More love for Mike

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© Brian Wilson will serenade the crowd at the dedication of a Beach Boys monument in his hometown of Hawthorne, California, on May 20th. He will play a short set on the site of the Wilson family house, where he and his late brothers Carl and Dennis first harmonized together. The location, which received landmark status twenty years after the house was demolished to build a freeway, will be marked with a statue built by one of Dennis Wilson's sons, Scott. "If you go over to England, they've got everything dedicated to the Beatles," says Scott Wilson, a building contractor. "The Beach Boys brought a lot to California -- the whole image of surfing, the beach and fast cars. Why can't we have something here?" The twenty-foot monument features a stone image of the band's 1963 Surfer Girl album cover, surrounded by a brick stage with six gold records cast in bronze, and a sign commemorating the site as California Historical Landmark No. 1041. The Wilson family selected the design over several submitted by fans to the Web site beachboyslandmark.org. For years, Beach Boys fanatics have Mecca'd from all over the world to 3701 West 119th Street, to find nothing but a patch of grass by a graffitied freeway sound wall. Former Beach Boys members Al Jardine and David Marks will also perform brief sets at the ceremony. But Wilson cousin Mike Love, the only other surviving founding member, declined his invitation. "I'm going to be making a living," he told Micky Dolenz on the former Monkees' New York morning radio show. The current Beach Boys lineup -- featuring Love as its only original member -- is scheduled to perform in Florida on May 20th.

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:21 (twenty-one years ago)

"I'm going to be making a living," he told Micky Dolenz on the former Monkees' New York morning radio show.

oh tee em

― Huk-L, Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:24 (twenty-one years ago)

...WHERE in Florida, though. Dinner theatre?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:28 (twenty-one years ago)

has anyone heard the Mickey Dolenz radio show? Is it good? awful?

― miccio (miccio), Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

It's passable, Anthony. Micky sometimes expresses condescending fatigue that people still treat him as "the Monkee" -- as if he'd have this gig without that one -- and his humor is often hokey, but sometimes sharp. I'm just glad it isn't morning-zoo dick humor. The worst part is "Monkee Minute," where he fields phone queries from listeners rapid-fire style: the people ask the same questions over and over ("Did Mike's mom really invent Liquid Paper?") and he clearly isn't close with any of them right now. But it's generally pleasant.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Not only is that not the real Beach Boys, it's not even the real Mike Love. I've been taking bong hits out of Mike's skull for the last 20 years. I came into possession of Mike's skull after he was torn apart by rabid ex-fans for singing "Kokomo" at a benefit concert to spread awareness that Mike Love was indeed the real genius behind The Beach Boys.

The role of Mike Love is currently being played by Gerald McRaney.

― Al Jardine, Thursday, 12 May 2005 20:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I am severely disappointed by this thread.

― Mike Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 12 May 2005 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I was just impressed that David Marks was part of the performance. Have I not been paying attention. David Marks?!

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Thursday, 12 May 2005 20:19 (twenty-one years ago)

ihttp://www.buddywoodward.net/gallery/albums/aljardine/aab.sized.jpg
http://www.buddywoodward.net/gallery/albums/aljardine/aac.sized.jpg

― darin (darin), Thursday, 12 May 2005 20:23 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

Vandals!

http://tinyurl.com/ahtp3

HAWTHORNE, Calif. - The new state historical landmark dedicated to the Beach Boys last month has already been the target of graffiti vandals.

The city quickly removed paint scrawled on the 119th Street monument and officials were considering a variety of security measures, including surveillance cameras, a fence or sealing it with a graffiti-resistant coating.

"I'm disappointed but not surprised. We knew (vandalism) would be an issue. I'm surprised it's gone this long without being tagged," said Harry Jarnagan, the Tracy construction engineer who led the drive to build the memorial dedicated May 21.

Beach Boys Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson grew up in Hawthorne. The Wilson home was demolished in the 1980s to make way for the Century Freeway.

Mayor Larry Guidi said he plans to meet with officials from a company that provides Internet-based surveillance cameras that could help protect structures on city property, including the monument.

The Beach Boys landmark features a stone sculpture of the 1963 "Surfer Girl" album cover and six gold records inlaid around a bronze plaque designating the site as California Historical Landmark No. 1,041.

On Tuesday, the City Council considered a law that would allow the city to levy fines of up to $1,000 against people who vandalize landmarks on city property, City Attorney Glen Shishido said.

Police Lt. Wayne Salmon said there were no arrests in connection with Sunday's vandalism.

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 20 June 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)

Hawthorne, CA has, well, changed in the past few decades, it's just a city of two away shy from Compton, Inglewood, Wilmington (L.A.), Lawndale, Torrance, etc. Hawthorne is pretty much the dividing line city between the "N.W.A." side of the South Bay and the "SST" side of the South Bay. I don't think most people who actually live in Hawthorne today have cared who the Beach Boys were since the late 70s.

― donut e-goo (donut), Monday, 20 June 2005 16:11 (twenty years ago)

I often think of myself as the dividing line between NWA and Beach Boys...

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 20 June 2005 17:09 (twenty years ago)

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