Al Jardine has spoken out against Mike Love’s eulogy at Brian Wilson’s funeral, which has led to more tension between the Beach Boys members, Rolling Stone reported.
Jardine said he was disappointed with Love’s speech because it focused too much on taking credit for writing “Good Vibrations” instead of showing compassion for Brian. He explained that while he also wrote songs with Wilson, his focus at the funeral was on honoring Brian, not himself.
“Mike wanted everybody to know that he wrote every single word of ‘Good Vibrations.’ I didn’t feel the compassion, let’s put it that way. Mike’s got some serious megalomania problems,” Jardine said.
Mike Love’s team responded, saying his main goal has always been to share the music he created with Brian and the Beach Boys with fans around the world. They added that he has worked to keep their songs alive and has supported charities using his platform.
“Mike, I’ve written some songs with Brian myself. We wrote one called ‘Surfin’ Down the Swanee River.’ It just wasn’t as big as ‘Good Vibrations.’ I was focusing on Brian, and Mike was more focused on Mike. I think that is what it boiled down to,” he added.
The argument over “Good Vibrations” goes back many years. Brian Wilson composed and produced the song, while Mike Love wrote the lyrics. For decades, Love wasn’t officially credited as co-writer, until a 1994 lawsuit gave him recognition. The song is considered a rock classic, and its recording was groundbreaking because it used layers of sounds and session musicians.
Jardine’s public comments show that even after Wilson’s death, old creative fights in the band are still causing problems. What was meant to be a time of unity has instead highlighted the long-lasting rifts within the Beach Boys.
