Mike Love of the Beach Boys had no intention of holding back at his Rock Hall acceptance speech in 1988. The co-frontman went on a frenzy, slamming some of the industry’s biggest stars, including Paul McCartney, the Mop Tops, Billy Joel, and, finally, Mick Jagger. Love was supposedly enraged that Jagger had declined to attend the Beach Boys’ induction, so he decided to drag the Rolling Stones frontman down, saying: “I know Mick Jagger won’t be able to make it tonight; he’ll have to stay in England.” But I’d rather see us at the Coliseum and him at Wembley Stadium because he’s always been too scared to perform with the Beach Boys.” However, Love’s notion that Mick was missing from the festivities proved incorrect, as the Rolling Stones leader played ‘[I Can’t Get No] Satisfaction’ on stage with a slew of other rockers, and Mike was also there singing along with Jagger. So… awkward? Almost anything.
The Beach Boys were then scheduled to share the stage with a British pop band, JLS, in 2013. Love spoke with the Guardian immediately before the concert and explained why he dubbed Mick ‘chickensh*t’ when the host asked if JLS was braver than the Rolling Stones for sharing the stage with the Beach Boys: “Nawwwwww! That doesn’t make them braver! I’m curious to hear those men sing. They must be popular for a reason, don’t you think? But it’s true, I once challenged Mick Jagger. But he’s too preoccupied with generating money.” Aside from his great partnership with the Wilson Brothers, Love is also known for not holding back and saying what he believes is best, as he did with his Rock Hall address, and the singer has previously experienced flak on many occasions, including his remarks about the LGBTQ+ community.
