Beach Boys’ Love Talks Reunion Plans, Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls’
The Beach Boys will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first single in 2011, but the group’s Mike Love says that any specific reports about how they’ll do that are premature.
“There have been a lot of ideas floated, but nothing decided,” the senior remaining Beach Boy tells Billboard.com. “So far it’s just conversation. There are no big plans yet — although there’s a lot of interest from a lot of people to see what would happen if we got together and did some new music and maybe did some shows. But so far nothing’s firm.”
Former group member Al Jardine recently said the group — including Brian Wilson, Bruce Johnston and early member David Marks — would reunite in 2011 for at least one reunion show, probably free. And an early suggestion was made that Wilson and Love would be collaborating on some new material, but that was rebuffed by Wilson’s management, who cited his focus on his upcoming “Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin,” due Aug. 17.
“I’ve had a few conversations recently with my cousin Brian…about doing some musical projects together,” Love says. “But we’re busy touring, he’s busy recording and doing some dates, so in the fall we’ll get more focused on it.” Love says he himself has recorded “18 to 20 songs that I have yet to come out with,” including tunes inspired by his experiences with Transcendental Meditation and the Maharashi Mahesh Yogi and a song entitled “Pisces Brothers,” which Love describes as “a reminiscence about George Harrison.”
Meanwhile, Love says he’s getting his head around the idea that it’s been 50 years since the Beach Boys released their debut single, “Surfin’.” “It’s a pretty remarkable landmark,” he says. “I’m almost at a loss for words, but it is pretty damn special to even contemplate doing something 50 years after you started. It’s pretty amazing to still have our music in films and people coming to see us five decades are we started. Initially the subject matter was so unique — songs about surfing, great cars, being true to your school, California girls. And the subject matter is still in vogue — just ask Katy Perry.”
And Love’s thoughts about Perry’s “California Gurls?” “I think the part she did is pretty cool,” he says. “There are a lot of writers on it, and I think it’s probably a stroke of genius to have the king of canine cool, Mr. [Snoop] Dogg, do his thing. But I think her creative part, her musical part, is pretty hooky. I think it brings the Beach Boys’ 1965 classic to mind, that’s for sure.”
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