Mike Love, the frontman of the band The Beach Boys, shows no signs of slowing down. Having turned 73 this March, Love is still tirelessly touring around the globe.
FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH: Mike Love and the Beach Boys rose to No. 3 on the American charts last year with their latest album “That’s Why God Made the Radio”. All in all, the band has had more U.S. top-40 hits than any other American band in the history.Mike Love on his secret source of energy
In a recent interview to Portland Tribune, Love revealed his secret source of vitality – doing Transcendental Meditation every day for over 45 years.
“It gives me rest and relaxation in pursuing activities and combats fatigue,” the singer-songwriter said. “It gives you a sort of high without having to resort to alcohol and drugs. That’s been a big benefit to my life.”
Mike Love started meditating after he met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Paris in 1967. He feels Transcendental Meditation has been central to surviving the life on the rock-‘n’-roll highway.
“You have the clarity and energy to entertain the types of activities we do with traveling and rehearsing and performing. When you meditate, all those feelings of grogginess and irritation and fatigue are eliminated. Your biochemistry changes. It’s very simple but amazing stuff.”
“With Transcendental Meditation, it’s kind of like a secret weapon for me. When you practice TM, you find a level of thought that transcends and goes to the source of thought. You can restore your batteries by transcending, and taking in deep breaths,” Love says. “Maharishi used to call it drawing the arrow back.”
And he clearly believes the benefits to be universal.
“If enough people were to learn to meditate,” Mike Love muses, “it would be an entirely different world, meaning world peace, prosperity and health.”
Lyrics of “The TM Song” from The Beach Boys album Rock’n Roll Music (B. Wilson / Al Jardine):
Since I sat down
Where have I been?
The mantra my mantra must have took me away
It must have took me away
Maharishi gave it to me
And I wonder if it set me free
And it did
And he’ll tell you “sometimes it goes real fast and other times it goes
real slow
Any way you do it it’s bound to work I know”
One two three four
Transcendental meditation should be part of your time
It’s simple it’s easy as making this rhyme
Transcendental meditation really works for me good
More much more than I thought it would
WATCH VIDEO: Mike Love talks about his music and Transcendental Meditation (recorded by TM Johannesburg):
Sources:
“Da Boys are feelin’ good vibes” by Kerry Eggers, Portland Tribune
“Mike Love’s inner peace” by Beth Roessner, The Desert Sun
