"With Baywatch, it’s different because David Hasselhoff was a very good friend of my brother's, my brother Bernie, because he worked on Knight Rider.
He was the executive producer and he directed a lot of those, so when we did Baywatch, I had some kind of 'in', not that I would tell everybody that, but he knew who I was and he knew my brother intimately since they worked together for so long, and playing that gig was fun."
Carl Wilson's Death
When Carl Wilson, the "glue that held The Beach Boys together," died of cancer in 1998, the future of the group seemed less-certain that it had previously, but Mike Kowalski was in no doubt that the strength of Brian Wilson's songs would be enough to carry them through.
"It was totally shocking when Dennis passed away and even just as bad when Carl passed away in February ’98," he says. "That was really…that might have set us back…no, I wouldn’t say that because Brian Wilson’s music is just so wonderful, but I’m just saying with a person like Carl, he was…so kind, so generous, so complementary, that you really enjoyed it when he said you sounded good - it made your day.
When Carl died, things changed a bit, but the music was just too powerful. People wanted to hear it and we had to make sure the band sounded good, so they did the best they could."
The Beach Boys Today
The Beach Boys are still on the road in 2010, now with only two official members - Mike Love and Bruce Johnson - and without Mike Kowalski, who left in 2007. Other members of the group, such as Al Jardine and David Marks continue to perform in various off-shoot bands, and, in the case of Brian Wilson, as a solo act.
Through thick and thin, Mike Kowalski succeeded in his mission of doing his bit to keep the enduringly popular music of The Beach Boys alive, and in doing so, helped introduce Brian Wilson's timeless melodies to a new generation of fans.
He was the executive producer and he directed a lot of those, so when we did Baywatch, I had some kind of 'in', not that I would tell everybody that, but he knew who I was and he knew my brother intimately since they worked together for so long, and playing that gig was fun."
Carl Wilson's Death
When Carl Wilson, the "glue that held The Beach Boys together," died of cancer in 1998, the future of the group seemed less-certain that it had previously, but Mike Kowalski was in no doubt that the strength of Brian Wilson's songs would be enough to carry them through.
"It was totally shocking when Dennis passed away and even just as bad when Carl passed away in February ’98," he says. "That was really…that might have set us back…no, I wouldn’t say that because Brian Wilson’s music is just so wonderful, but I’m just saying with a person like Carl, he was…so kind, so generous, so complementary, that you really enjoyed it when he said you sounded good - it made your day.
When Carl died, things changed a bit, but the music was just too powerful. People wanted to hear it and we had to make sure the band sounded good, so they did the best they could."
The Beach Boys Today
The Beach Boys are still on the road in 2010, now with only two official members - Mike Love and Bruce Johnson - and without Mike Kowalski, who left in 2007. Other members of the group, such as Al Jardine and David Marks continue to perform in various off-shoot bands, and, in the case of Brian Wilson, as a solo act.
Through thick and thin, Mike Kowalski succeeded in his mission of doing his bit to keep the enduringly popular music of The Beach Boys alive, and in doing so, helped introduce Brian Wilson's timeless melodies to a new generation of fans.
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