Credit: OfficialMikeLove/Facebook
Yes, Mike Loveโ€”the only true original member in the current iteration of The Beach Boys (sorry, Bruce Johnston)โ€”has played trophy hunting galas and attended CPAC, but MAGA and politics aside, letโ€™s not forget the way he treated his bandmates.

He once told Brian Wilsonโ€”who was in the middle of making Pet Soundsโ€”not to โ€œfuck with the formula,โ€ and would later sue his way into receiving undeserved songwriting credits, earning the right to tour under the Beach Boys name after the death of Carl Wilson.

The 81-year-old later unsuccessfully sued Brian for โ€œshamelessly misappropriating Mike Loveโ€™s songs, likeness, and the Beach Boys trademarkโ€ upon the release of Wilsonโ€™s long-shelved tortured masterpiece Smile in 2004, which Love disapproved of during original production in the 1960s.

But hey, if โ€œKokomoโ€ is your bag, head down to Ruth Eckerd Hall. Who knows, maybe John Stamos or Mark McGrath will show up.

Tickets to see Mike Love’s Beach Boys play Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on Wednesday, Feb. 22 are still available and start at $53.25.

Josh Bradley is Creative Loafing Tampa's resident live music freak. He started freelancing with the paper in 2020 at the age of 18, and has since covered, announced, and previewed numerous live shows in...