Surf's Up: A Beach Boys Podcast Safari

In this special snackable episode, Mark compares The Beach Boys' 1967 SMiLE album with The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A year earlier the bands came out, respectively, with the classic Pet Sounds and Revolver LPs, and it was The Beach Boys who were favored in NME's year-end poll. If SMiLE had come out during the Summer of Love, how would it have fared? Mark weighs the two albums track by track, and in terms of cultural impact and overall artistic impression. These records are considered by many to be both bands' ultimate production statements - which one will come out on top? (This mini-episode is a longer version of a clip Mark recorded for the Apples & Oranges Podcast.)

Howie Edelson, Beach Boys' creative consultant and catalog producer, returns to talk up this new oral history of the group to which he contributed interviews and new text. But that's just the launch point: we also get an update on Brian Wilson, and discuss the contributions of Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin, the many mysteries of Murry Wilson, we reveal the TRUE identity of Reggie Dunbar, pit "The Trader" vs. "Catch a Wave", and talk about the love the guys have had for one another despite it all. Howie also teases what might be the next box set!

Mark and Phil pay tribute to the late Jeffrey Foskett, a part of The Beach Boys family for over 40 years. They discuss Jeff's role as singer and guitarist for The BBs and Brian Wilson's band, as well as Brian's "keeper." Mark reveals the lost chapter of Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys - "Jeffrey Foskett on 'The Warmth of the Sun'" and some never-before published quotes from the man himself. The hosts also relate their personal interactions with Jeff, and last but not least, explain Jeff's predilection for Nudie shirts.

In this episode Mark and Phil welcome Matt and Greg Coffey, hosts of online show BeachBoystalk, which has brought together the fan community. It's a multigenerational fan smackdown, covering such topics as: did Brian Wilson really want to tour? Is there Beach Boys without Wilsons? Why did Carl Wilson throw Phil out of the BBs office? What's up with Matt's unholy love for MIU? Do different generations of fans appreciate "Kokomo" and the later albums differently? This one has it all!

Christian Love has been playing guitar and singing in The Beach Boys' touring band since 2005. He joined us to talk about his great new solo album Only Alibis, as well as working with his dad Mike Love, his relationships with the other original band members, the touring group's recent shakeup, collabbing with The Weeknd, life on the road, The BBs' future, the songs he most likes to sing, and his favorite BBs LP.

Grammy Hall of Famer Dean Torrence was one half of legendary duo and Beach Boys collaborators Jan & Dean. The archival release The Teammates collects many of Dean's musical collaborations from 1965-1985, including those with Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. Dean tells us about his many partnerships, including lesser-known efforts with The Carpenters and Steve Martin. He also talks about being gifted chart-topping hit "Surf City" by Brian Wilson; Jan & Dean's ill-fated TV pilot On the Run, and the role Dennis Wilson would have played on it; cult favorite Jan and Dean Meet Batman; how TV biopic Deadman's Curve got Jan & Dean seats aboard The Beach Boys' private jet, and so much more!

Dig deeper into The Beach Boys' latest box set release with one of the guys who helped put it together. The always entertaining and insightful Howie Edelson returns to talk up this fascinating new set. We discuss the challenge the group faced in 1972 of winning over concertgoers with their new music, Al Jardine rolling up his sleeves, stripping down Dennis Wilson's ballads, the contributions of Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar, and the still murky history of "Sail on Sailor."

David Leaf is back to talk about his new book God Only Knows: The Story of Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys & the California Myth. The release includes the entirety of David's seminal 1978 book, plus its 1985 update, and most excitedly, a substantial new update that brings the story to the present. He tells us about his long-ago mission to befriend Brian and help him finish Smile; navigating Eugene Landy, Brian exorcising his demons and where he is at today, and The Beach Boys' 60th anniversary.

Brother Records consultant Howie Edelson returns to sound off on the Sounds of Summer expanded edition. But that's just the starting point for a wide-ranging conversation on the history of Beach Boys comps, fan reaction to the new mixes, how Dennis Wilson's songs have become more resonant, a preview of upcoming box sets, and how listening to this will make you a better person.

Sadly, Billy Hinsche left us last November. A longtime contributor to The Beach Boys on stage and in the studio, Billy was also literally family as Carl Wilson's brother-in-law. Sharing info from Mark's in-depth interview with the man himself, we discuss his days in Dino, Desi & Billy, the official Beach Boys membership offer he got but couldn't accept, cowrites with Brian and Dennis, unreleased lead vocals on BB tracks, and much more. We hope this episode sheds some light on an important figure in the band's history.

The documentary Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Brian as he is now, along with incisive commentary from fellow musicians from Bruce Springsteen to Elton John. Director Brent Wilson joins us to discuss his long road in getting this made: early on, Brian threw him off the bus! Enter Rolling Stone editor Jason Fine, who gets Brian to open up on camera as they cruise around the old haunts, and who talks to us about his magazine's critical reappraisal of The Beach Boys over the decades.

In 1970, The Beach Boys' Sunflower LP got great reviews but stalled at #151 on the US charts. The next year, the group's Surf's Up album got great reviews and made it to a better #29. Fifty years later the box set Feel Flows: The Sunflower & Surf's Up Sessions - 1969-1971 debuted all the way at #9. The Beach Boys, it seems, were made for these times. Howie Edelson, Brother Records consultant and author of the liner notes, joins us to recall the time when these six guys "all suited up and brought their A game."

Hosts Mark Dillon and Phil Miglioratti provide a preview of the forthcoming documentary Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road and report on a virtual press conference featuring director Brent Wilson, Rolling Stone's Jason Fine - who is featured in the film - and Brian himself! Their conversation covers songs that tell the movie's story, those Brian has influenced, Brian the live performer, his relationship with his brothers, and the great voice of Blondie Chaplin.

California Music features Beach Boys Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks reuniting to rerecord the classic "Add Some Music to Your Day" as a single benefitting Feeding America, with a full-length album of various tracks to follow. On this episode we welcome David Beard, editor of Endless Summer Quarterly, who conceived the project, along with Brian Wilson band member Rob Bonfiglio, who produced the track, and Beach Boy David Marks, who also addresses the group's forthcoming 60th anniversary.

Mark and Phil revisit the band's beginnings with Jim Murphy, author of Becoming The Beach Boys 1961-1963. Jim's book uncovers new details of the early days, and here he discusses the group's demo recordings with Hite and Dorinda Morgan and some of the key characters involved with The Beach Boys as they rode a wave to the top of the charts, including Murry Wilson, Judy Bowles, Nik Venet, Russ Regan, and Jodi Gable. And together they ponder whether Brian Wilson should have kept "Surf City" and given "Surfin' USA" to Jan & Dean!

The Beach Boys' touring band was hot throughout the 70s, in part thanks to Carli Muñoz's powerhouse contribution on organ and piano. He was also a skilled composer, and Dennis Wilson looked to use Carli's songs and have him co-produce his projected second solo album Bambu. Here Carli reveals the inspiration behind those songs, recalls his friend and group manager Jack Rieley, and recounts why he and Rags Baker deliberately got arrested after recording a demo of "Constant Companion"!

Bobby Figueroa was hired by Dennis Wilson as a Beach Boys percussionist in 1974. He would go on to drum in the band with Ricky Fataar and then Dennis, sometimes with kits side by side. When Dennis was unable to play, Bobby took over on his own. Over 15 years, he was present for the group's mid-70s ascendancy, Beachago, Brian Is Back, Pacific Ocean Blue, and the biggest concerts the group ever played. In this candid chat, he recounts all the heady highs and tragic lows.

Geoffrey Cushing-Murray co-wrote four tracks for The Beach Boys' 1979 L.A. (Light Album), including fan favorite "Angel Come Home," "Full Sail," "Goin' South" (all with Carl Wilson), and "Love Surrounds Me" (with Dennis). In this interview he lets us in Carl's music room, recalling the process and inspiration behind these tracks and how Brian would walk away whenever he saw him.

Most of the best known Beach Boys songs were created by Brian Wilson. But all the other band members have made amazing contributions, and in this episode indie popster Adam Marsland runs through an album's worth of top cuts by the rest of the group. We guarantee Adam's choices are unexpected and his commentary insightful.

The Beach Boys were a rare act that scored two-sided hit records. Their B-sides contained some of Brian Wilson's most heartfelt music, and, later on, Dennis'. Mark and Phil discuss the era of 45 RPM records, the politics behind choosing what went on the A-side and what went on the B-side, and how that helped shape The Beach Boys' creative direction and public perception.

Mark Critch, star of CBC satirical news show This Hour Has 22 Minutes, joins hosts Mark Dillon and Phil Miglioratti to talk about his love for The Beach Boys. He discusses becoming a fan growing up in Newfoundland in the 1980s, the dangers of meeting your heroes, and playing Brian on his show. And we're not saying we get him to impersonate Donald Trump introducing the band, but we're not denying it, either.

"Pet Sounds: The Prequel"? The Beach Boys' classic 1966 album represented a huge leap forward for the group, but Brian Wilson had been building to it from the start. In a new episode of Surf's Up: A Beach Boys Podcast Safari, Philip Lambert, music scholar and editor of Good Vibrations: Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys in Critical Perspective, joins hosts Mark Dillon (Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys) and Phil Miglioratti (Pray For Surf blog) and each comes up with his track lineup of older Beach Boys songs that anticipate the themes, structures and sounds Pet Sounds. A fascinating discussion with some insights that are sure to surprise!

In part two of this episode, author Tom Smucker discusses Why The Beach Boys Matter⁠—which happens to be the title of his new book⁠—with hosts Mark Dillon (Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys) and Phil Miglioratti (Pray for Surf blog).

In part one of this interview, author Tom Smucker discusses Why The Beach Boys Matter⁠—which happens to be the title of his new book⁠—with hosts Mark Dillon (Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys) and Phil Miglioratti (Pray for Surf blog).

In their first episode of Surf's Up: A Beach Boys Podcast Safari, hosts Mark Dillon (author, Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys) and Phil Miglioratti (Pray for Surf blog) speak with David Leaf (author, The Beach Boys and the California Myth) about why the group is unique in the annals of pop music history.

Phil Miglioratti and Mark Dillon continue their "heroes and villains" conversation, pointing to the villains in The Beach Boys' story. They range from those who steered the band in the wrong direction to people who were downright evil. A discussion that is sure to spur on debate among fans.

Phil Miglioratti and Mark Dillon point out the heroes in The Beach Boys' history: those who helped the group launch, evolve and sustain.

Phil Miglioratti and Mark Dillon compare lists of their 10 favorite Beach Boys albums--and each choose one that should be deleted from the catalog.

Phil Miglioratti and Mark Dillon discuss the best, worst, and weirdest covers The Beach Boys have ever recorded.

Mark Dillon talks with Phil Miglioratti about his fresh theory on what would have been on The Beach Boys' legendary unreleased 1967 SMiLE album, and in what order all the pieces might have fit.

Brian Wilson once spoke of making a humor album. He never did, but here Phil Miglioratti and Mark Dillon each put one together, using tracks that span The Beach Boys' career.

Phil Miglioratti and Mark Dillon discuss the new Beach Boys archival release 1967: Sunshine Tomorrow

Phil Miglioratti and Mark Dillon trade impressions of the "I Am Brian Wilson" memoir, comparing it to Mike Love's book, referring to Mark's interviews with Brian, SMiLE, Eugene Landy, Murry Wilson, and more.

Part two of Phil Miglioratti and Mark Dillon's interview with James S. Hirsch, co-author of Mike Love's memoir Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy, discussing his perspective on Mike and Mike's relationships with Beach Boys bandmates Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, and Alan Jardine.

Part one: Phil Miglioratti and Mark Dillon interview James S. Hirsch, Mike Love's writing collaborator on his memoir Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy

Phil Miglioratti, host of the Pray for Surf blog, interviews Mark Dillon about his award-winning book Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys