Mike Love Named His Son After Another Member of the Beach Boys
Mike Love is a songwriter and a father, even naming one son Brian Love. This is a nod to another member of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, even though the two donāt share a close relationship today. Hereās what Love wrote in the memoir Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy.
Mike Love and Brian Wilson sometimes wrote ābeautiful songs togetherā
Although his later years with the Beach Boys were marked by drug use, Brian Wilson earned his place in the Songwriterās Hall of Fame. In Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy, Love shared his perspective on Wilsonās road to recovery.
āI thought I had seen a new Brian ā someone who was recovering physically and mentally, someone who would reconnect with the group, and someone who would sit at the piano, like he and I did in the old days, when the magic occurred,ā Love wrote. āMaybe it was a miracle.āĀ
As of 2023, Brian Wilson and Love are credited as songwriters for āWouldnāt It Be Nice,ā āI Get Around,ā āGood Vibrations.ā and other hits. Thereās even a personal connection between Brian Wilson and one of Loveās children.
Mike Love of the Beach Boys named his son BrianĀ
Aside from his work as a songwriter, Love appeared as a husband and father, even naming one son ā Brian Edward Alan Love ā after the fellow Beach Boys member.
āAround others, we called our son āBaby Brianā or āLittle Brian,ā hopeful that he would acquire the best personal traits of his famous second cousin and believing that Brian Wilson would once again be part of all of our lives,ā Love noted in the same memoir.
Love is a father of eight ā Shawn Marie Love, Ambha Love, Brian Edward Alan Love, Hayleigh Love, Summer Love, Melinda Love, Christian Love, and Teresa Love.
Are Mike Love and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys friends?
Itās unclear just how friendly Love and Wilson are today. In 1992, Love sued Brian Wilson, claiming songwriting credits on 48 songs ā including ā³I Get Aroundā³ and ā³409.ā This wouldnāt be the first time Love took legal action against his cousin. However, the subsequent win caused tension among the performers.Ā
āSometimes we wrote beautiful songs together in the middle of the night,ā Love said during an interview with OnMilwaukee. āBrian and I were best friends long before the band came along, but that didnāt last.ā
Now, Mike Love is the artist with exclusive rights to perform under the Beach Boysā name, sometimes performing with John Stamos. (In 2022, Brian Wilson toured under his legal name alongside the Beach Boysā Al Jardine.)Ā
When the Beach Boys took a break, Jardine said during an interview with Catalyst that he āchose to help Brian out because he needs the help. Thatās pretty much the way it is right now, although after this tour I have a feeling Iāll be doing more of my own shows.ā