Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy

If you are interested to learn how Mr. Love contributed to the development of the BB music catalog, then this book delivers on that score. I recommend it primarily for that reason. I always suspected that his influence was far greater than previously reported. I can't disagree with his claim that Pet Sounds might have been even "better" using only his lyrics instead of Asher's. He is clearly very skilled and "gets" what it means to be a performer. He understands that without an audience, he's got nothing. As a fan, it's nice to be appreciated that way. This book forever changed how I "hear" BB music, for the better. I also recommend this book for those who want an example of an autobiography that does everything it possibly can to portray the author in the worst possible light. Fascinating. It's as though Mr. Love intended to come across as despicable, manipulative, creepy, and incredibly ignorant. But I do however have empathy for his rightful frustration in dealing with the likes of an entitled and drugged-out Brian and the egos of all the other players in the BB saga. I commend him for that. He was far more patient than I would have been. I also bought the Audible version that Mr. Love narrates which I don't recommend because it's creepier still. I felt genuinely dirty after listening to him, so much so that I thought about taking a shower to wash off the disgust. I am embarrassed for his many children who will only "know" him from this testimonial. Look, I appreciate honesty and candor but this work was needlessly careless in its approach on many subjects unrelated to BB music. From a literary structural perspective, were I the editor/publisher, I would have divided the book's contents into two sections: one devoted entirely to Mr. Love's involvement with the BBs; the other to his personal life outside of the BB bubble. As currently written, to get to a lot of the material that talks about BB music one has to endure reading about, incredibly, the current Mrs. Love's decision-making process that involves checking in with self-proclaimed gurus about the alignment of stars and planets or countless examples of Mr. Love's slavish and tediously-described blind devotion to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Clearly, acquiring or marrying into money and fame does not guarantee intelligence and wisdom. I do not recommend this book to anyone who wants to preserve an illusion that the BBs were a Brian Wilson-only production (that the words he sings were his, coming from his heart to the listener) and/or that the BBs actually lived a happy-go-lucky sunny beach surf lifestyle. For those of you that fall into this category, ignorance may very well be bliss.

Being a huge fan of the band and somewhat of an amateur Beach Boys historian, I eagerly awaited the release of this memoir and it certainly did not disappoint. Throughout the band's history, fans notoriously have been divided among the Brian Wilson fans and Mike Love fans. While I've always appreciated the efforts that each member brought to the band (it's what truly made the band great), I've always found myself cheering for team Love. While I love Brian Wilson, find him incredibly gifted musically and adore his singing abilities throughout the Beach Boys' recording career, the tortured genius story tends to bore me. I've always admired Mike Love's contributions to The Beach Boys (there are many) and I particularly respect his work ethic. While the eldest Wilson retreated from public life and abandoned his responsibilities within the band, it was Mike Love (and others) who've kept the Beach Boys' legacy active and alive from that point on. The biography is well-written and so well-balanced that it should please even the die-hard Beach Boys fanatic. He doesn't favor one topic or one member over another and it's non-gratuitous as far as the dirt is concerned, which leads me to believe that this is an honest account of facts. When it's piled on excessively, I tend to question the validity of the claim. As far as dishing the dirt, Love does indeed touch upon hot button topics on the minds of fans, such as the Sea of Tunes debacle, Dennis Wilson's affair with Love's second wife, His relationship with Murray Wilson, his love (and frustration) for his cousin Brian, Dennis Wilson's troubles and involvement with Charles Manson and the Manson Family, Carl Wilson's leadership roles, and the sad account of his untimely death, his involvement with TM, the 50th anniversary reunion album and tour and all the drama involved and of course the Eugene Landy abuse and Love's lengthy courtroom battle over lost royalties and song writing credits. All in all, I find this to be a very informative biography delivered in a classy way. Everything that needed to be said was done so in a non-venomous way. Taking into account some of the abuse that Mike Love has taken over the years, it would be understandable if he took that route, but he kept it honest and respectable. I've read all the books written on the subject of The Beach Boys and this one is right up there as one of my favorites. I doubt this one would disappoint anyone.

I love The Beach Boys music and have seen them in concert a few times but growing up surfing in the mid 60s, these guys always had a special meaning to me. I never was the biggest Mike Love fan but also never had anything against him. This book is just a fantastic summation of their career and lives through his eyes and it s truly interesting. Now, would someone else have a different version? Sure. I'm a big believer that the truth is always somewhere in the middle. No one is 100% right nor wrong. What he is great about is laying it the facts as he saw them. And contrary to some national reviews, I did not think he took shots at people. He clearly loved his cousins and most band members. I was under the impression hm and Dennis did not communicate at all. The book projects a different view of this. So what are the highlights? This squeaky clean band was knee deep in drugs and typical rock star debauchery. Brian Wilson lost his mind and may not have it all back. Dennis Wilson loved women and they loved him. Carl Wilson was a workhorse and serious about the band. Well, except when he wasn't overcome by drugs. But the biggest revelations will be about the lawsuits. Not so much the Brian Wilson/Dr. Landy story but more the Wilson/Love suit over songwriting. This is clearly the most controversial part of the book and is actually quite a compelling story. Overall I could not recommend this book higher! If a music fan of the 60s, 70s. Well, just a rock music fan or a fan of great music and its legends, read this book.

Thank goodness Mike Live wrote a memoir which gives HIS side of the story! To be fair, all Beach Boys fans should read this book whether or not you like or hate Mike Love. This book fills in some gaps and gives some important info. Must read for Beach Boys fans.

Sometimes Mike Love is so hateful and boring. But the overall message is good. Is a good tale of a loooong trip in the American history.

Having a somewhat negative opinion of Mike Love through the years, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how well-written this book is. It’s the best book I’ve read by a musical artist. Mike gives a very detailed and what reads as an honest, heartfelt account of the Beach Boys. It’s a fascinating story. I now have a new-found respect for Mike who has carried the torch for the band for many years . He deserves to be heard, and I’m really glad he wrote it. It’s been an entertaining, sad, wild, dysfunctional wave they’ve ridden (and fallen off at various and even numerous times) through the decades. But there will never be a more fun concert than a Beach Boys concert, and I’m glad I’ve seen all the original Beach Boys in various lineups through the years. Their 50th anniversary tour was the best!

ビーチボーイズ関連の本をいろいろと読んで、それなりに知識のある人には、間違いなく楽しめる本だと思う。これまでのビーチボーイズ関連本はブライアン中心だったが、マイクの視点を加えることで、ビーチボーイズの歴史を立体的に把握できるようになると思う。ジャン・アンド・ディーンにSurf Cityを提供したときのいきさつとか、デニス・ウィルソンとの確執とか、Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fameのスピーチでの暴言とか、知ってはいたけど、より具体的な記述で、そうだったんだ、とすごく楽しめて一気に読んでしまった。 また、決して悪い意味ではなく、マイクならではのビジネスの視点も面白く、ツアー収益の配分など、いろいろな具体的な数字が出てきて、とても興味深かった。 読み進めるうちに、マイクって世間で言われるほど嫌な奴じゃないじゃん、って思い始めたが、後半、ブライアンとの訴訟をめぐる話のあたりから、事実関係は別として、その書きっぷりから「やっぱり嫌な奴だな」って思ってしまったが、それを含めてビーチボーイズの歴史に興味がある人には十分、楽しめると思う。 TMに関する記述は退屈で、読み飛ばした。

I have now read a lot of stuff about the Beach Boys and this one, from Mike Loves point of view was a new perspective. I had never thought of him as a writer but of course he wrote lots of words for the band. This was easy to read and there was lots of interesting information about the ther beach boys.

Ehrlich gesagt war ich immer auf Brian Wilsons Seite, und einer derjenigen, die Mike Love als "Bösen" der Beach Boys ausgemacht hatten. Dennoch interessierte mich seine Sicht der Dinge, und auch, wie er die Karriere der Beach Boys beschreibt. Und siehe da, das Buch hat einiges verändert in meiner Sicht der Dinge. Ja, Brian Wilson ist ein musikalisches Genie, das bleibt so, aber Mike Love nicht der Bösewicht, den viele in ihm sehen wollen. Er schildert offen und sehr unterhaltsam alle Höhen und Tiefen und viele Anekdoten, die zum Beispiel in Brian Wilsons Autobiographie nicht vorkommen (diese ist dennoch auch lesenswert). Mike Love schildert sehr plausibel, wie viele Dinge abgelaufen sind, und gibt einen guten Einblick in eine der bedeutendsten Bands aller Zeiten. Ich bereue den Kauf des Buches nicht, ganz im Gegenteil, ich bin froh, es gelesen zu haben. Und freue mich nun auf das Konzert der Beach Boys in Düsseldorf im Juni!