He once told Brian Wilson—who was in the middle of making Pet Sounds—not to “fuck with the formula,” 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 “shamelessly misappropriating Mike Love’s songs, likeness, and the Beach Boys trademark” upon the release of Wilson’s long-shelved tortured masterpiece Smile in 2004, which Love disapproved of during original production in the 1960s.
But hey, if “Kokomo” 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.
This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2023.