The Beach Boys//Fun, Fun, Fun

A situation came up tonight that reminded me of this song. In fact, it's probably a bad sign that there are a few ongoing situations in the general vicinity of my life that correlate well to this song. Of course, it would be incriminating for me to tell you who "daddy" is (hint: not my dad) and what the "Thunderbird" is, but I will say that in at least one of the aforementioned scenarios, I may be referring to an actual car.

Is it just me or does, "Your dad took your car away? It's ok. I'll take care of you now..." feel closely related to the ownership/dependancy that transfers from father to son-in-law in traditional ideas about marriage? I'm not even going to touch the extreme patriarchal subcontext of this song with a ten foot pole of post-wave feminist criticism . It was a different time. But let's just say this: girl was not going to work and save her money so she could buy her own T-bird. Girl was just gonna let Boyfriend drive her around and take her out to burgers. Unrelated Sidenote: I imagine them to be In 'N' Out Burgers. Thoughts?

Apparently this song was based on a true story. From Wikipedia:

The song was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love about Shirley England, the daughter of the owner of radio station KNAK in Salt Lake City, Utah (not to be confused with the call letters now assigned to a station in Delta, Utah) where she worked as a teenager. She borrowed her father's Ford Thunderbird to go study at the library. Instead of driving to the library, she ended up at a hamburger stand. When her father found out, he took the car away. The next day she was at the radio station complaining about it to the staff while The Beach Boys were visiting and they were inspired to write this song.

On a lighter note, I think this may actually be one of my favorite Beach Boys songs. That killer Chuck Berry homage riff at the beginning. Makes me want to surf on a golden wave of rock n roll.



Fun, Fun, Fun.mp3

Well, the girls can't stand her,
cause she walks and looks and drives like an ace, now.
She makes the Indy 500 look like a Roman chariot race, now.
A lot of guys try to catch her, but she leads them on a wild goose chase, now.
And she'll have fun, fun, fun til her daddy takes the T-bird away.

Swimsuit//Evaporation

The Water's Fine: Local Music Friday
What's up with Local Music Fridays?

Ypsi-based Swimsuit is the new(ish) project of Fred Thomas (SLGTM), Dina Bankole (Secret Twins), Amber Fellows and Shelley Salant.

There's the classic Fred mixture of interesting sounds, retro-pop vibes and fuzzy nostalgia going on here. There's also a little surf. Not too much.

Swimsuit takes Brooklyn tonight at Death by Audio and tomorrow night at Pizza Forest (which is an awesome name for anything). Hear more jams and get more info on those shows here. You can also get a whole demo here. Or you can get a tape here. An actual tape. Awesome, right?

Not sure which show I'll be heading to, since this weekend turned into an epically amazing music bonanza. Chad VanGaalen at South Street Seaport, two Swimsuit shows, free Grass Widow/Sonic Youth at Prospect Park. The summer's turning the corner. It'll start ending any minute now. On the plus side, the heat wave's over, for now. No boarding yourself up in your one-and-only air conditioned room. No excuses.



Evaporation.mp3

It's in your head,
Evaporation

Plastic Bertrand//Ca Plane Pour Moi

I woke up this morning with this song in my head and thought, "this would be a great song for OSS today. It follows The Monks well and it kicks away the Wednesday blues." The problem? I had no idea what it was.

When it comes to figuring out little puzzles like this, I always assume that the internet will know, provide and generally have my back. However, decoding this song was a formidable challenge. I didn't know much about what it was besides the fact that:

1. it was in a foreign language. I assumed it was Western European and had a hunch it was a French song, although I thought it also might have been German.
2. it sounded kind of 60s, but then again, it could have been a later era copying the 60s.
3. it had a surf feel about it.
4. I had definitely heard it in the company of my friend Cara before, although I couldn't remember who had put it on. Also I had heard it many other places, possibly on a soundtrack. I frequently asked what it was and never remembered the answer.

After sifting through dozens of not-it Serge Gainsbourg tracks on Hype Machine and LastFM, trying that stupid site where you can tap out songs on your keyboard (which doesn't work--they kept telling me this was a Guns and Roses song) and searching "French Surf Hit," French Rock Hit 60s," "German Surf Hit" and "What is this song in my head?!?!" to no avail, I finally turned to a trusty old friend.

All Music Guide, based in Ann Arbor (rep!), might be the best music resource on the entire internet. Although their site is outdated and slow in terms of interface, you absolutely cannot beat the information they have. I went to the International section, then to the Foreign Language Rock section, then to the French Rock section, which spit out a list of top songs. Even though Plastic Bertrand was Belgian, this song was number two on their list.

Of course, AMG also has everything you need to know about it.

And so, I am pleased to present to you, the perfect song for today. I hope you find it as satisfying as I do.



Ca Plane Pour Moi.mp3

OOOOooooOOOOoooooo!
Ca plane pour moi!
(This life's for me!)

The Beach Boys//Wouldn't It Be Nice?

I am feeling a little bit out of it today. It seems like it’s taking me forever to wake up. The result of this is often that I say inappropriate things to people. Not inappropriate like NSFW, but inappropriate like WTF? Example:
Friend: “Hey, what’s up”
Me: “What? What is up? Oh. Yes. Hi. Hello.”

When I’m feeling particularly asleep on the subway, I often cook up ridiculous ideas that I think are awesome until I fully wake up. This morning, I was thinking about gay marriage, mostly because Gov. Paterson has been pushing so hard for it (say what you will about the guy, but he gets this for what it truly is—a civil rights issue). I was thinking about how I’ve seen a lot of tee shirts supporting gay marriage, but most of the ones I’ve seen have been kind of ugly (come on, gays—you are supposed to be fashionable!). Then, I was thinking about what kind of gay marriage shirt I would make for myself. I saw it clearly: dark green shirt, cursive-y writing that just read: “Marry me.” And then, somewhere else, maybe on the back, an addendum, “Oh wait, you can’t.” Anybody want to take a crack at this? Or was this just another of my harebrained N train schemes?

Rogue tee shirt design ideas aside, it seems to me that the universe is trying to make me examine some things today. Next, an acquaintance linked to this very interesting article about gay parenting on her Facebook.

Finally, as if personal anxiety about queer marriage and parenting obeys the famed and dreaded rule of threes (anybody see that 30 Rock from a few weeks ago?), my mom emailed me to let me know that yes, it was fine if my girlfriend and I spent the night before Thanksgiving at their house, but no, it was not fine for us to sleep in the same bed. I love my mom (hi, K) and much of the time I even love her quaint antiquated rules, but this kind of felt like the rainbow straw that broke the bisexual camel’s back. Why? Well, when is it ok for you to sleep in the same bed as your spouse in my parent’s house? When you’re married. And when will I get married? “Oh wait, I can’t.” I appreciate that straight children and queer children are subjected to the same old-timey standards when it comes to this matter, but it’s not exactly fair that it’s ILLEGAL for me to ever sleep in the same bed as the person I’m dating under these circumstances. And while A. and I aren’t exactly getting our civil union tomorrow, the whole thing still kinda bums me out.

Combine all this with the fact that I woke up with this perfectly poppy song of oppression in my head a few mornings ago and here's what you get: a weird rambley post about gay marriage and a 60s pop song to go with it.

I highly doubt that The Beach Boys knew how nicely this song, which is from the much-beloved and much-copied-of-late Pet Sounds album, would work for this situation when they wrote it. In fact, it’s well-documented that the song is about the restrictions and lack of independence that comes with childhood. From Wikipedia:

In the Endless Harmony documentary, Brian Wilson described the song as "what children everywhere go through… wouldn't it be nice if we were older, or could run away and get married"…In a 1996 interview, Wilson stated, "'Wouldn't It Be Nice' was not a real long song, but it's a very 'up' song. It expresses the frustrations of youth, what you can't have, what you really want and you have to wait for it."

Please, America…we’re tired of waiting.



Wouldn’t It Be Nice?.mp3
(File removed by request)

Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And, after having spent the day together,
Hold each other close the whole night through?

The happy times together we've been spending,
I wish that every kiss was never ending.
Oh, wouldn't it be nice?

Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true.
Baby, then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do.
We could be married
And then we'd be happy.

Wouldn't it be nice?

You know it seems the more we talk about it,
It only makes it worse to live without it ,
But let’s talk about it.
Oh, wouldn't it be nice.

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.