Al Jardine Calls Out Mike Love for His Speech at Brian Wilson’s Funeral

Al Jardine didn't mince words when it came to the speech Mike Love delivered at the funeral for their Beach Boys bandmate Brian Wilson.

According to Rolling Stone, Wilson's private funeral was followed by a gathering at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where both Jardine and Love spoke. Jardine said of Love's speech, "Mike wanted everybody to know that he wrote every single word of ‘Good Vibrations.’ I didn’t feel the compassion, let’s put it that way. Mike’s got some serious megalomania problems."

Jardine followed Love in delivering a tribute to his late friend. He began his speech with, "Mike, I’ve written some songs with Brian myself. We wrote one called ‘Surfin’ Down the Swanee River.’ It just wasn’t as big as ‘Good Vibrations.’" He said the room "erupted with laughter" from this comment. Jardine added, "I was focusing on Brian, and Mike was more focused on Mike. I think that is what it boiled down to.”

Rolling Stone reached out to Love for a comment about this incident, and a rep denied it. They added, "Mike’s focus has always been on uplifting audiences around the world through the music he helped create with his bandmates and cousin Brian. His commitment has been to preserve and share this great American songbook while providing resources to fellow Beach Boys shareholders, including Al Jardine. In addition, Mike and The Beach Boys have dedicated significant time and support to nonprofit organizations using their platform to give back to communities in need.”

Wilson was laid to rest on Aug. 6. The legendary music figure passed away on June 11 after going public with his dementia diagnosis in February 2024. He was 82.