Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
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Post by Emdeeh on Jul 22, 2022 0:00:12 GMT
I just saw the latest list of Kennedy Center Honorees for 2022, and U2 is on the list. I've got nothing against U2, but Brian Wilson is the only Beach Boy to have the Kennedy Center Honor while all these other groups from outside the USA are being given the honor. Fed up, I went to the KCH website and wrote a nomination for the Beach Boys -- for Mike Love, Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Bruce Johnston, David Marks, Blondie Chaplin, and Ricky Fataar to join Brian in this august group of honorees. They are long past due! If you'd like to write a nomination, here's the link. You'll have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find the nominating form, but it's there: www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/honors
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 22, 2022 0:09:59 GMT
I think that's a great point and cause. Their website lists this as the basic criteria/description:
"The Kennedy Center Honors provide recognition to living individuals who throughout their lifetimes have made significant contributions to American culture through the performing arts. The primary criterion is excellence, and artistic achievement in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures, and television is considered. Recommendations are now being accepted for the Kennedy Center Honors."
Excellence and artistic achievement ... significant contributions to American culture. Yes, Brian is inarguably "the genius." But that band was far more than just Brian Wilson, and everyone here knows it. Their contributions as a group over all these decades warrant the honor. After all, far, far more people know and love the Beach Boys than they do Brian Wilson as an individual.
I'm going to submit a nomination/recommendation form, too. Thank you for the idea.
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Post by lonelysummer on Jul 22, 2022 1:00:01 GMT
Some friends of mine were trying to get a Kennedy Center Honor for Little Richard, but now that he's passed, I guess it's too late. The Beach Boys as a group should have had the honor all along. How many songs from Brian's solo career could casual fans name anyway? Love and Mercy, Caroline, No, and Barbie (Living Doll)?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2022 5:09:57 GMT
Well I would say forget it because the powers-that-be have already said that Brian Wilson is the Beach Boys and he had his Kennedy Center Honors and that's just the end of it. Besides a certain members that you want mentioned here support big game hunting and various not particularly acceptable forms of political advocacy in terms of fundraising for certain candidates. Sign all the petitions you want, it's going to go nowhere. Of course I don't mean this in an unkind way because when I saw Brian's Kennedy Center Honors I believed it should have been for the entire Beach Boys. So I'm certainly with you in spirit.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 22, 2022 10:33:17 GMT
I was surprised - and I didn't agree with - Brian being a Kennedy Center Honoree by himself and The Beach Boys not being awarded the honor. I actually believe(d) that the individual or committee who made the selections were Brianistas. I'm serious. Either that committee didn't do enough serious research, or there was something - maybe the baggage that Mike and/or Dennis carried - that kept the entire band from being recognized. Or, maybe they just didn't think Mike, Dennis, Carl, Al, and whoever deserved to be recognized, that longevity couldn't carry them and the talent just wasn't there.
There's no way, or at least I don't think there is, that the group will eventually be honored...joining Brian. Nothing's really changed since Brian was inducted, unless there in a turnover of the committee or influx of new, inspired voters.
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Post by B.E. on Jul 22, 2022 11:37:44 GMT
I'm not very familiar with the Kennedy Center Honors, but I just looked at a list of all recipients and I don't see a group being inducted until The Who in 2008 which was after Brian was inducted. And even then, it was only surviving, (core) members, Roger and Pete. That appears to be a rule that an inductee is alive to receive the award. Paul McCartney, alone, was inducted in 2010. They could have inducted The Beatles and at least included Ringo - they didn't. The only other groups to be inducted are Led Zeppelin, Eagles, and U2 (this year) - and, again, after Brian was inducted. Glenn Frey was inducted after his death because they had already been chosen the year before, and apparently that was controversial.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 22, 2022 12:16:00 GMT
I'm not very familiar with the Kennedy Center Honors, but I just looked at a list of all recipients and I don't see a group being inducted until The Who in 2008 which was after Brian was inducted. And even then, it was only surviving, (core) members, Roger and Pete. That appears to be a rule that an inductee is alive to receive the award. Paul McCartney, alone, was inducted in 2010. They could have inducted The Beatles and at least included Ringo - they didn't. The only other groups to be inducted are Led Zeppelin, Eagles, and U2 (this year) - and, again, after Brian was inducted. Glenn Frey was inducted after his death because they had already been chosen the year before, and apparently that was controversial. I really don't see a pattern. Well, at first I did. Brian Wilson but no Beach Boys. Bruce Springsteen but no E Street Band. Gloria Estefan but no Miami Sound Machine. Carlos Santana but no Santana (yes, that would be difficult). Diana Ross but no Supremes (I understand, Diana had a successful solo and acting career). Lionel Richie but no Commodores (OK, that's a reach).
And, I get it (the above configurations or lack of), but THEN they induct The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, U2, and even Earth, Wind & Fire. How many members of Earth, Wind & Fire can you name? So, now, it appears they do/will go with the entire groups. I was surprised that Paul Simon was not yet honored. I wonder if Paul would be selected solo or with Artie? Ray Davies but no Kinks?
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Post by kds on Jul 22, 2022 12:29:56 GMT
I think that's a great point and cause. Their website lists this as the basic criteria/description:
"The Kennedy Center Honors provide recognition to living individuals who throughout their lifetimes have made significant contributions to American culture through the performing arts. The primary criterion is excellence, and artistic achievement in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures, and television is considered. Recommendations are now being accepted for the Kennedy Center Honors."
Excellence and artistic achievement ... significant contributions to American culture. Yes, Brian is inarguably "the genius." But that band was far more than just Brian Wilson, and everyone here knows it. Their contributions as a group over all these decades warrant the honor. After all, far, far more people know and love the Beach Boys than they do Brian Wilson as an individual.
I'm going to submit a nomination/recommendation form, too. Thank you for the idea.
Pretty much what I was going to say. It plays into the tired old narrative. Brian is the musical genius, the other guys were holding his back, blah blah blah.
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Post by B.E. on Jul 22, 2022 14:13:28 GMT
I don’t think they should have (inconsistently and sporadically) started inducting groups (after 30 years of not doing so). There’s already a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for that. This was for living individuals…icons. And not only were groups (of any kind) not inducted but neither were partnerships (such as songwriting teams), were they? Furthermore, the Kennedy Honors is obviously about more than just (rock) music, so including entire groups of people above individuals in other areas seems unfair. So would honoring individuals who have died, when they hadn’t done so previously. But, like I said, I’m not super familiar with the event, so correct me if I’m wrong.
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Post by kds on Jul 22, 2022 14:16:02 GMT
I don’t think they should have (inconsistently and sporadically) started inducting groups (after 30 years of not doing so). There’s already a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for that. This was for living individuals…icons. And not only were groups (of any kind) not inducted but neither were partnerships (such as songwriting teams), were they? Furthermore, the Kennedy Honors is obviously more than just (rock) music, so including entire groups of people above individuals in other areas seems unfair. So would honoring individuals who have died, when they hadn’t done so previously. But, like I said, I’m not super familiar with the event, so correct me if I’m wrong. I'm not overly familiar with the event, in fact, I'm not sure I'd ever heard of it (at least not it's association with popular music) until the video of Heart doing a great version of Stairway to Heaven at the Led Zeppelin event came out.
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Post by B.E. on Jul 22, 2022 14:20:26 GMT
I knew about some of my favorite artists being inducted and seen some of the performances: Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, and James Taylor. I also knew Carole King had been inducted. And Clint Eastwood.
But I scanned the entire list going back to 1978 earlier today. Where I could be wrong is that I don’t recognize all the names and therefore any relationships they might have to each other. But, again, “The Who”, was the first group I saw listed as opposed to individuals. And that was 2008. After Brian, and before Paul McCartney being inducted alone.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 22, 2022 14:22:35 GMT
This discussion is more detailed than anything I'd thought about. Honestly I'd never paid much attention to it one way or the other: it was just one of a billion honors I'd see occasionally, so I wasn't familiar with who had been awarded, who hadn't, the typical inductees, etc.
I'd just say, if they are inducting groups who fit the criteria I'd quoted above, it would be hard not to induct the Beach Boys. If it was meant to be individuals, OK, that's fine ... but then U2 is an oddity, at least. Scanning the list of previous winners, it is overwhelmingly individuals. But the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, the creators of Hamilton, Earth Wind & Fire, Sesame Street, and U2 defy the convention. And it does seem odd that an American-based award would induct two English bands and one Irish band, but not the Beach Boys. Especially in the case of U2, which (like the Beach Boys), includes several members who aren't widely individually known and celebrated.
In the end, I have to admit, I don't really care about these sorts of things all that much, so it isn't going to keep me up at night.
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Post by kds on Jul 22, 2022 14:27:14 GMT
It's not like an institution to be extremely vague with its own criteria (rolls eyes towards Cleveland).
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Post by B.E. on Jul 22, 2022 14:39:48 GMT
They definitely muddied the waters in recent years, Kapitan. If they hadn’t already honored Brian, then inducting the Beach Boys would be a no-brainer. (And I imagine the committee would/does agree with that, as the evidence doesn’t seem to point to a Brianista coup).
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Post by kds on Jul 22, 2022 14:48:14 GMT
I wonder if it's possible that the Kennedy Center knew of the split in the Beach Boys camp, and just decided to avoid any possible drama and just opt to induct Brian as an individual. Also, a random Google turned this up. This is the actual website from the Kennedy Center, but it has the appearance of a late 1990s Angelfire page, complete with the failure to break the article into more eye pleasing paragraphs, and several spacing / spelling errors. "Now, as surely as in his 1962 Surfin' Safari, he r ains a charismatic troubadour singing out the meaning of being young in America." www.kennedy-center.org/artists/w/wa-wn/brian-wilson/
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