ira Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 I LOVED Jan and Dean..alot...but perhaps not as much as my buddy Reid C. ...Anyhoo..for those that don't know...Jan Berry was your classic overachiever...singer...producer..writer..engineer...Hell..he was goin' to Med School and touring on the weekends..and talk about handsome!..He was the ultimate California beach boy...In a terrible stroke of irony...after recording "Dead Man's Curve"...he himself racked up his Corvette in similar fashion to the the featured character in the song...His brain damage was SO bad...he spent years in rehab programming a different quadrant of his brain to sing..talk..etc.Well..I was thinking about him again.Here's a clip from 2003..He's no longer the incredibly handsome young man he was before the crash..but he still got up each day and had to re-memorize the songs HE memorialized...Unfortunately...he finally succumbed a little while back...God bless you Jan...I'm sure that in heaven...there indeed is "Two Girls For Every Boy"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatetotheParty Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Ira,Thanks for another great post. My kids were born in Pasadena, Ca..and I used to live and work there...Love that California sound...always brings me back to great memories.Jan Berry's story was bittersweet, but fans never lost the love. Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 Jean...Thank you.....Years ago there was a T.V. movie...called "Dead Man's Curve"....To this day..the scenes of Jan toddling alone around his big mansion after the accident...and his struggles to relearn speech and motor activities...haunt me.BTW...This song written by Brian and Jan and Roger Christian...is my all-time favorite J& D tune...Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CURLEW Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Anyone who lives in Southern California or who has visited & spent some time here would know that every street & intersection in "Dead Man's Curve" does, in fact, exist, any many local tales abound of young fools who followed the lyrics of the song and raced & wrecked many a car there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatetotheParty Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 This was one of my favorites...Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 And Jen...you may know that for "Sidewalk Surfin'"..if I'm not mistaken...J & D laid new lyrics over the instrumental tracks of "Catch A Wave"!Anyhoo...here are Brian and the (2012 as close to original) Beach Boys doin' "Catch A Wave" and the under-appreciated "It's O.K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 Now this has nothing to do with this thread...except that maybe one can rationalize that Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys are forever intertwined...BUT this is just a GREAT video of the Beach Boys Reunion Tour and their incredible performance of "Help Me Rhonda"...which I've always felt was their GREATEST upbeat live song along with "Fun Fun Fun" and "Dance Dance Dance". . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reid C. Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 "I flew past Doheny, Schwab's and Cresent Heights,and all the Jag could see were my six taillights"Great SoCal song with a terrific horn riff.Coming from the "They Can't Leave Well Enough Alone Department," I heard that they modified Dead Man's Curve years ago to make it safer. Any input on that, Curlew?Thanks for the memories, Ira. I loved these guys and I think my final count is eleven concerts. I saw Dean playing with Papa Do Run Run a couple of years ago. Really good stuff!BTW, Union 76 offered a CD some years ago with ten BB and J&D classic car songs, featuring Mike Love, Bruce Johnson, David Marks, with Dean Torrance still belting out the falsettos. Neat CD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Reid..It was my pleasure...Have you read this book?http://www.amazon.com/When-Get-Surf-City-Friendship/dp/031237691X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reid C. Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 No, I haven't, Ira. That is going on the short list of books to buy. Thanks for the head's up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 In the 'truth is stranger than fiction' department, I wiped out on that curve coming from the opposite direction in about 1971. It was raining, my Tiger had Dunlop "dry" tires, and I was racing a Jag, not an XKE, but a sedan. I hit a bump in the turn, spun out, hit a curb and knocked the center (it was a 2-piece wheel) out of my right rear rim. The Jag stopped to see if we (my buddy was in the car with me) were o.k. I put on the spare tire and we continued on our way.I normally don't tell this story to anyone, because it's so close to the song that I'm sure most people wouldn't believe it, but, the song is there for a reason, and I got a lot closer to the meaning of those lyrics than I cared to on that evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 GREAT Story Kirk....My dearest buddy Curlew is a Jaguar owner AND lover who's livin' in Santa Monica not far from "Dead Man's Curve"...BTW...here's the late great iconic..eccentric Power Pop Giant...Ex-Boxtop Ex Big Star Leader Alex Chilton doin' my favorite Jan And Dean song... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reid C. Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 "Well, the last thing Kirk remembered he started to swerve, as his bright red Tiger slid into the curve" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 I was lucky...had the wheel not separated, it probably would have torn the rear end from the body mounts! As it turned out, there was no other damage, except to the psyche of my buddy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 Well Kirk...I'm glad you DID "come back from Dead Man's Curve". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Thanks, Ira! I had to come back...couldn't miss out on Raspberries, Eric and all the fine folks here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatetotheParty Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 GREAT Story Kirk....My dearest buddy Curlew is a Jaguar owner AND lover who's livin' in Santa Monica not far from "Dead Man's Curve"...BTW...here's the late great iconic..eccentric Power Pop Giant...Ex-Boxtop Ex Big Ltar Leader Alex Chilton doin' my favorite Jan And Dean song... "> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 Tangent Alert!!!Jean...GREAT Memory...!!!BTW...That era of groups being hired to sing jingles converted to one of their hit songs.. but maintaining the product jingle was great fun!!Here's a classic...The Yardbirds doin' "Great Shakes"...a crappy Spowder that claimed to turn milk into a Great shake!!Who can name the co-opted Yardbirds tune!!!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CURLEW Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 You wouldn't happen to remember what year & model that Jag sedan was, would you? I'm a big fan of the 1960's jag sedans. If you watch the show 'Mad Men' season 5 episodes 10 & 11, shot in what is supposed to be a Jaguar 'dealership', the 'honey beige' Mark 2 sedan in the front of the room is mine... What a fun gig that was.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CURLEW Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 What I heard was that some middle eastern oil sheik had a larger retainer wall built as well as a reshaping of the curve on the boulevard, as he was not much of a Nick Lowe fan, and, hence, did NOT 'love the sound of breaking glass.'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 You wouldn't happen to remember what year & model that Jag sedan was, would you? I'm a big fan of the 1960's jag sedans. If you watch the show 'Mad Men' season 5 episodes 10 & 11, shot in what is supposed to be a Jaguar 'dealership', the 'honey beige' Mark 2 sedan in the front of the room is mine... What a fun gig that was.... Curlew, it was a 60's Jag sedan, probably a MK2...the guy in the Jag had a lady with him- they actually stopped to see if we needed any help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatetotheParty Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Tangent Alert!!!Jean...GREAT Memory...!!!BTW...That era of groups being hired to sing jingles converted to one of their hit songs.. but maintaining the product jingle was great fun!!Here's a classic...The Yardbirds doin' "Great Shakes"...a crappy Spowder that claimed to turn milk into a Great shake!!Who can name the co-opted Yardbirds tune!!!? "> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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