Nada Surf//Popular

Fun in the Sun, Catchin’ the Rays, Loose Interpretations: Surf Week.

Nada Surf isn’t SURF music but “Surf” is the second word in their name, so why not?

This song was a total summer jam in 1996. I bet you remember watching the video. I remember watching the video. A lot. I was in middle school.

Nada Surf, despite getting loads of music-industry breaks (a major label, a hot producer, solid tour connections), was relegated to relative obscurity after this really awesome one-hit-wonder faded out. Elektra, convinced that there wasn’t a single-worthy track on their next album, dropped them and they were forced to sue for control of the collection. After this, they went indie. I actually saw them, probably in 2001, in the final glory days of that teenage Jersey bastion of punk/hardcore/metal/ska/emo, The Wayne Firehouse.

And so, with this golden piece of 90s indie (kinda), I declare Surf Week to be officially over. I’m going camping.



Popular.mp3

I'm head of the class.
I'm popular.
I'm the quarterback.
I'm popular.
My mom says I'm a catch.
I'm popular.
I'm never last picked.
I got a cheerleader chick.

Surf Week Fact #4: Move over, bike gangs. Local surfers can sometimes use intimidation and violence, in an attempt to guard their surf break against use by outsiders in an attempt to avoiding crowding. This is called "localism." Some surfers have been known to form gangs that surf a certain break, and fiercely protect their spot from outsiders. These surfers are typically referred to simply as "locals".

Dick Dale//Miserlou

Dudes. It’s Surf Week and I’m listening to you, just like you’re listening to all the OSS tracks in one big playlist on your iTunes on shuffle. I know I do that sometimes. Bonus points if your computer background is set to a “beach scene.”

Two comments from yesterday’s post suggested more! great! Surf! MMrules suggested “Pipeline Sequence” by Honk. Sorry, MMrules, but I can’t dig this up anywhere. The most I could find about this is that it’s from the soundtrack of 1972 Surf film, Five Summer Stories (Surf Films are the pre-cursor to Skateboarding Movies as Surfing was the pre-cursor to Skateboarding?). Thanks for the suggestion though. I’m sure it’s awesome and I will keep looking. Or…if anyone’s reading and wants to share…

Comment number two was from Karl (yeah, you guys know Karl). He suggested Dick Dale and I think that’s an awesome suggestion.

So, you know how Michael Jackson is “The King of Pop?” Well, Dick Dale is “The King of Surf Guitar.” ...Even though he's from Boston? I didn’t even know Surf Guitar had a king.

This song, which has become a Surf anthem, was also featured in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. It was also recorded by The Beach Boys. What’s weird is that the song is actually a popular Greek song. Dale’s version has an awesome story, from Wikipedia:

The song was rearranged as a solo instrumental guitar piece by Dick Dale in 1962. Dale's father and uncles were Lebanese-American musicians who were a part of the aforementioned ethnic nightclub scene. Although they were Arab, they, like other performers, played the music of all the main cultures which made up the nightclub patrons—that included Greek music and Misirlou. During a performance, Dale was bet by a young fan that he could not play a song on only one string of his guitar. Later that night, he remembered seeing his uncle play "Misirlou" on one string (actually a double string) of the oud. He tried to imitate that style on his guitar, but vastly increased the song's tempo to make it into rock'n'roll, and the result was the famous Dick Dale Misirlou. It was Dale's version that introduced "Misirlou" to a wider audience in the United States as "Miserlou."

What a badass.

Also, I stumbled upon this Vinyl District post in my research and wanted to tell you all that there are more great Surf tracks to be found here.



Miserlou.mp3

Oh yeah, and, comment three was from Becky. She was just confused about The Beach Boys wearing flannel.

Surf Week Fact #4: The sport of surfing has become so popular that it now represents a multi-billion dollar industry specially in clothing and fashion markets. Some people make a career out of surfing by receiving corporate sponsorships.

Brian Wilson//Hang On To Your Ego

Yeah. You got that right. It's Surf Week. What's it to you?

I had a highly frustrating day at work today in which my computer totally crashed and I was stranded in the office for many hours with virtually nothing to do. Fuck you, IT!!!!

And thus, this song about "hanging on to your ego" by the ultimate legends of surfy-pop, The Beach Boys, is doubly apt. Although, apparently the title is a drug reference to that special ability of LSD to shatter one's ego. Of course, as a result, the song was controversial--it was renamed "I Know There's an Answer" for release on the '66 classic, Pet Sounds.



Hang On To Your Ego.mp3

Surf Week Fact #3: Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It has two basic subgenres: 1. Surf pop music, including both surf ballads and dance music that includes a vocal line. Sometimes called "beach music" as it was popular amongst non-surfers as well. (Surf pop should not be confused with the "shag tempo" beach music of the Carolinas, however.) 2. Surf rock, generally instrumental in nature with an electric guitar or saxophone playing the main melody.

The Ramones//Rockaway Beach

Cowabunga! It’s Surf Week!

Part of the reason I decided that this was the week for surf was having this song stuck in my head since Friday, when Anika, Jill and I actually went to Rockaway Beach. Let me say that we didn’t exactly have our wits about us when we got out there. The neighborhood surrounding the beach seemed a little creepy and we all got slightly freaked out by what looked like the impending doom of a crazy storm. These things aside, the beach was quite pleasant and I had fun swimming in the ocean. I think it’s so awesome that NYC has SO many beaches that are easily accessible by public transit.

I’m sure you know all about The Ramones, New York godfathers of Punk Rock. This song is off of Rocket to Russia, which sounds really Surf-y. From Wikipedia:

"Rockaway Beach", penned by bassist Dee Dee Ramone in the style of the Beach Boys and other early rock 'n' roll bands, was written about Rockaway Beach, Queens, where Dee Dee liked to spend time. Johnny Ramone claimed that Dee Dee was the only real beachgoer in the group.

I like the idea of Dee Dee chillin' on a blanket, drinking a cheap beer. Apparently, this isn’t the only time that Rockaway Beach, Queens has shone in the spotlight. Also from Wikipedia, some other pop culture mentions:

-Woody Allen's 1987 movie Radio Days was filmed on location in Rockaway Beach.
-Lily's Crossing, a book by Patricia Reilly Giff, takes place in Rockaway Beach during World War II.
-George Carlin has said that he was conceived at Curley's Hotel in Rockaway Beach.
-Rockaway Beach, along with its neighboring communities, is the setting for much of the FX show Rescue Me.

Also, I would like to suggest this book, if you want to know more about late-70s/early-80s Punk. It’s a phenomenal read.



Rockaway Beach.mp3

The sun is out and I want some.
Its not hard, not far to reach.
We can hitch a ride
To rockaway beach.

Surf Week Fact #2: Some other kinds of Surfing: Web Surfing (looking at pages on the World Wide Web, aka what you’re doing right now), Wind Surfing (this looks really nerdy), Channel Surfing (50’leven channels and nothing on) and Crowd Surfing (so grunge).

Wavves//No Hope Kids

Everybody’s surfin’ now, Monday Mail.
What is Monday Mail?

How was your weekend? Did you spend some time at the beach? I did—at Rockaway Beach. Know what all this means? Hell, yeah…you know. I declare SURF WEEK!

This week, Jill Weiskopf of New York Magazine writes:

In this week’s New York magazine, we asked four hot bands—Vivian Girls, the Fiery Furnaces, Diane Birch, and Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers—to pick their summer playlists based on a photograph.

The inclusion of the Furnaces piqued my curiosity and I clicked through to what was actually a very nice little piece that made me remember that I keep forgetting to check out the much-hyped Wavves (on Vivian Girls list).

My friends have described Wavves as peppy surf-punk, which is pretty apt. It’s not too deep, but still highly enjoyable. And of course, they’re from California. It’s summer, guys—the time is ripe for this stuff.

Sadly, the story behind the band ain’t so sunny and carefree. From Wikipedia:

Singer Nathan Williams suffered a very public breakdown as the band was unable to complete their set at the 2009 Barcelona Primavera Sound Festival.Williams, who admitted he'd taken a cocktail of ecstasy and valium, fought with drummer Ryan Ulsh and insulted the Spanish crowd - who pelted him with bottles and a shoe. Apologising for their performance the next day, Williams admitted he is also suffering from alcohol addiction. As a result, the band have cancelled the remainder of their European tour. On June 30th a confirmed gig at Roskilde Festival was cancelled, reportedly because drummer Ryan Ulsh had left the band.

Yeek.



No Hope Kids.mp3

Got no car,
Got no money,
I got nothing, nothing, nothing,
Not at all.

Surf Week Fact #1: Surfing is the act of a person (or a boat) riding down a breaking wave, gathering speed from the downward and forward movement. Most commonly, the term is used for a surface water sport in which the person surfing moves along the face of a breaking ocean wave (the "surf"). Surfing was a central part of ancient Polynesian culture, and the chief was the most skilled wave rider in the community with the best board made from the best tree.