did 'jimi' really say surf music is dead?

[bringahorseinhere?]

ive just been watching the dvd 'west coast seattle boy - jimi Hendrix: voodoo child....

it comes across like he loves great music and appreciates his heroes.......I know the BB's pulled out of the festival, but

what is this stuff in 'American band' where he says that 'surf music' is over or dead....??....

what is the story here?

RickB

[Rocky Raccoon]

From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Stone_from_the_Sun

Towards the end of the song, which was the only instrumental on the album, Hendrix, in what has been popularly perceived to be a taunt to the popular music of the period, says, "To you I shall put an end, then you'll never hear surf music again." However, according to popular surf musician Dick Dale in the liner notes of Better Shred Than Dead: The Dick Dale Anthology,  the line "Then you'll never hear surf music again" was Hendrix's reaction upon hearing that Dale was battling a possibly terminal case of colon cancer, intended to encourage his comrade to recuperate. Dale, in gratitude to his late friend, later covered this song as a tribute to Hendrix.

[bringahorseinhere?]

thanks Rocky......

so I'm guessing this was not a direct comment towards the Beach Boys.....?....  that kinda always bothered me about 'Jimi'...

Ta, RickB

[bluesno1fann]

Though the Surf Music comment wasn't about the Beach Boys, he did dismiss the Beach Boys and their then-new single Heroes and Villains, saying "Don't much care for the Beach Boys, they remind me of a Psychedelic Barbershop Quartet"

[The Real Barnyard]

Maybe Jimi didn't like The Beach Boys, but at least one Beach Boy liked the song Burning Of The Midnight Lamp that appeared on the Electric Ladyland album.
The cd liner notes say: "One of the Beach Boys noted the tune's 'interesting Wagnarian climax'."
I think Brian or Dennis are the obvious candidates.

[JK]

Maybe Jimi didn't like The Beach Boys, but at least one Beach Boy liked the song Burning Of The Midnight Lamp that appeared on the Electric Ladyland album.
The cd liner notes say: "One of the Beach Boys noted the tune's 'interesting Wagnarian climax'."
I think Brian or Dennis are the obvious candidates.

It seems it was Bruce. Sounds like something he'd say:


19? August 1967
UK
MELODY MAKER (page ?): review by Bruce Johnston (of the Beach Boys) “[Thought a lot of the fire and humour had gone out of Jimi’s music.] The best passages are when the drums are rock steady and Jimi and his guitar are cooking. But there is a great deal of record time devoted to Jews harp noises and other extraneous effects […] in three separate build-ups the overall effect is hypnotic and reaches an interesting Wagnerian climax.”

[Source: http://crosstowntorrents.org/showthread.php?1403-Newspaper-amp-Magazine-Articles-(Text-Only)-1960-s-1970-s]

[The Real Barnyard]

Thanks for the info John.

[guitarfool2002]

Do a search of this board's archives and you'll find a great discussion of this topic, Hendrix's Beach Boys comments in general, and Hendrix's music in general...far better, more detailed, more opinionated, and a better read than any of those links posted above. I remember it well because I wrote quite a bit on the topic and feel pretty strongly about the impression people have of both Hendrix and the whole Beach Boys thing in general, and how travesties like that movie created a myth based entirely on bullshit.

What I really object to is how the opinion of Hendrix can be shaped unfairly among Beach Boys fans based on nothing substantial, when the man's talent and innovation as a musician are literally in a class of their own. And it's as easy as watching a few precious video clips of him playing guitar in full flight to see proof of just how innovative and unique a musician Jimi was, beyond all the overhype and mythology. I just hate to see BB's fans think less of Jimi because of one sentence and a fictional event shown in a TV movie that never actually happened.

I'll find the link to that thread if I can and repost it here.

[guitarfool2002]

Here's one of them, a Hendrix-BB thread called "Psychedelic Barbershop Quartet":

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,14196.0.html

[PaulTMA]

SURF MUSIC IS DEAAAAAAD

[bgas]

SURF MUSIC IS DEAAAAAAD

Surf Music, like R&R, wil NEVER Die

[Orange Crate Art]

I always interpreted Jimi's 'surf is dead' quote as somebody from outer space telling everybody on Earth that 'new-space-music' will replace the music Earth people made, such as surf music. I never considered it a jab at the Beach Boys. I know he was quoted saying that he didn't care much for Heroes & Villains, but I bet Jimi would've dug the Fire tapes if he ever had the chance to hear it. Ya gotta remember that Jimi wasn't much of a vocals kinda guy. He liked the instrumentation over the singing. He probably saw the Beach Boys as a singing group rather than a rock/instrumental type band. Anyways....that's my guess. Love Jimi, btw.