In a move that in no way reflects the spirit of his last name, Beach Boys frontman Mike Love has released a public statement to announce that the Beach Boys will be a very different band following their current 50th Reunion Tour. Specifically, it will be a band that features 60-percent fewer Beach Boys, as David Marks, Al Jardine, and Brian Wilson are all getting fired. They won't be able to perform as the Beach Boys either, since Love licensed the name in 1998. As if that weren't harsh enough, the one other Beach Boy allowed to remain with the band, Bruce Johnston, isn't even an original member, having joined in 1965.
Sources indicate that Love—who cited his fear of overexposure as the reasoning behind his decision—was not particularly forthcoming about his plans with the rest of the Group Formerly Known As The Beach Boys. The A.V. Club reported in June that Love planned to perform as the Beach Boys at several shows in October, at least one of which was cancelled when venue managers at Nutty Jerry's in Winnie, Texas found out that by "Beach Boys," Love really meant, "Me and Bruce Johnston and some random backup guys." Love subsequently expressed his frustration with the cost of the band's reunion tour.
Wilson was caught off-guard by the October shows, telling Rolling Stone he was surprised by Love's plans, and he seems to have been left out of the loop once again. In a pretty earnest statement to CNN on Sunday, Wilson said he "can't understand why [Love] doesn't want to tour with Al, David and me. After all, we are the real Beach Boys."
Fans have responded to Love's apparent disdain for the rest of the group by starting an online petition to reinstate Marks, Jardine, and Wilson. Love hasn't expressed any interest in touring with the original band in future, although he told the Los Angeles Times he could see recording another album if he got to write some songs with Wilson.
The band's tour wraps up on Wednesday—with what may be the last show for the original Beach Boys—at Wembley Stadium in London.