Wednesday's Post

For a while recently, I was on a Beach Boys kick - downloaded albums and bootlegs, and hit the beach. I still like the mid-60's beach boys the best, since I was in high school at the time, like In my Room, Dance, Dance, Dance, Help Me Rhonda, Be True to Your School, and Dont Worry Baby. I had a 45 of don't worry baby, which I played over and over again all summer between sophomore and junior years. There was a girl in my sophomore class that I was mooning over, but afraid to ask her out. Finally got up the nerve Junior year to talk to her, and she said I should have called her during the summer - she would have loved to go out with me. Thats what a looser I was with the ladies at the time, and not much has changed, except I got a little nervier in college. Back to the subject: Also like there late 60's stuff, like Pet Sounds, Good Vibrations, Heroes and Villains, even some of the Smiley Smile stuff, at least before Brian really went off the deep end. Brian truely is a genius, and I'm glad to see he's pulled himself together in recent decades, but for a while there, he could not produce anything coherent, musically. My wife and I saw them at the University of Arizona, in mid-70's, and they really had the place rocking. Of course, west coast kids were (and are) really tuned into the California, surfing vibe. At that time, they still had the full original crew, which was great -Brian, Dennis, Carl, Mike Love, Al Jardine, etc. They had reportedly lured Brian out of his torpor for that tour, by letting him bring a small sandbox onstage for the show, in which he kept his bare feet the entire time, as he sat at the piano. Never moved a muscle, but belted out the songs great. Dennis (rest his soul), was obviously drunk through the whole thing, and did a suitably boozy version of "you are so beautiful". I recall there was a scandal in the paper the next day, describing how he was aprehended with an underage girl in his hotel later that night. Dennis died not longafter by falling off his boat and drowning. A troubled, but talented guy. Carl, Mike and Al were, of course, the pillars of strength in that group, at the time, and Mike was obviously the M.C., and kept the thing glued together. Of course, Carl died not long ago, and Mike Love continues to tour as the Beach Boys, without any Wilsons, or Al Jardine. I haven't seen them for awhile, but hear they still put on a good show. Mike is a talented guy in his own right. Brian continues to perform, and issue different versions and collections of his music, as well as some new stuff, most of which I haven't heard, but will check up on some day.