Beach Boys singer Mike Love talks to LI kids
Mike Love of the Beach Boys with his children, Ambha, left, Brian and Christian, with Kidsday reporters Jacob Adams, Matthew Thomsen, Bella Romeo and Francesca Palesado, all from Wading River, at the SIR rehearsal hall in Manhattan. Credit: Newsday/Pat Mullooly
We were really excited to have an opportunity to meet Mike Love and three of his children at a music studio in Manhattan. Mike Love is the lead vocalist for The Beach Boys. He just released a new Christmas album, “Reason for the Season.” We love this album because it has lots of holiday favorites and even a few new Christmas songs. It has many songs for people to enjoy around the holidays.
The Beach Boys formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. They are recognized as one of the most influential bands in rock and roll and have sold more than 350 million records all over the world. They were even awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Dec. 30, 1980.
It was raining cats and dogs on the day we went to meet Mike, but we didn’t care because we were on our way to meet a famous singer. We were lucky enough to get to the soundstage early and see the Beach Boys rehearse. It was amazing to watch the Beach Boys, which included Bruce Johnston, Mike Love's kids Ambha, Christian and Brian, along with the group Hanson, and they sounded terrific.
After their rehearsal, we interviewed Mike and his children. Mike was sweet and funny, and he answered all of our questions. We wanted to know at what age he realized that music was going to be a career for him. He said never really thought he was going to make a career out of being a musician.
We were interested to know what inspired him to write the Christmas album. He said he took all of the good things from Christmas and turned them into a Christmas album.
Another question we asked was what he wishes for Christmas. Mike wanted love and peace for the world. His daughter Ambha wanted socks, which we all thought was funny, and Christian wanted peace in the world. Brian wanted snowboarding equipment. He loves to snowboard.
We then asked them if any of the songs on the Christmas album remind him of being a kid during Christmastime. Mike said it reminds him a lot of being a kid during Christmas because he and his family used to go caroling in their neighborhood.
We questioned if he thought meditation helped him write songs and he said meditation helps to release his stress level.
Along with that, we asked why he named the band The Beach Boys. Love replied they called the band The Beach Boys because many of the band members liked to surf.
We were curious to know if there were any Beach Boys songs that he didn’t like to sing anymore. He said this was a good question. We were very surprised by his answer because he said it’s the opposite. When he performs for a concert, he sings for only a couple of hours, so he has to choose which songs to sing because he can’t sing them all. We think choosing the songs must be really hard because he has so many great songs from which to pick.
We also asked what his No. 1 selling album was. The answer: "Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys."
When asked about his favorite place to perform, he said there are many different amazing places, like on the beach, and places in Hawaiiand in Europe. He also explained that they are lucky to have seen the world and experienced different cultures.
Another question we wanted to know the answer to is what is his favorite Christmas song on his new album to perform. Love responded that there are so many different songs that give you different feelings, it’s hard to choose.
Furthermore, we wanted to know which of his albums was his favorite to make, and he said that his new album “Reason for the Season” was his favorite. His daughter said this album has songs for every kind of mood. There are songs you can dance to and songs for sitting around the fire.
We asked Mike if after 50 years, do the fans’ responses ever amaze him, and to our surprise he started to get emotional. He told us about a concert that was on the Fourth of July in Washington, D.C., with more than half a million people who started cheering for them before they performed. It was one of the largest live crowds.
In addition to the interview, we actually got to sing “Jingle Bell Rock” with Mike and his children. This is a song on his new holiday album, and we had fun singing with them. And you can sing along with the Beach Boys, too, when they make their way to The Paramount in Huntington, Dec. 11.
Info: paramountny.com
