Surviving members of the Beach Boys got together last night for a Q&A session for SiriusXM, at the historic Capitol Records building in Hollywood, CA, the same room where some of their earliest hits were conceived decades ago. The segment saw classic band members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and David Marks, as well as longtime member Bruce Johnston, reunite for the first time since their 50th-anniversary reunion tour in 2012 to discuss the band’s legacy, hosted by director Rob Reiner.
A small crowd was gathered, as Reiner invited fans to offer questions to the five musical legends, as they sat comfortable and relaxed in white high-backed chairs. The discussion is to be aired August 10th, on the satellite radio’s Beach Boys channel. No tension seemed apparent in the famed Hollywood room, and the five remaining members seemed excited and pleased to be together.
Mike Love told Rolling Stone afterwards, “Brian and I connect on a pretty primordial level,” sporting white handlebar mustache, “He’s got his own band. We’ve got our own. We’re usually on our own trajectories. It’s very nice to get together.” Despite no tension or drama, as Beach Boys fans have endured in the past, there were no announcements for further collaborations Monday, but Love told Rolling Stone following the hour-long session, “I never say never”.
Below, you can read some of the highlights of Rob Reiner and the Beach Boys’ conversation:
On How David Marks Ended Up In The Beach Boys
David Marks: I moved across the street from Dennis, Carl and Brian Wilson when I was about seven years old.
Carl Reiner: So, location, location, location, is what I’m hearing from you.
David Marks: Exactly. I was an only child, and I hung out there all the time. … Then one day Brian decided to have Carl [Wilson] and I… play on ‘Surfer Girl.’
On Any Missed Collaborations They Regret Not Bringing To Fruition
Al Jardine: I know: the Beatles. I thought we were going to. John [Lennon] and George [Harrison] came up to my hotel room in London back in the Sixties. We were on our way to do a show in Paris. I thought they were going to discuss some music with me – I thought we were going to do something. In fact, they taught me transcendental meditation.
On The Beach Boys’ Surfing Skills
Carl Reiner [When an older male fan stood up to ask a question]: It looks like you’re ready to go surfing right now. Why does everyone have a Hawaiian shirt on? Are we doing ‘Kokomo’ later?
Mike Love: I recall Al having a surfboard. … But we sing about it a lot better than [we] actually did it.
David Marks: Who likes having their face jammed into the bottom of the ocean?
Carl Reiner: David, are you Jewish?
David Marks: Uh, yeah, I am … adverse to water? The original lyric is ‘Surfin’ Sephardic [pauses for laughs]. … I’m actually mostly Italian. [late founding band member] Dennis [Wilson] took me surfing too, but I wasn’t very good at it. There were girls there so I kept going.
On The Beach Boys’ Songwriting Process
Brian Wilson: I’ll play chords, and play, play, play and play forever, and all of sudden the melody comes.
Mike Love: One of the things about the Beach Boys’ music – and probably because Brian is a Gemini – is that everything is different from the last one. It’s not just a copy of a former single. That was the beauty of the Beach Boys catalogue – the diversity: different lead singers, different tempos, different keys, different arrangements and chord progressions. Nobody was more masterful at chord progressions than Brian — and the harmonies. We were students of the Four Freshman. They’re pretty complex, but we blended it with rock & roll.
On 1966 Hit Single “Good Vibrations”
Bruce Johnston: When I first heard it, I knew either this is going be Number One or our career is over.
The full hour-long Beach Boys Q&A session will be aired on SiriusXM’s, Good Vibrations: The Beach Boys Channel, August, 10th. While you wait, you can watch a video of the new Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recording of “Good Vibrations”, which was played as part of the session.
The New Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Recording “Good Vibrations”
[Video: Beach Boys]
The full hour-long Beach Boys Q&A session will be aired on SiriusXM’s, Good Vibrations: The Beach Boys Channel, August, 10th.
[H/T Rolling Stone]