Backstage during this past weekend's Stagecoach festival at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, CA, Audacy's KSON San Diego morning hosts John & Tammy were joined by The Beach Boys ' Mike Love , and his partner in sound, John Stamos .
LISTEN NOW: John Stamos and Mike Love at Stagecoach 2024
As fans are well aware, actor John Stamos has been occasionally performing on the drums and various other percussion instruments with The Beach Boys since way back in 1985, three years later even appearing in their "Kokomo" music video.
“He actually played drums in a three-piece band in Orange County, California before he became Blackie on 'General Hospital,'” Mike Love explains. “Then matriculated to ‘America's favorite Uncle.’ It's not Uncle Sam. It's Uncle Jesse.” Although, Stamos argues, “I thought it was Uncle Fester.”
Watching The Beach Boys perform at an event like Stagecoach, you can see how the group has touched so many lives over the years, with young and not-so-young fans singing along to the classics right beside each other. Truly the definition of "American music," Stamos believes “when the whole world wanted to be us, it was because of the imagery and the tableau that Mike painted with his lyrics about cars and girls, but more importantly, optimism and 'Camelot,' and you know, there was really hope. I think what I love most about hearing the music now -- getting the honor to play it with him -- is that the people need these songs now more than they did, even when they wrote them.”
“The music bypasses the brand and goes straight to the heart,” John adds. “That's why the age group is so vast, I think.”
“It's a total blessing,” says Love. “What we do for a living was a family hobby that started singing. We started singing together with my cousins and my uncles and aunts and everything and friends and family. We used to literally Christmas carol around our neighborhood and then we'd have a big Christmas-time feast.”
”It started in the family, harmony between my cousins, Brian, Dennis, and Carl [Wilson] were my first cousins and we got together,” Love continues. “The first memory of Brian singing was on my grandmother Wilson's lap at Christmas. He sang ‘Danny Boy’ and you know, his voice was just so amazing. We’d listen to the radio together and we would get kicked out of the house because we played our music too loud.”
“But my mom, she woke us up to her opera music, it was murder to go to school. We had a grand piano, organ, and harp in the living room. How could you not get influenced?” he asks.
John Stamos’ longtime love affair with the group is no secret, and becoming their unofficial but now official member is still a point of contention for the actor. “You know, when I talk about myself in The Beach Boys, it's mainly just praising them,” he argues. “It's certainly Mike who I feel is one of the most underrated musicians on the planet. He didn't get the credit that he deserved -- I'm not kissing his a** just because we got a big show tonight and he's gonna let me do a few extra songs.”
“My first concert was The Beach Boys and I remember thinking ‘God, I hope that he comes out and says, ‘Our drummer broke his fingers.’ He's brought so much joy and love to my family and my friends and I'm just so grateful to Mike,” Stamos adds.
“It's all about love and harmony and positivity,” Mike says, “and John brings all that and more to the stage -- and he plays drums damn well.”
Don't miss John & Tammy's full conversation with Mike Love and John Stamos above -- and be sure to catch a wave with The Beach Boys on their Endless Summer Gold Tour ! Tickets are on sale now.
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