WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.620 Bruce Johnston, a bottle of Fiji water, and a 00:00:03.620 --> 00:00:06.580 Beach Boys story I'll never forget. I'm Brian 00:00:06.580 --> 00:00:12.820 Colburn and this is your Mixtape Moment. What 00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:15.699 is going on friends? My name is Brian Colburn 00:00:15.699 --> 00:00:18.620 and this Mixtape Moment is brought to you because 00:00:18.620 --> 00:00:21.960 earlier this week, Bruce Johnston announced that 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:27.059 after 61 years, He is retiring as an active member 00:00:27.059 --> 00:00:30.280 of the Beach Boys. He did take a break in the 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:33.460 early 70s, but has been with the band consistently 00:00:33.460 --> 00:00:38.700 since 1978. So what does a bottle of water have 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:42.259 to do with all of this? Well, earlier last year 00:00:42.259 --> 00:00:46.380 in 2025, I took the entire family to see the 00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:49.600 Beach Boys at the State Theater in Easton, Pennsylvania. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:53.399 It was the family's Christmas present. As both 00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:57.560 of my girls are big Beach Boys fans. And as I've 00:00:57.560 --> 00:00:59.880 said many a times on the show, I like to take 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:02.179 them to as many different styles of concerts 00:01:02.179 --> 00:01:06.299 as I possibly can. As far as I'm concerned, when 00:01:06.299 --> 00:01:08.859 they go off to college, they're going to at least 00:01:08.859 --> 00:01:12.680 have a varied musical education courtesy of their 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:14.920 old man. And then they could decide wherever 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:17.500 they want to take their music fandom for the 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:20.340 rest of their lives. I've taken them to see everything 00:01:20.340 --> 00:01:24.260 from Blues Traveler. to Counting Crows, to ZZ 00:01:24.260 --> 00:01:28.700 Top and John Fogerty, to Metallica, and Lamb 00:01:28.700 --> 00:01:32.260 of God. That last one not going over as well 00:01:32.260 --> 00:01:34.620 as I thought it would be, but my heart was in 00:01:34.620 --> 00:01:38.659 the right place. Now, setting the stage, this 00:01:38.659 --> 00:01:41.879 show was announced prior to Christmas in 2024, 00:01:42.260 --> 00:01:46.239 so I was able to log on and get tickets in the 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:48.739 second row. However, the way the State Theater 00:01:48.739 --> 00:01:51.730 in Eastern Pennsylvania works, The second row 00:01:51.730 --> 00:01:56.510 has a stretch of seats that extend beyond the 00:01:56.510 --> 00:02:01.489 front row. So for all intents and purposes, the 00:02:01.489 --> 00:02:04.349 seats that I chose on the far left side of the 00:02:04.349 --> 00:02:07.250 stage had nobody in front of us. So while they 00:02:07.250 --> 00:02:10.710 were row two, as far as I'm and everybody in 00:02:10.710 --> 00:02:13.349 the family was concerned, we were sitting front 00:02:13.349 --> 00:02:17.319 row. Now, as a child that grew up in the 80s, 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:20.280 the Beach Boys were a huge part of my musical 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:23.060 soundtrack, be it the songs my parents played 00:02:23.060 --> 00:02:26.080 from their classic albums to all the stuff the 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:29.000 Beach Boys were doing in the 80s to stay relevant, 00:02:29.159 --> 00:02:31.620 including their collaboration with the Fat Boys 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:34.659 on Wipeout, the Cocktail soundtrack and their 00:02:34.659 --> 00:02:37.969 massive hit Kokomo. to a song from their earlier 00:02:37.969 --> 00:02:41.330 catalog that had staying power in the 80s due 00:02:41.330 --> 00:02:45.569 to its use in a very popular 80s movie. Yes, 00:02:45.569 --> 00:02:48.710 I am talking about Michael J. Fox in a full wolf 00:02:48.710 --> 00:02:53.069 costume, surfing on top of a work van as Stiles 00:02:53.069 --> 00:02:57.210 drives down the road. Yes, Surfing USA, as featured 00:02:57.210 --> 00:03:00.389 in one of my favorite childhood movies, Teen 00:03:00.389 --> 00:03:04.129 Wolf. So here we are about five songs into the 00:03:04.129 --> 00:03:06.969 show. The band just did an incredible cover of 00:03:06.969 --> 00:03:10.090 the Ramones Rockaway Beach and they break into 00:03:10.090 --> 00:03:12.729 Surfing USA. Now I'm just sitting there. I've 00:03:12.729 --> 00:03:15.530 got my arm around my oldest and I'm singing along 00:03:15.530 --> 00:03:18.289 and we're enjoying every moment of this concert. 00:03:18.650 --> 00:03:22.110 And towards the end of the song, Bruce Johnston's 00:03:22.110 --> 00:03:25.169 doing his part singing along. He just grabs a 00:03:25.169 --> 00:03:28.669 water bottle behind him, walks to the front of 00:03:28.669 --> 00:03:34.280 the stage. hands it to me, walks back, and continues 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:37.759 playing the song. I didn't ask for the bottle 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:41.740 of water. I don't think I seemed thirsty. We 00:03:41.740 --> 00:03:44.300 purchased waters from the concession stand prior 00:03:44.300 --> 00:03:48.400 to sitting down. But here I am, sitting and holding 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:51.659 a bottle of Fiji water that was passed to me 00:03:51.659 --> 00:03:56.620 by a member of the Beach Boys. Now, one might 00:03:56.620 --> 00:03:58.800 think to just open the bottle of water and have 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:01.979 a drink because water is expensive at concerts. 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:07.340 However, this was a gift handed to me by a member 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:11.080 of the Beach Boys. No, I am not drinking that 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:14.400 water. And I will never drink that water as long 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:17.759 as I'm on this earth. Because a member of the 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:21.240 Beach Boys gave me a present for, pardon the 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:25.360 pun, God only knows what reason. And I am never 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:29.420 going to open this bottle of water. That bottle 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:33.139 of water sits in my studio directly above the 00:04:33.139 --> 00:04:35.660 monitors where I record along with the set list 00:04:35.660 --> 00:04:38.620 from the show that one of the stage hands handed 00:04:38.620 --> 00:04:41.920 us at the end of the performance. Now, mind you, 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:44.120 there's a fairly good chance I'm going to go 00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:45.959 the rest of my life and never know the reason 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.579 why he was inclined to hand me this bottle of 00:04:48.579 --> 00:04:52.100 water. Unless, in fact, he wants to come on the 00:04:52.100 --> 00:04:55.220 show. and talk about the Beach Boys legacy, which 00:04:55.220 --> 00:04:57.399 is something I would welcome in a heartbeat. 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:00.319 I would love to talk some Beach Boys with Bruce, 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:04.079 as well as his songwriting prowess. Because if 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:05.939 you're familiar with the Beach Boys song, Disney 00:05:05.939 --> 00:05:09.439 Girls, that's a Bruce Johnston written and sang 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:13.379 song from their catalog. Barry Manilow, I write 00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:17.660 the songs. No, he doesn't. Bruce Johnston writes 00:05:17.660 --> 00:05:21.279 the Barry Manilow, I write the songs song. If 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:23.420 Barry Manilow wanted to be honest with all of 00:05:23.420 --> 00:05:25.300 us, he would have just called the song Bruce 00:05:25.300 --> 00:05:28.180 Johnston wrote this song, but he didn't. So I 00:05:28.180 --> 00:05:30.100 don't know if I could trust Barry Manilow moving 00:05:30.100 --> 00:05:34.019 forward, but I digress. And this is not just 00:05:34.019 --> 00:05:38.220 songs from years ago. Bruce Johnston is still 00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:41.339 an accomplished songwriter, as just a few years 00:05:41.339 --> 00:05:45.860 ago in 2022, he co -wrote Here We Go Again on 00:05:45.860 --> 00:05:49.300 The Weeknd's Dawn FM album. So he's still out 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:52.689 there doing it. After 61 years in the Beach Boys. 00:05:53.550 --> 00:05:56.949 And to find out the news this week that he's 00:05:56.949 --> 00:06:00.009 stepping down from the band after six decades 00:06:00.009 --> 00:06:05.589 of music and touring and albums. It's an end 00:06:05.589 --> 00:06:08.490 of an era. The band might as well essentially 00:06:08.490 --> 00:06:11.649 at this point be called the Beach Boy. Because 00:06:11.649 --> 00:06:14.170 Mike Love is now the sole original member in 00:06:14.170 --> 00:06:17.290 the group. And I take nothing away from the band 00:06:17.290 --> 00:06:20.160 when I say that. Because when I saw them last 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:23.660 year, it was just Mike and Bruce as the sole 00:06:23.660 --> 00:06:26.959 two remaining original members of the band. But 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:29.920 even so, the members of the band that they have 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:32.100 on stage with them are all incredible musicians, 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:35.699 and they carry on the Beach Boys tradition well. 00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:41.759 Al Jardine is off with the Pet Sounds Band, which 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:44.959 is actually Brian Wilson's touring band, performing 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:49.680 songs from the Beach Boys catalog. queens reich 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:53.720 la guns scenario there are technically multiple 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:57.019 versions of the beach boys out there depending 00:06:57.019 --> 00:07:01.160 on how you want to classify or name it but the 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:03.519 fact that their catalog is still getting celebrated 00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:06.519 after all these years and all these incredible 00:07:06.519 --> 00:07:09.800 decades of music i think is amazing now while 00:07:09.800 --> 00:07:12.759 there's no video proof of him actually walking 00:07:12.759 --> 00:07:16.240 over and handing me the bottle I do have a picture 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:19.379 in front of the stage in between sets of me holding 00:07:19.379 --> 00:07:22.279 said water bottle, and I'll post that over on 00:07:22.279 --> 00:07:25.980 this episode page at myweeklymixtape .com. And 00:07:25.980 --> 00:07:28.819 I'll also, while I'm there, embed Disney Girls, 00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:32.459 I Write the Songs, and Here We Go Again, as well 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:35.600 as that cover of Rockaway Beach that I was able 00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:38.959 to capture from the second, well, front row of 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:42.149 that show that I mentioned earlier. Now, Bruce 00:07:42.149 --> 00:07:44.930 is going to go off and focus on some more songwriting, 00:07:45.069 --> 00:07:48.610 maybe doing some appearances to talk about the 00:07:48.610 --> 00:07:52.649 Beach Boys catalog. And hopefully one day coming 00:07:52.649 --> 00:07:54.949 on my weekly mixtape to talk about the Beach 00:07:54.949 --> 00:07:56.870 Boys catalog. I kind of want to throw that out 00:07:56.870 --> 00:07:59.370 in the universe one more time here because I 00:07:59.370 --> 00:08:02.269 would love to see that happen. But he hasn't 00:08:02.269 --> 00:08:04.430 ruled out occasional sit -ins with the band, 00:08:04.610 --> 00:08:08.839 bigger shows, one -off appearances. So while 00:08:08.839 --> 00:08:11.319 his surfboard has been hung up for the time being, 00:08:11.420 --> 00:08:14.920 you can't rule out that this was the last time 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:17.860 you'll see Bruce Johnston with the Beach Boys. 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:22.160 However, if it was, I'm grateful to have had 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:25.500 the opportunity to see him perform. And this 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:28.379 Fiji water bottle that I will forever look at 00:08:28.379 --> 00:08:31.500 as I'm recording will always serve as a reminder 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:34.200 of one of the greats from one of the most iconic 00:08:34.200 --> 00:08:38.879 American rock bands of all time. And that'll 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:41.519 do it for this Mixtape Moment. Stay tuned this 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:44.620 Monday for another brand new full -length episode 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:47.879 of My Weekly Mixtape. Once again, my name is 00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:51.159 Brian Colburn, and until next time, enjoy the 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:51.419 tunes.