The legendary Labor Day weekend, 1961

[PongHit]

Bravo.  I especially like this part:

For years we were told the Beach Boys didn't play the instruments on their records after the first couple LPs (truth is they played on a majority of the most known tracks in their canon, including Dennis being the drummer on classics like I Get Around, Don't Worry Baby, When I Grow Up, Dance Dance Dance).

[guitarfool2002]

I'm very much enjoying this discussion, I just wanted to say thanks for all of the new information to consider. The fact that public relations hype and exaggerations happen all the time isn't surprising but the fact there was so much surrounding this story and that it was told and re-told by nearly every source since the early 60's is kind of surprising. It's fun to set the record straight!

Two issues around the 300 dollars bother me too: First, and I may be wrong with the exact figures but I do have some knowledge of vintage guitars and amps: If a music store in 1961 charged nearly the same amount of US dollars to rent a used stand-up bass as they did for a Fender Stratocaster or a decent Fender amp, fresh from the Fender plant in California, then they were ripping people off. Most music stores I've dealt with consider rentals of guitars and basses to rock musicians a losing proposition, and the rentals of those items at most stores are not top-of-the-line models. For that, you call a place like S.I.R. which deals with high end instruments and professional musicians. Horns, woodwinds, etc - some stores have their own business in dealing with schools, but renting guitars basses and the like is a lose-lose situation for the most part.

300 for a rental acoustic bass in 1961? No way. I'd take that money and buy a P-Bass or Jazz Bass if it were 1961!

And leaving that much money for food for a few days in 1961? Thinking purely about the value of a dollar at that time, it seems WAY too high an amount. If you were a "ten thousand a year man" at that time you were probably a white collar kind of guy. The average salary in America in 1961 was around $5,000 per year. A loaf of bread on average cost 21 cents in 1961. So Murry left them the cash equivalent of buying 1,400 loaves of bread?

300 dollars for teenagers? Even today 300 bucks for a weekend would be enough to buy food, beer, and everything in between. In 1961? That was big money to leave your kids for a few days.

[Rocker]

Regarding the instruments, did they buy or loan that stuff from the food money? And what exactly? Just drums?

[Mikie]

Al (and Virginia) Jardine have stuck to the same story of the rented bass since day one. Why would they make it up?

[guitarfool2002]

In your opinion, does 300 bucks in 1961 dollar amounts sound like a reasonable sum of money to rent a stand-up bass, in light of some of the comparisons I mentioned?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Al (and Virginia) Jardine have stuck to the same story of the rented bass since day one. Why would they make it up?

I believe them - just not the sum involved.

[guitarfool2002]

The average monthly budget for food, dining in and out, was around 100 for a couple at that time. Average mortgage payment? Around 100 per month. Adding all of that, the 300 dollars for either the bass or the weekend of food for the boys doesn't jive at all with the value of the dollar back then.

[c-man]

In your opinion, does 300 bucks in 1961 dollar amounts sound like a reasonable sum of money to rent a stand-up bass, in light of some of the comparisons I mentioned?

Playing devil's advocate here:  remember that Al has said the $300 was for (or included) a DEPOSIT, not just a couple day's (or week's) rental.  Might that sound more reasonable?  In other words, say $50 to rent the thing and an additional $250 in case it was damaged at a frat party or in case they never got it back (remember also, the customer in this case was not a pro musician, but rather a housemom renting if for her 19-year or so old son).  And, maybe the bass in question was not a beat-up no-name job, but rather a top of the line model akin to what would be used in a symphony orchestra.  Sure, they could've rented a no-name for a lot less, and a pro musician with good credit could've rented the top-of-the-line model for less, but Mrs. Jardine from suburbia and her college-age son posed a bigger risk, and therefore had to pay more for best one they had.  Possibly?

[c-man]

Regarding the instruments, did they buy or loan that stuff from the food money? And what exactly? Just drums?

My guess would be...the food money paid for renting drums (actually probably "drum" singular, meaning just the snare) and maybe a microphone or two, and if so a small P.A. (or maybe just a guitar amp to plug the vocal mics into...crude, but effective).  And the bass was rented with Virginia Jardine's money (whether it be $300 or some smaller amount).

[Mikie]

Not to be sarcastic here, but it's no skin off my butt how much they paid for the bass. Does it really matter? It's kinda splittin' hairs. Al's Mom has been paid back a thousand-fold for the bass. Does it mean that since they could possibly be exaggerating about the 300 bucks, that they're not to believed for other things that they've said, and that their credibility is at stake? Same with how much they spent for the food - geez, could we linger on something else more worthwhile? Like the chronology of events leading up to the Kennedy assassination and when the "Warmth of The Sun" was actually written and exactly where the Beach Boys were at the time?  

P.S. Please note smiley emoticon before jumping on my back, K?  Thanks in advance.

[adamghost]

I was just going to say exactly what C-Man said...that I bet the $300 was mostly a deposit on a rental.  Replacement value for a stand up bass was probably considerably higher than for an electric and a lot of stores, particularly smaller ones, would insist on a pretty high deposit, sometimes nearly as much as the thing was worth, to rent it (my band tried to rent gear from a store in 2004 for a tour and were dismayed to find they insisted on deposits to cover the full retail value of everything that left the store).  This would explain why the figure stuck in everybody's heads.  You can envision, again, a scenario where they go to rent the bass at the store, and they can't get it out without a hefty deposit.  They immediately cast about for someone they can get a loan from, and it's Al's mom.  It would also explain why she was willing to part with the money...she was going to get it back in three days.

Count me in as another for whom the food money thing has never made any sense.  When I was in my teens my parents would take off for Europe or South America on a regular basis.  I distinctly recall them going to Ireland for nearly a month and leaving me $100 for food.  This was for a MONTH.  In 1981.  

[adamghost]

Not to be sarcastic here, but it's no skin off my butt how much they paid for the bass. Does it really matter? It's kinda splittin' hairs. Al's Mom has been paid back a thousand-fold for the bass. Does it mean that since they could possibly be exaggerating about the 300 bucks, that they're not to believed for other things that they've said, and that their credibility is at stake? Same with how much they spent for the food - geez, could we linger on something else more worthwhile? Like the chronology of events leading up to the Kennedy assassination and when the "Warmth of The Sun" was actually written and exactly where the Beach Boys were at the time?  

P.S. Please note smiley emoticon before jumping on my back, K?  Thanks in advance.

Jon's post is spot on.  Yes, this is minutiae but we live in a world that plays fast and loose with facts on a daily basis.  We need our wonks to keep things in balance, and set the record straight.  Small things have big implications that we don't always see at first.  And anyway, it's fun.

[Bicyclerider]

The 300 clams could have  been left for food AND in case of an emergency - if indeed both parents were out of the country (whether in Europe or Mexico).  What if one of the brothers (most likely Dennis) got in an accident and was taken to the hospital?  You had to pay cold hard cash in those days, there wasn't "indigent care" and universal health care coverage back then.  Of course that doesn't explain why they needed ANOTHER $300 to get the bass, unless the Wilsons weren't going to let Al use that money (they rented other stuff) and if Al wanted in he needed to put up for the bass.

[guitarfool2002]

In your opinion, does 300 bucks in 1961 dollar amounts sound like a reasonable sum of money to rent a stand-up bass, in light of some of the comparisons I mentioned?

Playing devil's advocate here:  remember that Al has said the $300 was for (or included) a DEPOSIT, not just a couple day's (or week's) rental.  Might that sound more reasonable?  In other words, say $50 to rent the thing and an additional $250 in case it was damaged at a frat party or in case they never got it back (remember also, the customer in this case was not a pro musician, but rather a housemom renting if for her 19-year or so old son).  And, maybe the bass in question was not a beat-up no-name job, but rather a top of the line model akin to what would be used in a symphony orchestra.  Sure, they could've rented a no-name for a lot less, and a pro musician with good credit could've rented the top-of-the-line model for less, but Mrs. Jardine from suburbia and her college-age son posed a bigger risk, and therefore had to pay more for best one they had.  Possibly?

I saw a few ads, from various papers in Sept 1961, where the cost to rent a standard piano was around 15 dollars per month from music stores who rented. So we're reading that an upright bass cost over 3 times what a piano would cost to rent per month? I do agree with the deposit, and how most of these were "rent to own" situations, or all payments made for rent went toward the purchase price if you wanted to own the instrument, but it still seems a bit high. Again 300 dollars was a lot of money to put out like that for a bass.

A that rate the bass might cost more on average than Al's classes at dental school!

It is splitting hairs in a way but it's a fun way to pass the time and avoid work!  

[adamghost]

I think there may be an explanation for the high amount of food money, and Murry's rage, tucked away in an interview with him somewhere, now that I think of it.

I recall reading some interview with Murry where he said (I'm paraphrasing) "we left them an ample amount of money for food and any emergencies." (emphasis mine)

So let's figure that food for the brothers for a weekend is, say, $50, and maybe another $10 to get the car washed or something like that.  But Murry's going to be out of town, it's a weekend (possibly a holiday weekend) so no banks are open and it's long before there are ATMs.  What if the plumbing breaks down or something falls apart around the house (or they need to bail Denny out of jail!).  With Murry's control freak personality it's easy to imagine his thinking here...and he leaves Brian, the responsible one, with the money, along with strict instructions that it's not to be used for anything other than emergencies beyond, say, $60.  But Brian sees an opening and he can't resist.

So Murry gets back, and he sees the responsible Brian's blown the wad (which he probably had earmarked for other bills) on music gear, and he loses it, temporarily.

[adamghost]

...bicyclerider beat me to it.  But I bet that's the answer, right there.  I hadn't even thought of the health care angle.

[guitarfool2002]

I agree - "emergencies" is the game-changer. But was Murry that naive to think a group of teenage boys would be in any way responsible with that much cash money in their hands? He could have left that "emergency" money with a neighbor or a relative! That is if the amount were, in fact, 300 dollars.

[guitarfool2002]

What if one of the brothers (most likely Dennis) got in an accident and was taken to the hospital?  You had to pay cold hard cash in those days, there wasn't "indigent care" and universal health care coverage back then.

But even then if you were brought in on a stretcher after an accident they wouldn't ask you to pay first.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Not to be sarcastic here, but it's no skin off my butt how much they paid for the bass. Does it really matter? It's kinda splittin' hairs. Al's Mom has been paid back a thousand-fold for the bass. Does it mean that since they could possibly be exaggerating about the 300 bucks, that they're not to believed for other things that they've said, and that their credibility is at stake? Same with how much they spent for the food - geez, could we linger on something else more worthwhile? Like the chronology of events leading up to the Kennedy assassination and when the "Warmth of The Sun" was actually written and exactly where the Beach Boys were at the time?  

P.S. Please note smiley emoticon before jumping on my back, K?  Thanks in advance.

Jon's post is spot on.  Yes, this is minutiae but we live in a world that plays fast and loose with facts on a daily basis.  We need our wonks to keep things in balance, and set the record straight.  Small things have big implications that we don't always see at first.  And anyway, it's fun.

I'm a wonk ?

Well, goddam ! 

[Andrew G. Doe]

I agree - "emergencies" is the game-changer. But was Murry that naive to think a group of teenage boys would be in any way responsible with that much cash money in their hands? He could have left that "emergency" money with a neighbor or a relative! That is if the amount were, in fact, 300 dollars.

$80, $150, $300, $500, $800 - take your pick. 

[guitarfool2002]

I agree - "emergencies" is the game-changer. But was Murry that naive to think a group of teenage boys would be in any way responsible with that much cash money in their hands? He could have left that "emergency" money with a neighbor or a relative! That is if the amount were, in fact, 300 dollars.

$80, $150, $300, $500, $800 - take your pick. 

300 seems to be the magic number, both with the bass and with Murry's cash, so I'll put my chips on that one!

[Andrew G. Doe]

Like the chronology of events leading up to the Kennedy assassination and when the "Warmth of The Sun" was actually written and exactly where the Beach Boys were at the time?  

Did that a few years ago, can't recall where - upshot was, they were on tour so the tale of going to the office wasn't kosher. Or even halal, to avoid offending the PC morons.  

[Andrew G. Doe]

I agree - "emergencies" is the game-changer. But was Murry that naive to think a group of teenage boys would be in any way responsible with that much cash money in their hands? He could have left that "emergency" money with a neighbor or a relative! That is if the amount were, in fact, 300 dollars.

$80, $150, $300, $500, $800 - take your pick. 

300 seems to be the magic number, both with the bass and with Murry's cash, so I'll put my chips on that one!

Eh... when you've got two different items, and they agree on value like this, my spider senses perk up. 

[guitarfool2002]

I just wanted to add one more thing, not that it's going to affect the discussion but as a point of interest: It's easy to forget we live in a "pay up front" kind of society today where we usually have pay immediately upon receipt of the goods or the services. In a lot of places in America in the 50's, you were billed, usually every month, for a lot of what you bought, everything from suits at the mens' shop, to your milk or meat deliveries, to your household repair services. If you went to a department store like JC Penney or Sears you probably had an account set up, and the list of items you purchased went to their billing department who would then send you whatever you had on your "tab". Hospitals were the same way - if you went in to be treated you weren't billed on the spot - you were billed later. So actually we are living in much more of a cash-in-hand society today than the Wilsons and Jardines were in 1961.

In today's world it would be Murry handing over his credit card to Brian and telling him "Only buy what you need! This is for emergencies only!".

Any dads out there comfortable with that kind of arrangement?  

[Mikie]

Yes, this is minutiae but we live in a world that plays fast and loose with facts on a daily basis.  We need our wonks to keep things in balance, and set the record straight.  Small things have big implications that we don't always see at first.  And anyway, it's fun.

I understand all that. It's a given. And as Guitarfool so aptly put it, it's a fun way to pass the time and avoid work. I'm just not sure you guys are gonna conclude anything on this. Most of the Wilsons are gone, and there's conflicting memories by other parties who are still alive, understandably because it was almost 50 years ago. Plus, as AGD astutely points out, "$80, $150, $300, $500, $800 - take your pick!"

Hey, did Murry really have a heart attack and die on the toilet?