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Surf Music Forever!

Hollywood has portrayed surfing in some interesting ways. “Pulp Fiction” used surf music as a motif in its Oscar winning soundtrack. Two “Pulp Fiction” tracks were produced by a legendary west coast Independent label: Del-Fi Records’ founder Bob Keane is credited with introducing surf music to pop culture. One of the first performers Del-Fi signed was Dick Dale whose “Miserlou” ripped the opening scenes of “Pulp” to oblivion. Del-Fi went on to release the “Pulp Surfin” CD as a tongue and cheek spinoff to the film. “Pulp Surfin” tracks range from Beach Boy/Brian Wilson to exotica beat era lyricist Eden Ahbez to a surf era-Frank Zappa. Raygun called the “Pulp Surfin” CD “A mind-bending ride on the high tide”. Del-Fi remains a top Indie label with groups as diverse as The Cramps and Japan’s El Caminos. I had an opportunity to interview Bob Keane in March. At 77, Bob has been called “The world’s oldest teenager” and I think I know why. His light hearted, fun, fun, fun philosophy has set Del Fi’s productions apart from the rest of the pack.

Bill Clarke: How does it feel to be “the worlds’ oldest teenager”?
Bob Keane: I don’t feel my age, that’s for sure...It’s really strange...Right now I’m in the throes of writing this book about “The Del-Fi Story” which goes from ‘57 to ‘75. I can’t believe what I’m reading...in 1960 we released 31 artists! and the next year we released 36! It was crazy!

BC: Was it all surf music?
BK: Surf music didn’t come in until ‘62 if I’m not mistaken.We were putting out singles. It’s not like now putting out albums. So If I liked the record, I’d put it out... I didn’t know what was going to happen...whether it would sell or not.
BC: I think the surf music goes well with visuals; like with the films and videos... And even with narration on top of that.
BK: Yeah, in ‘62...I happened to see a picture of a guy coming in on a wave in color...it was a great picture. That was the hook for surf music that I decided on at the time. So I looked up the photographer who was Bruce Brown. And he did all those Del Fi album covers. And I made a deal with him to use his photos. So I got an exclusive on that. And that’s how we got our sales started, we’d make up posters and put them in the store windows and nobody had even heard the records but they’d go in and buy them because of the exciting look of the surf pictures. And it was the very first time anybody had ever seen it.
BC: Would you call yourself the “Phil Spector” of surf music?
BK: Phil and I did alot of work at same studio, Gold Star, where he had his purported, “Wall of Sound”. I did happen to be there when he was on a session, and the wall of sound was mostly in the studio. He’d turn everything up so loud, I don’t know how the engineer kept from having a heart attack. He had some kind of a thing in his brain where if he heard the vocal at a certain level, he knew that when it was played back on a tape or a disk through a small speaker, that it would be right in the right place. And that was his genius as far as I was concerned.
BC: I have always been impressed with the production quality of Del Fi surf albums; the artists, the recording even the graphics. It seems that you set very high standards for Del fi Records.
BK: I was a clarinet player and I worked with swing bands like Artie Shaw and there was no room for anything but perfection. The charts were so great and the songs were so great. You just grow up accepting that if it doesn’t sound right to you, you’re not going to be satisfied with it. Eventually we got our studio and Bobby (“I Fought the Law”) Fuller came on. He came in just at the time that our new state of the art transistorized board and eight tracks and a new echo chamber down in the vaults below the bank there. The first time we used those was on his “Let Her Dance”, one of his classics...talk about a wall of sound...That was a pretty good wall of sound there. I bought my own lathe. In those days you had to cut a master disk...and the secret of a successful record was how much song could you get out of a groove without the needle jumping. So I would cut 15, 20, 30, 50 whatever to get the right bass, the bass sound was such a wide groove and vacillated so much. Those are some of the technical points of cutting a master. And then we had all of the problems of overloading. It used to cost a fortune to go into a good studio and master a record. So I just decided I’ll buy my own lathe and do it myself. So we kind of had control on the sound of our records actually because of that. But alot the these kids who brought in their stuff like these surf musicians, had already cut their stuff. They just brought the records in and I leased it from them. And they did some very good work too. You get a young musician and they’re pretty sharp, they know what they want. Bobby Fuller was the same way.... Some of the really great surf things he cut in a little garage in El Paso and they’re fabulous records. So I can’t take all the credit. But you certainly had to have a certain criteria in order for you to be interested. But when you consider the number of people that walked in my door and the number of records that went on my desk, there was alot to choose from.

BC: You may remember Jimi Hendrix’s lyric in “Third stone from the sun”; “May we never hear surf music again.....”
BK: I don’t blame Jimi Hendrix.... surf music is pretty monotonous actually. Now today’s guys, it’s not surf music in my opinion. It’s more more punk than surf and I think that’s one reason the surf stuff has lasted. I don’t know what real surf music is...all I know is what I did. And that, apparently was surf music...We were the only ones doing it at that time. It had a short run of a couple of years then it just fell into the 0-zine. But when they came out with “Pulp Fiction” there are four or five surf songs in there. And that got it goin all over again. I decided to get back in the business about ‘90 and it took me a year to get all my vinyl to CD’s. And I did a big promotion with Tower Records on a national basis in 72 stores across the country. And we gave away a hearse here (Hollywood) and we gave away a hearse in Costa Mesa. We gave away windboards in Chicago and in Atlanta. And then they had a contest among the retailers, whoever came up with the best display would win a surfboard. That was strange because that was before the “Pulp Fiction” record and picture came out. You’ve got to consider that that album (Pulp Fiction) has sold over 3 million records by now....maybe four or five..it’s still selling.
BC: Why do you think Torrentino used Dick Dales’ “Miserlou” in the “Pulp Fiction” soundtrack.
BK: Torrentino put out a special CD to the retail outlets, explaining about the picture when it first came out. And he said that whenever he starts a new picture he goes to his record library. And he listens to music and that gives him ideas for the script. He wanted a particular mood for the movie...that fast ”Pipeline” eighth beat underneath all that music.... that’s what creates all the excitement. And that’s how he happened to pick out these records. And of course he got Dick Dale and two of ours.
BC: I heard Dick Dale recently in San Francisco at Slims and he is one of the greatest guitarists alive. What a performer! He had a “power trio”, but with TWO drummers and a bass player!.Not too many guitarists could front something like that.
BK: Dick Dale was one of the first artists I signed on Del Fi. I have two sides on him before I had to let him off the label cause his father was such a problem. Another one of those Beach Boy jobs. He was like seventeen years old. He still played right handed guitar... left handed. But he would sing. God, he could sing his ass off..I thought he was gonna be the next Presley. He had a thing called, “Marie, Marie”...it’s really good and he did it with just his guitar and his voice. Dick’s kind of a poor man’s Jimi Hendrix in a way., you might say. But he didn’t have the technique I think that Hendrix had. Because what he did was fairly simple. Except he just plays it real loud (and fast). And of course his big part was that he helped develop that Fender sound and getting the reverb going. But the point is that you’ve got to give him credit. Cause he’s just a guitar player, he doesn’t sing or anything. And tours around with a couple of guys and does pretty well.
BC: He sure does...So “Pulp Fiction” prompted you to release the “Pulp Surfin” CD?
BK: “Pulp Surfin” was a spin off. I figured their not going to be able to come out with another soundtrack of “Pulp Fiction”. I figured I could come out with something that would kind of make fun of it. So I came up with the title, “Pulp Surfin”. But it is a good album, its got some good stuff on it. Like Hendrix said, “Surf music....it all sounds the same”. With Pulp Surfin, I put in variety, so you get some action in there and some different sounds. And alot of guys called me up and said, “Hey you can’t do that” You’ve got Frank Zappa, Eden Ahbez”.... I said, “Well...that’s my idea”. But it sure as hell sold and it keeps selling, people like it. (editors note: Almost every track on the “Pulp Surfin” CD is strong. A lot of classics are covered. Link Wray....Rumbles, Frank Zappa / Jeepers Creepers, .The Impacts “Fort Lauderdale”. The transition from Eden Ahbez’s utopian word jazz to Bobby Fuller’s live cover of “Miserlou .is sublime...)
BC: Does surf music still sell?
BK: Unfortunately surf music doesn’t sell. There has to be a hook to it. “Pulp Surfin” sold because you had the motion picture “Pulp” thing on it. Plus we had the publicity of “Bullwinkle Two” and “Surf Rider” which was in the motion picture. If you can tie a song or an album to a motion picture, of course you’ve got sales automatically. I don’t care what it is. But the distributors don’t move a hell of a lot of it. We still put out quite a few compilations and there’s a little surf in it. But we really haven’t been promoting our surf music. It’s a strange thing because on our mail order we get alot of orders for surf. But we do move them in Europe and Brazil. Right now I don’t know of any hot surf music bands, do you?
BC: There’s a great surf band in the Bay Area called, “The Mermen”.
BK: Years ago we were talking to them. We tried to get together but they were gun shy. They didn’t want to make a deal with anybody.
BC: Can you talk about the project that you and Microsoft are jointly working on. I understand that you are going to be able to download the albums right off their website?
BK: Were now negotiating with emusic which is supposed to be the big download outfit. They’re on of those instant millionaire guys. Out of San Francisco. We’re also represented on Amazon and everyone of those Internet download outfits. So far, there’s not alot of action. Like everybody seems to think its going to take a year or two. And I agree. Anything new in the world, it takes the public maybe three or four years to catch on anc catch up with it. Anything that is reality meaningful and of course were talking about a business that’s thirteen billion dollars or something. That’s pretty big stuff.
BC: It looks like Del Fi is well positioned for the future!
BK: You know, music never dies. Right now we have two groups that were pushing and they’re doing pretty well. But they’re both based on good songs and good lyrics.The instrumentals were in the big band era and some R&B. But generally, pop record sales have always been vocals: The Beach Boys had “Surfin” that started everything rolling and that was a vocal. But nobody else came up with any vocals on surf records. We didn’t have one damn vocal on ours. Instrumental music has kind of gone out of favor. In the last 15, 20, 30 years.
BC: Thanks for your time Bob.
BK: If there’s anything I can do to help you let me know.
BC: I’d like to start selling Del Fi CD’s like “Pulp Surfin” on this website.
BK: Great!

-PROEXCHANGE/Bill Clarke