“SURFIN’ SAFARI DIDN’T SOUND LIKE A HIT!”
And, finally, some anniversary reflections from The Beach Boys’ poet of sound:
Can you describe the thrill of hearing yourselves on the radio for the first time, when KFWB played Surfin’?
It was amazing and fun… It was on KBLA AM radio first. It was 1961, I was about 19 years old, in my house in Hawthorne… the house I grew up in. What do you remember about writing Surfin’ Safari, your first hit?
It didn’t sound like a hit, haha!
When I Get Around became the band’s first US Number 1 and million-seller in 1964 – what changed?
It totally changed things for the good. It brought success but pressure as well.
The Warmth Of The Sun was written on November 22, 1963, the day JFK was assassinated. Did the news add to the song’s haunting mood?
It was written after we heard the news about the President and it did add to the mood… It was a sad mood when Mike and I wrote it.
Looking back, what were the most positive impacts Murry Wilson made?
He taught us how to work hard… He spanked us. Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) marks the first appearance of Bruce on record. How did he fit into the group dynamic, or change it?
He brought a good vocal to the group.
Much has been made of the Brian Wilson/Mike Love rivalry in the band. But there must have been a brotherly closeness too?
Well Mike was and is a great singer… and he thought I was funny.
Which songs from the pre-Pet Sounds era do you feel get overlooked or underrated?
Don’t Worry Baby.
Sixty years on, does it all feel like another life entirely?
Those memories are still vivid…
What are the reunion plans for this year?
No plans.
Might there be another Beach Boys album? Probably not… but who knows…