No Fun, Fun, Fun: Mike Love sues Brian Wilson over "Smile"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Beach Boys member Mike Love has filed a lawsuit against former band mate Brian Wilson over Smile--the famously unfinished Beach Boys opus that Wilson completed and released on his own last year to much acclaim, and at Love's expense. The suit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, alleges that the promotional blitz by Wilson "shamelessly misappropriated Mike Love's songs, likeness, and the Beach Boys trademark, as well as the Smile album itself," per court papers obtained by City News Service.

Wilson, the Beach Boys' principal songwriter and general mastermind, scrapped Smile at the height of the seminal surf band's popularity in 1967, a few weeks before the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The lost sessions became the stuff of music legend; based on the surviving songs and snippets, some music aficionados argued Smile would have rivaled Sgt. Pepper's in the pop pantheon. Per rock history, it was Love who fought against the release of Smile because it differed dramatically from the Beach Boys' standard surf sound.

Love, who cowrote and sang lead on many early Beach Boys classics, alleges that the publicity campaign for Wilson's solo Smile negatively affected sales of Beach Boys albums. Particularly aggrieving Love was Wilson's decision to give away more than 2.6 million copies of a Beach Boys' compilation disc in an edition of Britain's Mail on Sunday newspaper.

Love's suit seeks damages amounting to "millions of dollars in illicit profits," claiming the campaign diluted the Beach Boys' brand name, and addition $1 million-plus for international advertising "designed to correct the effects of its unfair competition and infringing uses." Other defendants include the Mail on Sunday and Sanctuary Records Group.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20051104/en_music_eo/17711

[KG]

1. Mike Love isn't bitter, is he?

nope, not at all.

[no name no slogan]

2. Mike Love needs to take a very long walk off a very short pier

What a tool. At least time has proven who the real genius in that operation was.

[asthmaticeog]

3. Diluting the Beach Boys brand name?

I'd think all those atrocious geriatric tours with cheap Hawaiian shirts and like only two original members did that well before Wilson released HIS labum.

*cough cough* KOKOMO *cough cough*

[GOPisEvil]

4. Appearing with John Stamos on drums on "Full House" as well.

*cough*

[asthmaticeog]

5. Of this, I was not aware.

:wow:

[GOPisEvil]

6. Here's some information.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1425406/19991022/story.jhtml

This doesn't mention the Full House episode, but I saw it with my own eyes. Apparently, he played drums on the recording! :wow:

[underpants]

15. Oh yeah Stamos was considered a member--toured with them

He was officially a member at one point.

Mike Love sucks like no one has sucked before.

[GirlinContempt]

7. STAMOOOS!

Sorry, dunno if you're a clone high fan

[LostinVA]

26. bwwwwaaaaahhhhhh

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

18. Mike Love paid the licensing fee for the name...

...and he previously sued Al Jardine, who was on tour as "Beach Boys Family & Friends."

Love's "official" Web Site:

http://www.beachboysband.net/

Today the Beach Boys are Love, Bruce Johnston, one of the Cowsills, and a bunch of guys you've never heard of before.

[underpants]

20. Pretty snazzy hi-tech site he has there

This is not meant as an argument. If Love does own the name that is fine but I can't imagine that anyone would think that he hasn't diluted the name of the band.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

21. People like my sister wouldn't care at all, but true fans would...

Seriously.

My freeper sister would go to one of these Mike Love travesties and go "WOW! THE BEACH BOYS!" because she never knew the names of anyone in the band and never cared. Ignorance really is bliss.

I'm the opposite. I thought that when Brian stepped away and Carl died, that was the end. I've always considered "Sail On Sailor" to be their last great, classic single and "Holland" (the album that spawned it) to be the last solid album.

Love's a jerk. He's just a stoner wife-beater hiding behind his peaceful TM facade. He's bitter that he "never got full credit" to his contributions to the Beach Boys. He ought to consider taking what he's got and shutting the hell up.

:toast:

[underpants]

22. That seems to be the sentiment of everyone about Mike Love

as a friend once said "That guy is going to be the Mike Love of the 90's" I don't remember who he was talking about but it was not a compliment.

At this point the Beach Boys is basically a novelty act, a 'VH1 Behind the music' for those willing to watch it live *shudder* I don't know if I could stand feeling as embarassed for someone as would be required to even popped in for a beer and pay a cover. Plus I would probably want to punch Mike Love on general princinple (and that was before this news).

[Dr Fate]

44. "Love You" is my pick for their last really great record. n/t

n/t

[asthmaticeog]

24. Thing is, no matter who owns the name,

"Smile" wasn't released as a Beach Boys album. :shrug:

Two irrelevant observations about that website:

1) That photo on the homepage looks like a mental hospital golf outing.

2) There should never be a Beach Boy named "Kowalski."

[Fenris]

28. More irrelevent observations:

1) Why does it take 8 people to make music that bad?

2) Mike Love is jealous because never in a million years could he release a version of "Smile" that was even listenable, because he a) has no talent and b) he has no talent.

[LostinVA]

29. OMG... the Beach Boys were one of the best bands EVER

Pet Sounds? Way better than those long haired lads from Liverpool and Sgt. Pepper....

[asthmaticeog]

32. Which had squat to do with Mike Love

and EVERYTHING to do with Brian Wilson.

[MN ChimpH8R]

31. Now that's funny...

"a mental hospital golf outing" :rofl::rofl::rofl:

[enigmatic]

30. Not to be catty

But I've seen fan sites devoted to Yakov Smirnoff's toupee that looked better than that.

And after meeting Love a couple of times, I can indeed confirm he is a massive dick to everyone...

[asthmaticeog]

33. Yakov Smirnoff's toupee has fan sites?

What a country!

[Fenris]

35. In America, toupees have websites

In Russia, websites have toupees!

[asthmaticeog]

36. Jokes like that are why he's Branson, MO's #1 comedian

for two years running. :headbang:

[Fenris]

37. You can see him AND Andy Williams on the same night!

:headbang:

[asthmaticeog]

38. Aw goddammit, I JUST washed these pants!

:grr:

[Fenris]

39. You haven't lived until you've seen Ray Jay Johnson LIVE!

[asthmaticeog]

40. It's my understanding that you doesn't hasta call him "Johnson."

[Fenris]

41. I believe that's correct. It's either Ray or Jay.

I'm confused as to why this routine was considered funny.

[asthmaticeog]

42. Consider the times.

The Gong Show was a big hit. The Unknown Comic was considered a comic. Polly Holliday could have the nation in stitches every week when she said "kiss my grits," which, unfailingly, she would. Henry Winkler was not only a sex symbol, but also the apotheosis of cool. And there were leisure suits, Fenris. There. Were. Leisure suits.

[Fenris]

43. And Gallagher.

[asthmaticeog]

45. And Gallagher.

I had front row seats for a Gallagher show when was a kid. I'm not proud, as it was Gallagher, but I'm not ashamed, as I was a kid. :shrug:

[Fenris]

46. Did you wear a poncho?

[asthmaticeog]

47. Nah, I rode that one bareback.

I wore my mess as a badge of HONOR, dammit!

Besides, the last things I got hit with were mouthwash and watermelon, so it's not like I SMELLED bad or anything.

[Fenris]

48. The days when a man with a big mallet was considered comedy.

Those were the days.

[asthmaticeog]

49. To bring it back around, there'll always be Branson.

[Fenris]

51. And the circle remains unbroken.

[asthmaticeog]

52. By and by, Lord, by and by.

[XNASA]

8. Where does one begin?

I wish Mike Love would STFU.

[MN ChimpH8R]

9. What a joke

Brian was the alpha and omega of the Beach Boys and the greatest genius in popular music. There would have been no Beach Boys without Brian. Love's "Beach Boys" are as authentic as Ringo touring with three session musicians and calling it "The Beatles."

[patcox2]

10. Love is a steaming pile of shit.

Not fit to tie poor Brian Wilson's shoes.

[XNASA]

12. Well said.

:rofl:

[ALago1]

11. This makes me so mad

Let's see...

Brian Wilson wrote, arranged, and produced "Pet Sounds" and the new "Smile", two of (in my opinion) the greatest pieces of modern pop music out there.

Mike Love wrote "Kokomo".

Someone's jealous. What legal ground does he have to stand on? Brian credited him for the minor lyrical contribution he had to "Good Vibrations" which was pretty much the only involvement he had with "Smile". Mike hated Smile, was instrumental in getting Brian to break down and abandon it, and now is red in the face because time has shown it to be a work of true genius.

What a dick.

[Loonman]

13. It's not Mike Love's fault

Brian Wilson went a little off the rails.

Besides, When Sgt. Pepper came out, the Beach boys were pretty much done as a rock band. Holland is excellent, though.

[underpants]

14. WOW does Mike Love suck

HE sucks on a level that no person outside of rulers and dictators has ever come close to sucking.

Co-wrote my a** he just got his name stuck on there because Wilson didn't care about writing credits at the time. It shows Love was conniving from the very beginning.

Mike Love sucks.

[Mike Daniels]

16. I'd say that Mike Love had more directly diluted the group's name

by touring as the Beach Boys when it's really just Mike Love and a bunch of hired hacks.

[Mike Daniels]

17. The lead singer of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (a Brian Wilson fixated band)

once said that outside of Wilson's musical gifts that Brian's biggest accomplishment was not killing Mike Love.

Sounds like Brian would be justified in taking out Love at this point.

[ALago1]

19. LOL who is this band?

Never heard of em but if they are highly influenced by BW I'm interested...

[Mike Daniels]

27. They're a Welsh band that started out in the early 90's

The link to their listing on All Music Guide is

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:zq2ibka9hakv~T1

The lead singer/primary writer is the Wilson fan and you can hear definite musical influences from late 60's/early 70's Beach Boy albums throughout their stuff.

Apparently, they used to do a Welsh language version of Good Vibrations in concert at one point during their early career.

[Ivan Sputnik]

23. Wilson's SMiLE hurt BB album sales?

I would think it would increase them, if anything.

[Rabrrrrrr]

25. So, Love fights against its release... then gets all pissy when it IS

released, decades later, and he doesn't get his fair share of the profits.... meanwhile, all he has are the residuals and royalties from the old Beach Boys albums to live off of... and he complains that this has hurt sales of Beach Boys albums...

what a fucktard.

It's so fun watching old used up has been clueless musicial shitbags fight over this crap.

[Taverner]

34. Mike Love is a stupid git

nuff said!

[Beware the Beast Man]

50. Mike Love is bitter, jealous scum.

And a Repuke to boot.