The Smiley Smile Message Board

This was posted in a couple other threads including the ongoing "Official Youtube" thread, but I think this particular video warrants its own thread considering how interesting it is.

The Reagan Library organization has posted the full pro-shot video of the Beach Boys' June 1983 gig at the White House. This is the gig that for years has been seen in very brief news clips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdXGlcwUvRA&feature=youtu.be

It's about 30 minutes long and has in-line audio (although the mix is pretty wonky at certain points). Only one camera angle, but I guess the one camera person gets as much coverage as they can get.

A relatively weird and awkward gig. Random thoughts:

- The band does a brief set including "California Girls", "Good Vibrations", "The Warmth of the Sun", "Surfin' Safari", "Surf City", "Surfin' USA", "Rock and Roll Music", and (I'm trying to remember from watching yesterday) "Fun Fun Fun."

- It's surprising they do "Warmth of the Sun". But weirdly, Mike seems to be going *out of his way* to not say the name "Kennedy" when describing that it was written on the night of Kennedy's assassination and that they were doing the song in tribute to him. He keeps stumbling trying to say it's about JFK without actually saying his name. Bizarre.

- No love for Foskett from the camera operator, who doesn't even put the camera on Foskett when he's singing the lead on "Warmth."

- I'm surprised they had Dennis at this gig. His drumming is okay, he never falls off the rails. It's kind of messy, and he does speed everything up. It looks like Kowalski was there, literally behind the stage presumably in case Dennis literally went off the rails during the set.

- Late in the show, it appears Brian was trying to tell Dennis to slow down, and Mike relates to Dennis (trying to pass it off jokingly) that his brother is telling him to slow the tempo down.

- Brian weirdly sounds like a maniac almost angrily demanding the band do "Rock and Roll Music" for the first "encore" song. For much of the song, he plays his keyboard standing and hunched over, again kind of like a maniac. It's like the circa 1977 wild Brian returned for five minutes. 

- Dennis seems determined to continuously talk to the Reagans. I'm curious to know what he was saying, but eventually after some on-stage mingling it seems pretty clear that Mike purposely sandwiches himself between Nancy Reagan and Dennis. Prior to that, though, Dennis is completely alone clearly trying to explain something to the President, and I think he replies with something like "we'll try to get one for you"; I don't know if Dennis was asking for an autograph or a bottle of water or what.

- They all shake hands with the President about 87 times.

- Seeing how quickly Dennis literally soaks his entire shirt with sweat helps to explain why there are so many shirtless photos of Dennis drumming in 1982 and 1983. A bit awkward that he's all huggy and close up to the Reagans despite being drenched in sweat.

It's great to see this footage.  In the American Band clip Dennis looks in real bad shape, as if Mike is holding him up and his head flops down (which he did around this time).  However, seeing the whole footage, Dennis looks quite with it.  Sober and his drumming is fine, with the potential for it to go wrong.  He dated the Reagan's daughter at one point so maybe he's met them before.  I would love to know what he and the president were talking about!

I know very little of Dennis' supposed "association" with their daughter, but I tend to doubt he "dated" her in the traditional sense with her taking him home to meet her parents....

I've seen a pretty good amount of footage and photos of Dennis from this final tour, and I'd say he's "relatively with it." He doesn't seem in particularly great shape, and doesn't seem as energetic as the Seattle Kingdome show which is on video from just a few weeks prior. His drumming is passable, but not a particularly great moment for him. His fills are very stiff and awkward, and Brian's totally right, Dennis is speeding things up too much at times. But I don't think Dennis is wasted or anything, as he's able to communicate with Carl during the show to do what at times are alternate, shortened arrangements and endings to some of the songs.

But I think the BBs had come straight from a gig at RFK Stadium to do this White House show. The whole stage set up and monitor system and mic cords and everything all seems rather wonky, so they're pulling the whole thing off about as well as they can considering the shape they were in at this stage during the '83 tour.

Both Dennis's drumming and the band's overall performance I'd rate as "average" for the '83 tour. They don't sound too hot, but they're not awful either.

The mix on the extant videotape also seems to vary wildly; I'm not sure if this is what was going out into the PA for the audience.

Jeff seems to be behind a pole during WOTS, so the camera operator either doesn't bother or can not see him.

The words 'pro shot' are hardly justified with this show, but it is interesting nevertheless.

I didn't even know Jeff was even there. I was pretty sure it was Billy Hinsche that was singing "Warmth Of The Sun". Why else getting would he be standing at the mic without a guitar? I've always read that Dennis was almost falling down drunk for this appearance, but he seems relatively in control behind the drums. I thought it was pretty funny how at one point he steps directly in front of Mike to talk to Nancy.  ;D

I'd call it an one-angle pro-shot video. It's shot by a professional grade camera on to professional grade videotape, and has in-line audio.

But yeah, it's essentially a press pool camera with in-line audio. I was mainly just trying to indicate this isn't a quick little news clipping or a roaming news camera with off-line audio (some video from this era along those lines also circulates; I think there's a San Diego gig for instance like that).

Also kind of embarrassing is how the guys are about to sprain something straining to excessively laugh at the President's joke. Really Bruce, was it really *that* funny?

(https://reaganlibrary.archives.gov/archives/photographs/large/c15292-11.jpg)

(http://static1.imagecollect.com/preview/560/46ea865fb521242)

Bruce was laughing at the fact that somebody would actually having to work for success instead of being adopted into a rich family and then "volunteering" himself into a super famous group.

And what's with Al and Bruce and the short shorts? At the White House?

Even Dennis dressed up a bit for the gig and put a shirt on. Put some pants on guys. I know it isn't a black tie gala, and I guess the guys did come straight from another gig they had just finished, but nobody particularly dressed up.

Dennis is wearing the nicest shirt, even if it's un-tucked and soaked.

Dennis seems rather blitzed to me, especially the way he's moving around and behaving when they are taking to the Reagans on stage.


Look carefully and you'll see Foskett there.

No problem with BBs hanging with Reagans, good vibrations all around! 8)

Probably one of the best captions I have read on a message board is related to that picture. I don't know who said it, or when, but well done to the originator.

Reagan: "Which one of you banged my daughter?"
Mike: "We all did!"

 :lol

Brian was ADAMANT that they would play Rock N Roll Music!!!!

Great to see this video. Had seen pics/clips like everyone else.

Question (and if this is  the wrong place to ask, i apologize), do you think dennis was a republican and voted for ron? my guess is he was too busy drinking and sleeping with girls to give a crap about politics but who knows.

They sound pretty good to me. Mike is in good voice and in his least goofy mode.  He looks good too, with the baldness concealing cap on he looks like he's still in his 30's.
Not sure what Al was thinking with that outfit but it's a shame he didn't get a lead.

A small picture at the bottom of this link shows them pretty much in the same clothes.

https://bennetkelley.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/first-nasl-game-team-america-and-the-beach-boys-june-12-1983/

They literally did come straight from the game, although Bruce did manage to slip on some pants.

at 21:30 you can hear Dennis say to the President: "Where did you get your coat? It's beautiful."

The audio is coming direct from the mixing desk.

Or that's what I thought during California Girls.

Mike's mic seems to be plugged straight into the camera.

What is going on with this audio?

COOOOOOOL

It's odd hearing nothing but Dennis's drums the start of California Girls. At first I was confused over why Dennis was starting without the rest of the band.

Firstly, thanks so much to HeyJude for bringing this to everybody's attention. A very historically fascinating show for many reasons.

 A few thoughts…


- As soon as Mike says "just the ladies" during the audience participation part of Good Vibrations at 8:03, Denny makes sure to stand up and keep his eyes intently focused on the crowd  ;D

- At 23:10, when Denny goes over to hug his brothers, it's pretty touching. I feel like this might be the last known photographic or video evidence of just the three Wilson brothers standing together?

(http://i68.tinypic.com/2dilurm.jpg)

- Mike appears to be wearing the identical white Nike sneakers with red swoosh as the Marty McFly ones. Mike McFly?


(http://i66.tinypic.com/2dtq0qo.jpg)

- Is this the only time the band played for an audience that contained members of the Kennedys?

- Landy was almost certainly at this show, right? I didn't spot him in the video, although I wouldn't be surprised if he was just off camera.

- There were definitely some very old people in the audience of the show. It's weird to think that as late as the 1980s (or maybe even later?), they were probably attendees of Beach Boys concerts born in the 1800s.

Reminds me of a moment in the 1983 Kingdome show where Dennis is up front with the other guys, all sweaty and shirtless, and hugging his bandmates. Al has that expression on his face that says "uh, i'm not too sure about this..."

great video with some cool moments, but overall... ugh.
Mike is just so hard to take, especially with his shirt unbuttoned to his navel. and those shorts on Bruce and Al are pretty hard to excuse.

the best part is when the Reagans take the stage and Brian is right there front and center, smiling and shaking hands and then introducing himself and Carl: "He's pleased to meet you, and Michael's pleased to meet you too. We're all very pleased!"  :lol love it.

Bruce is the ultimate brown noser as usual, and Mike's overly physical contact with Nancy Reagan is just weird.
Dennis stepping in front of Mike to shake hands and say hello is hilarious. when he goes and stands between Carl and Brian and they all put their arms around each other, beaming with pride... man, that's good stuff.

thanks for posting this!

Just a cringey goof in his wee sky blue shorts. He even bellowed out laughing before Reagan delivered the punchline


But yes they all give off a very weird vibe, especially the awkward laughing of Bruce, Al and Mike. Bruce literally wants to get down on his knees and unzip the president at this point. Oh well, just a cringey goof in his wee sky blue shorts. Brian is acting like a maniac about the the encore and is right in Reagan's face the whole time. Dennis is falling a part but just keeps it together here, a very sad image of self destruction. In fact Carl is about the only one keeping his cool throughout and although Mike is a goof by default he carries himself better here than one might fear...


Too many handshakes guys  ;D

Yes, and the best part is Carl's "You got it, buddy!" at 25:01  :)

Seeing all six guys on stage, with Dennis holding it together and Brian in good (physical) shape, it's so strange to see that they're teetering on the edge of things looking up, and also teetering on the edge of things crashing and burning. I guess we got a little bit of both as the decade progressed.

It's just kinda surreal in a way. Seeing Dennis there, Brian looking in better shape. Only two years later we have "Getcha Back." Only five years later we have the Brian Wilson album and "Love and Mercy" and "Kokomo." It just gets the mind going: where would Dennis fit into all that? I have to admit I can't imagine Dennis as part of the group that they became after he passed away. And I'm not one for much of the "what if?" stuff, but one has to wonder how Denny would fit in The Beach Boys world through the '80s and beyond. I think that honestly might be a decent idea for a thread topic.

It has often been alluded to that there was some amount of discussion that took place in 1983 about Landy treating Dennis. There are a whole ball of what-ifs relating to Dennis concerning that, but I was just thinking: If Dennis would have at least stuck it out under Landy's care for some amount of time, would Landy's attention have been diverted away from Brian in 1984 as Brian improved?

Was there any chance that Brian would have been able to branch off in 1984 or 85 without Landy there with him 24/7? We've often discussed over the years about how the appropriate time for Landy to have stepped down would have been around 1984 or so.

I've never been big on what-if scenarios, but that's a compelling one. Who knows, it's just as likely Landy just would have left a strong-arm operative there to stay with Brian.

Sadly, with the way Dennis was going, I don't think he would have lived more than another year, if that. Even if he had somehow gotten sober, there is always the likelihood that the damage to his body was to great. I think there would have been a fairly high chance that his liver or kidneys were severely damaged. Look at Greg Allman, for example. After being sober for twenty years, his hard living caught up to him and he needed a liver transplant. He also had hepatitis C and respiratory issues.

Stephen is a meticulous and methodically sound student of California music, as well as the Australian surf scene. The type of research he does, qualitative research, is both methodologically sound, and brings new understanding to seemingly unrelated data. I find his publications to be invaluable.......

Enjoyed watching this. I saw those guys so many times on tv, in concert, it always seems so familiar to me, even seeing a clip like this for the first time. I know how they respond to each other, how they communicate. Dennis looked better here than I expected to, and no surprise he is drenched in sweat after this short set. That's how he played! He had that animal energy that the band never had after his death. Carl sure looks happy here - I expected to see him just going through the motions. Mike had so much energy back then. 1983 was the last time I saw him so animated on stage. And at the risk of sending this thread to the sandbox....seeing President Reagan there reminds me of happier days in our country; I was never a Reagan fan, but he did have that kind, grandfatherly thing about him. Compared to what we have in the White House today...boy, I miss the 80's!