Another book! The Jan and Dean Story by Dean Torrence.

[Pretty Funky]

I don't recall this one getting picked up here due to Mike and Brian's books. A story less known so looking forward to this one.

Due Sept 6. Foreword by Mike Love.


https://www.amazon.com/Surf-City-Jan-Dean-Story/dp/1590793951/ref=sr_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472265451&sr=1-18&keywords=Beach+boys

[Rocker]

There's a thread in the General Music section of the board:


http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,24258.0.html


Not too much going on there, though....

[Pretty Funky]

Ahh thanks Rocker. This book should have a lot of Beach Boys related topic so you may have sold it short putting it in the 'General Music' section. 

[Ian]

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

[“Big Daddy”]

FYI you can get a copy signed by Dean for twenty bucks at http://www.surfcityallstars.com/store.html.

[Mark A. Moore]

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.

[guitarfool2002]

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.

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.

[Mark A. Moore]

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.

[NOLA BB Fan]

I confess to not having a great knowledge of Jan and Dean prior to reading Dean's book. All I knew was that Jan was the "genius" of the group with Dean being along for the ride (a simplistic view I'm sure), and Jan's horrific injury and struggle to cope with that as best he could. And that Dean made great album covers. And lots of great songs, with Brian's input in some of them.

Anyway, the tone of Dean's book was jarring at times. He didn't seem to care about Jan's struggles with his brain injury. The section where Jan saw a picture and said "where am I", Dean told him where he was in the picture, then Jan looked at it again and said "where am I"? Dean said he got mad at Jan. I wouldn't have been mad, but rather, alarmed.
I can appreciate that it was hard to deal with Jan as it was hard for the rest of the BBs to deal with Brian when his illness took over.

I'm looking forward to reading The Jan and Dean Record.
Am really interested in Jan's influences growing up, what got him interested in music and music production. Dean's first mention of Jan is when he had already started his rudimentary recording techniques.

[Steve Latshaw]

For me, this book is exactly what it was intended to be... a sit down with Dean and a chance to hear some stories and get a real flavor of the time, a real you-are-there sense of time, place and emotion.  It's not meant as a historical account of their entire career, but rather a literary opportunity to time travel, to feel the joy, the fun and, ultimately, the emotion of what that ride was like.  If you want the history, day by day, moment by moment, project by project, get and read Mark's excellent book, the Jan & Dean Record.  As for the periods Dean skipped, I can only imagine many of those moments were too painful to revisit.  Particularly the period between April 1966 and early 1968.  We know the history already; everything we could possibly wonder about is already covered in Mark's book.  Why return and dredge over that trauma?  It's easy to forget Dean was only 26 when Jan crashed into that truck.  He did everything he could to keep things going in the hope that Jan might recover... and didn't get a hell of a lot of appreciation for it at the time.

The book is the story Dean wanted to tell.  It takes you back to the joy of the early days.  And the ending is incredibly touching and redemptive.  I can't recommend it enough.

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

[SonoraDick]

And the ending is incredibly touching and redemptive. 

I'll second that. A real tear-jerker for me.

[Juice Brohnston]

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?

[Mark A. Moore]

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.

[ESQ Editor]

Interview with Dean…
https://www.mixcloud.com/Good_Vibes50/good_vibes_dean_torrence/

[Jim V.]

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

Regardless I probably will be purchasing it. Also would like to get Mark's book as well.

[Steve Latshaw]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interview with Dean…
https://www.mixcloud.com/Good_Vibes50/good_vibes_dean_torrence/

Great interview... funny and eye-opening.  This is quite an excellent excellent radio show, with A list guests and always a revelation or two.  Looking forward to the weekly drops.

[Mark A. Moore]

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.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

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

Still doesn't excuse it IMHO.

[Mark A. Moore]

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.

[wild neon sins]

Review from Joel Goldenberg from The Suburban ("Qubec's largest Englishweekly newspaper"  (following reviews/discussion of Brian and Mike's books)

Does he really call 70's Brian a "mental case"?

http://www.thesuburban.com/arts_and_entertainment/joel-goldenberg-it-s-all-your-fault-brian-wilson/article_3cef84a8-15d1-52a2-a976-5d3d8828e19c.html

"And then there's the least known book of the three out now, Surf City: The Jan and Dean Story by Dean Torrence. Jan and Dean, who pre-dated the Beach Boys, were closely aligned with the band from at least 1963 to 1966 — Brian Wilson co-wrote and sang on some of the duo's biggest hits, including Surf City. Dean, in turn, sang on one of the Beach Boys' biggest hits, Barbara Ann, which Jan and Dean covered years before. The original and dorkiest version was done by the Regents.

The Jan and Dean story is an interesting one in general — Jan Berry was an innovative producer and both had a very busy musical career while studying full time in university. Jan had a devastating car accident in 1966 and lived the rest of his life with partial paralysis and brain damage, yet performed for decades with Dean on stage.

Dean's autobiography is written in a very conversational style. He goes on a bit too long about football and the surfing scene, but it also has a lot of the humour the duo was known for. The saddest parts of the story are, of course, Jan's accident, and his late 1970s and early 1980s drug abuse that split the duo up for a while. And yet Jan cleaned himself up and Jan and Dean performed for many years, even when Jan could barely move due to the accident-related illnesses that would lead to his death in 2004.

One of my favourite parts of the book: Dean again describes — in a little too much detail — one of his mid-1960s football games with his buddies. Then he casually inserts the fact that Elvis Presley was on the opposing team.

My least favourite — Dean calls the 1970s Brian Wilson a "mental case." Not nice.

In different ways, all three books are must reads for Beach Boys fans."

[Joel Goldenberg]

Review from Joel Goldenberg from The Suburban ("Qubec's largest Englishweekly newspaper"  (following reviews/discussion of Brian and Mike's books)

Does he really call 70's Brian a "mental case"?

Yes, it's in Chapter 16 regarding the Mike and Dean collaboration, although the reference to Brian could more specifically be late 1970s-early 1980s.

[GhostyTMRS]

Dean was a guest on my radio show today (some Beach Boys discussion as well): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1XvhbHXIlE

[Mark A. Moore]

Dean was a guest on my radio show today (some Beach Boys discussion as well): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1XvhbHXIlE

Nice job, Ghosty.

[GhostyTMRS]

Dean was a guest on my radio show today (some Beach Boys discussion as well): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1XvhbHXIlE

Nice job, Ghosty.

Thanks Mark. I sent you a message either here or through FB a few months ago about coming on the show to talk about your book. Love to have you on. If you like, pm me here.

[Mark A. Moore]

Thanks Mark. I sent you a message either here or through FB a few months ago about coming on the show to talk about your book. Love to have you on. If you like, pm me here.

Thanks Ghosty. I completely missed that. I sent you a message.