Brian Wilson, Al Jardine say they had ‘absolutely nothing to do’ with Beach Boys performance at Trump fundraiser
Those good vibrations are long gone.
The Beach Boys co-founders Brian Wilson and Al Jardine slammed former bandmate Mike Love for using the group’s name at a fundraiser for President Trump’s reelection campaign Sunday in California.
Love headlined a big-dollar benefit event in Newport Beach that cost as much as $150,000 per couple, the Los Angeles Times reported. The 79-year-old singer holds a license to perform under the Beach Boys’ name but is the only original member in the current lineup.
In a statement issued by a spokesperson on Sunday, Wilson and Jardine strongly disavowed the performance.
“We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach. Zero,” they told Variety. “We didn’t even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in the Los Angeles Times.”
This is not the first time the pair has spoken out against Love for using the name of their legendary band at a controversial event. In February, they called on fans to boycott a Beach Boys performance at a Nevada hunting convention where Donald Trump Jr. was the keynote speaker.
“This organization supports trophy hunting, which Both Al and I are emphatically opposed to,” Wilson tweeted at the time.
Love also performed at Trump’s presidential inauguration and other events supporting the Republican leader. He once told Britain’s Uncut magazine that he’s known the former reality show host for a long time and has a good relationship with him.
“I don’t have anything negative to say about the President of the U.S.A.,” Love said in a 2017 interview. “I understand there are so many factions and fractious things going… But Donald Trump has never been anything but kind to us.”
The “Good Vibrations” and “Surfin' USA” band marked its 50th anniversary in 2012, the last time the surviving members of the group toured together.
