Brian Wilson condemns Beach Boys performance at $2,800-a-head Donald Trump fundraiser: ‘We didn’t even know about it’
Beach Boy Mike Love has been a vocal supporter of US president
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Brian Wilson and Al Jardine of The Beach Boys have condemned a Donald Trump fundraiser that boasted it would feature a performance from the band.
Mike Love, currently the lead singer of the group, performed at the Sunday (18 October) fundraiser in Los Angeles under the banner of “The Beach Boys”, despite Wilson and Jardine’s lack of involvement.
“We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach. Zero,” a spokesperson for Wilson and Jardine told Variety. “We didn’t even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in The Los Angeles Times.”
The event, held in honour of Trump’s re-election campaign, charged attendees between $2,800 (£2,163) and $150,000 (£115,000) per ticket.
Love has been a vocal supporter of Trump, explaining in 2017 that he doesn’t have “anything negative” to say about him, adding: “Donald Trump has never been anything but kind to us.”
Since the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary tour in 2012, the surviving members of the group have toured in different incarnations. Love, who has toured as “The Beach Boys” since 2012, holds a licence to use the name for concert purposes.
In February, Wilson and Jardine urged Love and Johnston to back out of a planned performance as “The Beach Boys” at a trophy hunting convention attended by Donald Trump Jr.
In a statement, Wilson explained that he and Jardine are both “emphatically opposed” to trophy hunting and asked fans to share a petition demanding the Beach Boys pull out of the event.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments