10 Most Infamous People In Rock Music History

As the Summer of Love started to really change the game during the mid ‘60s, The Beach Boys were one of the few bands that were going to lead the counterculture to the other side. After being looked at as the preppy mirror of the British Invasion, Brian Wilson’s songs about cars and fun in the sun were quickly replaced with earnest songs about heartache on Pet Sounds. And if Mike Love had had his way, there was no way that we would have heard any of it.

In the process of changing up their sound, Mike was never that keen on switching up the formula all that much, thinking that he had found a certain niche and was going to stand by it no matter what happened. Once the Beach Boys crossed over though, Mike was usually the one that got too egotistical for anyone to put up with anymore. Despite being known as the good time spirit of the band to this day on the summer tour circuit, his escapades behind the scenes haven’t put him in the most positive of lights, from his history of being too arrogant in interviews to his now infamous acceptance speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where he calls out both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones for being too scared to ever share a stage with his band.

Brian Wilson may have been willing to work outside of his comfort zone, but Mike Love has felt content to just play the preppy ass for the rest of his life. The story of the Beach Boys may have connections to sinister figures like Charles Manson, but in terms of the actual band members, there’s no question of who has the worst reputation.