Oh... and I have a sneaking suspicion that fantasy story Dean tells Dennis on the plane... just might be true...

Dean's fantasy story was about promoter T. B. Skarning and the tour with Dick & Dee Dee in November of '61. For those who haven't read Dean's book, Dean spun an elaborate and hilarious yarn (to Dennis) about robbing Skarning of all of his money while on that tour—cash in a suitcase—so that he would not be able to pay the artists. Dean then admitted he was lying to Dennis. Skarning in fact paid J&D for the tour in December of '61. The check itself appears as an illustration in my book (p. 78).

Dee Dee Phelps also describes that tour in her book Vinyl Highway.

Does Dean go into any of his somewhat crazy reactive conservative beliefs in the book?

I think Dean mentioned that Anheuser-Busch was conservative. But I don't recall anything beyond that.

I didn't care for the "Beaner Wagon" reference . . . but it was a different era I suppose.

It's next on my list...after I finish Brian's
Quick question...I seem to recall that Dean did a fair amount of dabbling in real estate (I may be wrong) Does he touch on this at all in the book?

No, he doesn't go into anything like that.

What about the reports of the numerous typos, like "Marvin Gay"? And what I've seen described as Dean's pride in the Budweiser sponsorship which gave fans "Be True To Your Bud" with Mike along with a college tour in the early 80's, behind a song (more or less) which is an abomination? From scanning other reviews I've also seen quite a bit of distaste among fans for the way Jan is talked about in the book. Just curious, I do not have a copy yet so I'm only speaking from the reports and other reviews of it.

I found the misspelled names to be curious. There were a number of them. "Mike Dasey" [should be Deasy], for example. There were enough to where I wondered if they were misspelled on purpose, but I know of no reason why that would be the case. Those are the kinds of mistakes that an editor at a publishing house, who has no knowledge of the subject matter, will not catch. It would take a proof reader with knowledge of the subject matter to catch those. But aside from the names, Dean's book is not poorly written. Readers and fans can question the content, to be sure. But it's a conversational read.

As far as Dean's treatment of Jan in the book, it did not surprise me. But I'm more familiar with their dynamic than perhaps many Beach Boys fans. There's really no fixing the rift between Mike and Brian, and I believe the same is true for J&D. I was actually hoping for more insight on their differences during the original era, but we didn't get it.

Dean was really into the Anheuser-Busch thing with Mike. Jan was touring with his own band called Aloha while that was going on. That's covered in my book, but not Dean's. Jan didn't lose a beat on that while Dean went off to work with Mike. And Jan kicked his drug habit so that he and Dean could earn the bigger paydays by performing together. He had plenty of incentive there.

For readers interested in learning about Jan, I humbly suggest that they read my book.

[FRONT:]

I wonder what Mark Moore thinks of this book? I know that Dean had a very different and sometimes bitter memory of his years with Jan

I read Dean's book last week. Overall, I think it's well-written, funny, and engaging . . . and I told Dean as much. It's a light and easy read, a quick read (214 pp.) that most casual fans will like. More knowledgeable fans will find it lacking. Dean purposely chose a few of the bigger topics to touch briefly upon while completely omitting a lot.

As someone who is greatly interested in the topic, I wish it offered more insight on J&D's original era.  There's not much insight on Jan at all. It veers off course at times. For example, Dean tells a long fantasy story to Dennis Wilson and then acknowledges that it never happened. From my perspective, I would rather have seen that space devoted to something else.

But we have to remember that Dean is entitled to tell his own story in whatever manner he chooses. As far as Dean's take on Jan, or lack thereof, it is not surprising. There was a lot of resentment, and Jan's drug use in the late '70s and early '80s was a real sticking point for Dean. "Getting that ungrateful, unhappy, drug addicted human being out of my life was right up there with my first bicycle . . . my first sexual experience. . . . I hated Jan with a passion."

I really liked the section on Kittyhawk. I appreciated the insight on the three factions and their places aboard the Beach Boys' private jet while on tour in 1978. FRONT: A drunk Dennis and his rowdy crowd. MIDDLE: Brian, Carl, Bruce, Al, and Jan. (Dean called this neutral buffer zone "Switzerland"). BACK: Mike and his associates (closed off from the rest of the plane). The neutral folks could venture into one camp or the other, but the polar opposites rarely met. And Dean said he was one of the few who were welcome in all three spaces. Dennis and Mike stayed as far away from each other as possible.

I also appreciated the insight on the Beach Boys' management calling Dean in to get him to end the Mike & Dean situation in the early '80s. He refused. Dean was amazed that they went to him about it instead of Mike. Dean really liked those corporate gigs and marketing, and would have preferred to continue in that vein.

I should also point out that, aside from little or no insight on Jan, there is little or no personal insight on anyone in the book. . . not Dean's wife and children, etc. He does not provide his family background, or anything like that.

Dean simply chose a different focus for his memoir. Anyone with an interest in the topic should get it.

Bruce played in a band that backed up Ritchie Valens, Jan & Arnie, and others at the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona in September of '58. Sandy Nelson played drums.

[You Still Believe In Me:]

For those on Facebook, here are three full-song video clips from the Raleigh show, 8-19-16.

You Still Believe In Me:
https://www.facebook.com/mark.a.moore.79/videos/10210282306280146/

God Only Knows:
https://www.facebook.com/mark.a.moore.79/videos/10210282529925737/

Band Intro and Good Vibrations:
https://www.facebook.com/mark.a.moore.79/videos/10210282686929662/

I was at the Raleigh show, too. It was fantastic. And I agree with others above. Matt Jardine is a major talent. They all are, really. Enjoyed watching Blondie play some lead guitar. And Mike D'Amico paid homage to Dennis by playing drums "Denny Style" on "Surfin' U.S.A." . . . Left hand playing the hi-hat and the right on snare.

The instrumental in "Honolulu Lulu" with Hal Blaine's (?) fantastic rolls just rocks like hell.

Yeah, it's Hal Blaine. All of the musicians for the two recorded Hullabaloo shows (used for the album) were Wrecking Crew members.

Same here, but unfortunately we don't havee that much footag of Phase I 

Right, but loads of "Phase II" footage is not necessarily a good thing, from my perspective.

However, certain archival stuff from that era is important. For example, it's crucial to highlight the early '80s Aloha footage, because it's a telling window on Jan's concert activity beyond Dean's orbit. And it's important to show J&D in concert with the various incarnations of Dean's bands. There are some good examples.

But beyond that,  the video value is limited, in my opinion.

M.

Speaking of live shows, Mark, I wonder if there is any way all those live shows from Phase II that were filmed - and it seems there are quite a few judging by youtube - will ever be remastered and incorporated to Jan's or Jan & Dean's website.

I don't know. The 1981 concert that was recorded for the 1982 LP One Summer Night / Live was filmed, and I think the video for that was released much later.

"Phase II" does not interest me as much as the original era.

Any prospect of UK release for your book ?

All I know is that the book is available on Amazon UK in both print and electronic formats.

I have waited many years to know this. Any chance of release ? 

We shall see . . .

The first step would be to preview the tracks to determine whether the quality is good enough for a release. They likely would have needed sweetening in the studio at the time.

["The Lonely Bull""A Taste of Honey""Play On / Surf City""I Get Around""Honolulu Lulu""Cathy's Clown""Everybody Loves A Clown""Dead Man's Curve""Yesterday""You've Got To Hide Your Love Away""A Beginning From An End""The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)""One-Two-Three""Let's Hang On""I Found A Girl""Hang On Sloopy (My Girl Sloopy)"]

Oh, great! Do you have a tracklist for the show?

The track list for the November '65 San Diego concert is published in my book . . .

"The Lonely Bull"

"A Taste of Honey"

"Play On / Surf City"

"I Get Around"

"Honolulu Lulu"

"Cathy's Clown"

"Everybody Loves A Clown"

"Dead Man's Curve"

"Yesterday"

"You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"

"A Beginning From An End"

"The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)"

"One-Two-Three"

"Let's Hang On"

"I Found A Girl"

"Hang On Sloopy (My Girl Sloopy)"


A similar track list was recorded the following month at the Hullabaloo Night Club in Hollywood, which became the basis for Filet of Soul.

Say Mark, probably you get asked this often but I never heard about it: was the concert seen in parts in "On the run" filmed completely and are the tapes (including the sound recording) still in the archives?

I think they filmed the entire concert and used portions of it in the TV pilot. But I don’t know if all of the footage still exists.

The recordings still exist. Five tape reels from the concert are in the vaults at Universal (formerly EMI-Capitol).

I guess that changed for the worse when the drugs started in the 80s, right?

Yeah, Jan's drug use came to a head in October 1981, and Jan & Dean discontinued their reunion for a year or so. In 1982, Dean remained with the Bel Air Bandits and also began performing with Mike Love. Jan reformed his old Aloha band with new personnel and went back out on the road in '82, touring nationally. But he also kicked his drug habit. Jan & Dean began performing together again, on and off, in 1983, and then ramped up the touring again from there.

By the way, there is footage of Jan performing with Aloha in 1983. At least two shows. The video is grainy but the sound is good. Jan's performances are as good as anything he did with Dean's band, and Aloha's instrumental and vocal performances are good. Aloha's musical director and lead guitarist David Loe shared the concert tapes with me.

I guess that changed for the worse when the drugs started in the 80s, right?

Yeah, Jan's drug use came to a head in October 1981, and Jan & Dean discontinued their reunion for a year or so. In 1982, Dean remained with the Bel Air Bandits and also began performing with Mike Love. Jan reformed his old Aloha band with new personnel and went back out on the road in '82, touring nationally. But he also kicked his drug habit. Jan & Dean began performing together again, on and off, in 1983, and then ramped up the touring again from there.

Here's a recording of the interview with Ian Wagner . . . Shades of Cool, WUAG FM (lo-fi rendering):

http://jananddean-janberry.com/sounds/2016_07_12%20(jan%20&%20dean).mp3

Ian is very knowledgeable on the subject, and it made for a fun evening.


Music and Discussion . . .


TRACK LIST:

"Drag City" — Pop Symphony (1965)

"Jennie Lee" — Jan & Arnie (1958)

"Baby Talk" — (1959)

"Surf City" — (1963)

"Honolulu Lulu" — (1963)

"Drag City" — (1963)

"Dead Man's Curve" — (1964)

"I'm Dying To Give You My Love " — Pixie (1961)

"I Adore Him" — The Angels (1963)

"It's As Easy As 1, 2, 3" — (1964)

"The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)" — Isolated Vocals with Brass and Woodwinds (1964)

"Ride the Wild Surf" — (1964)

"The Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review and Timing Association" — (1964)

"(Here They Come) From All Over the World" — (1965)

Filet of Soul — Original Concept Excerpts (1966)

"Batman" — (1966)

"Like A Summer Rain" — (1966)

"Girl, You're Blowing My Mind" — (1968)

"Carnival of Sound" — (1968)

Scotty Moore (Elvis) and Danny Cedrone (Bill Haley) pretty much invented Rock Guitar in 1954 . . . especially Scotty. Amazing stuff. Moore's guitar work between 1954 and 1957 was groundbreaking, in an era when the rhythm-playing, sex-symbol singer gained all the attention. But without Scotty Moore and Bill Black, Elvis would not have had a platform from which to showcase his audience appeal.

Moreover, Elvis did not write the songs . . . and Elvis did not come up with the guitar solos . . . Just sayin'. And it does not reflect well on Col. Tom Parker (and Elvis by default) that Scotty and Bill were treated so poorly in terms of monetary compensation. Elvis lavished ridiculous amounts of money on everyone but the two musicians who helped launch his career, and it's no wonder they left early on.

Tim Allen . . . "Home Improvement"

Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor . . . and neighbor Wilson

The guys appeared and sang on the program.

Here's an interview I did with Pray For Surf:

http://prayforsurfblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/prayforsurf-interview-mark-moore-author.html

This is a good one by Cameron Michael Parkes:

http://www.boxocloxmusic.com/a-brian-wilson-tribute

Peter, this was insightful and fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

April 5, 1966

The Beach Boys played at the Palmer Municipal Auditorium in Austin, Texas.

On the same day, Jan & Dean played at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri.

and they were released within a month of each other. whether that was caused by radio playing one song more than the other, or the record company promoting one over the other, or the public simply preferring one to the other (probably a combination of the 3) that is the way it went down. the lightweight cover beat out the innovative original.

Capitol's northeast promotion guy started pushing "Barbara Ann" because the two-bar pause in "Little Girl" was throwing listeners off. That's a long pause on the radio.