I saw the Beach Boys last night with my daughter, which reminded me of a Mike Love story from a few years back.
At the time I was overseeing (among a zillion other things) The Wiseguy Show. This was at the height of Sopranos-mania, and Steven Van Zandt had the idea to create a show with the vibe of hanging out at the Bada Bing. Vinny Pastore was the star and we surrounded him with character actors and one bona-fide awesome radio guy (Joe Causi) to hold it together.
On this night the guests are Mike Love and Bruce Johnston and we’re hanging out in the control room and I am lightly talking with Mike (without being a starf***er) and he asks if they are really wiseguys.
You know how sometimes you say the right thing in the right way, well I said back in a totally reverential non-jerky way, “It’s kinda like being a real surfer” (meaning, it’s show-biz). Mike totally got it and I saw the twinkle in his eye that he appreciated where I was coming from and not being a douche. Nice moment.
I got to spend another few minutes with Mike a few years later during the 2012 anniversary tour, and I also got to spend some time with Al Jardine separately – his son Matt was a big fan of the comedy channels and wanted a tour. I got a call from Steve Leeds asking if I would mind giving Al Jardine a tour. Um…sure!!!!!
I can’t find my pics of Mike and I this morning but here’s me with Al.
Anyways….the show was great last night and man Mike looks so damned happy singing songs about cars. Good times, nice night and nice memories. Enjoy the weekend!