When Al Jardine phones up Rolling Stone, it’s a little over 12 hours since he got offstage at his surprise reunion concert with former Beach Boys bandmates Bruce Johnston and David Marks at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerritos, California. It was an incredible night of music that also featured unannounced appearances from Carnie Wilson, Marilyn Wilson, and Jan and Dean’s Dean Torrence. Jardine calls us shortly before boarding a flight, and continues the conversation once he takes his seat and awaits takeoff.
There’s much to discuss. The Cerritos show marked Jardine’s first time sharing the stage with Johnston in well over a decade, the live debut of the 1979 Beach Boys deep cut “It’s a Beautiful Day,” a rare opportunity for fans to see Marks play classics like “Surfin’ Safari” and “Little Deuce Coupe” that he recorded as a teenager in the early 1960s, and only the second time that Marilyn Wilson has performed the Beach Boys Love You favorite “Let’s Put Our Hearts Together” since laying down the original vocal in 1977.
By total coincidence, this was taking place at almost the exact same time that a frail Mike Love was playing a show 2,000 miles away at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, which could wind up being his final public performance after well over 7,000 concerts across the past 65 years. Jardine isn’t in regular contact with Love, and they’ve had their disagreements over the years, but it was still devastating for him to witness his former bandmate in his condition, even from afar. But we started the conversation with the happier topic of the Cerritos show.
How was last night?
It was great. It was a huge, huge show. It felt like a reunion of sorts. Bruce, David, and Dean all joined me for the encore. There was good energy, very positive.
When did you start planning that show?
It’s been on the books for about six months.
Why did you want that one to be special with so many guests?
I guess because it’s an L.A. show. We had an opportunity to do one of my favorite songs about L.A. called “It’s a Beautiful Day.” It’s the first time ever performed. It went over great. The band loves the song. It’s a tribute to L.A. with Carl signing the refrain. He sounds magnificent. It’s an outtake from a couple of sessions we did. It’s really clever. It has an open, welcoming feeling to it. I always remember Carl singing the refrain. I loved it.
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Tell me about getting Bruce Johnston to perform with you.
Bruce and I have been communicating for a while, just talking, chatting, because he just was no longer touring with Mike. So we had a chance to catch up and I invited him to the show because I thought we’re coming to L.A., why not bring out the old gang together, me and him, and just have some fun? And we had a very short rehearsal. As most things go, the show is always better when you have your friends around you, companions, familiar faces and good energy. And let’s not gorget about Dave, for God’s sake.
Dave was the biggest surprise because he carried the load. He was a totally different David Marks. He came right up there and did all the right parts, sang great. He did Mike’s leads on a couple of songs, and I backed him up and tried to make him feel comfortable because he hadn’t sung for months. It was a long time he hadn’t been on a stage and he was overwhelmed. He was emotionally fulfilled, he said. It was the best night of his life. Isn’t that great?
Yeah. I love seeing him play the parts he originated back in 1962.
Yeah. But now, he’s singing lead. And he didn’t sing that much before. Not at all, really. Now, he’s totally reborn. So between he and Bruce, they were singing together for a while on the mic all on the encore and they were just taking over the show. I just was glad to be there.
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Dean Torrence too.
He actually did his classic falsetto parts on my mic. I couldn’t believe I was listening to “Barbara Ann” again, because he’s the one that double-tracked Brian on that song. And I thought, “Hey, he can still do it.” It was fun.
Carnie and Marilyn also came out.
Oh my gosh. There’s so much dynamics up there. Marilyn did a great job. She was just perfect, as usual. I mean, everyone up there had credentials. They were way overqualified. I felt like, “Well, what am I doing here?”
You certainly belong there too. It was your band.
Well, yeah, but the truth is I’m just riding the wave right now. I’m an excellent surfer. I’m just on top of the wave.
What’s it been like emotionally reconnecting with Bruce? I’d imagine you hadn’t really talked for a long time.
No, we didn’t talk at all for a while and I felt bad for him when he got jettisoned from the Love band. So that’s what’s kindled it really.
He offered to come, and he didn’t want to do more than two songs. I said, “Why don’t you just stick around and sing some of the Pet Sounds stuff with us? Because you were on the recording.” And he said, “No, I just want to do those two songs, and that’s that.” He was very emphatic. He usually knows just how to set the borders. But he did join us on the encore.
Do you know why Mike jettisoned him?
Yeah. We talked about it. Well, I don’t believe there’s an answer. Bruce just felt it was time for him… He said, “It was time for me to go,” because he could see it going south. That’s really basically what he told me.
Going south in terms of Mike’s health?
I’m sure that’s part of it because when you’ve been with someone for 65 years, you can see if changes are happening. You’ll notice. So I assume that’s probably what he saw, but just generally he didn’t want to be part of that any longer. That was his way of putting it.
Tell me a little more about what it meant for you to be up there with so many old friends.
Oh, it’s great. They’re the best background singers on the planet right behind me. I had a wonderful mix. Normally, I’m not that happy with the sound. But we spent a lot of time sound-checking, so we finally got our blends together, and it was powerful. And singing with the old crew, and my new band…these guys are so sharp. Of course, [keyboardist] Darian [Sahanaja] rehearses the guys relentlessly, and it really pays off.
Do you know who is the unsung hero of the band? [Keyboardist] Debbie Shair. She makes the show possible because of her genuine love of the music. She’s on so many levels better than the rest of us. I know it sounds weird that I’m gushing. But I told her the other night, “Debbie, the light was on you tonight.” Not only is she beautiful, but when she performs, she does everything that the guys wish they could do, technically. She helps everyone set up the show before the show could even be possible. And then she has one of the best voices onstage.
During “Sloop John B,” the teleprompter went down. Fortunately, I know the lyrics, so I really don’t need it. But it was bouncing around and not functioning right, even before that. I had to be on my own cognizance. But she ran over to my wife, MaryAnn, the teleprompter person. She runs over, resets the teleprompter, since it’s on the same wifi as her cellphone. She fixes the glitch, and runs back before the song is over, and we’re ready for the next one. I don’t know what she can’t do. She’s going to be very embarrassed, but she never gets any credit for anything.
And unlike the Beach Boys, we’re allowed to have a female in our band. Believe it or not, the license prohibits that in the Beach Boys. It’s one of those funny deals that I can never figure out. We used to have Toni Tennille in the band, but that’s when we were all Beach Boys.
In this case, I’m blessed with Debbie. She’s Darian’s significant other. She’s always played second fiddle, but she plays her butt off, and sings great. And she’s the joy factor. She gets into every song, and she actually dances during “Johnny Carson.” You’ll see actual choreography there, which she invented herself. That’s nothing she can’t do.
What’s the plan for next year? Are you booking more shows?
There aren’t a whole lot of things on the book, but I permitted the agent to book a couple of shows just to have them in our pocket, just to see how things flesh out with Mike and what he’s going through. It’s so sad to see him in that condition that it’s hard to make plans. I don’t know. I’m just going to do what I’ve been doing until something else happens. But right now, this band is so sharp, I haven’t got really any other motive to do anything else.
Are you hoping to bring out Bruce and David at future shows?
It’s really up to Bruce. He’s got so much going on now. He said to me, “I didn’t know I’d ever be this famous.” It’s funny because people all want a Q&A with Bruce or a story or a new song. He’s always got something going on, so he’s really happy. But he’ll come to some of the bigger…I would say the higher profile events. He would love to come to those kinds of things, but he doesn’t want to be tied down, let’s put it that way.
And I don’t know about David. David’s health is getting better and he sounds great. We’ll just see what happens. Right now, probably more of the California-based shows, but we’ll see. We’ll see if there’s a demand for it. Someone has to ask for that kind of a show, and then we can talk about it.
Might you invite Blondie Chaplin to some future shows?
Definitely. He was going to come to this one, but I think for health reasons, he wasn’t able to make it this time. So we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.
Have you seen the footage at Mike at the last couple of Beach Boys concerts?
Well, yes, it’s shocking and I was really depressed. I had to really shake myself out of it just to get onstage. Just the optics of it were just awful and I’m speechless.
I can’t imagine they’re going to do many shows with him like that.
I would hope not. That’s just not right, that I can see. Obviously, he’s a total pro. He wants to be onstage, but he just doesn’t know how not to do it. He doesn’t know what else to do, so I think he’s trapped.
If he can’t play shows any more, what happens to the Beach Boys name?
I think the brand will go on and on and on. I don’t know about performing. Performance-wise, I haven’t a clue what would happen. We’ll find out. I don’t know if I want to be called the Beach Boys or not. But if it made sense, if there was some sense to tie that into the Pet Sounds Band name. It’s hard to get all those words. But if there’s a way to combine the bands in a way that made sense, that might fly.
Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group bought the Beach Boys brand. Is he the one who will determine who can tour under that name?
That’s a very good question. To be honest with you, I don’t know. Knowing Irving, he probably has something to say about it. He bought our brand, and he’s really buying publishing. That’s really what these guys do. They buy publishing. I don’t know how he feels about the performance band, to be honest with you.
I could imagine something like the Beach Boys featuring Al Jardine and the Pet Sounds Band.
I’d be honored if it came to that. There’s a complexity to it, but it’s also a good one. It works. I don’t know if I can get my buddies, the other Beach Boys, to come out at every show though. We’ll see what happens.
Could the current band just kept touring as the Beach Boys without Mike?
Well, you need the lead singers. If you don’t have that, who do you have? I mean, at least I can still sing, so that really helps.
That definitely helps indeed.
Actually, I do a darn good job. I pride myself with being almost as good as Mike on his leads, because someone has to do them. I mean, it’s just the way it is. And I always enjoy doing them, so that really helps. If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it.
The timing of the show was pretty bizarre in that you’re doing this grand reunion with Bruce, David, and Dean while Mike was doing what could be his last concert in Nashville.
Isn’t that ironic? That’s so true. It wasn’t lost on me either. But being hyper-focused, I wasn’t focused on that. We had a lot of guest stars up there.
Yeah. Carnie was great too.
She introduced her husband, Rob, who is an extraordinary guitar player, ten times better than me, and her mother. We’re just loaded with talent. It’s amazing. I mean, [keyboardist] Gary Griffin has been in the band for eons. He’s our Dennis Wilson voice now. He does that character. He also does some of Mike’s leads.
The thing we wanted to do, but couldn’t because of Mike’s obviously failing health, was a shtick with Gary singing Mike’s leads since he sounds just like Mike. He has that look down. And it was meant to be fun, not ridiculing. It added a dimension. But we wanted to keep it straight. Gary has been with us since M.I.U. [Album] 50 years ago. Can you believe it? “It’s a Beautiful Day” is a hidden gem, and the crowd loved it because it has that refrain “living out in L.A.”
Next year is the 60-year Smile anniversary. Are you going to add more of those songs into your set?
Geez. Wow. We’ve fantasized going back to London and re-imagining the Love You album there like Brian did Smile at the Royal Festival Hall. And I think that’s what we’d like to do, is just go on beyond Smile. I have to look at Darian. I mean, he’s really up to his neck in so many things and so many of these albums. We just have to hope Darian can hold up under the pressure because that’s a task. But thank God we have most of the players who’ve been there and done that, so that’s our plus, is that these guys are already well-honed in all of the practical matters. Musically, I mean. I’d enjoy doing at least a week of it maybe, but again, that’s up to Darian.
Doing a week of Love You as opposed to Smile, right?
Yeah. I’d rather focus on Love You than Smile, to be honest with you.
Do you think Mike should stop doing these shows?
I think he needs to repair himself too. But see, he’s a consummate professional. He lives for the stage, so I don’t think any amount of coercion or suggestion is going to change his mind. He lives for that.
I’d imagine you wouldn’t want to be on a concert stage in that condition.
No, I wouldn’t want to be put in a wheelchair and go out and attempt to…Well, what we do is sing. That’s our job. That’s what we do. We sing, we’re professionals, and you can’t do that in his condition now. So I would think at some point, he’ll… He’s probably trying to pass the torch, is what I’m thinking. We’ve never really talked about it, but that’s what it feels like. Maybe to his son. And him being there is a symbol.
Doesn’t logic dictate that the Beach Boys torch goes to you?
Well, and the Pet Sounds Band. Holy crap. I mean, I’m sitting on a rocket, on a booster rocket right now. I can hardly keep up with these guys. And it’s nice to be able to stand there and just listen to the background harmonies. I often tell the crowd, “It’s like being in a studio in front of an audience now.”
It’s so clear. It’s so nice to hear that. And these are just regular guys. They’re not professional, union singers. They’re just guys that Darian had the wisdom to insert into the band.
Do you think about Brian a lot when you’re onstage?
Oh yeah, I always do, on “Solar System” especially. I love that one because I tell the story about Marilyn and him going to the astronomy class at UCLA. That’s one of my favorite stories, and about how he played the song for the students. And they really liked it, but the teacher said, “I don’t think that’s going to go very far, Brian.” I always tell those little stories because it’s true. Marilyn told me herself. And I had no idea he took a night school in astronomy.
I love that you’re playing songs like that. The Beach Boys live experience for so many years, decades even, was basically the same 25 or so hits.
Exactly! It got to be like a traveling jukebox, which we joked about, but that’s exactly what it was. And now I have a chance, thanks to all this additional talent, to extend the career by quite a ways, and even go back 50 years and catch ones we haven’t done before.
I wrote the last verse to “It’s a Beautiful Day” before soundcheck. And Debbie caught it. She caught me rehearsing it, put it on her phone, sent it to the teleprompter, and it was on the teleprompter before I even finished soundcheck. The lyrics are so weird. When we wrote it, I don’t know what Mike and I were doing, since we didn’t do drugs. But it didn’t make sense, and I was having trouble memorizing it, so I wrote a new one. I thought, “You know what, I can do better than this.” Debbie doesn’t miss a thing. She also makes Darian laugh, which isn’t easy. The two of them were built for each other, and they compete with each other in a really quiet way. [Laughs] As a woman being surrounded by men, she handles that really well. She’s kind of like my wife. They are compatriots. They don’t take no for an answer. They know what they’re talking. There’s no bullshit there.
Are you hoping you’ll be able to do a bunch of shows next year?
Well, I’ll have the energy if we have the right transportation. Right now, we’re doing airports, and it’s pretty crowded now and it’s pretty rough. Mike has a NetJet, believe it or not. He actually can avoid some of these difficult holidays and stuff because he has an interest in this company called NetJet. I may have to graduate. I may have to ask for Mike’s ticket to ride.
You really do need an airplane.
Yeah, I need an airplane. Or a bus. It was more fun with the Brian band, well, Pet Sounds band I’ll call it, when we had our own bus. That was really cool. Never had to go to an airport. We all were able to talk about the show afterwards. We could watch a movie. We could get good rest. And that’s how I think we’re going to do it. That would be my guess.
So if you had that bus, you’d be prepared to be gone from home for months at a time and really tour hard?
Yes. If we can get a proper itinerary. That’s been the problem lately is that we’ve been hopscotching all over the country with one-offs, and that’s been a burnout for me. I think we can fix that, especially when the price of fuel goes down.
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If Mike’s not out there competing with you, you’d think demand would go up.
That’s a good point. But I feel so bad for him. I really do.
He had a great chance to say goodbye to the fans at the Ryman.
It’s really tough to quit something that you’ve been doing for 65 years. We can’t imagine life any other way. It might work better if Mike were on the side, sitting in the wings, rather than that center position. I don’t know whose bright idea that was. But I really pity his situation, as we all do. It’s horrible.