1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: Rivals is a production of I Heart Radio. Hello everyone, 2 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:19,440 Speaker 1: This is Rivals, show about music feuds and beefs and 3 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: long swimming resentments between musicians. I'm Steve and I'm Jordan's 4 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:26,479 Speaker 1: and today we're gonna get to probably what might be 5 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 1: one of the saddest feuds that's out there. Don't you 6 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,639 Speaker 1: think it's really it's a lot. Yeah, this is like 7 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: a tale of good and evil as stark as it 8 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: could be. It's like it's a Greek tragedy. It is, 9 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: and I mean it's hard for me to think of 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: like a more obvious hero and a more sort of 11 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: clear cut villain. Although I think we'll find in this 12 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: episode that maybe it's a little more great, like not 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 1: a lot more great. No, no, no, I think I 14 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: think it's pretty clear who's evil and who's good in 15 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: this morning. In case you can't tell from that very 16 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: vivid description, we're talking thinking about the Beach Boys, Brian 17 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: Wilson and Mike Love. Now, inter band feuds always have 18 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: an extra lay of hostility, just born from decades spent 19 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: fighting for the window seat and touring vans and competing 20 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: for space on albums. But when the bandmates are related 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: that's just a whole other layer of of bile and 22 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: spite and and decades of resentment, right, I mean, just 23 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: asked the Gallaghers. Yeah, I mean yeah, the Gallaghers and 24 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: the Davies brothers and all the way down the line. 25 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,400 Speaker 1: I mean, they're not brothers, their cousins. But yeah, there 26 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: is that. There's no kissing cousins in this scenario. Let's 27 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: just put it that way, all right, Let's dive into 28 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: this mess now. Of course, the Beach Boys are three brothers, Brian, Dennis, 29 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love as you said, and 30 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: their friend Al Jardine. They were raised in California, which 31 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: is hopefully not news, and if it is, you're in 32 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: for a really long show. And I thought they were 33 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: from Miami. I thought it was the Miami because there's 34 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: beaches down there. King, Can you imagine if the Beach 35 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: Boys are actually from Miami? Just feel like that would 36 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: just warp their whole set, the whole American mythology of 37 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: like the Florida myth. Can you imagine that? Like, oh man, yeah, 38 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:18,640 Speaker 1: it's like it's not as seductive the Florida myth. It's like, yeah, 39 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: come down and uh, you know, start a meth lab 40 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: and maybe become a serial killer, and he screw up 41 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: an election, you know, exactly. No, it's not not as 42 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: romantic as the California But but Brian and Mike both 43 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: came from unhappy homes. And I don't want to dwell 44 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 1: on this too much and bum everybody out even more 45 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,839 Speaker 1: than we already will in this episode, but they're sort 46 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: of early life really does set the stage for their relationship, 47 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:46,639 Speaker 1: both to music and the relationship to conflicts. Now with Brian, 48 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: you have the Wilson patriarch Murray, who never won Father 49 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: of the Year. He probably gets the the Marvin gay 50 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: Senior Award for bad dads. In case you don't know, 51 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: Marvin one of the true worst dads in rock history. 52 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: I mean you mentioned Marvin Gaye's dad. He actually killed 53 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: his son, so he's probably worse. But Murray is. He's 54 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: getting the silver medal for terrible dads in rock history. 55 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: He verbally and physically abused all the boys, and in 56 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: later years all these stories came out. Some are probably 57 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: not true, like him whacking Brian with a two by four, 58 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: and that's the reason why Brian was deaf in one year. 59 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:29,639 Speaker 1: That's a story that he that he put out there 60 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: in later years, maybe didn't happen. There's another story that 61 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: I think might be true where Murray had a glass 62 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 1: eye and he used to to punish the kids take 63 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: out the glass eye and make them stare into the 64 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: socket when they had misbehaved. Like, oh, he's really like Gothic, 65 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: like almost like Edward Edgar Allan Poe like lost short story. 66 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: So anyway, it's clear that the Wilson brothers had a 67 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: bad childhood. Yeah. I mean I feel like the most 68 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: pertinent thing with Murray is that he was like a 69 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: hackey musician, right, I mean he tried to have his 70 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: own music career, and I mean did he have any 71 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 1: success song on Lawrence Welk called two Steps Side Step 72 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: and that was kind of like the extent of it 73 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: was like just enough to give him connections, just enough 74 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: to give him the bug, but but nothing really happened 75 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: for him. But that was the one way that the 76 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: boys kind of learned to uh, to get their father 77 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,480 Speaker 1: to chill out, is that they would they would singing. 78 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 1: That was like really the only way to his heart. 79 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: Um and Brian was he was very good at singing. 80 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 1: He displayed musical gifts very early on, as like a toddler. 81 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,239 Speaker 1: He started singing, and he was kind of a self 82 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: taught savant really. He would um listen to a jazz 83 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: group that he loved, jazz vocal group called the Four Freshmen, 84 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: and um, it's a quartet. And he used to just 85 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: listen to their albums for hours and go to the 86 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 1: piano and figure out note by note all their harmonies 87 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:50,039 Speaker 1: and how they all fit together. And he would teach 88 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: him to his brothers and his parents. So sort of 89 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: Brian's relationship to Brian used music as a as a 90 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: humph like mullion if you will, it soothes the conflicts 91 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: in the household and um, and that really sort of 92 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: defines his relationship to music, I think in a lot 93 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: of ways too. And then you have Mike Love. The 94 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: Wilson's cousin came came from a much wealthier home and 95 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 1: uh and their families didn't get along well. The Loves 96 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: and the Wilson's. I think Mike actually described them in 97 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,599 Speaker 1: later years as like the hot Fields and McCoy's. But 98 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: on Christmas they would get together and set aside their 99 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: differences and and sing Carols, which is basically the story 100 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: of the Beach Boys, a lot of fighting, and then said, 101 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 1: like Mike Club's family that they all were like white 102 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: pants and like striped shirts, like I just imagine them, 103 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: you know, I guess because that's how I pictured Mike Love. 104 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,719 Speaker 1: In the sixties, two really bad things happened back to 105 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: back to Mike, which I think scarred him for the 106 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 1: rest of his life. One he graduates high school, no 107 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 1: no prospects. He's pumping gas, and he gets his girlfriend pregnant. 108 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 1: His parents as really you know, a very common tale 109 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 1: in that era, freak out. His mom finds out, dumps 110 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: all his clothes in the driveway and kicks him out. 111 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,359 Speaker 1: Even Mike's dad is blown away by how how savage 112 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 1: this is. She's so angry. And then Mike also loses 113 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: his part time job at the sheet metal shop that 114 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,839 Speaker 1: his dad runs, and the sheet metal shop goes Belliott 115 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: goes out of business right away. That the Love family 116 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,919 Speaker 1: had lived in this really affluent neighborhood, this beautiful house, 117 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: they lose their home. The Love dad the sheet metal Empire, 118 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 1: like the sheet metal Empire. They were sheep, they were 119 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,599 Speaker 1: they were sheet metal magnates. In southern California in the 120 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:38,480 Speaker 1: early sixties. Uh, it's really sad, but Mike, Mike's dad's 121 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,040 Speaker 1: borrowing money from his teenage kids. It's like, it's really bad. 122 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:46,360 Speaker 1: So he sees how he can go from having everything 123 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: to nothing right away, and the fear that a lot 124 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 1: of sort of conservative people have that what you have 125 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: will be taken from you. So he's in a real 126 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:56,479 Speaker 1: desperate spot for money, and he appeals to his cousin Brian, 127 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 1: who's musically minded, to start a band. And then thus 128 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,840 Speaker 1: you have the Beach Boys, and thus you kind of 129 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: already see Brian Mike approaching music from very different aims. 130 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: For Mike it's about business and financial security, and that 131 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: makes sense given his upbringing. And for Brian it's about 132 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: something different. It's it's a way of setting himself, a 133 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: part of self protection in a way and in a 134 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: lot of ways, dealing with all the feelings they're inside 135 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 1: of him. Does maelstrom of emotions that this is really 136 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 1: his only outlet. So that so really so so put 137 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: another way, really you could say that Mike Love he 138 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: he looked at music as a way to attain sheet 139 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: metal like fortune in his in his life whereas Brian 140 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 1: looked at music as a way to achieve transcendence by 141 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 1: not being hit in the head with a board by 142 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,800 Speaker 1: his father. That is that is a fair Yes, that's 143 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: a beautiful way to put it. Um. It's like, if 144 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: I can write the most beautiful music of all time, 145 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: my dad won't whack me up upside that you won't 146 00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: make me look at his eye socket. Yes, yes, that's 147 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 1: and that's why we have guy only knows. I think 148 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 1: I just ruined ruined pet sounds for all of our listeners. 149 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: I'm really sorry that now, whenever you hear that song, 150 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: you'll think of all that horrible stuff. The initial schism 151 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: in the Beach Boys that's really present to this day 152 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: occurred when Brian quit touring. He hated the road, he 153 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:25,200 Speaker 1: hated flying, he hated everything about it. And Brian was 154 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,239 Speaker 1: the chief mastermind behind the Beach Boys. He wrote essentially 155 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: almost all the mean almost all the music. Come on, 156 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: if you listen to the show. I mean, do we 157 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: have to reel up the many hits that Brian Wilson 158 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:41,080 Speaker 1: has written. No, You're You're fun, fun, fun, don't worry baby, 159 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: round in my room girl. Basically, any any song with like, 160 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,280 Speaker 1: didn't he really Jan and deedon songs too. Yeah, he 161 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:50,600 Speaker 1: wrote Surf City and it was his first number one, 162 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 1: and his dad was pissed. He's like, you gave that 163 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: song away? What do you talk? What are you doing? 164 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 1: It is like, next time you write a number one, 165 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: write it for us. So it's like when I wrote 166 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: two Step PoCA or whatever that song was called, I 167 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,480 Speaker 1: kept it for myself. I wouldn't give two step what 168 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: was it called, too step on two steps side step? 169 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:10,679 Speaker 1: I think it was called. If any Murray Wilson fans 170 00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: please tweet me he would. Murray would not have given 171 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: two step sized step to Jan and Dean, I'll tell 172 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: you that much. He would have kept that for himself. 173 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 1: So anyway, So so Brian Wilson. He's the mastermind of 174 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,319 Speaker 1: the Beach Boys. He's written tons of songs, and Mike 175 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:26,680 Speaker 1: Love is the balding sex symbol at the top of 176 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: the band and in his at least on stage, and 177 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: and sacks soloist occasionally to um it's already quinte sad. 178 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: But it would be like two solos, it would be like, well, 179 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 1: like four or nine would be like my my, my, 180 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 1: my mo. Yeah, I don't know how good he was 181 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: at Sacks, but but he was not very good. But 182 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 1: but Brian has a nervous breakdown on a flight to 183 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: a show in Texas in December ninetour that just completely 184 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:59,679 Speaker 1: overwhelmed by the pressure to to write hits, produced the hits, 185 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:01,559 Speaker 1: sing the hits, go on the road, and play the 186 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,839 Speaker 1: hits to everybody. It's just is too much for him. 187 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: He decides that he's going to stay home and right 188 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: and produced and handle all the studio work while the 189 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,839 Speaker 1: rest of the boys gone the road. And this kind 190 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: of creates two separate Beach Boys. There's the Beach Boys, 191 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: the touring unit which Mike Love fronts as sort of 192 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:27,559 Speaker 1: the cavorting but Turbans Sequins frontman. And then you have 193 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 1: this very balding already balding already I think he was, 194 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:34,679 Speaker 1: you know, he must have been balding like in grade school. 195 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: I can't imagine Mike Love ever having like a full 196 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: head of hair. Uh, it would just be weird. I guess. 197 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 1: I do. Like Glenn Campbell was in the Beach Boys 198 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,640 Speaker 1: at that point to where because he replaced Brian Wilson, Yeah, 199 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 1: I think initially, and then Bruce Johnston initially. He eventually 200 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:54,679 Speaker 1: became the permanent replacement on the road. But Glenn Campbell 201 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:58,959 Speaker 1: of later Ryan Stone, Cowboy Fame and many other hits, 202 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 1: uh was in the Beach Boys for a while at 203 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 1: that time. Yeah, I honestly think it was just because 204 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,240 Speaker 1: he like because Brian's very tall and Glenn is also 205 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 1: very tall. Was a part of me that almost thinks 206 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,959 Speaker 1: he just fit in like Brian stagewear and stuff, because 207 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 1: they were both like well over six ft. But um, 208 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: so there are two and so there's the touring unit 209 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 1: of the Beach Boys, and then there's Brian in the studio, 210 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: and he wants to push the envelope. He wants to 211 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,839 Speaker 1: compete with Phil Specter, who's his hero. He he loves 212 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 1: the whole wall of sound technique where he's just creating 213 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 1: these little pop symphonies. And he also loves the Beatles. 214 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:37,679 Speaker 1: He and their their Capitol Records labelmates. A lot of ways, 215 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: he felt that the Beatles kind of ate the Beach 216 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: Boys lunch when they came over in sixty four. All 217 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:43,800 Speaker 1: of a sudden, the Beach Boys were the biggest thing 218 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: in the country, and then the Beatles game and totally 219 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: clips them and and he he couldn't even get mad 220 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 1: about it because they were so damn good. But Brian 221 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:54,200 Speaker 1: has this real competitive drive that comes out in the 222 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: studio to create these increasingly complex songs, complex harmonies, complex 223 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: vocal arrangement and complex instrumental arrangements that he calls upon 224 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:08,240 Speaker 1: this group of studio um session players called the Wrecking Crew, 225 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,280 Speaker 1: who are you know now legendary. There's documentaries about them, 226 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 1: books about them. So the touring unit and the studio 227 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:18,839 Speaker 1: unit Beach Boys are kind of fundamentally at odds if 228 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 1: you think about it, because what is the touring group 229 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 1: didn't want to do? They want to get out there, 230 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: play the familiar songs that people love with what they 231 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 1: have available. Smell the grease paint, right, meet the girls, 232 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 1: the rock stars. And then you have Brian Wilson who 233 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 1: wants to make Pets Sounds the greatest album of all time, 234 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:46,679 Speaker 1: which he does and it's incredible. But like Mike Love, who, 235 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:51,319 Speaker 1: as we said earlier, is evil incarnate, he hates Pets Sounds. 236 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: How can you hate Pets Sounds? Yeah? He how can 237 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: you hate pet Sounds? Jordan's you know why? Because he 238 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 1: messed with the formula uh uh, that's it. Don't funk 239 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,360 Speaker 1: with your formula. That was the thing. That's the quote 240 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 1: from this period, don't funk with the formula, which Blank 241 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: Love said. And did Tony Asher say that? He said 242 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: that it was at Van Dyke Parks. I think it 243 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: was um one of it was someone another one of 244 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: Brian's associates. It wasn't them. I think it was Michael 245 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:23,640 Speaker 1: VOSSI I think was his name, one of one of 246 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 1: the Beach Boys started their own label, and I think 247 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:30,079 Speaker 1: it was one of their their label executives, Um. Mike 248 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: Love has frequently denied that he has said this. He's 249 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: also frequently denied that he hates pet Sounds. He said 250 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: he had a couple of issues with it though, with 251 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 1: Pet Sounds, and they were pretty much as follows. Brian 252 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 1: recorded the instrumental tracks for pet Sounds while the Beach Boys, 253 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 1: the touring group, were on tour in Japan, and they 254 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: come home from playing being a rock and roll band 255 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: playing all you know, fun fun fun, I get around 256 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 1: just as like a guitar, bass and drums group to 257 00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:59,680 Speaker 1: cheering crowds in Japan, and Brian plays them this almost 258 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: classical sounding with music with harpsichords and thereman's and o 259 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 1: bo's and accordions, all this stuff, clarinets, and it's just 260 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: wildly different than anything they had done before. This is 261 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: not this does not sound like rock and roll to him. 262 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: And this is before Sergeant Pepper. I mean, like my 263 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 1: Paul McCartney famously hears pet Sounds and that's like the 264 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: inspiration for him to push the Beatles to make Sergeant Pepper. 265 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 1: But before Pet Sounds, that really wasn't like a rock record. 266 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 1: That that was that elaborate, you know, and Mike Love 267 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 1: just couldn't handle it, just blew his mind, you know. 268 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: And the other thing that he really hated too, with 269 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 1: the with the lyrics. He really and part of it 270 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 1: was personal because he actually wrote a lot of the 271 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:46,920 Speaker 1: lyrics to a lot of the early Beach Boy hits. 272 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 1: And for this album, Brian asked Tony Asher, who was 273 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 1: I feel like he would have been like on Madman. 274 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 1: He was. He was an ad copywriter, very sort of 275 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: like a jazz fan, very sophisticated, and he really didn't 276 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 1: he didn't know almost anything that the Beach Boys had 277 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 1: done at all. And for Brian, this was great. It 278 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:07,320 Speaker 1: was a totally fresh blood, new approach and something totally different. 279 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:10,360 Speaker 1: But Mike he was threatened by this because not only 280 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: was his role as lyricists in the band threatened, but 281 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 1: also there was one song in particular. Do you know 282 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 1: this song that he really hated, don't hang on to 283 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: your Ego? Yeah, there was a song called that that 284 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: was the title hang on your Ego and hang on 285 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:26,000 Speaker 1: to your Ego, the idea of like lst like shattering 286 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 1: your ego, right, I mean it wasn't like the drug 287 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 1: connotations basically of that song that like Mike Love objected to. Yeah, 288 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: he called it what he called it nauseating. He said 289 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 1: that some of the words were so totally offensive to 290 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 1: me that I wouldn't even sing him because I thought 291 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: it was too nauseating. He his stomach was wrenching trying 292 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:45,320 Speaker 1: to sing hang onto your Ego and by the way, 293 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:47,440 Speaker 1: like my love. You know, there were if you listen 294 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 1: to early Beach Boys records, there's like songs about like 295 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 1: like root beer on those records, and like songs about 296 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: like amusement parks, you know. But it's like, you know, 297 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,200 Speaker 1: like he wrote lyrics about like like riot by Year, 298 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:03,120 Speaker 1: and he was cool with that, but like a song 299 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:09,680 Speaker 1: about how taking mine altering substances takes away your sense 300 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: of self and therefore allows you to elevate to a 301 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: higher plane of existence. That was offensive to him at 302 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 1: this time. So that was Mike Love's mentality. I mean, 303 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 1: it's interesting because, like you know, the dynamic that we're 304 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: talking about here on Pet Sounds, this idea of Brian 305 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 1: Wilson wanted to be musically progressive and Mike Love wanted 306 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: to maintain the identity of the Beach Boys that was 307 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: already established. And it seems like that is what ends 308 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: up being the recurring conflict between these two guys throughout 309 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: the rest of the history of the band, because we've 310 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: got Smile that comes after this, which is even like 311 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 1: which makes Pet Sounds sound conservative. I mean that is 312 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: really going out and see like the another reaches of 313 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:54,560 Speaker 1: like pop music in the late sixties. Oh absolutely, And 314 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: I think the sort of the link between Pet Sounds 315 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:01,880 Speaker 1: and Smile is good vibrations, which it kind of proves 316 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:05,840 Speaker 1: both of their points. For Brian, it was his most 317 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:09,640 Speaker 1: daring studio experiment to date. It took something like six 318 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 1: months to make, cost fifty dollars. He assembled it almost 319 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:15,359 Speaker 1: like a filmmaker making a movie. He would put all 320 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:19,800 Speaker 1: these little snippets of of um of musical fragments together 321 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:22,439 Speaker 1: like scenes like in a film editor stitching in it 322 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: a film together, um. And it was incredibly elaborate, incredibly 323 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: time consuming, but it went to the top of the charts. 324 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,360 Speaker 1: Mike Love wrote the lyrics to it, and he as 325 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:36,800 Speaker 1: he is very quick to point out in many interviews 326 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:39,760 Speaker 1: over the years, and he feels that he gave it 327 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 1: the hook that the Beach Boys fans who knew their 328 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,879 Speaker 1: earlier stuff could relate to, which was boy Girl. He 329 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:50,560 Speaker 1: took this kind of far out idea of of people 330 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:54,119 Speaker 1: giving off different vibrations and all this eesp stuff, and 331 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: he put it in a context that mass consumers could understand. 332 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,160 Speaker 1: And you know, he's probably right. It was the Each 333 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: Boy's biggest single of the sixties. And he was like, 334 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,960 Speaker 1: you know what, what the kids like, they're into excitations. 335 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 1: I'm gonna talk about excitation. Is that a real word? 336 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:11,760 Speaker 1: I've never heard that in any of the contacts than 337 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,320 Speaker 1: in Good Vibrations. Did he make that that's a made 338 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 1: up word? Right? Excitations? I think he references that an 339 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,240 Speaker 1: interview where he says, you know it's not used very much, 340 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:23,360 Speaker 1: but I think it's like technically a word, but it's 341 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:26,160 Speaker 1: like a really stupid word. Maybe that that's my that's 342 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:28,480 Speaker 1: my official take on It might be like technically correct, 343 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:30,680 Speaker 1: but you just shouldn't use it. We're gonna take a 344 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 1: quick break and get a word from our sponsor before 345 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:45,160 Speaker 1: we get two more rivals, so you have good vibrations. 346 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:47,920 Speaker 1: Ends up being this enormous hit, but in a way 347 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 1: it's a last horrab sorts of the glory years of 348 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 1: the Beach Boys because they end up going into this 349 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 1: wilderness period in the late sixties that begins with Smile 350 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:03,560 Speaker 1: and Smile is this mythical record. I think it's fair 351 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:07,280 Speaker 1: to say that it's the most famous lost album in 352 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: rock history, even though it's been found. I guess you 353 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:12,879 Speaker 1: know it was. It was. It was released in two 354 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:19,680 Speaker 1: thousand four when Brian Wilson recorded it with Um musicians 355 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:21,240 Speaker 1: at that time, and he and he ended up reviving 356 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: it and it's a really good version of it. But 357 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:27,159 Speaker 1: there's still this idea of like a master work that 358 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:31,920 Speaker 1: this mad genius was working on that never quite came off. Yeah, 359 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,040 Speaker 1: even even when he did finish it, I feel like 360 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,600 Speaker 1: he finished it, and then about ten years later, the 361 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:39,959 Speaker 1: Capital put out a box set with all the Smile 362 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,600 Speaker 1: sessions from back in the sixties with the original group 363 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:46,960 Speaker 1: and the original musicians. But there's still something tantalizing about 364 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:50,479 Speaker 1: it not being exactly what it was supposed to be, 365 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, like it did because it 366 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:56,919 Speaker 1: didn't come together in the sixties, because he didn't finish 367 00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: it at the top of his game. If that is 368 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 1: a fair thing to say, you know what I mean, No, yeah, 369 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:05,359 Speaker 1: and yeah, and I think I mean, there's so much 370 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:07,600 Speaker 1: beautiful music that came out of that period. You know, 371 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:10,840 Speaker 1: You've got songs like Wonderful in Our Prayer and cabin 372 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:16,199 Speaker 1: Essence and Serves Up, especially the piano demo version that 373 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,360 Speaker 1: you can hear on one of the box sets. There's 374 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:22,080 Speaker 1: like a million Beach Boys box sets. Um, but I 375 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:25,159 Speaker 1: feel like Smile is even more than Pet Sounds. Is 376 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:28,119 Speaker 1: like the foundational text of like the Brian Wilson cult. 377 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,639 Speaker 1: And I know from talking with you that you have 378 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: fallen into that cult. And I know I fell into 379 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:36,679 Speaker 1: that cult. I think I'm still in the I mean, 380 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: I still love Brian Wilson, I still love the Beach boys. 381 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,119 Speaker 1: But there was a time in my life where I 382 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 1: was like, I was like one of those teenaged men, 383 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: teenage into twentysomething year old men who like have Brian 384 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: Wilson posters on the wall, and like read books about 385 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:55,040 Speaker 1: Brian Wilson and and sort of ruminate on the idea 386 00:20:55,119 --> 00:21:00,960 Speaker 1: of this romantic, loner, broken man genius who tried to 387 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:04,119 Speaker 1: make a masterpiece and and couldn't quite pull it off. 388 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: And there's so much about Brian Wilson I think that 389 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:11,480 Speaker 1: is based on unrealized potential. Obviously, he made so many 390 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:15,520 Speaker 1: great records in his lifetime. But what is I think 391 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: ultimately so tantalizing to those of us in the Brian 392 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:23,840 Speaker 1: Wilson cult is the idea that he was creating this 393 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,399 Speaker 1: sort of god level music that he came so close 394 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,639 Speaker 1: to finishing but couldn't complete. It is that fair to 395 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:34,240 Speaker 1: say that a fair summation of of of like the 396 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:37,360 Speaker 1: appeal of of of being obsessed with this guy. I mean, 397 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:39,359 Speaker 1: that's part of it. For me, it was And maybe 398 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: this probably says more about me than it does about 399 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:46,240 Speaker 1: Brian Wilson's fans, But as just a a a shy, sensitive, 400 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:50,159 Speaker 1: kind of dumpy kid, in high school who had, you know, 401 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: a lot of feelings and really know what to what 402 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 1: to put them in. There was something romantic about this 403 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:59,919 Speaker 1: guy who, um, who took all of these teenage emotion 404 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,919 Speaker 1: and and went off and made something beautiful with them. 405 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,520 Speaker 1: And he wasn't afraid to be vulnerable or sensitive. And 406 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:10,440 Speaker 1: I think that that was sort of where I approached him, 407 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:12,359 Speaker 1: and what I really admired about him, I was that 408 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:14,360 Speaker 1: there was a certain bravery to it too. I mean 409 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:18,879 Speaker 1: you he kind of he hijacked this multimillion dollar feel 410 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:25,119 Speaker 1: good industry and used it to express himself in a 411 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:29,159 Speaker 1: really really beautiful, really really intimate way. It's almost like 412 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:32,160 Speaker 1: reverse punk rock in a way. You had all these people, 413 00:22:32,359 --> 00:22:34,959 Speaker 1: including his own family, saying no, no, no, make rock 414 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,040 Speaker 1: and roll, like like just just just be out there, 415 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,000 Speaker 1: like just you know, just play stuff for the kids. 416 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:43,800 Speaker 1: And he wanted to make something that was a little 417 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:46,800 Speaker 1: more I say, sophisticated. I don't mean that to come 418 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:49,920 Speaker 1: off as pretentious, but something that something that certainly sensitive, 419 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:54,440 Speaker 1: more sensitive and beautiful. Yeah. And and and the sort 420 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:57,200 Speaker 1: of the pressure was working against him were immense. I 421 00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 1: mean there have been books written about why Smile didn't 422 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:03,200 Speaker 1: have and documentaries, and I've read every single one of them. 423 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 1: I mean, his own struggles with drugs and mental illness, 424 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:10,720 Speaker 1: which has been well documented over the years. UH troubles 425 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:14,400 Speaker 1: with the label, troubles within the group, especially with Mike Love, 426 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: who you know, if he's not in the pet sounds, 427 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:19,840 Speaker 1: he's definitely not feeling UM. You know, A a sort 428 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 1: of kaleidoscopic vision through American history with Van Dyke Parks 429 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 1: is UH lyrics, which is really where the Smile showdown. 430 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,720 Speaker 1: The big Smile showdown occurred was when the band were 431 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:36,960 Speaker 1: recording the vocal sessions for cabin Essence track cabin Essence, Um, 432 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:40,959 Speaker 1: Mike Love is handled a lyric sheet, and again if 433 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:44,240 Speaker 1: he doesn't like hang on your Ego, he really doesn't 434 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 1: know what to make of the line over and over 435 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:51,480 Speaker 1: the crow fly cries uncover the cornfield, over and over, 436 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,480 Speaker 1: the thresher hovers the wheat field, and he's just like, 437 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 1: what the crystal clear man, crystal clear you can anyone 438 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:02,800 Speaker 1: can figure that out come, But Brian, Mike's not. That 439 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:04,800 Speaker 1: doesn't really get it. So, Brian, what the hell is this? 440 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:06,679 Speaker 1: Get get the guy who wrote this in here? So 441 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:10,080 Speaker 1: Brian calls Van Dyke parks into the studio. Van Dyke 442 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 1: realizes very quickly that he's sort of wandered into a 443 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:17,679 Speaker 1: family feud that's been simmering for years. And Mike just 444 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,119 Speaker 1: what's what's the expression holds his feet to the flame 445 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:22,719 Speaker 1: and says, just makes him explain himself, what did these 446 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 1: lyrics mean? And Van Dyke says, you know what, I 447 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: don't know. I don't know what these lyrics mean their poetry. 448 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:31,480 Speaker 1: If you don't like them, throw him away and uh. 449 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:36,400 Speaker 1: And that is kind of the main the example that's 450 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 1: decited again and again and sort of the disintegration of 451 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:43,880 Speaker 1: Smiles is the band rebelling against um the direction Brian 452 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:47,640 Speaker 1: wanted to go on in a very very concrete way 453 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:49,920 Speaker 1: he did. Can I just say quick that, like I 454 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,359 Speaker 1: love that Van, but Dyke Park still hates Mike Glove 455 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: more than fifty years later, Like Mike Glove's birthday wasn't 456 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,720 Speaker 1: that long ago? And on Mike Glove's birthday, Van Dyke 457 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:04,880 Speaker 1: Parks tweeted out a photo and he said, happy birthday, Mike, 458 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:07,080 Speaker 1: and it was a photo of Mike Love with Donald 459 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: Trump and it was just like, you are still pissed 460 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:16,879 Speaker 1: about Cabin essence. Man, I love it. I love Van 461 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 1: Dyke Parks. Never let it go. Man. People tell you 462 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:23,159 Speaker 1: that you should let go of your grudges after fifty years, 463 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 1: I say, hold on tight. Van Dyke Parks, keep your 464 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,160 Speaker 1: hatred of Mike Love alive because it gives the rest 465 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,439 Speaker 1: of us life to see you carrying that grudge. Do 466 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:36,080 Speaker 1: you want to know mind blowing factoid? Uh? You know 467 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 1: who plays accordion on Kokomo the the Mike Love lad 468 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 1: Ladder era Beach Boys hit No Idea, Van Dyke Parks. 469 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 1: Van Dyke Parks plays accordion on Kokomo, oh man, which 470 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 1: kind of like throws my whole Like yeah, like Van 471 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 1: Dyke's still being pissed at Mike thing and do uh, 472 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: but I've been in Van Dyck's mind. He was thinking, 473 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 1: like this is a subversive move for me to be 474 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:00,920 Speaker 1: doing this. I'm gonna I'm adding us verse of wrinkle 475 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:04,439 Speaker 1: to this like beer commercial of a song and like 476 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 1: thirty years, they're going to talk about this on a 477 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:09,159 Speaker 1: podcast and it's going to blow their minds and that 478 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:12,080 Speaker 1: will make up with it. So Van Dyke, I salute 479 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 1: you for that. You know, it's it's interesting because you 480 00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:20,439 Speaker 1: know we talked about Smile, We talked about the album 481 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 1: that we imagine it to be in the album that 482 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:27,800 Speaker 1: it ended up not being. And the reality is that 483 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 1: for the Beach Boys, as I said earlier, did send 484 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 1: them in into this wilderness period where I think for 485 00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:36,359 Speaker 1: like the hardcore Beach Boys fans like the records that 486 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,320 Speaker 1: they put out in the late sixties and early seventies 487 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:41,639 Speaker 1: are like some of the most fun and interesting records 488 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:45,360 Speaker 1: that they put out, like Sunflower and Surfs Up and 489 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 1: Holland and all those records. Friends but commercially Friends is great, 490 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:54,920 Speaker 1: which has the song that Charles Manson roade and then 491 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:59,200 Speaker 1: it's Wilson changed the lyrics and then that's probably why 492 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:02,399 Speaker 1: we had all the murders and all that stuff. Um 493 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:06,160 Speaker 1: but um, really, the Beach Boys are like a commercial 494 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:12,720 Speaker 1: nonentity for several years until the mid seventies, where there's 495 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,760 Speaker 1: this nostalgia now for the early sixties and you have, 496 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,159 Speaker 1: you know, films like American Graffiti that are stoking this 497 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 1: which features several Beach Boys songs, and then the Beach 498 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:25,440 Speaker 1: Boys themselves they put out the greatest hits album in 499 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,720 Speaker 1: the nineteen seventy four called Endless Summer which ends up 500 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 1: being a big hit. And it's around this time when 501 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:37,320 Speaker 1: the Beach Boys, certainly by the end of the seventies 502 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:40,400 Speaker 1: going into the eighties, they stopped being a band that 503 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:44,600 Speaker 1: is like a vital creative force, and they become essentially 504 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:48,800 Speaker 1: a show band playing oldies. The gulf between their their 505 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,359 Speaker 1: commercial success and they're touring success just became so wide 506 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:55,000 Speaker 1: that they just decided to go out and play the hits. 507 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:59,400 Speaker 1: And that's where Mike Love excels. And that was partially 508 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,879 Speaker 1: just what the industry dictated at the time, but also 509 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 1: Brian was really sidelined by his, you know, extensive mental illness. 510 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,720 Speaker 1: This was the period when when he was in bed 511 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:13,040 Speaker 1: for a number of years and then he had his 512 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:16,240 Speaker 1: his in a sandbox too. He's in a bed in 513 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:19,840 Speaker 1: a sandbox. Like I feel like the sandbox aspect is 514 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:23,440 Speaker 1: like it'd be sad enough if he was just in bed, 515 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:27,119 Speaker 1: but like his bed was in a literal sandbox. That 516 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 1: was piano was in the sandbox. He wanted to feel 517 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,159 Speaker 1: the beach when he wrote, but wasn't the bed, But 518 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:35,400 Speaker 1: wasn't his piano in the bedroom Like with the sandbox 519 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:36,919 Speaker 1: where it was like there was was there a separate 520 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:40,080 Speaker 1: sandbox room with I think this is this is how 521 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:42,360 Speaker 1: deep my nursery goes. It was in Laurel Way, his 522 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:46,520 Speaker 1: house pre smile Um, and he had the sandbox built 523 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: in the living room for the baby grand piano to 524 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,000 Speaker 1: go in and so he could feel the beach when 525 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,680 Speaker 1: he wrote. But then his dogs starting using as a 526 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:55,440 Speaker 1: place to go to the bathroom and and they got 527 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 1: rid of it. So that's that's the story of the 528 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:00,200 Speaker 1: Brian Wilson sandbox, which really you gotta say, like the 529 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:03,120 Speaker 1: dog was more logical than Brian Wilson in that instance. 530 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 1: I feel like if you put a sandbox into your house, 531 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:09,040 Speaker 1: it's logical for a dog to take a shift in it. 532 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 1: It's not logical for a genius songwriter to write songs 533 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:17,479 Speaker 1: in the sandbox. So you know, I'm saying, you know, 534 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 1: point one to the dog. In that instance, I have 535 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 1: to say those dogs can be heard. Didn't really write 536 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 1: any great songs in that time, I guess, other than 537 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:28,320 Speaker 1: there's that story about like, isn't there a story about 538 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:30,400 Speaker 1: like Mike Love showing up at his house and like 539 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:34,719 Speaker 1: berating him until he wrote Sale on Sailor. Yeah, Like 540 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,400 Speaker 1: I heard this story like that he was like basically 541 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: like bullied into writing this incredible song on ended up 542 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 1: being on the Holland album and is one of like 543 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:49,960 Speaker 1: like one of the only truly great songs of like 544 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:53,040 Speaker 1: that period that he wrote. But yeah, he was like 545 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:55,640 Speaker 1: bullied into doing it basically. Oh. I mean, that scene 546 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: was played out again and again and again. I Mean. 547 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 1: The thing that a lot of people know about Brian 548 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: is that in the early the seventies everyone kind of 549 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:03,600 Speaker 1: thinks he was already in bed. He was doing a 550 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: lot of stuff, but none of it was for the 551 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:10,480 Speaker 1: Beach Boys. Like he was working on like he like 552 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:13,720 Speaker 1: poetry albums with people, and he was working with Danny 553 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:18,760 Speaker 1: Hutton Um who's in Three Dog Night, and uh, working 554 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:21,400 Speaker 1: on all these sort of weird side projects. Brian's wife 555 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:23,880 Speaker 1: Um was in a group called American Spring. Have you 556 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:29,560 Speaker 1: ever heard them? No, I've had. It's Wild Irish Spring, 557 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: but not American Spring. For you soap fans out there, 558 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: um No, you gotta check it out. It's so weird. 559 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:39,240 Speaker 1: It's like I think it's from one. It's Brian's wife 560 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:43,040 Speaker 1: and her sister are doing this like double act. It's 561 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:45,040 Speaker 1: it's so weird. Go check it out. It sounds like 562 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 1: something like, I don't I don't even know. I it 563 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:51,920 Speaker 1: just has to be. Is this like the proto Wilson 564 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:55,200 Speaker 1: Phillips you know what? I never thought of that. I 565 00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 1: Sonically no, but familial maybe, yeah, I mean it's it's 566 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:04,160 Speaker 1: like the model. But but the band would just like 567 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:06,680 Speaker 1: they would say to him, look, you've got to do 568 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,239 Speaker 1: this for us. You are under contract to do this 569 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 1: for us. If you don't, your wife will leave you, 570 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 1: she will take the kids. The record company will sue you, 571 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:17,040 Speaker 1: and you will be out on the street with no one, 572 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:19,800 Speaker 1: no home. I mean they would say these things to him, 573 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 1: and which is and he was in a really fragile 574 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:25,680 Speaker 1: mental state anyway, and it was really really I mean, 575 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,320 Speaker 1: they bully him, which is a lot of ways the 576 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:30,160 Speaker 1: way same way as dad got him to make music 577 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:32,000 Speaker 1: when he was young too. It was really through bullying 578 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 1: was the way to get get him to to produce stuff. 579 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:37,920 Speaker 1: But it's really sad. Yeah. And and at that time, 580 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: I mean you had this dynamic basically where you know, 581 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 1: Brian Wilson coming back to the Beach Boys. It's almost 582 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,320 Speaker 1: like you know, like a like a like a sports 583 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,480 Speaker 1: team like waiting for like their injured quarterback to come back, 584 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:54,240 Speaker 1: you know, like when Washington had Robert Griffin and there 585 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:56,760 Speaker 1: was like all those years like where Robert Griffin is 586 00:31:56,760 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 1: gonna come back and he's going to be as good 587 00:31:58,280 --> 00:31:59,760 Speaker 1: as he used to be, He's gonna get his leg 588 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:01,880 Speaker 1: back together, and you know, we're gonna go back to 589 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:04,680 Speaker 1: the playoffs, and he never really could do it. And 590 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:07,960 Speaker 1: you know, there was that campaign in the ninety six 591 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:09,400 Speaker 1: I think it was where it was like the Brian 592 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:11,280 Speaker 1: is Back thing, and I think there was even like 593 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:14,160 Speaker 1: a Brian his Back song where you know, he's he's 594 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:17,360 Speaker 1: gonna be back in the band. Even though like it's 595 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,080 Speaker 1: kind of sad because like Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson 596 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,400 Speaker 1: were writing like some really great music at that time, 597 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:26,520 Speaker 1: trying to step out of their brother's shadow, but like 598 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:31,600 Speaker 1: Brian's shadow was so large that they couldn't ever quite 599 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,120 Speaker 1: do it, you know, even though Dennis made a record 600 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:37,719 Speaker 1: in seventies seven called Uh Pacific Ocean Blue, which is 601 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:42,760 Speaker 1: I think a wonderful record and it's beloved by cultists everywhere. 602 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:44,560 Speaker 1: People who are in the Brian Wilson cult, I think 603 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:47,280 Speaker 1: tend to also be in the Dennis Wilson cult, I 604 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:50,000 Speaker 1: assume you are as well. Oh, yeah, the the the 605 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:53,680 Speaker 1: true Beach Boy. Yeah. Did you know that Dennis is 606 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:57,040 Speaker 1: the uncredited co writer on You Are So Beautiful to Me, 607 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:00,600 Speaker 1: the Joe Cocker Billy Preston track. Know that he like 608 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 1: would sing it on stage because there's when his voice 609 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:06,720 Speaker 1: was shot at the end of his life. They would show, 610 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:09,840 Speaker 1: you know, there's like documentary clips of him singing, you know, 611 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:13,160 Speaker 1: like where he sounds like Tom Waite's basically at the 612 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,959 Speaker 1: end of his life for me, And I'm curious if 613 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:18,600 Speaker 1: you had a similar situation. I think, like what was 614 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:21,680 Speaker 1: so appealing about a lot of this stuff coming at it? 615 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:24,520 Speaker 1: You know, And this is getting back to the cult 616 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 1: of Brian Wilson. Was the Beach Boys that I first 617 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:33,560 Speaker 1: encountered was in the late nineteen eighties when they had Kokomo, 618 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 1: when that was a huge hit number one song, and 619 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 1: also when the Beach Boys were like regular guest stars 620 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 1: on Full House, you know, like they were known as 621 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: like the Full House Band essentially in the late nineteen eighties, 622 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:54,400 Speaker 1: And um, I knew the Beach Boys as Mike Loves 623 00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:57,000 Speaker 1: Band essentially. I mean, Brian Wilson would be in the 624 00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:00,320 Speaker 1: background at those times. Like there's like if you those 625 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:02,880 Speaker 1: old Full House episodes, like there's episodes that Brian Wilson 626 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 1: is on and I think he he even has some dialogue, 627 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:11,919 Speaker 1: like very awkward dialogue in those episodes. But the Beach 628 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:16,400 Speaker 1: Boys were like the squarest, dorky ist, uh you know, 629 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:18,680 Speaker 1: at least cool band in the world. They were the 630 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:21,200 Speaker 1: Regans band. They were like the Reagan's favorite. They were 631 00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:24,719 Speaker 1: the Reagan band, and that was what Mike Loves signified. 632 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 1: And then to actually go back and like learn about 633 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:30,360 Speaker 1: this history and learn like, oh wait a minute, like 634 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:32,920 Speaker 1: in late in the mid to late sixties, they were 635 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:37,560 Speaker 1: actually this innovative, uh, far out band, and it was 636 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:41,440 Speaker 1: because of this guy, Brian Wilson that was driving them, 637 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:44,799 Speaker 1: you know that it was like discovering a whole new world. 638 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:49,040 Speaker 1: It'd be like discovering that um that you know, like 639 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:53,160 Speaker 1: that round Reagan was actually you know, uh, Jerry Garcia 640 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:55,800 Speaker 1: or something like that. He was Jerry Garcia in the sixties, 641 00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:59,880 Speaker 1: you know, like like which which would have blown my 642 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,400 Speaker 1: mine to have discovered that. It's like, oh wait a second, 643 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:05,839 Speaker 1: like why is he a Republican now? But like back 644 00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:09,920 Speaker 1: then he was like this cool hippie guy um and 645 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:16,160 Speaker 1: I think for me that created immediately this fascinating tension 646 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:21,040 Speaker 1: in the Beach Boys between really the two competing ideas 647 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:22,600 Speaker 1: of what this band was and like what the real 648 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:25,640 Speaker 1: Beach Boys were. And it was like, are the real 649 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:31,719 Speaker 1: Beach Boys this sort of like oldies nostalgia conservative uh 650 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:34,600 Speaker 1: down the middle of the road act that you see 651 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:39,960 Speaker 1: on Full House, or are they this like counterculture, cutting edge, 652 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:46,360 Speaker 1: progressive pop act from the sixties that never fully realized 653 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:52,080 Speaker 1: their potential because of the conservative guy um. And now 654 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:54,319 Speaker 1: I almost feel like it's reverted the other way too, 655 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:56,680 Speaker 1: You think so, well, no, I almost feel like we 656 00:35:57,040 --> 00:35:59,399 Speaker 1: and again, this is somebody who's just a total die 657 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:03,319 Speaker 1: hard Brian Wilson pet sounds smile era fan, But it 658 00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:06,400 Speaker 1: almost feels like that era has been so overrepresented in 659 00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:11,000 Speaker 1: recent years that we almost neglect the the the people 660 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:14,040 Speaker 1: who who do love them for their early hits and stuff, 661 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:16,080 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Almost became subversive in the 662 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:18,640 Speaker 1: late eighties and early nineties, to say, when Kocomo was 663 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 1: out there, to say, oh, yeah, to be a self 664 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:23,680 Speaker 1: described like cool person and be like, yeah, I love 665 00:36:23,719 --> 00:36:25,560 Speaker 1: the Beach Boys. Did you know they had this whole 666 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:29,840 Speaker 1: weird era where they were like, you know, getting crawl 667 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:34,160 Speaker 1: on their knees, making barnyard sounds and Brian Wilson's swimming pool, 668 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:36,719 Speaker 1: you know, all that kind of crazy stuff. And I 669 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:39,400 Speaker 1: feel like that sort of the rejection of all of 670 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:43,839 Speaker 1: Brian's most heartfelt and innovative music in the sixties. We've 671 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:46,600 Speaker 1: overcompensated for it so much now that I almost feel 672 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:49,680 Speaker 1: like we've neglected the hits in a weird way, which 673 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:52,799 Speaker 1: in the hits signify to me, Mike Love, what do 674 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:55,279 Speaker 1: you what do you think about that? Well? I mean, 675 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:56,680 Speaker 1: I think it depends on who you talk to. You. 676 00:36:56,840 --> 00:36:59,840 Speaker 1: I think like if you're especially if probably like a 677 00:37:00,239 --> 00:37:03,800 Speaker 1: people that we know in our friends, it is overrepresented, 678 00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:06,120 Speaker 1: you know. But I feel like in the in the 679 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:11,200 Speaker 1: general culture, most people don't know deep Cuts from or 680 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:14,920 Speaker 1: from Sunflower, you know, like that stuff is still pretty obscure, 681 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:18,719 Speaker 1: and it is more about the surf hits of the 682 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:21,200 Speaker 1: early sixties, which, by the way, I love those songs too, 683 00:37:21,239 --> 00:37:25,520 Speaker 1: like I love the entire Beach Boys history. Um, but 684 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:29,719 Speaker 1: I don't think there's any question that like their image 685 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:33,560 Speaker 1: as fixed in the minds of like most people, is 686 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:36,680 Speaker 1: the image that's been perpetuated by Mike Love going on, 687 00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:40,680 Speaker 1: you know, almost sixty years at this point. It is 688 00:37:40,719 --> 00:37:43,040 Speaker 1: interesting to me, though, that this conflict that we're talking 689 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:49,000 Speaker 1: about about, you know, who is the real Beach Boys? Um, 690 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:51,440 Speaker 1: it continues up until this day. I mean, you know 691 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:55,160 Speaker 1: there was that fifty reunion tour that they did. Um, 692 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:58,239 Speaker 1: I guess when was that? In two thousand twelves where 693 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:02,400 Speaker 1: we're where Brian Wilson came out back into the band 694 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:04,799 Speaker 1: and they did a bunch of shows and they were 695 00:38:04,880 --> 00:38:09,440 Speaker 1: very well received, and then it ended acrimoniously essentially because 696 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:13,120 Speaker 1: Michaelub ended up booking a bunch of dates with the 697 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:17,520 Speaker 1: usual band. You know, but even though there was all 698 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:22,880 Speaker 1: this demand for like the classic lineup, he am I 699 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:24,800 Speaker 1: getting this wrong? I mean, because I feel like Michaelub 700 00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:27,160 Speaker 1: basically said, Okay, well, this was like a temporary thing 701 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:30,239 Speaker 1: where Brian Wilson's back in the band. Uh. Now I'm 702 00:38:30,239 --> 00:38:32,840 Speaker 1: gonna get back to playing County Fairs with Bruce Johnston 703 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:36,080 Speaker 1: and we're gonna play We're gonna play this the same 704 00:38:36,239 --> 00:38:39,200 Speaker 1: fifteen songs every night. I mean, all throughout the nineties, 705 00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:42,080 Speaker 1: Brian and Mike had were engaged. I feel like they 706 00:38:42,239 --> 00:38:44,399 Speaker 1: lived in court. They were suing each other for one 707 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:48,040 Speaker 1: thing or another. Mike sued him for song royalties that 708 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:50,080 Speaker 1: he felt he was already felt he wasn't credited for 709 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:52,920 Speaker 1: for writing lyrics on a bunch of songs. UM. He 710 00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:56,880 Speaker 1: sued Brian for his autobiography that he wrote UM, and 711 00:38:56,920 --> 00:39:00,760 Speaker 1: then he also sued the entire band when Carl Wilson 712 00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:05,080 Speaker 1: died to um to own the rights to the Beach 713 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:07,200 Speaker 1: Boy's name. I think that's important to say is that 714 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:10,960 Speaker 1: Mike Love, after the death of Carl Wilson, retained the 715 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:14,200 Speaker 1: right to have the Beach Boy's name out there, which 716 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:16,439 Speaker 1: is a lot of Brian Wilson fans thought was weird 717 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:19,400 Speaker 1: because wait, Brian Wilson can't tour under the Beach Boy's 718 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,600 Speaker 1: name without Mike Love's permission. That's kind of strange considering he's, 719 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:27,480 Speaker 1: you know, Brian Wilson. So for from the late nineties 720 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:30,000 Speaker 1: until two twelve, like you said, yeah, there were two. 721 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:33,719 Speaker 1: There were. Brian toward usually with Al Jardine, and Mike 722 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:36,839 Speaker 1: Love toured with Bruce Johnston, and then they got back 723 00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:40,080 Speaker 1: together for the fiftieth anniversary. They made an album That's 724 00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:42,080 Speaker 1: Why God Made radio. What do you think of that album? 725 00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:44,759 Speaker 1: You know, I have not heard it since it came out. 726 00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:46,960 Speaker 1: I remember I reviewed it, and I think I reviewed 727 00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:50,160 Speaker 1: it favorably, but I have no desire to ever do 728 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:54,279 Speaker 1: that never again. I don't know is it is it good? Though? 729 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:57,080 Speaker 1: I I guess I remember it being okay, remember yeah, 730 00:39:57,120 --> 00:39:58,840 Speaker 1: I remember being better than I thought it would be. 731 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:02,160 Speaker 1: But I haven't listened to it since then either. I mean, 732 00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:04,040 Speaker 1: my memory of that tour is that they were able 733 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:08,440 Speaker 1: to strike a balance between playing the hits and some 734 00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:10,560 Speaker 1: more obscure songs like it seemed like it was a 735 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:15,280 Speaker 1: happy medium, yeah, of commercial and artistic Beach Boys music. 736 00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:17,560 Speaker 1: And they also and all the guys in the band 737 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:19,560 Speaker 1: seem happy too, which is why a lot of them 738 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:22,480 Speaker 1: were really shocked. Brian and al In particularly were really 739 00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:24,400 Speaker 1: surprised when they learned that Mike was going on the 740 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:27,080 Speaker 1: road without them, and he might claim that it was 741 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:30,680 Speaker 1: a miscommunication. He said he was told from Brian's management 742 00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:34,040 Speaker 1: that Brian no more tours for him. Some Mike moved 743 00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:36,600 Speaker 1: on and just moved on with his life and started booking, 744 00:40:36,719 --> 00:40:39,000 Speaker 1: like he said, county fairs and stuff with his usual band, 745 00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:41,839 Speaker 1: and then Brian's camp said never mind, wait, we we 746 00:40:41,880 --> 00:40:44,319 Speaker 1: want to go, and Mike said, too late. It's a 747 00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:46,880 Speaker 1: lot of he said, he said, I guess in this case, basically, 748 00:40:46,920 --> 00:40:49,600 Speaker 1: Brian looked like he'd been dumped and he I think, 749 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:51,920 Speaker 1: he said in an interview, it feels like I got fired, 750 00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:55,879 Speaker 1: which is a horrible thing for I mean, I'm hard 751 00:40:55,880 --> 00:40:58,480 Speaker 1: pressed to think of a more beloved musical figure than 752 00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:02,960 Speaker 1: than Brian Wilson, right, like just well right, I mean again, 753 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:07,440 Speaker 1: like he is good incarnate. You know, he's this angelic 754 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:11,200 Speaker 1: figure who has had a really hard life. He's written 755 00:41:11,239 --> 00:41:14,760 Speaker 1: some of the most beautiful songs ever. It just seems 756 00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:17,839 Speaker 1: like a sweet guy, really hard to dislike. And then 757 00:41:17,880 --> 00:41:22,120 Speaker 1: you have Mike Love, who, um, it just seems perpetually 758 00:41:22,239 --> 00:41:27,320 Speaker 1: agitated and grumpy. He looks very stern all the time. Uh, 759 00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:30,759 Speaker 1: he's very fond of like wearing tucked in shirts and 760 00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:35,600 Speaker 1: very tight pants well into his seventies. Uh. And uh 761 00:41:35,640 --> 00:41:38,200 Speaker 1: he's also a Trump supporter, which is just like the 762 00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:40,640 Speaker 1: cherry on the ship Sunday with him, I feel like, 763 00:41:40,719 --> 00:41:43,680 Speaker 1: you know, you have to also be a Trump supporter, 764 00:41:43,840 --> 00:41:47,440 Speaker 1: Mike Love. Really, can't you just be a political I 765 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:50,200 Speaker 1: just I'm asking you to be a liberal, but you 766 00:41:50,239 --> 00:41:53,200 Speaker 1: could be a political I mean, come on, you have 767 00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:55,440 Speaker 1: to like wear the Maga hat and and do all 768 00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:58,520 Speaker 1: that stuff. What's hilarious to me too, is, you know, 769 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:02,799 Speaker 1: the most recent conflict which these guys h was concerning 770 00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:07,640 Speaker 1: Mike Love booking a Beach Boys show. What was it? 771 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:10,200 Speaker 1: It was that a It was a Safari Club International 772 00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:13,960 Speaker 1: convention in Reno. It's basically like game hunting, right, like 773 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:18,160 Speaker 1: where they're hunting like like you know, I don't it's 774 00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:21,200 Speaker 1: not endangered animals, but it's like you know, yeah, I 775 00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:23,560 Speaker 1: mean it's it's like he couldn't. It's like it's like 776 00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:26,279 Speaker 1: like a puppy kicking convention. Like I mean, it's that 777 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:29,040 Speaker 1: level of like yeah, like you don't you really maybe 778 00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:30,880 Speaker 1: don't don't need to do that. Like a gig is 779 00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:33,239 Speaker 1: a gig, I know, But how does it even work? 780 00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:35,600 Speaker 1: Are they on stage playing fun, fun fun while people 781 00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:40,160 Speaker 1: are like executing animals in the audience, Like or do 782 00:42:40,239 --> 00:42:42,960 Speaker 1: they kill the animals after the show or is it 783 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:45,759 Speaker 1: like that's the victory at like you know, like they 784 00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:47,440 Speaker 1: killed them first and then they go to see the 785 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:49,480 Speaker 1: Beach Boys. I don't, I don't really know how that 786 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:53,319 Speaker 1: how that would work. But either way, it's not really 787 00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:56,600 Speaker 1: the association that you want as a Beach Boys fan. 788 00:42:56,960 --> 00:43:00,400 Speaker 1: You know, to think of animals being killed and in 789 00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:02,839 Speaker 1: Beach Boys music playing all right, and we'll be right 790 00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:18,280 Speaker 1: back with more rivals. So this is the conflict between 791 00:43:18,320 --> 00:43:20,239 Speaker 1: these guys, and you know, this is the part of 792 00:43:20,239 --> 00:43:21,560 Speaker 1: the episode like where you have to think of like 793 00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:25,720 Speaker 1: a pro case for for both people in the rivalry. 794 00:43:25,760 --> 00:43:28,960 Speaker 1: I feel like with Brian Wilson, it's pretty easy to 795 00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:30,800 Speaker 1: make the case for him, and I think we've already 796 00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:33,240 Speaker 1: made it that he was the creative genius of the band, 797 00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:39,200 Speaker 1: that he was the one that he just seems more 798 00:43:39,239 --> 00:43:42,759 Speaker 1: likable and sweet, and I don't think there's any question 799 00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:44,759 Speaker 1: that he's the soul of the Beach Boys, that he's 800 00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:47,560 Speaker 1: the one that is what He's the person that sets 801 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:52,120 Speaker 1: them apart from all the other surf groups, certainly of 802 00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:55,680 Speaker 1: the sixties and and and of most American pop groups 803 00:43:55,719 --> 00:43:58,640 Speaker 1: of that era. Like there's a lot of great bands 804 00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:00,840 Speaker 1: from that time, but like they don't have Brian Wilson, 805 00:44:00,920 --> 00:44:05,319 Speaker 1: like he is the genius of the group. Uh So 806 00:44:05,360 --> 00:44:07,120 Speaker 1: I don't I feel like you don't have to work 807 00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:11,120 Speaker 1: very hard to make a pro case for Brian Wilson. Um, 808 00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:13,160 Speaker 1: I'm kind of more intrigued by trying to make a 809 00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:16,360 Speaker 1: pro case for Mike Love because this is literally playing 810 00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:22,520 Speaker 1: Devil's advocate, like we are literally defending the devil. I 811 00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:25,200 Speaker 1: don't actually think it's that hard to make a Mike 812 00:44:25,239 --> 00:44:28,120 Speaker 1: Love case, which is I know, I mean, I'm I'm 813 00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:30,560 Speaker 1: literally looking at on my wall. I have a autographed 814 00:44:30,600 --> 00:44:33,480 Speaker 1: Pet Sounds tour set list that my cousin who did 815 00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:36,040 Speaker 1: lights for him in like two thousand one, got for me, 816 00:44:36,080 --> 00:44:37,800 Speaker 1: and I have it framed over my desk. It's on 817 00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:40,680 Speaker 1: my prize possessions in the same place that some families 818 00:44:40,719 --> 00:44:42,840 Speaker 1: would have like a portrait of Jesus. I have a 819 00:44:42,840 --> 00:44:45,320 Speaker 1: Brian Wilson autographed. So that's the level that we're dealing 820 00:44:45,320 --> 00:44:47,759 Speaker 1: with here. But I will say I think Mike Love 821 00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:52,400 Speaker 1: was a crucial ingredient to the band. I think that, Um, really, 822 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:54,960 Speaker 1: you think of the Beach Boys, you think of this 823 00:44:55,280 --> 00:44:57,840 Speaker 1: the California myth, and I know it's been done to 824 00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:00,480 Speaker 1: death in everything piece ever written about the Each Boys 825 00:45:00,520 --> 00:45:03,000 Speaker 1: for the past, you know, since David Leaf was writing 826 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:05,839 Speaker 1: about them in the late seventies, it's been done to death, 827 00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:08,960 Speaker 1: but it really is a crucial part of Americana, and 828 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:12,719 Speaker 1: that springs from Mike loves lyrics, and he was the 829 00:45:13,200 --> 00:45:16,919 Speaker 1: main lyricist from the Beach Boys, uh in these sort 830 00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:18,960 Speaker 1: of pre pet sounds there. I know, Brian worked with 831 00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:22,120 Speaker 1: other people like Gary Usher and um, what's his name, 832 00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:25,560 Speaker 1: Robert Christian I think his name was, But primarily it's 833 00:45:25,920 --> 00:45:29,360 Speaker 1: a lot of it is Mike's vision, it's it's Dennis 834 00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:32,040 Speaker 1: Wilson's life. He was the only surfer in the group. 835 00:45:32,320 --> 00:45:36,919 Speaker 1: It's Brian's music, and it's Mike's poetry, and that all 836 00:45:36,960 --> 00:45:39,920 Speaker 1: combined I think makes the Beach Boys at their most 837 00:45:39,920 --> 00:45:43,120 Speaker 1: commercially successful era, which is what we all think of 838 00:45:43,160 --> 00:45:46,080 Speaker 1: them as really, I mean, you know, honesty. So I 839 00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:48,680 Speaker 1: think that was a really important contribution that he made 840 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:51,520 Speaker 1: that I think doesn't get enough play. Kind of like 841 00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:53,120 Speaker 1: what I was saying earlier about how there's sort of 842 00:45:53,120 --> 00:45:56,879 Speaker 1: an overcompensation for praising Brian's more experimental stuff. I think 843 00:45:56,920 --> 00:46:00,640 Speaker 1: that you know that that that contribution to a mayor culture. 844 00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:05,200 Speaker 1: You can't underestimate Brian Wilson's contribution to popular music. You 845 00:46:05,239 --> 00:46:07,880 Speaker 1: know that that's a given. But I think Mike's contribution 846 00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:11,600 Speaker 1: to it too is also important. And also I think 847 00:46:11,600 --> 00:46:13,479 Speaker 1: he was the front man that the Beach Boys needed. 848 00:46:13,480 --> 00:46:16,000 Speaker 1: Brian Wilson has many things, he's not a front man. 849 00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:17,920 Speaker 1: I mean, what do you what do you think? I 850 00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:20,279 Speaker 1: think that the Beach Boys wouldn't exist without Mike. Yeah, 851 00:46:20,320 --> 00:46:22,440 Speaker 1: when you were talking about Michael Love's lyrics, I was 852 00:46:22,440 --> 00:46:25,680 Speaker 1: just thinking about one of my favorite Mike Love lines, 853 00:46:25,760 --> 00:46:27,360 Speaker 1: and I think there's there's a lot of wisdom in 854 00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:30,799 Speaker 1: this line. And when he wrote here a mug, there 855 00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:37,359 Speaker 1: a mug, everybody chuggled up. Uh. Powerful statement from Mike Glove. No, 856 00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:39,840 Speaker 1: I mean, look, being a little snarky here, No, I 857 00:46:39,880 --> 00:46:43,360 Speaker 1: think you're right. I mean I have a theory about 858 00:46:43,400 --> 00:46:46,760 Speaker 1: My Glove that he actually invented the pop punk voice 859 00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:49,000 Speaker 1: that if you listen to a lot of pop punk 860 00:46:49,040 --> 00:46:53,640 Speaker 1: singers now that they sound nasally and they had, they 861 00:46:53,640 --> 00:46:56,439 Speaker 1: sort of had this affectation of sounding boyish even though 862 00:46:56,440 --> 00:46:58,719 Speaker 1: they're like in their forties and maybe even in their 863 00:46:58,760 --> 00:47:01,960 Speaker 1: fifties at this point. I think that descends from My Glove, 864 00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:05,840 Speaker 1: and it goes from My Glove. I think Joey Ramone 865 00:47:05,960 --> 00:47:09,560 Speaker 1: was influenced by My Glove and was taking his vocal 866 00:47:09,600 --> 00:47:12,960 Speaker 1: style and exaggerating it and taking it in a different direction. 867 00:47:13,680 --> 00:47:16,320 Speaker 1: And then from there, like Joey Ramon was almost like 868 00:47:16,360 --> 00:47:19,239 Speaker 1: the John the Baptist of that vocal style, like he 869 00:47:19,280 --> 00:47:22,880 Speaker 1: went out into the world and convinced many other people 870 00:47:22,920 --> 00:47:25,640 Speaker 1: to sing that way. And but that comes from My 871 00:47:25,719 --> 00:47:29,840 Speaker 1: Glove and it's it's a quintessentially American type of singing. 872 00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:32,799 Speaker 1: The other thing about My Glove, you know, I've taken 873 00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:34,359 Speaker 1: a lot of shots at My Glove. I do think 874 00:47:34,360 --> 00:47:36,960 Speaker 1: he's the devil I will. I think he is an 875 00:47:36,960 --> 00:47:40,920 Speaker 1: evil man, but I do kind of like him. I 876 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:44,919 Speaker 1: kind of like his evilness because, um, I've interviewed My Glove. 877 00:47:44,960 --> 00:47:46,480 Speaker 1: I interviewed My Glove a long time ago. It is 878 00:47:46,480 --> 00:47:49,279 Speaker 1: probably about fifteen years ago, and I interviewed him and 879 00:47:49,320 --> 00:47:51,680 Speaker 1: I was and I was a Brian Wilson Loyal was 880 00:47:51,760 --> 00:47:54,839 Speaker 1: going into this interview and I was like, I'm going 881 00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:56,719 Speaker 1: to give it to him. I was going to talk 882 00:47:56,760 --> 00:48:01,840 Speaker 1: to him about like how he's just totally prostituted the 883 00:48:01,840 --> 00:48:04,439 Speaker 1: beach Boy's name and that he plays the same set 884 00:48:04,480 --> 00:48:06,680 Speaker 1: list every night and he's not digging into like the 885 00:48:06,719 --> 00:48:10,080 Speaker 1: obscure songs that all all of his hardcore fans Love 886 00:48:10,160 --> 00:48:12,840 Speaker 1: and I had all these questions ready to go, and 887 00:48:12,840 --> 00:48:15,359 Speaker 1: I get into the interview and I realized that, like, 888 00:48:15,560 --> 00:48:19,399 Speaker 1: first of all, Mike Love is like the most zen 889 00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:22,560 Speaker 1: sounding guy in the world. Like he barely talks about 890 00:48:22,560 --> 00:48:26,680 Speaker 1: a whisper and I don't even think he's like opening 891 00:48:26,760 --> 00:48:29,400 Speaker 1: his mouth very much. He's sort of like Eventula quest 892 00:48:29,480 --> 00:48:34,960 Speaker 1: for himself because he's just like, hey, man, like we 893 00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:40,120 Speaker 1: don't play the the songs from Sunflower because the crowds 894 00:48:40,120 --> 00:48:42,560 Speaker 1: aren't going to get into it, and I'm just trying 895 00:48:42,560 --> 00:48:45,879 Speaker 1: to please the people. And he's speaking like this, and 896 00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:52,080 Speaker 1: like I just found my dislike of him melt away. Uh, 897 00:48:52,160 --> 00:48:53,799 Speaker 1: at least in that moment. I think I got it 898 00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:55,879 Speaker 1: back when we got off the phone. But like when 899 00:48:55,880 --> 00:48:57,560 Speaker 1: we were on the phone, I was like, Oh, this guy, 900 00:48:57,640 --> 00:49:02,640 Speaker 1: he's like he has like you know, because like Satan 901 00:49:02,680 --> 00:49:06,600 Speaker 1: himself is a very charming man, and and and and 902 00:49:06,600 --> 00:49:09,480 Speaker 1: and Mike Love in in in phone conversation is a 903 00:49:09,560 --> 00:49:12,000 Speaker 1: charming guy. Oh yeah, I viewed him also, and I 904 00:49:12,040 --> 00:49:16,239 Speaker 1: had the exact same experience. I thought, because I was 905 00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:18,480 Speaker 1: in the camp that my Love was Antichrist. And on 906 00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:22,799 Speaker 1: the phone he was completely just charming and I and I, 907 00:49:22,880 --> 00:49:24,359 Speaker 1: you know, I was a part of me that that 908 00:49:24,880 --> 00:49:28,319 Speaker 1: holds onto that, and actually I I enjoyed my time 909 00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:30,759 Speaker 1: talking to He also butt dialed me afterwards, which was 910 00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:34,040 Speaker 1: like days later, which was really uh something that I 911 00:49:34,320 --> 00:49:38,080 Speaker 1: cherished and hold on to also well. And you know 912 00:49:38,760 --> 00:49:41,919 Speaker 1: the contrast with that is the Brian Wilson interview, which 913 00:49:41,920 --> 00:49:43,919 Speaker 1: I feel like, if you're a music journalist for any 914 00:49:43,960 --> 00:49:47,480 Speaker 1: period of time, the rite of passage is to do 915 00:49:47,520 --> 00:49:52,880 Speaker 1: a bad Brian Wilson interview. Because Brian Wilson, God bless him, 916 00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:56,480 Speaker 1: He's not very good in interview situations. He usually lasts 917 00:49:56,480 --> 00:49:59,840 Speaker 1: about six to seven minutes before he has to like 918 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:01,840 Speaker 1: literally I think he has an injector seat in his 919 00:50:01,920 --> 00:50:04,840 Speaker 1: house where that will thrust him away from the telephone 920 00:50:04,880 --> 00:50:10,440 Speaker 1: and get him away. Um, it's extremely awkward to talk 921 00:50:10,440 --> 00:50:13,320 Speaker 1: to him. And yet whoever his handlers are, they always 922 00:50:13,320 --> 00:50:17,400 Speaker 1: make him extremely accessible to do interviews. So anyone out there, 923 00:50:17,400 --> 00:50:19,359 Speaker 1: if you want to interview Brian Wilson, just send an 924 00:50:19,360 --> 00:50:23,600 Speaker 1: email to like his publicist or manager and make up 925 00:50:23,600 --> 00:50:25,839 Speaker 1: a website name. You know, it doesn't have to even 926 00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:28,239 Speaker 1: be a real website. And I guarantee you you'll get 927 00:50:28,280 --> 00:50:32,760 Speaker 1: an interview with Brian Wilson, because his people will book 928 00:50:32,880 --> 00:50:36,239 Speaker 1: any interview, but just be prepared that he's going to 929 00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:39,279 Speaker 1: give one word answers the entire time, and it's going 930 00:50:39,320 --> 00:50:44,320 Speaker 1: to be kind of confused and and not terribly coherent 931 00:50:45,400 --> 00:50:50,279 Speaker 1: during that talk. Um yeah, I mean because you have 932 00:50:50,320 --> 00:50:52,640 Speaker 1: you talked to him. I talked to him twice and 933 00:50:52,680 --> 00:50:57,840 Speaker 1: I sort of knew because interview went back like a rodeo. 934 00:50:58,040 --> 00:51:02,000 Speaker 1: I I. You know, every profile with Brian Wilson for 935 00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:03,960 Speaker 1: the last twenty years. When you read it, it's it 936 00:51:04,080 --> 00:51:06,399 Speaker 1: just always turns into a meta thing like I'm about 937 00:51:06,440 --> 00:51:09,439 Speaker 1: to interview Brian Wilson, and then I because it can't 938 00:51:09,480 --> 00:51:12,400 Speaker 1: be done in a traditional way because just the responses 939 00:51:12,440 --> 00:51:14,320 Speaker 1: he gives don't really lend himself to that. So the 940 00:51:14,360 --> 00:51:16,520 Speaker 1: first time I went it was in person and it 941 00:51:16,560 --> 00:51:20,759 Speaker 1: was kind of what you expected. It was difficult. The 942 00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:23,600 Speaker 1: the second time was on the phone and I he 943 00:51:23,719 --> 00:51:27,719 Speaker 1: actually stayed on longer than I had initially been told 944 00:51:27,760 --> 00:51:31,040 Speaker 1: I had time for and at the end he said, 945 00:51:31,600 --> 00:51:34,000 Speaker 1: what's your name again? I told him in Jordan, Jordan, 946 00:51:34,120 --> 00:51:35,520 Speaker 1: I really want to thank you. That was a really 947 00:51:35,640 --> 00:51:39,640 Speaker 1: enjoyable interview, and that I think between that and talking 948 00:51:39,640 --> 00:51:43,520 Speaker 1: to Paul McCartney or my twin, like just still, I'm 949 00:51:43,600 --> 00:51:46,080 Speaker 1: beaming right now, even just recalling it, it meant the 950 00:51:46,120 --> 00:51:48,680 Speaker 1: world to me because you feel bad because he looks 951 00:51:48,680 --> 00:51:50,720 Speaker 1: like he's not having a good time when you interview 952 00:51:50,800 --> 00:51:53,399 Speaker 1: him most of the time, and it's just and you're 953 00:51:53,440 --> 00:51:55,120 Speaker 1: just like, why why are we putting him through this? 954 00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:56,879 Speaker 1: I don't want to, you know, I love this guy 955 00:51:56,920 --> 00:51:59,640 Speaker 1: so much in all his music. I feel like I'm 956 00:51:59,640 --> 00:52:01,880 Speaker 1: anteonizing and this is awful. I want to end this. 957 00:52:02,400 --> 00:52:04,480 Speaker 1: But in that moment, that was really nice. So that 958 00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:08,880 Speaker 1: was really special, I think because I just I've learned 959 00:52:08,920 --> 00:52:10,960 Speaker 1: from my past mistakes. I kind of knew the stuff 960 00:52:10,960 --> 00:52:12,520 Speaker 1: that you like to talk about, so I just sort 961 00:52:12,520 --> 00:52:15,120 Speaker 1: of went there. But but you're right, he's he's a 962 00:52:15,200 --> 00:52:18,799 Speaker 1: challenging interview. He's probably the most challenging interview out there. 963 00:52:19,000 --> 00:52:21,880 Speaker 1: My experience was I interviewed him and John Cusack and 964 00:52:21,880 --> 00:52:26,440 Speaker 1: the basement of Club Metro in Chicago, and it was 965 00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:30,680 Speaker 1: for that movie where Brian Yeah, where John Cusack played 966 00:52:31,560 --> 00:52:35,040 Speaker 1: uh eighties Brian Wilson, which is as good as that 967 00:52:35,080 --> 00:52:41,080 Speaker 1: description sounds. By the way, Uh, it doesn't really work. 968 00:52:41,480 --> 00:52:45,160 Speaker 1: Paul Dano plays the sixties Wilson, and I think Paul 969 00:52:45,200 --> 00:52:49,719 Speaker 1: Dana is great. John Cusack is not entirely convincing, but 970 00:52:49,760 --> 00:52:53,320 Speaker 1: it's an interesting movie. But um I I told Brian 971 00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:56,640 Speaker 1: Wilson that I used to listen to Wonderful in high 972 00:52:56,640 --> 00:53:02,759 Speaker 1: school and uh, like and and feel sad and like 973 00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:06,879 Speaker 1: look out the window and cried tears. And he's like, oh, 974 00:53:06,920 --> 00:53:09,359 Speaker 1: that's great, man. And then he shook my hand and 975 00:53:09,400 --> 00:53:12,520 Speaker 1: walked away, which is probably an appropriate response really to 976 00:53:12,560 --> 00:53:16,040 Speaker 1: that story. So I was glad to have done it. 977 00:53:16,080 --> 00:53:19,439 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, Beethoven shook my hand. I feel 978 00:53:19,480 --> 00:53:22,319 Speaker 1: I feel, I feel happy, but you know, not journalistically great, 979 00:53:22,360 --> 00:53:25,520 Speaker 1: but it was. It was a good experience. Um So, 980 00:53:25,840 --> 00:53:29,560 Speaker 1: if we have to talk about these two guys coming together, 981 00:53:30,239 --> 00:53:35,279 Speaker 1: you know, what is it that I guess is their 982 00:53:35,320 --> 00:53:39,319 Speaker 1: common ground? You know, I mean they've because I feel 983 00:53:39,320 --> 00:53:42,040 Speaker 1: like they've had periods like where they weren't at each 984 00:53:42,080 --> 00:53:44,279 Speaker 1: other's throats, where they weren't suing each other, and then 985 00:53:44,280 --> 00:53:47,520 Speaker 1: they kind of fall back into it and then it 986 00:53:47,560 --> 00:53:51,120 Speaker 1: seems like they're connected through both spite and genuine affection, 987 00:53:51,680 --> 00:53:54,319 Speaker 1: you know, for their entire lives, But like, what's the 988 00:53:54,320 --> 00:53:57,479 Speaker 1: case I guess for them being together. I feel about 989 00:53:57,480 --> 00:54:00,040 Speaker 1: Mike Loves similar how I feel about Robbie Robertson a 990 00:54:00,080 --> 00:54:03,200 Speaker 1: way he talks about Levi on Helm. Whenever Mike talks 991 00:54:03,200 --> 00:54:07,560 Speaker 1: about Brian in interviews, there's this genuine affection that comes through. 992 00:54:07,640 --> 00:54:09,279 Speaker 1: I mean a lot of profiles of Mike. When he 993 00:54:09,320 --> 00:54:11,440 Speaker 1: talks about Brian, he starts getting teary, and he just 994 00:54:11,480 --> 00:54:13,440 Speaker 1: talks about, you know, I just I just want to 995 00:54:13,440 --> 00:54:15,239 Speaker 1: write with my cousin. I just want to make hits 996 00:54:15,239 --> 00:54:18,719 Speaker 1: with my cousin. And you know, Okay, the fact that 997 00:54:18,760 --> 00:54:20,239 Speaker 1: he says I want to make hits with my cousin, 998 00:54:20,280 --> 00:54:22,760 Speaker 1: it's a little suspicious and it's kind of a strange 999 00:54:22,760 --> 00:54:24,279 Speaker 1: way to word that. But I think that there is 1000 00:54:24,280 --> 00:54:26,600 Speaker 1: a lot of genuine affection there, and it is sad 1001 00:54:26,680 --> 00:54:31,239 Speaker 1: that all this this business stuff, not to mention extreme 1002 00:54:31,280 --> 00:54:34,680 Speaker 1: amounts of familiar dysfunction, split these guys apart. But I 1003 00:54:34,719 --> 00:54:37,920 Speaker 1: think that their egos. Mike Love is hanging onto his ego. 1004 00:54:38,840 --> 00:54:41,200 Speaker 1: I think that there's a certain amount of ego there 1005 00:54:41,600 --> 00:54:44,400 Speaker 1: that prohibits them. Is a great line in um in 1006 00:54:44,560 --> 00:54:49,759 Speaker 1: Brian Wilson's uh second memoir that came out in where 1007 00:54:49,760 --> 00:54:53,160 Speaker 1: he goes to he shows Mike a song that he's 1008 00:54:53,200 --> 00:54:54,960 Speaker 1: working on and said, Hey, Michel, what do you think 1009 00:54:55,000 --> 00:54:57,200 Speaker 1: of this? You want to work on this together? Mike 1010 00:54:57,239 --> 00:54:59,880 Speaker 1: thinks for a minute and goes, well, you know, I 1011 00:55:00,040 --> 00:55:04,640 Speaker 1: could make this song better, but I won't if we 1012 00:55:04,719 --> 00:55:10,880 Speaker 1: do something. I want to start from scratching. Which what 1013 00:55:11,080 --> 00:55:15,040 Speaker 1: a dick. He's such a dick. I mean, I mean 1014 00:55:15,040 --> 00:55:19,239 Speaker 1: the Robbie Robertson comparison, um, Robbie and Levin. I think 1015 00:55:19,280 --> 00:55:21,240 Speaker 1: that that makes a lot of sense to me, because 1016 00:55:21,760 --> 00:55:24,120 Speaker 1: not for the reason that you're talking about, and also 1017 00:55:25,440 --> 00:55:29,960 Speaker 1: that you know, Robbie Robertson is so easy to vilify 1018 00:55:30,200 --> 00:55:32,920 Speaker 1: in the same way that Mike Love is easy to vilify, 1019 00:55:33,080 --> 00:55:36,160 Speaker 1: and and for a lot of you know, and that's 1020 00:55:36,239 --> 00:55:38,560 Speaker 1: due to that that's their own fault in a lot 1021 00:55:38,600 --> 00:55:41,680 Speaker 1: of ways. But I think the case that you can 1022 00:55:41,719 --> 00:55:45,799 Speaker 1: make for those guys is that you know, they've had 1023 00:55:45,840 --> 00:55:48,359 Speaker 1: to put up also with like a lot of dysfunctions 1024 00:55:48,400 --> 00:55:51,239 Speaker 1: from their partners. You know, even if like Levin and 1025 00:55:51,239 --> 00:55:53,080 Speaker 1: Brian are like the heart and soul of those bands, 1026 00:55:53,280 --> 00:55:57,400 Speaker 1: they're also like both sort of broken screw ups in 1027 00:55:57,440 --> 00:55:59,279 Speaker 1: a lot of ways, like at least in their personal lives, 1028 00:55:59,360 --> 00:56:02,000 Speaker 1: because brilliant, they are creative, like you know, they're they're 1029 00:56:02,080 --> 00:56:04,399 Speaker 1: they're they're sort of a mess in their personal life. 1030 00:56:04,440 --> 00:56:07,239 Speaker 1: And I can imagine, like being in a band with 1031 00:56:07,360 --> 00:56:11,120 Speaker 1: Brian Wilson would be difficult a lot of the time, 1032 00:56:11,600 --> 00:56:13,440 Speaker 1: especially if this is something you want to make your 1033 00:56:13,440 --> 00:56:16,960 Speaker 1: career and you know, as easy it is, as you know, 1034 00:56:17,040 --> 00:56:19,040 Speaker 1: you want to roll your eyes at like that don't 1035 00:56:19,040 --> 00:56:22,520 Speaker 1: funk with the formula thing. But it's like, if you're 1036 00:56:22,520 --> 00:56:26,200 Speaker 1: in this band that's successful, you don't want to work 1037 00:56:26,239 --> 00:56:28,160 Speaker 1: with the formula. You know, you do want to like 1038 00:56:28,280 --> 00:56:31,080 Speaker 1: keep making hits and and and having a career. And 1039 00:56:32,280 --> 00:56:35,759 Speaker 1: he wasn't wrong about pet Sounds and later smiled derailing 1040 00:56:35,800 --> 00:56:39,080 Speaker 1: the Beach Boys progress. I mean that actually did hurt 1041 00:56:39,120 --> 00:56:41,480 Speaker 1: their their their career in the in the short term. 1042 00:56:41,480 --> 00:56:43,520 Speaker 1: I mean, we look back on both of those as 1043 00:56:43,560 --> 00:56:47,040 Speaker 1: being great records, Like in the short term, at least 1044 00:56:47,160 --> 00:56:53,080 Speaker 1: my Mike my Glove was right. And um, I think 1045 00:56:53,800 --> 00:56:57,280 Speaker 1: the idea that like, you know, Brian Wilson needed someone 1046 00:56:57,360 --> 00:56:59,960 Speaker 1: like Mike Love, you know, as big of an asshole, 1047 00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:05,360 Speaker 1: old as he is. He did communicate the genius of 1048 00:57:05,440 --> 00:57:08,400 Speaker 1: Brian Wilson's music in a way that was palatable for 1049 00:57:08,480 --> 00:57:11,960 Speaker 1: the average person and allowed Brian Wilson's music to reach 1050 00:57:12,520 --> 00:57:15,839 Speaker 1: exponentially more people than if Brian Wilson had just been 1051 00:57:15,880 --> 00:57:22,640 Speaker 1: making you know, intellectual pocket symphonies that with lyrics that 1052 00:57:22,680 --> 00:57:25,400 Speaker 1: were you know, over the heads of the average person. 1053 00:57:26,240 --> 00:57:28,680 Speaker 1: So you know, you've got the genius and you've got 1054 00:57:28,680 --> 00:57:32,720 Speaker 1: the communicator, and they needed each other in order to 1055 00:57:32,840 --> 00:57:35,880 Speaker 1: both be Yeah, the examples I always point to our 1056 00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:38,760 Speaker 1: California Girls and Good Vibrations. I mean, two songs that 1057 00:57:39,040 --> 00:57:42,280 Speaker 1: really showcase both of their strengths you've got. I mean, 1058 00:57:42,320 --> 00:57:44,880 Speaker 1: the opening to California Girls is like an Aaron Copeland piece. 1059 00:57:44,920 --> 00:57:47,560 Speaker 1: I mean just it's it's gorgeous. I always whenever I 1060 00:57:47,560 --> 00:57:49,800 Speaker 1: hear it, I think of a sunrise. You see that 1061 00:57:49,880 --> 00:57:53,080 Speaker 1: first guitar being plucked. It sounds like to me, it 1062 00:57:54,000 --> 00:57:56,880 Speaker 1: sounds like a visual of a little ray of sun 1063 00:57:56,960 --> 00:58:00,600 Speaker 1: peeking over the horizon in southern California. Something. It just 1064 00:58:01,280 --> 00:58:04,040 Speaker 1: perfectly And then Mike comes in with his lyrics and 1065 00:58:04,080 --> 00:58:06,280 Speaker 1: it takes you to that place that you already here 1066 00:58:06,280 --> 00:58:10,680 Speaker 1: in your head up well, theast Cows girls are him 1067 00:58:10,920 --> 00:58:14,640 Speaker 1: bangy Have you ever seen have you ever seen? I 1068 00:58:14,640 --> 00:58:17,160 Speaker 1: think it was I forget there's some Beach Boys documentary 1069 00:58:17,200 --> 00:58:18,760 Speaker 1: that that was, like an official one. I think it 1070 00:58:18,800 --> 00:58:22,040 Speaker 1: was Endless Harmony where Brian sitting at the piano and 1071 00:58:22,080 --> 00:58:24,520 Speaker 1: with al Gredinos all I'll do the thing, and a'l 1072 00:58:24,600 --> 00:58:27,920 Speaker 1: pinches his nose and Brian starts singing like myke glove 1073 00:58:28,480 --> 00:58:32,560 Speaker 1: just like yeah, yeah, even even Brian Wilson can clown 1074 00:58:33,080 --> 00:58:35,240 Speaker 1: my glove. You know, it's like he'd come back to 1075 00:58:35,360 --> 00:58:43,280 Speaker 1: Earth and clown my glove. So so again it's it's 1076 00:58:43,280 --> 00:58:47,280 Speaker 1: good and evil. Brian Wilson's good, my glove is evil. 1077 00:58:47,360 --> 00:58:53,520 Speaker 1: But you know, good wouldn't seem good without evil, and 1078 00:58:53,600 --> 00:58:56,320 Speaker 1: evil wouldn't seem as evil without good. You need them both. 1079 00:58:57,280 --> 00:58:59,000 Speaker 1: And it's the end of the end of the beach 1080 00:58:59,040 --> 00:59:01,120 Speaker 1: Point and the devil can write good songs about root here. 1081 00:59:01,240 --> 00:59:04,960 Speaker 1: That's right, man, Chuggle Lug, baby, chuggle ug. That's where 1082 00:59:04,960 --> 00:59:08,200 Speaker 1: we leave you, folks. All right, that's another episode of Rivals. Everyone, 1083 00:59:08,320 --> 00:59:10,960 Speaker 1: thank you for listening going to the dark side with 1084 00:59:11,080 --> 00:59:15,120 Speaker 1: us in this episode. Uh, we look forward to talking 1085 00:59:15,160 --> 00:59:18,440 Speaker 1: about more rivals with you. Guys next week. All right, 1086 00:59:18,480 --> 00:59:29,720 Speaker 1: thanks everyone. Check out American Spring Rivals is a production 1087 00:59:29,760 --> 00:59:32,480 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. The executive producers are Shaun Titone 1088 00:59:32,480 --> 00:59:35,240 Speaker 1: and Noel Brown. The supervising producers are Taylor chi Con 1089 00:59:35,320 --> 00:59:38,400 Speaker 1: and Tristan McNeil. I'm Jordan run Talk and I'm Stephen Hyden. 1090 00:59:38,560 --> 00:59:40,360 Speaker 1: If you like what you heard, please subscribe to leave 1091 00:59:40,400 --> 00:59:42,840 Speaker 1: us a review. For more podcasts for my heart Radio, 1092 00:59:43,120 --> 00:59:46,080 Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or ever 1093 00:59:46,160 --> 00:59:47,440 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows