEAK lead singer, & always has been the weak link within the group!
This is true Mike Love;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZSAQX2uuUY
Mike Love is an entertainer. Entertainers are artists. Many artists are cold people outside of their work. Their personal lives should be separated from their art. I am positive that every twit on this blog probably has some kind of embarrassing skeleton in their closet that if presented here would make them look like an ass.
That being said, Mike Love contributed some extraordinary parts to the musical legacy of western society. Regardless of his “don’t @#$% with the formula” attitude during the SMiLE sessions, his vocal parts are excellent, and very difficult to sing. Here is a YouTube tutorial on how to sing the harmonies for “Our Payer” broken down by part. You can read where other musicians who are looking to cover the song have noted that Mike’s parts are the most difficult to sing. These aren’t a bunch of hateful fools posting snide comments on an equally hateful bog, these are other musicians:
Mike Love is one of the greatest bass singers in pop music. His parts on Cabinessence and Surf’s Up (especially the fade out) are mind-blowing. The “my children were raised” section of heroes and villains (especially the bum-bum, bum bum etc part) is also of note. He was sorely missed on Brain’s solo rerecording of the SMiLE material. I was blown away by this recent video:
Van Gogh. Salvador Dali. Bing Crosby. Joan Crawford. Names of artists that come to mind who were generally nasty people but great artists. You can’t hate on Mike Love. It only makes him stronger. He is the ultimate hater. Be true to your school. He’s never missed yet with the girls he’s met. He’s a real cool head. He makes real good bread. It’s a character that he created that he has lived for the past 50 years. In a wishy-washy world it is good that there’s some consistency. And he’s never backed down. That’s why I love him. I applauded his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame speech with gusto. F#ck Paul McCartney for not showing up because he was in a lawsuit with Yoko and Ringo. Same goes for Diana Ross. His speech was a call to arms. Backstage amongst the inductees there was a general consensus that there would be no jamming. Mike’s diatribe was a call to arms – forget the BS – lets jam! And thanks to Mike, Mick Jagger reluctantly got up and sang that night along with everybody else. Nobody mentions Brian’s speech that same night where he credits the existence of the Beach Boys to him and his cousin Mike Love. Mike is standing there with his arms lovingly draped around cousins Brian and Carl. Seeing that Brian is having difficulty reading his speech because the microphone is positioned too low, Mike helps readjust the mic:
And if you still wanna hate… If you still wanna doubt. Watch this video:
If after watching that and you STILL are spewing that same hateful garbage… Then maybe it’s YOU who is the true hateful person…
Date: Thursday, July 19, 2012, 10:01 AM
Music is like beauty everyone has their own opinion of what they see or hear.apparently your ears enjoy the nasal, nails on glass sound. Most of the people that enjoy Mike Love’s style of mutilating
music usually have a different take on Mike’s nasal decapitating of the Beach Boy’s songs after they get their ears checked, hopefully the same will be true for you. You may not know that Mike is the front-man he walks around clowning with the guys that are actually creating the sounds that made the Beach Boys famous. If Mike’s voice was needed he would not be clowning he would be singing. Mike’s singing is as real as the saxophone he pretends to play.As for Mike putting his arm around Brian that was for the camera. Come on now, you can’t believe Brian wants to have anything to do Mike . If Mike’s sound is so good why did Mike Love and his Endless Summer band “FLOP”. Could it be no one wants to pay just to here Mike talk like he’s singing. It’s like Brian said “without me Mike would be pumping gas on Crenshaw” Brian’s words not mind. Now why would Brian say that if Mike had any real talent. It’s alright for you to like Mike there’s no explaining individual taste. You should just not try and pass him off as a voice, Mike is the clown that keeps the audience involved, he’s not the voice people pay to hear.
I agree w/ Carolyn 100% & of course I agree w/ the Beach Boys true Musical GENIUS Brian Wilson! I LOVE you BRIAN!
Carolyn: No offense, But your just a miserable hatemonger. And you’re wrong….
Here’s Brian’s right hand man, Darien Sahanaja (at 2:12) speaking about the 50th tour rehearsals, and I quote: “I was looking over at Nick as we were singing some of the songs with Mike Love singing the lead. Wow. We’ve done these songs hundreds of times with Brian… but to hear the authentic voice actually singing is such a thrill. It’s almost surreal!”
That’s not me speaking. Nor is it an untalented hack speaking off the cuff. Is it? I’ve been to dozens of Beach Boys concerts, and I’ve never heard people saying anything negative about the awesome show that they just witnessed when we were all filing out. Not one time. Ever. I have heard lots of positive, wonderful things. Parents (and grandparents) and children smiling alike. How many hit songs have you sung, Carolyn? How many millions of people have you touched with your nasal whine? Nobody? That’s what I thought… So shut up.
And PS: When Mike ventured off into the “Celebration” world, who was right next to him from the get go, playing bass and having a blast? Brian Wilson…
Big Tom, Excuse me I am not now nor have I ever been a miserable hatemonger, I’ll leave that position for you. I see what’s going on here. You are star struck! You really should try to get over Mike. Find yourself a real star to idealize. Believe me the energy is wasted on Mike. Brian’s right hand man now that’s a joke. Mike has said he doesn’t like touring with Brian. Does that sound like a right hand? I think that would be more like a left hook. Wake up sleeper do you see all the people on stage? They are not there for decoration, they are there to create the Beach Boys sound that the concert go-ers are use to hearing. If and that’s a big if. If you have been to a Beach Boys concert I would imagine you were singing right along with every one else. News flash you are hearing what you want to hear. If just once the audience would keep quite, trust and believe they would want their money back. Every one tell them they sound good. Do you think if people told Mike to his face you suck! They would never get back stage again. If Mike is Brian’s right hand why did he steal from him? Why did he lie? I’ll tell why Mike Love is a heartless scoundrel, who thinks only about his self first last and always it’s all about Mike. You go right ahead and worship Mike. I have seen him up close and personal have you? When you went to your many concerts what did you get a back stage pass, tickets to a show, autograph CD? What! I know you get a chance to buy another ticket.
It’s not the Mike Love Band, it’s “The BEACH BOYS!”
Talk about a “discussion” (that’s being kind) that has gone off the rails..it’s this one. Mike Love is an integral part of the great Beach Boys sound. That’s a fact. He is not “talentless” with a “terrible voice”..if you believe that..then you think ‘Fun, Fun, Fun” sucks…since Mike sings the lead; oh…and he wrote the lyrics…along with the lyrics on many of the other Brian Wilson classics that still rake in the cash for all the guys (Beach Boys Inc aka Brother Records) via royalties…because they still get a lot of commercial play….because people love the tunes…they are woven into the fabric of the uniquely American culture…a talentless guy with a “terrible voice” by definition could not have contributed to that. Is a he a musical “genius” like Brian? Of course not..but he’s been an integral part of channeling many of Brian’s compositions in the direction of commercial success. Mike may indeed be a “dick”…but to disregard his contributions on that basis is illogical.
Right on, Mitch. Right on. Exactly what I was trying to say in two long-winded posts you summed up in one short simple paragraph. I don’t worship Mike Love, but am am a fan of the Beach Boys. As a unit. Carolyn is apparently not a fan, so what does it matter?
Mike has never said he dislikes touring with Brian. Unless you are going to take “I heard that” hearsay from his disgruntled brother as fact…
Wow. There are really some sick, hateful people in this world. I’ve been a mild Beach Boys fan for my whole life. I was stoked when I heard that they had patched up their differences and decided to hit the road together for their anniversary. I got tickets, and thanks to having a dear friend that worked at a local concert venue, I actually got backstage and met them.
It was the thrill of my life. When I first approached them, Brian Wilson was in conversation with his cousin Mike Love. Upon approaching, Mike (who was finishing up some kind of story) left his cousin Brian in hysterics. Brian Wilson was laughing so hard that he was almost in tears. It was intense because I hadn’t seen Brian Wilson show any signs of emotion in any interview I had seen in nearly 20 years. But there he was hamming it up with his cousin and having the time of his life. I approached Brian and asked him for an autograph. I told him what a great singer he was and he let out a strange loud laugh and exclaimed, “Well, I’ve had 50 years of practice!” Mike, who was speaking with another fan, called out to his cousin, “Settle down over there Wilson!” To which Brian went into hysterics again. I got to meet Mike thenafter and found him to be a truly engaging and seemingly decent fellow. We spoke about his time in India with the Beatles, and he told me it changed his life and continues to effect him to this very day. These were two guys who seemed to have completely come to peace with each other and clearly were enjoying each other’s company.
I went over to YouTube to hopefully catch some clips of the show I went to (I saw another fan taking some video backstage, so I was trying to see if it was posted as well) While I didn’t come across that video, I did find lots of great Beach Boys clips, past and present. But what ruined and disturbed my YouTube surfing was that on nearly every other video, some jerks had to post nasty things like “Mike Love Sucks” or “Mike Love is a douche” even some things wishing ill on him. What purpose does this serve? I was shocked and I Googled “Why do people hate Mike Love?” and this site came up. Somebody here actually wished death on him??? Jeez! What kind of terrible people are you?
When the guy’s 15-year-old daughter actually posts on this site because she has been personally offended things have gone to far. And Miss Love seems to be respectful and well-spoken. As a father myself, that says something about her upbringing. Shame on all of you!!!
I’m not computer literate enough to know for certain where this will even be seen but here goes. I’ve known Mike Love since 1970 when I started dating his sister Stephanie. We were married in 1973 and I lost her to cancer in 2005. During all those years I never had anything other than a great experience with MIke. I saw countless shows, free stays in Tahoe and Las Vegas and watched my young daughter sing with him at the LA Forum. I have experienced wonderful Christmas times at his home in Lake Tahoe and have always been treated well. When Stephanie wanted to be at home and would have needed 24 hr. nursing care, Mike offered to pay. When I had a large party in Marina Del Rey for my daughter’s college graduation, Mike offered to pay. His children Brian and Ahmba are two extremely polite, intelligent and well mannered young adults. I wish him well and am glad for the recent success on the road.
Steve Santoro
I credit Mike for having a lot of pushy energy in the early
days, he had an abundance of the kind of energy you need if you’re
trying to make it in show biz, but on balance, he stands as the
most obnoxious significant rock star ever, and that is saying a
LOT.
A quick p.s. to my comment above. I just watched Mike’s Hall of Fame harangue for the first time. This is a moment he had months to prepare for, and here’s what we get – surely the most graceless award acceptance in entertainment history, a profoundly revealing disaster. The man is irony-proof, isn’t he? He spews amazingly hostile venom (with stone-cold, strikingly hostile eyes) and embeds it all in a plea for world harmony and industry togetherness. He slams the Rolling Stones of all people for not going out on the road enough. He slams Paul McCartney who produced greater music in one week circa 1966 than Mike Love will produce in a lifetime. Maybe the most interesting thing on the video is how he horns in on Brian – can he just maybe leave the frickin’ microphone alone, can he maybe have enough empathy, simple human empathy, to think that perhaps the ever-shy Brian, facing a huge audience, would prefer to hunch over a bit as he speaks? Mike rambles like a needy six-year-old or a drunk 60-year-old. He doesn’t finish thoughts. He drops names, as in the Muhammad Ali interlude. He is a clueless, pompous, bullying lightweight; an empathy-lacking, power-tripping, cold-eyed gasbag; a walking testimony to the fact that you need a whole lot more than meditation to become a real human being; a living, breathing ode to the perils of too much (a) ego; (b) power; (c) money; and (d) boredom.
To JUL 27 Bob:
That was the most graceless acceptance speech in pop music history.
Let’s don’t mince words.
Message from Rocky:
He wants me to say that “Surfgate” is his favorite book. He wants everyone to read it when it becomes available.
“Surfgate,” five years in the making, is a fictionalized account of a copyright ownership dispute that occurred between two high profile rock stars that led to a music publishing lawsuit.
…and… as of Jan 2022, still not published. Probably because nobody cares.
I’m from Connecticut, and my friends and I always refer to Mike Love as a talentless jerkoff.
I share the feelings as stated in your manifesto, and as a result declare that we will from now on refer to Assface Love as a douche or douchebag. This description seems to be a perfect fit. Glad to join up with Team MLiaDouchebag.
You’re an idiot you base your opinions and facts off the media, have you ever noticed that the media twists and flips shit. Unless you have facts and evidence from the source your arguement is flawed.
Amen!!!
Because I come here for all the latest news on why Mike Love is a douche, I figured this’d be a good place to post this link.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2208817/Youre-fired-Three-Beach-Boys-founding-members-dumped-bands-frontman-Mike-Love.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
lets not forget Mike’s “beautiful” rendition of “Imagine” …. HAHAHAHA! I’ve seen some bad Karoake singers in my time but none – THIS BAD!
Cheered me up no end finding this site. He really is an odious excuse of a man. Thoroughly repellent.
I cannot disagree with you, Statto. He is a good frontman – I’ve always said that – but a huge disappointment as a person. I know him better than most and I can vouch that the vitriol is warranted. He thinks he is so enlightened because he practices TM. He failed to grasp the “right action” aspect of the Eastern religious teachings. Huge hypocrite, that guy.
So we don’t mind.. 🙂
So funny, Paul. Mahalo for the laugh.
Mike Love is a cunt.
I left comment 205……just to continue…..I unfortunately missed the ‘Beach Boys’ final gigs in London as I was on Honeymoon!!
Well I have just got back to read rave reviews of the London gigs…..only to read that ‘Good old Mike’ will sack Al and Brian after the tour to continue himself as ‘Mike Love’s Beach Boys’…..really Mike? Are you sure? Let’s face it,you are a member of the Beach Boys, you are NOT the Beach Boys…..with your arrogant self righteous attitude I wouldn’t come to see you play on my village green if it was free. Why do you make such stupid statements. When will you realise that fans want the Beach Boys not just the gobby, loudmouthed frontman. You don’t do yourself any favours. Wake up man!
Fingers crossed that Brian tours the UK again, hopefully with room for Al , David and any other Beach Boy deemed not good enough for his ‘gang’! Now that I would pay to see……hopefully in Ipswich UK!!
cb3 I always thought I was alone in my hatred for Mike Love and everything he stands for. If Dennis were alive, he’d stomp Mike Love’s ass beyond recognition, then kick what’s left of it out the Beach Boys forever.
Gary from 2010 put it best: “I’m so glad I found this. I’ve never understood the presence of Mike Love on ANY Beach Boys. The elimination of his nasally ‘no range’ voice could have been removed from every song and improved every song ten-fold. His contribution to the lyrics was completely uneeded, and his contribution to the demise of the creative genius of Brian Wilson during the mid- to late-’60s puts the point of the dull pencil of this no-talent, manipulative, duplicitous hack called Mike Love, The Luckiest No-Talent S.O.B that ever walked the planet.”
To Disappointed at Y’all (7-24-12): Every point you make is valid. The point you’re missing is that we love the band aside from the fact that Mike Love happens to be in it. We hate the tyranny he’s imposed over the years. On top of that, he’s just a prick.
People:
I notice that the traffic on this blog has been pretty light of late. I thought there would be an upsurge in activity after the news broke that Mike has fired Brian, Alan and David Marks and has elected to go forward with just Bruce and his backup band. I see this as a blatant money grab. Mike is an exceedingly greedy person and is not into sharing the concert tour revenue pie with the others. Also, I heard through the grapevine that Mike did not like touring with Brian because while Mike prances around onstage and does his peacock thing, Brian sits at his piano in an oftentimes zombie-like state while Mike is doing the heavy lifting performance-wise and this irks the heck out of Mike. The fact of the matter is that no matter what Mike does he is never going to get the love and adulation from the audiences that our super-talented cousin Brian receives by merely showing up.
I saw the last Beach Boys concert here in the UK the day before Mike Love fired everyone. The show was fantastic and everyone here was flabbergasted by this development. Most of us didn’t realize the level of animosity between some of the members.
I’m not sure about who did what to who, but I can tell you Mike Love pretty much was the showman of the group. We could all tell Brian had lost much of his voice, which we didn’t know about before. Nevertheless, everyone did extremely well. On the way out I overheard one young lady comment “How could such old people be so cool!” It is indeed unfortunate for the world that they are no more.
Why do I have the impression that this is not the actual Steve Love writing these comments, and certainly not this one? Even fairly casual fans know that Mike is legally obligated to split his touring revenue as the Beach Boys four ways, with shares to Brian Wilson and Al Jardine. It doesn’t matter if Mike tours without Brian or with him, he still has to pay Brian as part of BRI, the Beach Boys corporate organization. And Brian was the one who voted to give Mike the touring license as the Beach Boys and get his revenue share whether he (Brian) ever tours with Mike or not. Since Steve Love was supposedly the Beach Boys business manager at one time, you would think he would know the corporate arrangements of BRI/the Beach Boys. Hmm.
I just read four different books re Beach Boys/Brian
Wilson, all patently well written, no obvious agendas but from
different standpoints – they have one thing in common ; total
disregard for this Mike Love, not even loathing, worse, they just
dismiss him: an ignorant lightweight. Some people want something so
bad it’s poison to them and everybody else near them because they
know inside they’ll never get it eg Madonna/natural sexiness and
bigtime Mike Love, no cool, no talent.
So a BB (and BW/DW) fan like me stumbled across this blog upon seeing so many ML hate comments on Youtube and wondered what the hype is about – curiosity killed the cat so here I am. The psychology of why people do the things they do interests me a lot. I don’t hate the man but can only feel pity and a sense of empathy for who he has become in his height to fame. Here’s why.
From what I have gathered watching my DVD, ‘Endless Harmony’, I have drawn up my own conclusions. In one part, ML talks about the Wilson brothers having self-worth issues due to the aggressive nature of Murry Wilson. This concept of his makes perfect sense since our family/friends/peers as well as external environment affects our own personal and professional development into adulthood. I know from my own experience – the majority of my father’s family are dysfunctional and @ first I hated them but now I understand how they were brought up and only as an adult I’ve put 2 and 2 together to see the big picture. What ML cunningly does in that sentence is hint that he too has self-worth issues – facts have arisen that his mother Glee was also like Murray (a drill master), he was the eldest of his siblings (signifying his need to control and report/snitch ‘bad’ behaviour of the other BB’s), his lack of education (the shift from pumping gas to glamour and glitz), and his relationship with those around him (his psychological need to avoid losing that success he received on a silver platter from the Wilson boys drives him to behave the way he does without considering his bandmates or anyone around him, as I’ve seen in the appalling R&R Hall Of Fame footage). And from the actions of cousins Brian and Denny, it seems likely that he feared the possibility of the BBs going downhill and that he could be back pumping gas at the local petrol station or working as a checkout chick at a grocery store in Hawthorne.
Overall, it’s very easy to hate and loathe the man, which I can easily do like the majority of you, but it’s another thing to dig deep to the cause/root of his problem. Bear in mind that a dysfunctional family unit along with the fear of losing success and fame can impact on you psychologically, and sadly, it has on ML and the damage has been done in his ripe old age. Hope this brings some consolation to Ambha and some understanding to those here who question his behavior/actions.
Good observations, Daniel. For myself, thinking about the personal pain ML inflicted and loss of music gone unwritten makes me very sad rather than full of hate. In an interview with Charlie Rose at the start of the 50th Celebration tour (a great interview btw), Charlie asked if at this point it was forgive and forget, Brian jumped in with “Absolutely!”. So if Brian can say that (and hopefully he still can despite the messy way the tour ended), then I will let him guide me and try to follow his example.
On the other hand, maybe he’s just a jerk.
Also remember, ML watched his father lose his business forcing the family to move to “the other side of town” where the not well-to-do Wilsons lived.
I love re-reading this blog, and even my own previous comments. I am thinking; whichever side of this debate you are on…..the “Mike is an asshole” legend..along with the “Brian is a child-man genius” story line, have not hurt, but HELPED the legendary status that actually continues to grow to this day. If it weren’t THE BEACH BOYS, second only (in my opinion) to the Beatles in status….no one would care about Mike Love’s lawsuits, ego and impolitic and undiplomatic statements.
I just read that Brian, Al & David are touring this summer WITHOUT Mike! One of the dates is in October at LA’s great Greek Theatre. It reminded me of a time long ago when the boys were playing the Greek. In a RARE move, there was an actual pretty cool stage set….With palm trees and surfboards. Dennis showed up in his limo from Venice with a whole group of homeless lads and none of them were feeling any pain. In those days, there were two drum sets on stage, one for Dennis and one for Bobby Figueroa, in case Dennis wondered off. It was a very tense night based upon Dennis and his guests. It was a big deal for the BB to play a real “hard ticket” date in LA at a big theatre…Reviewers were expected. Brian was there…But not really. Anyway, in those days there was a moment in the show where Dennis would introduce Bruce who would sing, “I Write The Songs” with just him on piano. Gave everybody a break. Well, Dennis went into his intro and slurred something about “the faggot Barry Manilow”. Mike dashed on stage, put his arm around his cousin, sorta apologized and then introduced Bruce. Here’s where it got’s funny….Just off stage Mike beat the shit out of Dennis. Very bloody. THEN locked him in the scenery closet. Over Bruce’s thin voice and single piano, everyone could hear what was going on. The band, without Dennis, returned to the show and after awhile DW’s friends came looking for him. They found and released him. The look on Mike’s face was PRICELESS when he all the sudden heard the sound of the second set and drums and looked back to see Dennis wearing his trademark BB swag shirt, covered in blood. Soon Dennis was throwing drum sticks at Mike, mostly missing and banging people in the front row. Brian, who hated ANY tension, just got up from the grand piano and walked off stage. THEN Dennis picked up one of the 6 inch palm trees and tossing it, missed Mike and hit a lady fan square on her face in the crowd. At that point, Mike just walked off in the middle of “Fun, Fun, Fun” and went to his car underneath the stage and left. That’s how the BB Greek Theatre show in Los Angeles ended. Here’s hoping come October!
Great little story! And well-written too.
Do you remember what year that was?
I believe it had to be ’81 or ’82? Dennis was at his lowest and Brian was out of it. Landy was not around and I think he was rehired in like ’83, so before that. It was the rare time Jason R. ever let Mike Obie spend a little cash on the stage and it was his palm trees that did ’em in! LOL. We were all staying that night at the Westwood Marquis and all night long Dennis and his boys were pounding on doors trying to find Mike….Until they called the cops and were escorted off the property! Crazy night. I’m gonna ask Rena at the Greek what the date was.
I thought it was the early Eighties. Thanks for the info. Love the anecdote.
Did you know I fired “Dr.” Landy in the fall of 1977? The band members did get in a panic about Brian “becoming another Elvis,” Carl especially, and they rehired Landy 6 years after I got rid of him. That was like letting the fox back in the henhouse. lol
Eeek. In that second Landy round, Brian lived just down the beach from me. You would see Brian around town with these 24-hour stepford-esk blond, blue eyed handlers. They would even jog him up Malibu Road. They made him shop at the market, push the cart. At restaurants with food flying out of Landy’s mouth as he ate and pontificated he was famous in Malibu for saying “Please don’t speak to the artist” if someone wandered up to say hello or thank BW for the music. Funny damn sight. Ironically, during that period one NEVER saw Brian smile!
Very interesting stuff, amigo. Landy was one greedy, self-aggrandizing jerk.
He wanted to control Brian’s every move. On top of that, he aspired to become Brian’s manager. Getting rid of him a second time necessitated the filing of a conservatorship proceeding, instigated by Stan Love, and the involvement of 5 different law firms who, in the aggregate, billed upwards of $1 million in legal fees. I know. I saw the invoices.
“Don’t talk to the artist,” huh? That cracks me up.
I can believe that Brian NEVER smiled during the time he was Landy’s prisoner. The few kind words Brian said about Landy I attribute to the Stockholm syndrome. lol
Please do ascertain the date of that infamous Greek Theater concert. Thank you!
Friday, July 17-1981. KRTH-101 was the presenting sponsor and the show was part of the Michelob Concert Series. Tickets were $28 bucks!
Thank you! Good information. I am going to suggest to a friend who is writing a book that he incorporate that anecdote. Would you be okay with that? If so, just reply and add your name. Mahalo (thanks)!
Just scant weeks before Boardwalk Records released, “Looking Back With Love”!
“Looking Back With Love,” huh. I think that sold 5 copies. lol
I own one copy of “Looking Back With Love” that I bought on vinyl (my thirty-year-old Beach Boys son—a fan of both The Beach Boys and vinyl has it—and a copy on CD, which I have, along with the unreleased “First Live” and”Country Live,” also on CD. Owned out of perversity, as I also have Mike’s senior yearbook from Dorsey.
I am a black woman and I love the Beach boys. I consider myself a fan since I know that Blondie Chaplin sings lead on Sail on Sailor and that Dave Marks is an original. Remember the old saying Mother Knows Best? Well I remember my mother and I were watching the Beach Boys on television and she said to me “I cant stand Mike Love” I said “Why” and she stated there is something about him I dont like i think he is jealous of Brian Wilson. Now she was not a big fan she knew the songs but didnt know the history of the group so for her to say this I thought how does she know all of this? Then lawsuits started and Mike went around on tv saying his same old mantra “I came up with “shes giving me the excitations” in Good Vibrations” which he did. Ever since my mother said she didnt like Mike Love all of those years he has been gettng on Brian Wilsons nerves in and out of court. Everything my mother says comes true. Im a christian so I dont hate Mike Love but I dont like the way he acts remember Mother Knows Best. The reason I mentioned that Im a black girl (not that it matters) is for a 70 year old mother to tell you she doesnt like Mike Love and she is black is saying something. Not many black 70 year olds follow the history of the Beach Boys and she didnt but she saw something. By the way her favorite Beach Boys song is I Get Around and Here Comes the Night.
Your Mom obviously has good sense of character. Namely, who has it and who doesn’t.
People can say what they want about Landy but he seemed to be the only one who was able to get Brian going on the right track and to make him sane again,
Somehow the defense, “You’re information is inaccurate because HE TOTALLY DOES SO SURF!!!!11!!!1!!!” is not very convincing. I’m reasonably certain that the part about Mr. Love potentially being a poseur was a bit of sarcastic liberty… the subtlties of (blatant) irony can be difficult for the simple to appreciate. From what I’ve read previoulsly and what I’ve learned here: being a real surfer is the least of Mr. Loves concerns. He’s also a real miser and general an ethically bankrupt human being… Briefly: a real dirt bag. You’d think a member of a beloved and iconic band would want to portray a better public image of himself (or you know, just be a decent person). I guess it just goes to show that fame does not necessarily (or typically) beget grace. I love the Beachboys’s music with all my heart, but Mike Love, in my mind, was never an asset to the band, and, quite probably, has in fact been a total liability.
I’m sorry is some one under the impression that Mike Love can surf? Say it not so! There was only one Beach boy that could surf Dennis Wilson! Mike Love is not now nor has he ever been a surfer! The Love that does surf is Mike Love’s handsome, charismatic, younger brother Steve Love who continues to surf, and live in a surfers paradise. Mike does not surf but there are still many things that he does for instance he lies, steal, cheats , and he’s a back stabbing, greedy egomaniac poseur, but I’m sure you already know these things about Mike. To make sure you never mistake Mike for Steve. Mike is the bald one with a HS. diploma, Steve is the handsome surfer with an MBA and he’s a “Real Beach Boy” not as a singer ,but as the Real Deal Surfer.
Ouch! Don’t hold back, tell us what you really think of Mike!
I could have forgiven him for many of his sins had he not booted everyone out of the band after the Royal Albert Hall reunion concert. We had a good time and were surprised at the development.
Cheers, and keep the humor coming!
I cannot say I hate Mike Love but frankly I found him to be the least talented of the group. I do admire his daughter for standing up for her dad. What I find really sad is that Brian Wilson’s musical visions after Pet Sounds were so trashed by Mike Love. Pet Sounds is one of the greatest records of all time and I can only wonder where the group could have gone musically had they not “stuck with the formula”. I know Mike Love was responsible for some lyrics but I think over all it was Brian and the other talented writers he worked with. Brian also was responsible for teaching all of the Beach Boys the gorgeous harmonies. Mike is a mediocre singer at best. Highly nasal. Hopefully he believes deep down in his heart that without Brian Wilson he would still be a pump jockey some where. I do agree too there is a time to retire gracefully. As for the Beach Boys, as I far as I feel, the only true ones are Brian Wilson, Dennis and Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, David marks and Mike Love. Bruce Johnston I still feel not an original. Talented but not original. Sadly Dennis Wilson threw his life away with drinking and drugs. Carl smoked himself to death. Maybe Mike Love does not have much sympathy for those with any kind of problem, such as the ones all the Wilson’s had…alcoholism, drug problems. But for the grace of God, it could have been Love. I understand his trying to keep it on an even keel but there is also sympathy and understanding. Maybe Love himself was not raised to be sympathetic himself. Hating him is pointless. But frankly when the group was inducted into the RR Hall of Fame, Love pretty well showed his true colors. Not a bit of kindness in his remarks. Not a bit of gratitude for a career thousands would love. Instead he chooses to act the ass. I wish some one would have taken him off stage and kicked his butt. But then wonderful Elton John put him in his place! Got to love that!
http://mikelovelibel.com/
Wow. This blog can be made into a book. I don’t hate Mike Love but I think he is kind of a jerk. I feel bad for Aloha (his daughter).
Unfortunately folks, Mike will certainly outlive Brian and Al. You will see him performing Kokomo in the year 2025 with his diaper on his head!
Oh and by the way, I found this page by searching “was Mike Love sick during the recording of Hawaii”, because if you listen to his vocals on that track it sure sounds like he was!
VICE stole your article! http://noisey.vice.com/blog/mike-love-is-kind-of-an-asshole
I’m inclined to think they just wrote about the same self-evident truth, and good for them for doing it.
Lots of talking on this .. But without reading all of them .. Carl Love is alive & living in northern Calif. married to a friends ex wife .. But they’re great friends. But I did notice there’s no mention of his brothers in online stuff. I also know one of ex-wives & daughter .. He’s been around.
I think that we can find bad things to say about anyone. We all have faults. I find it amazing that people assume Mike didn’t really write the lyrics he sued for in court. None of you were there. Brian himself agreed with Mike, but his lawyers wanted to take it to court.
@Ambha Love: I saw video of California Saga and you guys were fantastic!
I would say the Ringo Star of the Beach Boys isn’t Al but rather Mike Love… Al is a musician… Mike Love is a upfront, back up singer who could blow 2 notes on a sax!
Mike Love should thank Brain Wilson, Carl , Denny and Al and the rest of the Beach boys each and every day….
mike love is a god
Just wanted to say that this is quite an entertaining blog. Some very irreverent humor, a little too much nastiness (to be expected I suppose with such a polarizing character) and obviously a generally high level of intelligence. Very informative anecdotes, with some info not to be found elsewhere. Refreshing lack of self-consciousness or political correctness.
Ambha, you have shown fine character, maturity and comportment. I love your work with your step-brother and cousins in California Saga. Great deep cut song selection and performances, hope you all decide to do more together. Your father showed some of the complexity of his character in the heartfelt speech he gave to family and a small audience at the Pre-Grammy concert ceremony in L.A. earlier this year. His love for his family shone through there as it has on many occasions. He loves them but is enmeshed in an ego struggle that causes him to shoot himself in the foot and say unfortunate things in order to bolster his self-image and gain recognition and praise, which backfires on him.
I struggle with many of the same negative feelings about him as most here. The intrusive, obnoxiously self-centered on-stage patter, his resistance to “Our Prayer” at the C50 reunion shows, his (& Bruce’s) corporate attitude, the chutzpah of continuing to tour as the Beach Boys, cheapening the immortal brand (keeping the music out there though for the more casual fans who do not attend Brian & Co.’s shows), his lawsuits (claiming co-credit for Wouldn’t It Be Nice” just for the lyric “good night, baby, sleep tight, baby” in the tag etc.), His hostility to VDP (making Brian feel isolated & unsupported & driving Parks away) during Smile (not the only or even necessarily the main factor in the album’s demise but certainly a significant one). His purported sabotage of a vocal session for “Child is Father of the Man”, filmed by CBS for the “Inside Pop” documentary, footage unfortunately apparently lost to history. He did participate in its creation because he believed in and was in awe of Brian’s talent (certainly in the beauty if not the commerciality of the songs, he recently complimented “Wonderful” effusively and I have no doubt was sincere) and they needed product, but was simultaneously passive-aggressively opposed to it as a “product of California seeking” (Smile Sessions promo interview, good quote) that would not go over well in the Midwest etc. His possessiveness of Brian (actively thwarting Brian’s attempts to work with Danny Hutton’s Redwood/Three Dog Night and let them have “Time to Get Alone” egotistical comments to one of their members quoted in Priore’s Smile book).
He is a complex character, and I’ll give him more credit than most here because it’s not entirely black & white, but on balance I dislike him also, much as I hate to be negative. “Thin-lipped type that you want to punch”-hilarious!
Yep, mike love sucks/ along with john lennon but at least lennon’s dead.
I’m not sure who you are or why you find it necessary to tell the world you hate Mike Love. I can tell you that I was married to Mike’s sister Stephanie for thirty years and have know him on a personal level since I started dating her. From my perspective he is a very kind an generous person. There’s not room enough here to tell all the nice things he has done but here’s a few. He drove several times from Lake Tahoe to the East Bay to visit his sick sister both at home and in the hospital. He offered to pay for a full time nurse so she could stay at home if possible. He is the one who paid for his father’s care as he grew older and couldn’t take care of himself. Last Christmas he flew his dad along with a care giver to Tahoe to spend the holidays with us. On Christmas day he had to ask me to drive his son to the airport because his father had an accident and crapped all over himself so Mike had to clean him up. How many of you know a man in his 70’s who would clean the shit off his 94 year old dad:?
Steve Santoro
I just asked a man in his ’70s, and he said he would do this, so count me in.
From a public relations standpoint ..this “Mike is a no talent asshole” and “Brian is a gentle troubled genius” is the best thing (other than their incredible music) that ever happened to the band. In reality…Mike is VERY talented and a PR genius…Brian Is truly a musical genius…but he was no saint…and his irresponsiblity early on caused much hardship for the rest of the band including Mike…yet everyone gives him a pass…almost like he is retarded…so oh well… well Brian..though battling with demons…is not retarded…and he fucked up a lot…Mike opened his big mouth in impolitic ways too many times..but he ..like Brian..is a complicated man…and he has done much for charities and his family…and he has kept the Beach Boys catalog selling with constant touring…hey…personally…Brian is my musical idol..he is to me what Sinatra was to my Dad…but I also know Love us an intrinsic part of the Beach Boys…to argue otherwise is to deny reality. Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone
Got news for you. I worked as a geriatric aide for over 16 years and I saw plenty of men in their 70’s and up trying to clean their loved ones when I would come on shift, bless their hearts. Maybe Mr. Love has his good moments. More power to him. I cleaned up my own father as he lay in a hospital bed in a coma. This act in itself does not make Mr. Love a saint. This is what a human being does for another. What is truly sad is that obviously Love came from a dysfunctional family like his cousins did. Let’s face it, Murry Wilson was a real piece of work. Yeah he tried to make his son’s successful but he also treated them like crap over and over again. My cousin who went to school with the Wilson boys told us stories. I heard Murry’s sister Glee was pretty damn cruel herself. By the way Steve, how about Love’s speech upon being accepted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Another piece of work. No I don’t hate the guy but I hate thinking what the Beach Boys possibly could have developed into musically and did not. Love never wrote a decent song on his own. Brian and Dennis wrote some wonderful songs. Yes, Dennis put himself to death by his alcohol and drug use. Yes, Carl smoked himself to death. Yes Brian had nervous breakdowns and became a recluse and used drugs. Sadly not one of them ever had decent counseling. That Brian is still alive is nothing short of a miracle. The music he wrote in the 60’s will be with us always but nothing can compare to Pet Sounds. In my humble opinion it blows anything the Beatles wrote clean out of the water. Your brother-in-law could not understand it. I was 18 when I bought the album right after it was released. I found it the most beautiful record I have ever owned and played it until I wore it out. It made me smile, cry and wonder. How could any one write such beautiful music? Only Brian Wilson could. Okay, Love cleaned his dad. Kuddos to him for that. But then his ranting and raving publically to other artists was truly horrible. Thank Heaven for Elton John putting him in his place with a real sense of humor. Tell your brother-in-law to retire if any thing. To fire Brian, and Al was awful. And as for that goof who thinks he is a Beach Boy, go back to selling greek yogurt.
Sick sick commentSICK SICK COMMENT
You can say what you want about mike but he was way better than lennon.
Benighted idiocy of a very high order.
To all the Mike Love supporters I have a question. Since Mike claims to have co -written so many songs with Brian how come during Brian’s absence he didn’t step up to the plate and write hit after hit .Also I find it strange that on his own solo album he only co-wrote one song
Dennis Wilson beat up all of his girlfriends and wives and even was arrested for it, but he is considered a cool guy. Brian offered his daughters heroin and abandoned them and is still estranged from Wendy and Carnie even now. He also emotionally abused his first wife Marilyn. I can’t even comment on whatever dysfunctional family he’s creating now with the weird child hoarding, goldigging narcissist he married for the second go around (after she, not he, proposed). They’re all screwed up. Brian hasn’t done good music in decades. You can have your twisted fandom. I won’t see Mike’s version of live Beach Boys, but I won’t see sad, stone-faced, creaky-voiced Brian in concert, either.. Why not criticize Melinda Wilson for pushing a mentally ill Brian on a concert stage? Brian still looks like he does not want to be there.
Liz has made some interesting observations and comments. Twisted fandom is a good turn of phrase. I for one would like to hear more from this astute blogger.
Aloha to you, Liz.
Steve Love, the surfer in the Love-Wilson family
Stan, do you regret beating Dennis up?
I feel confident in saying Stan has no regrets about that. Rocky Pamplin has written a fascinating and insightful book titled “Wipeout” that devotes an entire chapter to the altercation that took place at Dennis’s house in Venice, CA. Their mission that action-packed night was to stop Dennis from providing hard drugs to his brain-damaged brother Brian.
Sorry, I meant Steve, does Stan regret….etc etc. BTW From Wikipedia: In January 1981, Love and Pamplin followed Dennis Wilson to his house in Los Angeles…..then chased Wilson, beat and kicked him, struck him with a telephone, slammed his head into a bedboard 12 times, and threw him through a window. According to Love, “it was one of the most brutal beatings ever.” One of the most of Dennis’? Or just in general? Murry left a mark on them all, but its so sad that Dennis didn’t take up extreme sports or something to get it out of his system. They really miss taskmaster/peacemaker/musical leader Carl, they all seemed to respect him. It seemed on the 50th anniversary tour Jeff filled some of those roles as best he could, he seems such a genuinely nice guy, and what a voice?
Carl was the level-headed one. He had a maturity about him that the others respected. I don’t know Jeff Foskett personally but appreciate the musical contributions he has made. I am sure Brian is comforted to have him onstage with him. BTW, the Mike Love version of the BB appeared on the Queen Latifah show the other night. I thought Bruce did a fine job singing Brian’s falsetto parts. Mike’s voice sounded thin and tinny. He really strained to reach the upper register notes on “Fun Fun Fun.” The fact that he is still singing at his age (73 next month), however, is pretty remarkable.
I guess he is on track to be the Tony Bennett of rock and roll in terms of career longevity.
Just in general. It was as rough as anything you would see in the movies.
Steve – Just watched that performance, Bruce only did the final falsetto part, someone else did the other parts (not quite so high, but moving around more), looks like Christian, or someone off stage/recorded.
Steve, were you involved in getting Landy out of the scene the second time around?
Danny,
I got rid of Landy the first time circa late 1976, if memory serves. After I was gone (April 1978), Carl panicked and thought Brian was going to go the way of Elvis. He therefore was the impetus in re-engaging the dubiously ethical Landy. It took a conservatorship proceeding initiated by Stan Love to get the fox out of the henhouse the 2nd time around. Landy didn’t have a concept of boundaries and completely took over Brian’s life. He became Brian’s business partner, co-songwriter and de facto manager. When I fired him, there was no legal expense involved. When he was extricated from Brian’s life and a conservator was appointed by the court, six different law firms were involved and the legal billings approached $1 million! I saw the bills. I assisted Stan behind the scenes and was therefore privy to all the charges incurred by the various lawyers. I recommend that you read “Heroes & Villains,” the Steven Gaines band biography. It covers some of the aforementioned events and is the most accurate treatment of the Beach Boys written that I have read.
Aloha,
Steve
BTW, good question.
Mahalo Steve!
I see that Brian needs, or needed some sort of disciplinarian in his life so he has structure in order to function with his genius. Does he still need that? If so who provides that now? Melinda?
BTW How do you and Stan now get on with Brian?
Being awarded a whole half-credit for writing a few words seems unfair, most or all of the lyrics yes. But it seems that story has not ended yet.
What does get me is that none of ‘the children’ do not appear to have shown any of the songwriting talent that the parents, especially Brian of course, did. Or is that just a sign of the times we live in?
Aloha Danny,
Brian’s daughter Carnie has songwriting talent. Remember, the first Wilson Philips album had 5 top ten hits and sold multiple millions. Impressive, that.
Melinda deserves major kudos for getting Brian productive again. I don’t have any contact with her or Brian. Stan has seen Brian on occasion at Kevin Love’s basketball games in L.A. Brian is a fan of K-Love and enjoys basketball. Stan and Rocky Pamplin used to involve Brian in games as part of an exercise regimen they instituted back in the late Seventies. Brian was a pretty darn good athlete back at Hawthorne High.
Melinda was miffed at me that I didn’t, in her eyes, help Brian sufficiently when Mike was suing Brian over the songs. She lacks warmth. In a 2006 deposition, I gave her all the ammunition she and Brian would need to undo the snowjob Mike’s lawyers did in the music publishing case. Inexplicably, they chose to do nothing. I know Mike to be untruthful and prone to self-aggrandizement. Brian is perfectly capable of writing melodies and lyrics by himself. Brian was extremely generous in sharing credit in the first place. Mike deserves major kudos, however, for being the workhorse on the road keeping the music alive and in the public’s consciousness. That is worth a lot.
Oops, true. I was forgetting Carnie’s talents. Still, not really in same league as dad though, but then we are each a product of our experiences, upbringing plus luck of course. Also a tall order to live up to! Do you think CalSaga might produce some of their own material or is this just a BB modern day vehicle?
I can emphasise with Brian, its so easy to be exploited if you are tender hearted, generous, have a talent and are done so by a family member.
Mike certainly has kept the music alive although you must wonder if digital downloads had never been would they still be out there now?
BTW Steve, is it true that Rocky knocked out Carl on the Australian Tour? It’s hard to believe Carl could get so unruly or violent. Mind you in the Knebworth gig it was lucky Dennis was out front to grab a hold of Carl as it looked like he was going to wallop Mike. Do you know what exactly was said or done? Was Mike making fun of Brian on stage?
Yes, Rocky did indeed knock Carl to the floor in Melbourne, Australia in March I978, my last tour with the band. Rocky has written a book titled WIPEOUT in which he devotes an entire chapter to what we participants in that meeting in Mike Love’s suite with David Frost and others refer to as “the heroin incident.” Carl was drunk and surly and made the mistake of saying “Fuck you, Rocky” in front of a roomful of men. Rocky wasn’t going to take that and leapt to his feet, bounded across the room and socked Carl hard in the jaw. The back of Carl’s head banged against the wall and he fell to the floor. BTW, it was the most picture perfect haymaker I ever saw. It was a stroke of luck that Carl’s jaw was not broken. As for the other incident you refer to, I have no knowledge of what transpired there.
Sadly, Mike Love is still alive.
Here’s the video:
Carl starts moving across to Mike to ‘confront him’ from 2:30.
RIP Mike Meros, what an organ player. They missed him on the 50th tour. BTW Brian always played piano stage left, on the 50th he switched to stage right. ???
Great video. Love the song and this rendition.
Mahalo (thanks) and aloha.
Steve, why did you punch Dennis in the throat in 1974? as his cousin, why would Stan (and Rocky) want to beat him to a pulp? I can understand trying to protect Brian but you guys were there, didn’t you realize that Denny was suffering just like Brian was? and lastly, do any of you regret it?
Diana,
Not only was I NOT the guy who karate chopped Dennis in the throat in 1974 at the Red Onion restaurant in Redondo Beach, CA, I’m the guy who knocked out the bouncer who struck a barefoot Dennis who attempted to push past the doorman to get to the dance floor. This incident is recounted in detail in Rocky’s forthcoming book WIPEOUT in the chapter titled “A Broken Spirit.”
As for Rocky and Stan beating Dennis up on Super Bowl Sunday in January 1980, Dennis was endangering Brian and had to be stopped. Although they were no longer in his employ as bodyguard-handlers, they loved Brian and wanted to protect him from his reckless brother. I don’t think they regret their actions; in fact, I think they think it was a well-deserved intervention.
Rocky is seeking a literary agent to represent him. His intriguing book is complete, has 36 chapters and runs about 300 pages. WIPEOUT is a most entertaining rock-and-roll memoir. If any literary agent out there is interested, please get in touch with me and I’ll connect you with Rocky.
WIPEOUT is Rocky’s story, told in his own inimitable style. It is replete with rather racy recollections of movie and rock stars, rich people, and royalty. It is a story of deceit and betrayal, the excesses of ego, where greed and jealousy run riot and family members are fair game. Part memoir and part expose, this is a book for the ages. Aloha.
Steve
BTW, go to YouTube and see Ringo Starr playing drums for the Beach Boys on “Back in the USSR” at the D.C. Mall on July 4th, 1984 before a huge crowd of avid fans.
Hi Steve,
What was the beef with Blondie btw? He and Ricky where the best thing to happen to the boys in the 70s.
Mahalo!
Danny
I always get a good laugh at folks bashing Mike even though I usually despite gossip and negative talk. But truth is Mike isn’t a bad person per say, his main problem is he has NO humility and a BIG ego and suffers from BAD Insecurities which he wears on his sleeve. Other then all the problems that causes he alright…. When someone is humble (example: Brian) everyone wants to praise and raise up the humble one to where they think he should be but when someone is always self boosting and self promoting our subconscious hates it and tries to even the score and knock that one down. If Mike got off his stupid reasoning that Ego equals success and replaces the TM with bible verses on Humility he will end up not focusing on promoting his own greatness but focus on boosting others he will end up getting the praise he so desperately needs and does not receive. PS as funny as this Mike bashing is I see alot of false info in this article about Mike. When you make up some of it or exaggerate things to make it sound worse it makes the knowledgeable fan question everything else you say.
Well I apologize to you Steve. I read somewhere that you were the one who first punched him in the throat. and as for Stan and Rocky, they should regret what they did because this played a huge part in Denny’s downfall. he had a beautiful singing voice (though the harmful substances didn’t help either).
Apology accepted, Diana. There is a lot of disinformation out there. Dennis did have a nice voice and would captivate the audience when he sang “You Are So Beautiful” in concert. Dennis was an incorrigible, though, and wouldn’t take direction or advice from anyone. He was his own worst enemy and eventually self-destructed with the alcohol and heavy drug usage. Aloha,
Steve
Mike Love is a douche bag look at the video from the last concert they performed together before Dennis died Mike is wearing skin tight pants and it looks like there is a squirrel in his pants just to show the ladies what a stud he is. He even doesn’t let Al sing by himself on Help Me Rhonda. Al has always been my favorite beach boy and Mike has no talent
BTW Steve, I know Dennis and Carl were left handed, is Brian left handed too? This would explain the great left hand piano parts and bass runs, which he shares in common with Macca, who is also a southpaw.
Hey Daniel,
I know Brian is lefthanded as was Carl. I don’t think Dennis was.
I am aware that Sir Paul is.
As for the Blondie question, I would rather leave that alone. That was a case of me being dissed and me nipping that shit in the bud. I challenged the man and he wisely backed down. He left the band shortly thereafter. I do agree that he and Ricki Fataar added a nice dimension to the BB music.
Aloha,
Steve
Mahola Steve!
Information is mixed about Dennis’ handedness, but it seems lots of people think he was a southpaw cause he played open handed, however some people said that if he was a real lefty he should have played the bass drum with his left foot and not right foot.
As for the Blondie question, no problem. There were a lot of clashes in the 70s with the band weren’t there 😉
BTW Any of the guys ever get out to visit you and take in the Hawaiian experience?
BTW2 Really pleased for Chad Odhner from the Fendertones to be singing with Brian’s band, he’s got a great voice. Must be a bit weird though for Jeff not be around any more for him though.
Aloha,
Danny
I was surprised to hear Jeff Foskett left Brian for Mike’s Beach Boy’s. Does anyone have the scoop? I could speculate that it was financial. Mike and Bruce’s band play ALOT of gigs, and they are still able to sell out some medium size houses; whereas Brian’s gigs are few and far between. Despite that , considering how devoted Jeff seemed to Brian, and now much Brian seemed to depend on him….thoughts?
Well quite! I think it has to be financial too, as both Brian and Jeff both sold their houses in Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage. Jeff has moved to N. California.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/music/2014/08/27/beach-boys-brian-wilson/14716185/
Aloha Steve,
This will sound weird, but long story short, I am trying to get my mother in contact with your brother and sister in law, Stan and Karen.my mother and Karen used to be best friends when they were living in pacific palisades.please email me I will tell you tge story, if you could just hear what I have to say and if at very least you could forward an email to stan and karen for me I would be forever grateful.my mother has multipule sclerosis and it would mean everything to her to reconnect with karen-please please email me
Martin_andrea05@yahoo.com
Thank you and mahalo
Hello Andrea,
Have you been in contact with Larry Salisbury?
He is reachable at: salisbury @earthlink.net
Good luck. Aloha.
Steve
Mahola Steve!
Hope the recent Tsunami did nothing more for you than improve the surf.
Here’s a technical question for you, I see that Carl switched from the Rickenbacker 12 to the Epiphone 12 because of tuning issues. Do you know if he reversed the pairs of strings to have the higher octave under the lower octave like on the Rickenbacker 360/12 or kept it ‘stock’?
Aloha,
Dan
Sorry, Dan. I can’t answer that. Way too technical for me. Too bad you can’t query Jason Raphalian, our ace road crew manager. He would know.
In 1975 Rolling Stone voted our road crew the best in the business. I was always very proud of that accolade. Jason was a workhorse.
Thanks for the good wishes. After a 6-month layoff, I will resume surfing Monday morning. My main surf buddy is visiting from the mainland. At 68, my energy level and desire aren’t what they once were. I’m hoping my friend Rico helps re-energize me. Aloha.
Steve
Lifelong Brian fan here. Saw him and BB’s numerous times, with and without eachother.
In 50+ years the middling vocalist / frontman that is Mike couldn’t pick up a single instrument ? Really–His vocal chops and charm are so enthralling that he couldn’t learn some bars on a bass or keyboard? Oh, pardon me: We’ve all imbibed his talents as a tambourine artist. And I’ve seen him play a fake/simplified theremin for several seconds on a Good Vibrations fadeout……..Oy.
Artist whose value to the Beach Boys both onstage and off has been most underrated: Bruce Johnston.
Hope you’ve all seen the new BBC children ‘s charity tribute: Youtube search term: “BBC music god only knows”. A splendid tribute to Brian rendered in 3 rapturous minutes.
It’s good to know that so many share my deep hatred of Mike Love. I remember them headlining a show with Bob Seger when he had the Bob Seger System and someone sabotaged his sound system so that the sound was supper muddy and almost unintelligible…I’m sure it was Mike Love trying to make sure no one showed him up.
I’m an English Beach Boys fan, have been since I was 11, when I was converted to their music by an BBC DJ called David Hamilton. I know Mike doesn’t always get a good press, and sometimes let himself down, but he is just as much a part of the band as the more well liked Wilson brothers.
Also while some people say Smile being canned led to the band’s temporary lapse in popularity in America, in Britain the hits kept coming and albums like Smiley Smile and 20/20 were still innovative and of a high standard. However, credit must be given to Mike for keeping the band together when they could have folded in 1967 and also for a massive revival in the mid seventies.
Please could everyone be aware that Mike’s grand daughter has posted on here and some comments have proved hurtful to her.
Actually Ambha Love is Mike’s daughter, not his grand daughter
I
I was on your team until you made the comment he’s a right wing republican. I’m a republican and I don’t condone racism or wife beating. Although I don’t like Mike Love’s behavior, your mindless criticism of someone’s whose political views are different then yours is very conservative, not liberal.
Landry and Love – two of the worst things that ever happened to Brian.
This blog is a little dated.. but I will add positive thoughts here. I think Mike Love was a cute redhead with lots of energy & a great sense of humor. Looks alright as an older man now. Carl was chubby, but had a beautiful voice and gorgeous eyes..rip… Brian was a shy, quiet guy, who had romantic eyes that went great with his smile. He’s now an adorable older man. Dennis was a sexy, naughty boy..who was a romantic deep down, but couldn’t stay out of trouble.. rip.. Al was more plain, but had/has a great voice. Actually really cute as an older man. Bruce… amazing talent, not bad in the looks department… seems to of always had a great sense of humor.. also cute as an older man.
Love the Beach Boys music. I never get tired of it. They’re all wonderful talents, even if some of them have not been on their best behavior.
Steve,
Could you give us details on some of the other investments you made for the band during your tenure as manager? Always thought you were on track to creating major wealth for the group.
I was. The best investment I ever made was the beach house on Hanalei Bay on the north shore of Kauai. I purchased it in 1978 for $620,000, lost it in foreclosure in 1986 because the Beach Boys couldn’t be persuaded to help me save the property. As was my prerogative, I transferred investment funds from CA to Hawaii because that was the new thrust of my investment program for the BB and myself. I gave the Boys a 50% constructive interest in the spectacular property referred to as HBBH. That property is worth $25 million in today’s market. The opportunity loss they and I suffered I calculate to be $12.5 million. Hassling me over this investment was the biggest business blunder in the group’s history.
As a business mogul whose name escapes me once said: “People disappoint.”
Dis they keep Modal, or sell it off? Still surfing?
Cheers,
Stephen M.
Good question. They sold off MoDal (short for Motel Dallas) at a very nice profit. That was another excellent investment that my mentor Paul Gader, a successful Jewish financier, brought to me. The Motel 6 generated a nice cash flow (11.2% annually on the initial capital investment) and increased in value substantially over time. I could have acquired more of those deals had the Boys saved more money but they were big spenders and I could only get one. I put my former pro basketball playing brother Stanley (father of Kevin Love) into that deal. He was making good money at the time and I decided to include him with the Beach Boys in that nice investment.
So you are a Stephen too? Aloha from Kauai.
I was surfing up until about 6 months ago. I turned 68 in June and my energy level is not what it used to be… nor desire. My main surf buddy, Rico Pettigrew, returns to the island mid-SEP and I hope to resume surfing then. My dentist, an older surfer himself, said a nice thing to me: “We don’t have to surf so much anymore; it’s time to go within.” That was comforting to hear. Very zen of him, I thought.
Thanks for the info Steve. Fascinating! Did you surf with Bruce back in the day?
You asked politely, Steve M, and I felt you deserved answers as good as your questions. Aloha.
Never surfed with Bruce. I hear he has a place on the water near Malibu with a surf break beyond his backyard. Way cool, that.
Brian Wilson’s favorite lyricist is Mike Love. Someone finished the lyrics to Good Vibrations, someone sang lead on most of the hits, someone sang those tricky bass parts…guess who? Mike Love.
Brian Wilson was not/is not/never could be a front man.
Without Mike Love & Murray Wilson you never would have heard Brian’s music.
Mike Love treats his long-time band/musicians very well, they are not complaining. Guess who Foskett is playing with? That’s right, Mike Love. Reading above, It seems to me Mike was the only one that was willing & smart enough in the group to want to keep that beach house.
Give credit where credit is do.
Hello leftybass,
Since you mentioned “that beach house,” I would like to say here what I told the publisher of Mike’s forthcoming autobiography, namely that the Beach Boys made the biggest business blunder of their long career hassling me about the investment I made in the Kauai beach house with the proceeds of the sale of the California ranch property known as the Spaulding Ranch. By written agreement(s) between the parties, I was the general partner, i.e., control person, with respect to the handling of all investment funds for a period of no less than 20 years. Since the spectacular beachfront estate on Hanalei Bay is worth $25 million in today’s market, the BB suffered an opportunity loss in the multi-million$. When I came out on the road to see the band members/investors in the summer of 1985 to ask for some emergency financing in order to stave off the foreclosure proceeding initiated by the then richest man in Hawaii, the late Harry Weinberg, Mike was the only principal willing to sign the commitment letter I prepared. Mike was the only one in the group to see the skyrocketing potential of the real estate gem I had invested in. I give him kudos for that. Aloha.
That’s cool. Sounds like you were a good manager & investor. Did you read the article from Landy’s son? He gives an interesting perspective. I feel bad that you and your brother don’t along and I can relate.
I look forward to all the books coming out in the new year.
Thank you for your kind words, leftybass.
I do want to say that my life has not been free of controversy. Some mean-spirited fellow on the Smiley Smile blogsite mentioned the word “embezzlement” while referring to me as “Mr. No Contest.”
What irks me to this day is the fact that if you Google: “Steve Love, former manager of the Beach Boys,” you will see the embezzlement conviction mentioned but not a word is said about my later full EXONERATION!!!
(and expungement of my criminal record pursuant to superior court judge Nancy Brown’s Order dated FEB 22, 1996.)
Exoneration and expungement are now two of my favorite words in the English language.
Yes, I am estranged from brother Mike. Believe me, I have my reasons.
Kudos for not blowing your brains out because of having that clown for a brother who is a horrible, disgusting example of a human being.
Hello Gausage Dodge,
You are a very insightful person. Mike is a huge disappointment as a person. I used to look up to him but now he creeps me out. What a spiritual phony that poseur is. Somehow he missed the Right Action lesson that is a tenet of all eastern religions. Half the time that Mike devotes to meditation is, I surmise, devoted to scheming and plotting how to f–k people over.
Living in Hawaii and getting into surfing has been my salvation. Thank you for your thoughts on this, GD. Aloha.
Aloha Steve, A merry Xmas to you. Where did it begin to go wrong for your brother? Was it when they gave him a name with initials M.E (Me Love?) 😉 I appreciate that whilst Dennis probably fell out with anyone who tried to tell him what not to do, how do you rate his potential as an artist? Or as brother Mike refers to him ”drugged-out no-talent parasite”. We don’t really anything from him until the late 60s onwards but it seems that when he got down to it he produced some master pieces, and some say he was more talented than Brian. What a waste. If only the 70s battle had been won by the creative corner and not the commercial corner then his work would have been supported, he would have grown musically with the direction of the band evolving and not regressing to a 60s Dukebox. He would then have not been bored and gone down the destructive route for this thrills. But that’s life I guess. Mahola, Daniel
Hello Daniel,
Mahalo (thanks) for the Xmas greetings, brah. May you have a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. You cracked me up with the “Me Love” bit. Ha. Yes, Mike is one of the major narcissists, i.e., self-absorbed individuals of the modern age. Read Rocky Pamplin’s book “WIPEOUT” when it gets published for a complete overview of the offputting man.
As for Dennis, Jimmy Guercio recognized Denny’s considerable musical talent and gave him a $100,000 advance to make a solo album. Mike was quite jealous about that. There was always a rivalry between those two as to who was the band’s bigger sex symbol. I do recall the girls in the audience often screaming out Dennis’ name. I never heard Mike’s name called out in the same way. No doubt that irked my brother to no end. But Denny was hardheaded and willful. He didn’t have much of an attention span either. He couldn’t stick with any of the rehab protocols that were designed to help him. He was on a self-destructive path which I think was exacerbated when he lost the Harmony, his beloved boat. He once took me for a cruise around Marina Del Rey where he had the sloop(?) moored. Aloha, Steve
Aloha Steve,
But how did Mike ever get to become a major narcissist? I mean what ever made him think he was so wonderful? How did he ever think he was competing with Dennis? I don’t know anything about Stan but you seem to be quite level headed.
You say Dennis was ‘hardheaded and wilful, and he didn’t have much of an attention span’. Some of that surely applies to Mike too, although targeted at others rather than himself.
BTW Whilst it was the Wilsons vs Jardine/Love during the 70s, I always read that Bruce was neutral in all of this, so did he not sit on either side during the Pet sounds/Smile period? If I remember right he was not very productive in the composition department, but got involved in arrangements and production. So he always seemed somewhat of a ‘mercenary’ in some way, following the wind in whichever way it blew. I’m curious as to why he left in the early 70s though. Although given that the group were going more rock orientated and ‘not having a single rock bone in his body’, perhaps he just didn’t like the direction they were going?
If Dave had stayed in the group perhaps things could have been quite different, as he seemed more in the Wilson camp with regards to creative vs commercial values?
Mahalo for the interesting info.
Daniel
Another thing: I like what you said about my late uncle Murry. Murry was indefatigable and is the person most responsible for launching the Beach Boys. Without Murry’s energy and efforts, the group would never have gotten off the ground.
Murry has been unfairly maligned. I saw Brian once say on camera in an old BB-related documentary, that Murry is not responsible for the hearing loss in one of his ears. It irks me that Murry has always gotten blamed for that by the uninformed. It’s an apocryphal story, folks.
A year before her death, I went to visit aunt Audree, Murry’s wife and the Wilson brothers’ mother. I asked her point blank if Murry was the ogre people have made him out to be. Audree emphatically shook her head “No.” I believed her then and I still believe her now. Aloha.
I too thought this way about Murray many years ago. It was mostly Brian told stories or was programmed to tell stories and then would contradict those stories. He did so even in his book Would It Be Nice (probably written by Landy) and I decided much of it was BS. Murray knocked on a lot of doors for them for sure &, I believe, bought Brian all the equipment he needed in the early days.
Murry (no “a”) supported Brian and his other sons with every fiber of his being, in addition to supplying any and all necessary musical equipment.
And yes, I too believe that Landy had a big say in what ended up in Brian’s book “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.”
Where do I find the Evan Landy piece? Aloha.
It’s a long link but it is at the dailymail co uk website
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3110207/Brian-Wilson-deathwatch-d-drop-lit-cigarettes-bed-lying-waste-Son-controversial-Beach-Boy-s-therapist-reviled-new-biopic-describes-star-s-darkest-hours-father-saved-him.html
Have a good one!
Mahalo (thank you), leftybass, for that link to the Evan Landy article. I just finished reading it. It was quite intereting. I don’t know if many people know this, but I was the guy who fired Landy in late 1976 when his fees escalated dramatically over a short period of time. I asked Marilyn’s permission to fire him and she assented. Brian got real mad at Landy when he learned how much he was being charged. There was even a minor altercation where normally gentle Brian took a swing at Eugene. That was classic. Aloha.
BTW Steve, How many managers have the BB had over the years?
Daniel,
How many managers? Well, there have been several. The longest-lasting is the current manager, Elliott Lott, who has been in place since the early Eighties, I believe. Elliott has had major longevity.
Uncle Murry Wilson was the first and I think the most important. After all, he launched the group. Nick Grillo came next. He was a CPA that was hired away from the Julius Lefkowitz office. Then Carl Wilson fell in love with Jack Rieley. That didn’t last long. Then there was Jim Guercio’s outfit that featured Larry Fitzgerald and Howard Kaufman – and then there was yours truly from 1972-78. Tom Hulett followed me and then I think Elliott Lott took over after Tom passed away – and Mr. Lott stuck. I may have forgotten someone. If so, I’m sorry. Me memory isn’t what it used to be. Aloha.
Elliot is their former chauffeur and then road manager? Well he certainly will have seen all of them in all their facets and will know how to deal with them. Jack passed away earlier this year in Berlin. Without wanting to speak ill of the deceased, what was that about? He took them to Holland, which wasn’t an overt success and then quit when they came back. He co-wrote lyrics on some of their great songs. Was he out of his depth? Over sold himself?
Mahalo,
Daniel
Steve, Rocky’s book has been mentioned for almost two years and seems to be no closer to publication than it was then. Since book publishing is a dwindling field, Rocky should consider doing Wipeout as a print-on-demand book through Amazon’s CreateSpace service. He would make much more money per copy by doing it that way and yet would not have to order a large number of books. I’ve done five books that way and would be happy to talk him/you through it and even to do the layout/design for the book, simply because I want it to be available for reading. It sounds fascinating!
Mike
Mike,
Thank you for your kind thoughts and generous offer of help. Any form of self-publishing for Rocky will not work for the very reason that he needs a publisher with a strong legal arm who won’t be cowed by ML’s reputation for litigiousness. Mike is revealed to be not such a great guy in “WIPEOUT.”
I have read Rocky’s book and it is indeed fascinating. He is patiently biding his time until some book publisher wakes up and realizes that his entertaining memoir has the potential to be a hot property. Aloha.
Steve
Mike,
Rocky wants me to direct you to a message board that he is actively posting to currently. Google: Rushton “Rocky” Pamplin, author of “Wipeout”
Click on: Rocky Pamplin book about The Beach Boys? – Smiley Smile.
Rocky would like to dialogue with you and is curious about the 5 books you have published. Have fun with the Smiley Smile blog. Aloha and Happy New Year!
Steve
Steve, I have emailed Rocky directly, since I no longer post on the Smiley Smile board. Thanks for passing my idea along to him.
Mike
Stephen,
Just curious if you kept your toe in business ventures after you left the band, or did you pretty much retire to surf once you moved to Hawaii. Aloha
I will respond to your nice question, Steve M. I retired from band management for good in the spring of 1978 and relocated full time to Hawaii where I got into surfing in a big way. The spectacular beach house I acquired on Hanalei Bay had a surf break right in front. I could walk across my lawn, cross the sand and paddle out when the Cape was working. The 8 years I held that place were among the best of my life. Moving to Hawaii and being able to surf has been my salvation. The healing waters of Hawaii have helped me deal with the anger and disappointment I have felt.
Alas, things did not turn out well for me in the real estate investing end of things. I lost all 3 of my high-end prime properties as a consequence of the mid-Eighties real estate recession. I did learn about myself that I am not suicidal… or homicidal, for that matter. lol Aloha.
The 80’s real estate bust was brutal. Knew a lot of goo, smart guys that got buried in speculation. Up here in Canada we were somewhat insulated in 2008, but trouble is on the horizon…
Sounds like Surfing cures all! Not to pry but what are some of your other hobbies/interests?
BTW, the pic of you on your board in Gaines book is awesome!
Hello Steve M,
So you are Canadian, eh? My best girlfriend during my tenure with the BB was a real cute, smart blond from Leamington, Ontario. I met her backstage at a concert the band performed in Detroit. Boy was I smitten!
Thank you for the reference to the surfing pic of me in “Heroes & Villains.” I believe the Gaines book is the most accurate and revealing biography of the Beach Boys. The principals did not like it much because there were warts exposed and several unflattering things about them revealed, but from the extensive reading I’ve done, Steven wrote THE book on the band.
As for hobbies, I solve crossword puzzles. I start each day off with a NY Times puzzle. That activity wakes up my brain. I learned how to do crosswords at my dad’s side when I was about ten years old. He used to solve the then L.A. Examiner puzzle at the dinner table after the family meal.
Naturally, I was curious and picked it up quickly. I have always enjoyed learning new words. X-words are brain candy to me. Solving crosswords is a regular habit I have indulged in for almost 60 years. (Yikes!)
Like my dad, I take walks every morning. My dad, Milton, lived to age 95 and walked every single day (my middle name is Milton) so I have emulated my dear father in that regard. I walk without fail 7 days/week.
I also read a lot. Vanity Fair is my favorite magazine. The articles are terrific. I miss Dominic Dunne. His pieces were always fascinating. I would read Dunne’s latest first. Do you recall his coverage of the O.J. trial? Brilliant.
That’s all that’s on my mind today, Steve M. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Aloha,
Steve
Aloha Steve!
Been away for a while. Hope you are still enjoying living in paradise?!”?
I was reading online that in the late 60s up until 1977 the Wilson brothers always voted as a bloc (vs Al and Mike?) thus keeping the production and performance progressive instead of revisionary. Then Brian voted against his brothers, and so Carl lost control of the group, at least off stage. Any particular reason for that change?
Mahalo,
Daniel
Thanks for the insight Steve. And I don’t know if you keep in touch with Mary, but she’s still cute and smart!
Cheers,
Steve
Like him or hate him, Mike Love probably kept the Beach Boys together to become America’s most durable rock and roll band. It would have been very easy for the band to fold in 1967 with the rows over Smile and Brian’s mental problems, but Mike kept the band together by using people like Carl, Dennis and Bruce Johnston as replacements for Brian. Also the band remained massive in Europe in the late sixties and this was a lucrative market whjle American interest declined.
However, the band’s creative juices seemed to dry up after 1979 and they did become a nostalgia act, with little of interest released since, which you could blame Mike for.
So Stephen,
In the aftermath of all the attention on Smiley Smile, has this helped or hindered the cause to get Rocky’s book published. Any updates?
I haven’t commented here in years but I wanted to share an article I wrote that takes some shots at Mike Love (I even linked this site). I hope you’ll like it and share it on facebook!
https://www.cultofwhatever.com/2016/08/pet-sounds-by-the-beach-boys-is-a-symphony-of-harmony-and-joy/
Terrific article, Matthew. You know your BB history, obviously. I recall that MOJO or New Musical Express in England conducted a poll asking readers what the best 100 pop albums of all time were and “Pet Sounds” was voted #1. In the States, a similar poll by Rolling Stone magazine resulted in “Pet Sounds” being pegged at #2. I forget what album was ahead of PS. If anyone knows, I’d like to hear. I like that you mentioned Sir Paul’s assessment of “God Only Knows.” That is high praise from rock royalty.
Everyone should read Erik Hedegaard’s article in the FEB 25 issue of Rolling Stone. It is an amazing profile of “manbaby” Mike (to borrow Matthew’s humorous characterization). The article is both incisive and insightful. Aloha.
I also got here by Googling “Mike Love is a prick”.
Mike Love never has had any kind of talent! He always rode his cousins Brian, Dennis and Carl’s coattails. Without them, he would STILL be pumping gas. Even these days when I see and advertisement for a Beach Boys concert…I have to laugh. That’s like advertising a Beatles concert, without John, Paul and George. Mike is just trying to hang on to the last shred of glory he can get, when he KNOWS he earned NONE of it. On the other hand, I saw Brian Wilson in concert last year in Windsor Ontario….the voice may have changed, but the talent is a strong as ever! Eat your heart out Mike Love…if you have one!
When I was a kid I saw the beach boys playing in concert on some tv special. Late 70s I think. Mike Love pranced around the stage like a disco queen while wearing a white English drivers cap, gold lame jacket and …..wait for it. White gloves! while singing Fun Fun Fun. I vomited immediately. Not too long after, I went to my first Black Sabbath concert. But the memory has haunted me….the horror, the horror
Steve, Rocky’s book has finally been published. Any thoughts?
Rocky’s book is a highly entertaining read. Rocky is the consummate insider who, along with my younger brother Stan, interfaced most closely with Brian during the mid-Seventies rehab process back when Brian was in bad shape, both mentally and physically. Endless Wave is the story of Brian Wilson’s resurrection. His brother Carl feared that Brian was “going the way of Elvis.” Rocky and Stan were the two men I hired to get Brian off drugs, off booze, lose weight (120 pounds) and rejoin the band after 10 years of inactivity and unhealthy behaviors. This tortured musical genius’s life was saved as a result of the effective intervention I orchestrated. He’s 75 and alive, thank goodness. Any serious Beach Boys fan will want to read this fascinating book. It is a good story well told. Aloha
Hi! Steve, not sure how I came across this blog but glad that I did. I grew up with the Beach Boys. I’m 65 now… What that really means is that I grew up in South Torrance, CA, and now live in an area off Aviation /Rosecrans called Wiseburn. We have a Hawthorne zip code but that’s it. I am a DIE Hard fan and always have been. You will never get their music out of my soul.
I am glad you intervened with regards to Brian. He is definitely a genius …glad he is alive today. I, like many others have not liked Mike. I know he is your brother but sometimes siblings can be hard to deal with. 🙂 I mean no disrespect to his daughter here on the blog either.
I have many pictures of the Beach Boys monument in Hawthorne. I went to see it after the dedication ceremony. It was so neat that this was done for the guys.
My husband and I just watched The Beach Boys – Breaking the Band last night. Was it your brother Stan and Beach Boys bodyguard/handler Rocky that beat up Dennis Wilson? That shocked us. Had never heard it before.
Who doesn’t still love the music of the Beach Boys? I read you live in Hawaii and love surfing. I am not dropping names here but our family was close to the Hakmans’ in the 60’s. Jeff Hakman- Mr. Sunset. Our dad’s worked together at North American Aviation in El Segundo, and played together- motorcycles -scuba diving off Palos Verdes. I worked hard to find Jeff, as I had a bunch of pictures of our dads from years ago. Came across Jeff’s ex wife and, we are friends on Facebook now. I sent all of the pictures back to her for Jeff. Jeff is another one who went through a lot- self destruction but came out ok.
I will definitely read the book you are mentioning above. Thank you for being here and setting some stories straight. It’s appreciated.
Aloha Kathy,
What a delightful post. If you are so inclined, drop me a line at PO Box 761,
Hanalei, HI 96714 and I will comment further to you personally. I do not want to post on this anti-Mike blog too often. I’m hoping there can be a reconciliation at some point. Now is a good time to get The Beach Boys’ Endless Wave from Amazon. The price has been reduced from $22 to $16.50. That is a bargain for this rock and roll masterpiece. Looking forward to hearing from you. We can exchange e-mails. Aloha
Steve
Seriously… how can you be so confident of this??
Yea well I met him in a similar situation and received a similar response, but I’m white. So possibly an equal opportunity asshole?
I have HATED Mike Love since 1961, I was 5 years old at the time. I knew TWO THINGS FOR SURE, Tricky Dick (Nixon for those NOT old enough to know the name) and Mike Love were complete ASS WIPES… I love the thought process.
Bob Schnebly
Sun City, California USA
I have HATED Mike Love since 1961, I was 5 years old at the time. I knew TWO THINGS FOR SURE, Tricky Dick (Nixon for those NOT old enough to know the name) and Mike Love were complete ASS WIPES… I love the thought process.
Bob Schnebly
Sun City, California USA
Aren’t most politicians esp the lawless liberals
you have real problems you sick fuck, the beach boys were silly and only had one song of any significance and that was student demonstration time
Ok, I agree with your assessment that Mike Love is the world’s biggest asshole. But some of your commentary is way, way off base.
1. Stan and Rocky DID beat up Dennis. True. But Dennis ruined his own voice through drugs and drinking.
2. I don’t know where you come up with Mike being a racist. And so what if he is a Republican? ONLY Republicans are Americans. ALL Democrats are anti American communists.
3. He is NOT responsible for Kokomo. John Phillips and Scott McKenzie wrote Kokomo. All Love did was write the opening hook. Terry Melcher produced that dribble.
5. Love purchased the rights to use the name Beach Boys. Brian, Al and the estate of Carl Wilson agreed and they each get 15 percent every time Love’s cover band has a concert. That happened in the late 1990s or early 2000.
Mike did not gain control of the group after the Smile debacle.
Your astute political.commentary is hopefully the stupidest thing that I’ll read today.
of course, the only POLITICAL troll comments on this MUSIC blog post come from the conservative/republican/possibly libertarian side of the fence. Thin skinned, as always.
Those assholes ruin everything.
After reading your personal views and comments regarding Mike Love as being a asshole and all of your negative thoughts towards Mike Love is way off the mark.
From the beginning when Murray Wilson (Brian, Dennis and Carl’s dad managed the band and screwed the band by undermining his very own kids for his own self interest selling off thier rights
to thier music eventually got sued by his own kids and the rest of the band so they were able to regain those rights was the beginning of what was to become.
Mike Love, from the beginning was definitely the one that was trying to be not recognized by Murray’s unhappiness that Mike was the front man above his three sons. If you look at some of the early footage of The Beach Boys you’ll notice that the cameras were totally focused on Brian, Dennis and Carl and 15seconds into the song after Mike was already singing, the cameras eventually would roll over to Mike….
It was not good practically from the start and it was definitely noticable.
The kicker was when your genius Brian Wilson got serverly addicted to acid from 1966 and for the next decade or so….
Mike eventually grabbed himself from falling into the trappings of drugs at that point and found trans meditation as a way out from preventing himself to fall into those unproductive ways of drugs. He brought in Bruce Johnson to fill the loss and the unreliable Brain Wilson and continued caring for the existence of other band members to allow, The Beach Boys to tour.
Asshole, Not!,….
He took the right direction in doing so.
Mike didn’t play an instrument,.. he was and has only been a true dedicated singer and songwriter,
That was totally instrumental with putting up with the lack of not being recognized as writing many of the lyrics and lead singing 80% of The Beach Boys songs.
Not sure where you got your angry information from although, Mike Love is the one that developed the discipline early on and still to this day, at age 80 years old continues to tour as The Beach Boys. That is my definition of a genius!
As far as Mike, beating his wife or going on a drunken rampage or being a asshole,… Far from being the truth.
Mike does no drugs,… You have to force a glass of wine on him,…. All Mike Love does is love his family and band members and bust his ass to continue to perform.
FYI,… Mike and Brian have no animosity towards each other and have nothing less then the uptmost respect and love for each other to this day!
I am sorry that you absolutely have your story wrong!!!
Can you cite your authority on these issues? Are you personally acquainted? Were you professionally involved with the Beach Boys? Sorry but I don’t recognize your name. Thanks.
I agree that Mike can be one hell of an asshole but hey Dennis was an asshole aswell. Sleeping with Mike’s underage daughter, feeding Brian’s coke habit. Point is we all have our flaws. Out of the Beach boys I’d say Brian, Carl and Al were the nicest guys; not perfect but nicest.
Agree completely as Love is a despicable human being! And I don’t consider Stamos a Beach Boy! My faves are the Wilson Brothers.
“Wasn’t Rocky Pamplin nailing Marilyn [Wilson] around the time of the Dennis [Wilson] beat down?” Answering this question nearly a dozen years after it was asked: I reply, yes, he was. Marilyn was sixteen, working at a doughnut shop, and attending Hollywood Professional School when she married Brian [Wilson] in 1964. He was then twenty-two, and soon to spend years enjoying enormous professional success as well as indulging in every illegal drug to circulate through Los Angeles. Their first daughter Carnie was born in 1968, and Wendy the following year.
By the time she became sexually involved with Rocky Pamplin, Marilyn, she was said to be tied to a “sexless marriage.” Rocky was not her only extramarital partner. Brian had encouraged his wife to engage in a threesome, for example, with songwriter Tandyn Almer (deceased by the late 2023).
Rocky was well aware of the money his involvement with the Wilson-Love family might make available to him. He saw no reason to curb the anti-Semitic language in which he freely indulged. One of the most relatively harmless remarks he made that I know of was, “One thing about Jewish people is that they tend to think the worst about other people.”
Given the opportunistic behavior in which he indulged, it was only sensible and self-protective for the people with whom he socialized to be wary of Pamplin. He was ambitious, but largely devoid of talent, sensitivity, or empathy,
After engaging in college sports in the Pacific Northwest, Pamplin reportedly served, along with Stan Love, as a “minder”/escort for Dennis Wilson in the Los Angeles. He is said to have dabbled in acting and singing, and has published an unreadable memoir of his experiences (this assessment made by a professional editor editor and writer who has read hundreds of published accounts of life in the Los Angeles area).
Are you Connie Pappas (Mrs. Hillman)?
Who are you? I think you are jealous of Mike Love