Mike Love autobio

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by ajsmith, Dec 27, 2016.

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  1. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC


    Actually ......The book goes into this in detail. After the blowup with Murray, David, Murray and Davids parents had a meeting to try and iron out their problems and when no peaceful solution could be found (what a shocker), David parents informed Murray that David was leaving.
    They had David sign a document that he was leaving as of August 30, 1963. The problem was that because David was a minor, the original contract he signed provided that if there were any changes made to that contract (like, him leaving before his contract was up), the court had to be notified and they had to approve those changes, because David was a minor. The court was never notified, so legally, Davids original 1962 contract remained in effect which gave him a share of the record royalties. However, David and his folks didnt find out about this for over 40 years and his share of royalties was "absorbed" by the rest of the band. You have to feel bad for David, he played on the first 4 Lps and that was probably a lot of $$$, as the band was in their heyday at that point selling millions for singles and albums.
     
  2. Maggie

    Maggie like a walking, talking art show

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    To be fair, though, Brian's book is very satisfying and very moving. Who knows how much came out of Brian and how much came out of his ghostwriter, but it does sound like him at least, and the things the book chooses to emphasize are so idiosyncratic that it consistently has the ring of truth.

    Also, "his" account of things like why SMiLE collapsed, the making of the Imagination album, the later Landy years, etc., are full of information that was new to me and has the texture of reality. For example, there's an oblique (not explicit) reference to Landy sexually abusing Brian that I think has never been reported before, and his account of his treatment of his girlfriend/former nurse Carolyn in the early Landy period has the criterion of embarrassment going for its truth value.

    There's also stuff that contradicts what's in Love & Mercy and the David Leaf movie, and the stuff in the book seems more plausible.
     
  3. alchemy

    alchemy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sterling, VA
    So with the Blind Scales Of Justice, does Mike's promise to look out for David come anywhere close or exceed what financial proceeds David was owed?

    My view is clouded by Mike Love's insistence that he gets every scrap of credit (as his his right) for every lyric contribution to the Beach Boys songs.
     
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  4. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC
    Al: Why would "Mike Love's insistence that he gets every scrap of credit (as his his right) for every lyric contribution to the Beach Boys songs" cloud your judgement. Would you (or I) not do the same if you feel something was rightfully yours? I'm not understanding your statement.

    Theres another thing here that has been glossed over. When Mike was preparing with his lawyers, he actually identified, I think, some 70 songs that he helped write lyrics on. Not wanting to go to those extremes, he only went for ownership of 35 songs. I think that is pretty reasonable on Mikes part. I can think of several Artist Reps that would have insisted on going after the full 70. Mike didnt do that. Lets give the guy some credit here.
     
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  5. I333I

    I333I Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ventura
    :thumbsdow
     
  6. Peace N. Love

    Peace N. Love Forum Resident

    Actually, the photos section of the book includes shots of some of the classic outfits, but the caption says something about how his outfits "reflected the changing fashions of the times" or something. Um, not exactly...
     
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  7. PretzelLogic

    PretzelLogic Feeling duped by MoFi? You probably deserve it.

    Location:
    London, England
    Also worth pointing out that he accepted much, much less financially than he was entitled to after he won the case. He's never claimed the collaborations were all 50/50, but if I were him, I'd be keen to let people know I wrote the words to California Girls.
     
  8. willy

    willy hooga hagga hooga


    And it has to be said: whatever Mike ever wore, ever, it was never as ridiculous as Carl's 1969 white, bell-bottomed, wide-buckled safari suit... :hurlleft::yikes::hurl:...now that was hideous! I can't even bring myself to find a picture to upload.
     
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  9. Peace N. Love

    Peace N. Love Forum Resident

    Well, sort of...
    [​IMG]
     
  10. alchemy

    alchemy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sterling, VA
    First off my comment was a reply to:

    PretzelLogic said:
    I think it's that David was still a legal member of Beach Boys Inc. (and entitled to the proceeds of their earnings) or whatever it was they were until 1967, but Murry 'forgot' to tell him or his parents (or presumably the other band members), so he didn't find out until decades later. It's a sign of his magnanimity that he didn't sue, and earned his pay with them when he came back.

    Equally it's a positive sign that Mike (as is mentioned in David's autobiog) is still keeping his promise to Mr & Mrs. Marks from the early 60s that he'd look out for David.

    My comment was:

    So with the Blind Scales Of Justice, does Mike's promise to look out for David come anywhere close or exceed what financial proceeds David was owed?

    My view is clouded by Mike Love's insistence that he gets every scrap of credit (as his his right) for every lyric contribution to the Beach Boys songs.

    I never said that Mike did not have a right to his credit for contributing songs . PtrezelLogic said that Mike is keeping his promise to look after David Marks, so does Mike watch out for David's interests like is now looking after his songwriting interest?


    In Carole Bayer Sagers autobiography "They Are Playing Our Song - A Memoir". She spends a chapter talking about co-writing "Under Your Spell" with Bob Dylan. Long story short, Carole gets sent a demo of their work together. Bob only used a few of her lines, so she felt that she didn't deserve any credit on the song and told Bob. Bob said he wouldn't have written the song with out her and insisted that she share half the credit. Which she ended up doing.

    Mike Love is due any and all credits and money owed to him. But I don't think he plays well with others.
     
  11. Daryl M

    Daryl M Senior Member

    Location:
    London, Ontario
    I got this book from the library and enjoyed it very much.
     
  12. S. P. Honeybunch

    S. P. Honeybunch Presidente de Kokomo, Endless Mikelovemoney

    Mike has played well with Chicago, David Marks, Roger McGuinn, Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, Terry Melcher, John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, thousands of new Beach Boys fans every year, and Al Jardine and Brian Wilson depending upon their Prozac intake levels. That's well enough for a fifty year career as the torch bearer of America's band. Not everybody is going to check their jealousy and unreasonable resentment at the door when they come to see Mike Love.
     
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  13. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC
    Honeybunch: Good Post. I'll go even father, and say that everyone whose been in the Beach Boys, or on the same tours as them should by Mike a Veggie Juice. He's been the one to keep the Beach Boys name in the public eye by doing these thousands of concerts. He's helped many (and yes, himself too) make a lot of money.
     
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  14. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC






    LOL.....There *are* times when I just Got Nothing. :))
     
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  15. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC



    LOL....hey we are all human.....
     
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  16. Peace N. Love

    Peace N. Love Forum Resident

    And the live band still sounds great, despite the fact that so few original members are present. The vocals are spread around fairly (yes, Mike gets the most leads, but they all get a chance to shine), and the harmonies are superb, as is the musicianship. I think many people (me included) were surprised how much they liked Mike's book; I think the same might also apply to the current BB touring band.
     
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  17. Dewey Cox

    Dewey Cox New Member

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    I enjoyed parts of the book, particularly the early chapters. I respect Mike for his songwriting contributions and singing, and I even like his eccentric outfits from the 70s. I kinda wish he'd ditch the baseball cap and grow out his beard again.

    I could have done without all the references to chart postions. Chart positions mean nothing to me -- I see them as ephemeral and not as any sort of indicator of whether a piece of music is of lasting value. I think a lot of the Beach Boys' music can be better appreciated now than when it came out. Take Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, and Friends: three short, modest, homespun albums with quirky lyrics. I can see why they seemed un-hip and insignificant to mainstream rock audiences at the time. But in light of the lo-fi and indie music of the 90s and 2000s, they actually seem quite ahead of their time.

    It seems to me Mike he doesn't understand the Smile-era music at all, though there's nothing wrong with that necessarily. It was pretty out-there stuff for 1966. I don't think it's fair to expect Mike (or anyone else at the time) to understand what Brian was doing. Plus, people have different tastes.

    It also seems Mike doesn't understand mental illness very well, which I think is where much of his troubled relationship to Brian stems from. "Cabin Essence" is not "bipolar." Yes, the verse is softer and slower and the chorus is louder and faster, but the song does not express anything like the manic highs and depressed lows that people with bipolar depression experience. He similarly made me :rolleyes: when he called the modular recording style of Smile "the product of a fractured mind" rather than Brian seeking new and creative ways of making music.

    I can forgive him this back in the sixties, as it's my understanding that mental illness was not well-understood or accepted by most people then. But I'm less forgiving nowadays, especially when he implies that Brian's current psychiatric treatment is a way of keeping him "controlled" comparable to what Landy was doing. (He said this in a recent interview, not the book).

    He very much can form a coherent sentence. You don't have to like Brian's memoir or even his music, but can you please show the man some respect? He's 74 years old and suffers from mental illness through no fault of his own, and he's one of our greatest living songwriters.

    How about "depending on whether they are able to or want to play with Mike"? And please don't use Prozac as a catch-all for psychiatric medicine.
     
  18. S. P. Honeybunch

    S. P. Honeybunch Presidente de Kokomo, Endless Mikelovemoney

    Not sure why you're only focusing on Brian and Al's feelings when Mike, Brian, and Al have already accomplished so much in their fifty years together. Most people are satisfied with what they accomplished on Endless Summer, yet we got another fifteen or twenty years from their collaborations.
     
  19. 389 Tripower

    389 Tripower Just a little south of Moline

    Location:
    Moline, IL USA
    Wow - I just learned Brian may have first taken LSD as early as 1964!
     
  20. Peace N. Love

    Peace N. Love Forum Resident

    There were a couple of drug references that sounded perhaps a little suspect. I wasn't there, of course, but there were a few times in the book where I wondered if perhaps ML had the timing of things confused.
     
  21. Chuckee

    Chuckee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate, NY, USA
    Brian said he started writing California Girls after the first time, may have been 1965, recording started April 1965.
     
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  22. 389 Tripower

    389 Tripower Just a little south of Moline

    Location:
    Moline, IL USA
    Maybe, and I thought '64 seemed a little early for LSD coming into the scene, but maybe not since I believe ML was referencing December tour time.
     
  23. mbrownp1

    mbrownp1 Forum Resident

    I didn't expect to like it much, but I did. It was a great read and it wasn't all that controversial. I read Brian's book the week after and, surprisingly, these two seem very much on the same page.
     
  24. 389 Tripower

    389 Tripower Just a little south of Moline

    Location:
    Moline, IL USA
    I just got the book - started with "Keeping up with the Beatles".

    Amazing when you compare how the Beatles were promoted with Brian Epstein and all - as compared to all that the B. Boys had was Murry's "Management".
    I never thought of that before.
     
  25. I fully appreciate that Brian Wilson is one of our greatest living songwriters, arrangers and producers. I love his music and I stand in awe of his artistry. In general I far prefer Brian's musical compositions to Mike's although Mike's lyrics are often a huge asset to the song. When it comes to autobiographies I would prefer one by an author who has the capacity to remember what has transpired, who is coherent and who has some basis in reality even if it may be somewhat self centered.
     
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