Defend the Indefensible: Mike Love

haha

I think that's fair enough though, didn't he get royally screwed by Murry Wilson while Brian stood idly by? Or should that be royalty screwed?

It's arguable that Mike Love is largely responsible for ensuring that a lot of people who weren't around in the '60s know who the Beach Boys are. I mean, a ton of bands had +/- a dozen hits in that era and pretty much got stuck in the classic rock gravity well. Like, they aren't really broadly remembered for any of their actual new material issued from then until the late '80s. Now, one might argue that that's like Charlie Chaplin being remembered nowadays largely on the back of a popular line of Chaplin-branded handguns, but, well, being remembered is literally all that matters in the end. It's a value-neutral sitch.

They are remembered and revered in spite of Mike Love's antics, not because of them.

He's a terrible guy but it's not like I skip over Mike-heavy tracks

I definitely enjoy his presence on the classic tracks

Mike is the lead singer on nearly all of the best and most iconic '60s tracks... I'll call BS on the Beach Boys being remembered and revered "in spite of" him.

In spite of his antics. Not his voice or performance skills.

Also lead singers on the best of their 60s material were the Wilson brothers.

IT'S STUDENT DEMONSTRATION TIME!

I think it's just folly to try to discount the fact he was a distinctive part of their vocal presentation

One consistent source of amusement over the years has been imagining Mike Love scanning Van Dyke Parks's Smile lyrics for the first time.

Like just the growing look of consternation on his face, occasionally looking up at an eager Brian and Van Dyke sitting side-by-side all like 'Well? It's genius, right?' as Mike's conservative core swelled and calcified with every lyric he read about how great it is to eat vegetables.

Love's an asshole, but he was the bass, and his voice is well-recognized.

that said, hope he dies this year

I think it's just folly to try to discount the fact he was a distinctive part of their vocal presentation

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, November 10, 2020 10:18 PM bookmarkflaglink

otm

Yes but the issue on the table is "Love is largely responsible for ensuring that a lot of people who weren't around in the '60s know who the Beach Boys are."

Afaict he's a memorable thing about the band that people who WERE around information the 60s are familiar with. Hence his current career.

In

I mean more like the thing where he was all about preserving the legacy of the band who sang about beach-related phenomena rather than letting them be forgotten as the band who sang about Johnny Carson and who ran the iron horse.

If it isn't clear (as I'd hope it would be, given my knowledge of BB ephemera), I am not much of a Mike Love fan. Just trying to address the thread topic heah.

"the band who sang about beach-related phenomena rather than letting them be forgotten as the band who sang about Johnny Carson and who ran the iron horse."

It's the latter that affirms their reputation. Obviously.

everybody knows "She's Goin' Bald" is their signature song

It one of them!

Mike Love's only good solo writing credit is Big Sur on Holland. He probably has credits on more good Beach Boys songs than Van Dyke Parks or any of the non-Brian members, but his contributions aren't the deciding factor.

everything, read my posts. Read them.

I did. They were shit posts.

I Do Not Love everything

"everybody knows "She's Goin' Bald" is their signature song"

Almost everything from Summer Days to Holland is iconic btw.

xpost Oh okay cool I guess you can go and fuck yourself then, dude named after the band who sang 'Hooch'.

xxpost, I mean. Neanderthal knows I'd never tell him to fuck himself.

If you want to talk about how classic the Beach Boys are, there are probably eight billion threads where you can do that. This is the thread where we (almost certainly against our better judgment) defend Mike Love. If you can't make an argument for shitty ballcaps and rolling one's eyes at Brian Wilson's fragility, you'd probably be advised to gtfo of this thread.

Anyway, sorry for getting aggro. Anyone 'round these parts can tell you 'That's Not Me' (a Beach Boys song title)

Big Beach Boys fan and therefore big Mike Love fan here. Eager to defend him any day.

He is not the reason they are "remembered". (Imho)

Please, no fighting, this is the Mike Love thread.

FUCK YOU, LOVE MIKE

(^the name of Mike's first solo album iirc)

Mike Love, Not War

Brian's live bands, often with Al Jardine, play a solid dose of classic cars & girls Beach Boys pop hits amidst the more sensitive BBs songs and Brian's other material.

Mike's live Beach Boys, since he's seen the genuine interest in and love for their deeper catalogue that Brian's shows generate, play killer-no-filler state fair sets and two-hour theatre sets that span the Wilsons-era catalogue (plus Kokomo). He is clearly aware that different people remember, or have come to appreciate, different things about the Beach Boys, and he is happy to sell an experience to both major types of them. But it's unlikely that even he, deep down, believes that his shitty 80s and 90s touring Boys are the reason that either audience remember the sunshine songs or the sadness songs.

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1675115949_16.jpg

He did "The Kid" act in b boys AOK.
shakes ass like a homosexual.
inspired great new MES hex lyric.
TM.
― Snappy (sexyDancer), Wednesday, February 2, 2005 11:34 PM bookmarkflaglink

Look, the purview of this thread was always going to be a minefield. I tried and that's what's important.

MIKE
LOVE
FUCKS YOU

MIKE LOVE made it

If MIKE LOVE Fits, You Must Acquit

good post-Trump anger thread

don’t jinx it bro

Vanilla Ice, Mike Love-Led Beach Boys Headline Trump’s Mar-A-Lago New Year’s Eve Party https://consequenceofsound.net/2021/01/vanilla-ice-beach-boys-mar-a-lago-nye/

Sounds about right

Stop, collaborate and bootlick

Was John Cowsill there? Say it isn’t so.

Jeff Foskett left two years ago (for throat surgery, but it's nice to imagine he stayed away for maga reasons)

Ice is back with a brand new sedition