Former Beach Boy Al Jardine is speaking out on Mike Love’s health after recent performance footage and comments from guest artist John Stamos sparked concerns about the Beach Boys frontman.
Although Jardine was not in regular contact with Love and they had disagreements in the past, he was upset when he saw footage of his former bandmate at the last two concerts.
“It’s shocking and I was really depressed,” Jardine said. rolling stone. “I had to really struggle just to get on stage. The optics were just horrible and I’m speechless.”
Although the future of Love’s performances is unknown, Jardine said he did not think Love should continue. (“It’s just not right,” he said.) But he knows the Beach Boys frontman doesn’t want to stop.
“Obviously, he’s a real pro. He wants to be on stage, but he just doesn’t know how not to,” Jardine said. rolling stone. “He doesn’t know what else to do, so I think he’s trapped.”
He later added that Love “lives for the stage, so I don’t think any coercion or suggestion is going to change his mind.”
At a concert last weekend in Cincinnati, the Beach Boys’ first show since July, aside from a private performance in Dana Point, Calif., Love appeared somewhat fragile, according to fan video. After telling the audience about Love’s health issues and how Love had rejected advice to stay home, Stamos walked him to a chair at center stage where he remained seated for the show, barely moving aside from a few hand gestures. Love returned to the stage the following night in Nashville, where he briefly mentioned that he had “gone through some health issues, but I had to go to the Ryman (Auditorium)”.
Jardine said he wouldn’t want to be on stage if he was unable to stand or sing.
“I wouldn’t want to be put in a wheelchair and go out and try 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,” he said before speculating about Love’s future. “So I think at some point he’ll… he’ll probably try to pass the torch, that’s what I think. We’ve never really talked about it, but that’s how it feels. Maybe for his son. And his presence is a symbol.”
He added: “It’s really hard to give up something you’ve been doing for 65 years. We can’t imagine life any other way. Maybe it would work better if Mike was off to the side, sitting backstage, rather than in this central position. I don’t know who came up with that brilliant idea. But I really regret his situation, as we all do. It’s horrible.”
The same night that Love was on stage at the Ryman, Jardine was performing in Cerritos, California, with former Beach Boys bandmates David Marks and Bruce Johnston, the latter of whom had stopped touring with Love earlier this year for reasons that Jardine said were related to Love’s health.
Gn entert
