5. MY BEACH – Surf Punks [1:48]
(Dennis Dragon/Drew Steele)
JOHNNY MALIBU: lead guitar, vocals * DREW STEELE: rhythm guitar, vocals * JOHN HUNT: bass * DENNIS DRAGON: drums, vocals *
Produced by DENNIS DRAGON
From the album Surf Punks, Day Glo #0456 (1979).
Like surf music in the ’60s, punk rock music of the ’70s had both an attitude and a style. While surf music was almost always positive and happy, punk rock expressed dissatisfaction and anger. However, like some punk rock groups, the Surf Punks had a self-parodying side, and a sense of humor. The band was organized by drummer and producer Dennis Dragon, who was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying, „What we’re doing isn’t really music. It’s more of an attitude. If people want to bag it, they’ll have to put it somewhere between Spike Jones and the Sierra Club…with maybe a little [Frank] Zappa and The Monkees thrown in.“
The band debuted at the Santa Monica Civic auditorium in October 1979. Their shows tended to be very theatrical with a lot of stage props. Some shows included real sand, a full-sized lifeguard tower, and a troupe of young girls in bikinis. „I don’t claim to have any original ideas,“ Dragon said, „It’s just that we live down here [in Malibu] and we’re simply reflecting what’s happening. So, when I see a guy out in the water and he’s on this wave, and he actually thinks he owns that wave – well, I gotta talk about it, ‚cause that’s totally crazy!“
The Surf Punks‘ themes reflected the politics of the beach culture, which by the ’80s had grown substantially. So had its problems. „My Beach“ noted with sardonic humor that the beaches had become more territorial than ever.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_Punks
After graduation, John went on a three month surf trip to Mexico and made the transition from bass to guitar. He had a four track tape in his VW bus, and listened to and practiced the music of George Benson, Jimi Hendrix, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green, and Wes Montgomery. Shortly after returning from Mexico, John joined a modern, neo-classical type of rock band from Montana called „The Magic Castle“, led by Mike Rapp. John stayed with this group for about a year and a half, and then left to explore jazz/fusion, which was just coming onto the scene. Steve Bader, the bassist from „Magic Castle“, got John an audition for the New Orleans band „Lovera“. Then 21 years old, John passed the audition, accepted their offer, and toured with them throughout the Midwest and South for three months. On tour while in Dallas, TX, John felt he had the potential to become a blues guitarist with impact.
After leaving „Lovera“, John played with guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Chuck Smith. At the time, Chuck was the only white artist who had signed with Motown. In the late 70’s, John joined the Surf Punks, a crazy, satirical punk rock and surf band formed by Malibu residents Dennis Dragon and Drew Steele. It was during this period that John became known as „Johnny Malibu“. The Surf Punks recorded on Enigma and Epic Records, and they made an album called „My Beach“, that included songs written, sung, and played by John. However, John decided to take his career in a different direction, so he moved on after playing two concerts with the group. Notwithstanding that decision, John released a new Johnny Malibu CD in 1994 with Dennis Dragon and Drew Steele.
Aus:
http://www.johnhguitar.com/john-heussenstamm/About1.php
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