I have only read excerpts of the book from Amazon thus far, so I don't know if Mike describes the creative process that he and Brian had "back in the day." But aside from several of "the departed" who still seem bound and determined to elevate Mike's level of participation in the songwriting process beyond writing lyrics, I find it highly likely that Mike's own relentless desire for songwriting credit (again, read the salient passages in Jim Murphy's BECOMING THE BEACH BOYS for confirmation) may have had as much to do with Brian shying away from him and seeking collaborators who could bring something extra to the table that he felt he needed to "grow" his work...
And then, of course, the complications of family and the fact that Mike was an integral part of the performing group made it more difficult for Brian to achieve artistic independence, a process that kept escalating to the point where he was out there in late 1966-early 1967 trying to do something beyond his existing levels of expertise with the added pressure of having to follow up the freakiest #1 single ever released...
It sure seems that Brian and Mike had their last real set of "2 o'clock"-style sessions around the time of WILD HONEY. While there would still be songwriting collaborations here and there, most of the time after this Brian was working with other people--or, as in the case of LOVE YOU, on his own. Mike (and his minions) will iikely counter that there are a large number of Wilson/Love titles on MIU and LA, but anyone actually paying attention will recognize that these tunes came out of a "shotgun wedding" scenario and clearly suffer from what is clearly an undercurrent of coercion.
Even though Brian was quoted as saying he couldn't remember making MIU, I suspect he remembers the coercion--and doesn't want to relive those days in any way, shape or form. That he has someone like Melinda who can help him live the best possible life and screen out coercive influences seems to be something that really bugs Mike, and motivates him to do what he does, particularly on broadcast media, where he has always tended to come off at his worst.
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And then, of course, the complications of family and the fact that Mike was an integral part of the performing group made it more difficult for Brian to achieve artistic independence, a process that kept escalating to the point where he was out there in late 1966-early 1967 trying to do something beyond his existing levels of expertise with the added pressure of having to follow up the freakiest #1 single ever released...
It sure seems that Brian and Mike had their last real set of "2 o'clock"-style sessions around the time of WILD HONEY. While there would still be songwriting collaborations here and there, most of the time after this Brian was working with other people--or, as in the case of LOVE YOU, on his own. Mike (and his minions) will iikely counter that there are a large number of Wilson/Love titles on MIU and LA, but anyone actually paying attention will recognize that these tunes came out of a "shotgun wedding" scenario and clearly suffer from what is clearly an undercurrent of coercion.
Even though Brian was quoted as saying he couldn't remember making MIU, I suspect he remembers the coercion--and doesn't want to relive those days in any way, shape or form. That he has someone like Melinda who can help him live the best possible life and screen out coercive influences seems to be something that really bugs Mike, and motivates him to do what he does, particularly on broadcast media, where he has always tended to come off at his worst.