One of the most reported quotes from Mike Love’s autobiography, ‘Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy’, reads: “For those who believe that Brian walks on water, I will always be the Antichrist.”

When I speak to the 76-year-old about the documented fall-out between the two cousins, he insists that there is a lot of inaccuracies.

“On a musical level, there has never been an issue, however, lifestyle choices have caused divisions and schisms and things like that. There’s no doubt about that”, Love explains.

“But if it were just Brian (Wilson) and I in a room with a piano, nature would take over. We’ve been doing this since childhood – singing and harmonising – so fundamentally that is our relationship and that has been responsible for the majority of hits that we have.”

The Beach Boys were formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961 by the Wilson brothers – Brian, Dennis and Carl – and Love, their cousin, along with school friend Al Jardine.

Their iconic songs including Wouldn’t It Be Nice, God Only Knows and Good Vibrations were the soundtrack to the 60s but the band’s career was not as breezy as their music.

Their manager, Murry Wilson, was abusive and infamous for inflicting rigid control on the band while issues with drugs ravaged Brian Wilson’s mental state causing him to suffer from depression, schizophrenic tendencies and nervous breakdowns.

For Love, he found early on that a positive lifestyle is imperative to being a ‘proper’ vocal group – the opposite of that being undertaken by Wilson.
In 1967, he spent time in India where he learned to meditate with George Harrison and spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at his place in Rishikesh.

“George gave me a painting of Mahesh which hangs in my home. Every time I walk by that, I think of those times.

“I wrote a song as a tribute to him which is in our show called ‘Pisces Brothers’. He was a great soul, a great person. He loved meditation and Harekrushna people. We have some video in the show of footage that has never been seen from that trip.

“My daily meditation helps me thrive and survive in the midst of all the challenges and stresses involved in travelling. It gives me clarity and positivity in spite of any of the negative things that may have happened along the way. It helps give me the energy to do what we do.”

Spirituality is one of the many aspects of Love’s life which is touched upon in the Good Vibrations autobiography.

The book is the first time the performer has been able to address what he calls “inaccuracies or fallacies” that exist about him and the group.

“I had never commented in any degree on my cousin Dennis’s affiliation with Charles Manson or the Manson family but I did in my book”, he explains.

“I call that time in the 60s the diabolical and the divine. It was just an amazing time period and there was a lot of great music but at the same time you had the Vietnam war and the Manson family.

“I got the opportunity to comment on all that from my perspective so from that standpoint people have said it’s a very straight forward book.”
Following the death of Dennis and Carl Wilson and the departure of Brian, who now tours with his own band, Love tours with a new line-up of Beach Boys including Beach Boy-vet Bruce Johnston—Jeffrey Foskett, Brian Eichenburger, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill of The Cowsills and Scott Totten.

The group average at around 160 shows a year and 2017 is set to be no different.

Audience response is what keeps them happy to come out and perform, according to Love.

“Long before we became famous or well known, our family tradition was music, getting together and harmonising whether it be birthday parties or Christmas.

“My family was so musical, my mother’s side in particular and we grew up in a musical environment. When we were making music together, we made these songs which are still appreciated to this day.

“We’re very blessed to be able to do what we do. Our music appealed to a young generation then and with every successive generation, they still appreciate The Beach Boys.”

The Beach Boys will play the SEC Armadillo on Friday.