Mike Love isn’t so much of a Beach Boy as he is a busy man.
The singer, who co-founded the Beach Boys in 1961, has 30 concerts scheduled through Oct. 8.
He said he’s also in talks to reunite with two other founding members of the group, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine, with whom he has had a famously litigious relationship.
“We have a 50th anniversary coming up in 2011,” he said, “so it would make a lot of sense to do something in advance of that.”
But first, the singer is headed to the Tulalip Amphitheatre on Sunday night for a Beach Boys concert that will showcase the group’s biggest hits: “Good Vibrations,” “Kokomo” and “Barbara Ann.”
“We’re not trying to be cooler than anybody else,” he said during a phone interview from a California hotel. “We’re just doing music that is fun for us and fun for a lot of people.”
Love still tours under the name of the Beach Boys, taking seven other musicians on the road with him, including keyboardist Bruce Johnston, who joined the group in 1965. His band means different things to different people.
To some, it’s a group that made its name singing about the holy trinity of California rock ‘n’ roll — girls, cars and surfing. For others, it’s a critically adored act famous for recording one of the most influential albums of all time, 1966’s “Pet Sounds.”
Both crowds can agree on one thing: The group is iconic.
The Beach Boys have inspired a television mini-series, several books and countless musicians, from contemporaries such as Paul McCartney to recent success stories, including Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear.
Love, 68, doesn’t keep up on his band’s modern musical offspring, however.
“I don’t listen to much,” he said. “If I’m in the car, I’ll turn on the radio and see if they play any of our songs.”
He hears some new music courtesy of his 13-year-old daughter. He had kind words for Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Leona Lewis.
“Those girls are great singers, and a couple of them are great writers, too,” he said. “But when she (his daughter) plays her rap music and says, ‘This guy is awesome,’ I say, ‘Oh no he’s not.’ I like a melody and a harmony and a nice arrangement.”
Love still writes music with that in mind. He said he has a backlog of about 20 songs he wants to release, including “Love Foundation,” “Unleash the Love” and “The World Is My Family.”
In short, he has no plans of retiring.
“The thing is, if you’re a musician — a singer or you play an instrument — you probably would do that as a hobby whether you got paid for it or not,” he said. “We were just blessed enough to have a hobby that we loved turn into a career.”
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com.
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