Mike Love Will Do Interviews With Anyone
By DJ M on June 28th, 2006
In Brian Wilson/B. Boys
TIMES LEADER “You can’t be the quarterback on a football team for more than 40 years,” Mike Love says. “Some people try, and they get clobbered by linemen too many times. But a great actor is always a great actor, and music is similar. As long as you have your chops, and the desire and creativity is inherent in you, then you can hit a home run, musically. Certainly there are younger groups and lots of competition, and that can be very tough and exacting as well. But we feel pretty good. I think you haven’t heard the last of our creative efforts. We go for years without doing something then come up with an incredibly nifty thing to do.”
“Some of our songs sound so beautiful with an orchestra,” he says. “I’m looking forward to touring in that configuration. I think it would be great to do that with various orchestras in cities around the country. We can go out on tour in a different way than we have done. We haven’t had a summer off in over 40 years. That infuses the night with a lot of energy and positivity, which is inherent in the songs. I’ve been to see the Stones, James Brown, Britney Spears and ’N Sync, where teens are screaming like the Beatles in the mid-’60s. As far as overall response by all ages, though, nobody beats the Beach Boys. Everybody is up dancing and having a good time and singing along.”
“It’s a very good feeling when you see children singing your songs. It tells you that you didn’t waste your time, and you weren’t confined to just one aspect of musical history.”
“They are songs about cars and beach life and surfing and be true to your school. Who doesn’t know about being true to your school if you grew up in America? Or who doesn’t know about cars? And even if you don’t have an ocean, you can identify with the escapism of ‘Surfin’ USA’ or ‘Surfin’ Safari.’ People go to water in the summer for vacation.”
“’Good Vibrations’ is probably the most unique single. It is so different than every other rock single ever made; so different, yet successful. It had creativity and brilliance, but yet it was successful in the market place. A lot of the other singles were quite derivative. ’Good Vibrations’ was so unique. We slaved over making the Pet Sounds album with the vocal harmonies and care and attention in making them perfect.”