Alan Jardine
A Beach Boy Still Riding The Waves
by Ken Sharp

This article originally appeared in Goldmine, July 28, 2000.

It's a perfect spring day in my hometown of Willow Grove, PA, and the musical soundtrack couldn't be any better. The Beach Boys, Family And Friends are entertaining an audience of over 30,000 enthusiastic fans at the Vet Rock festival, a benefit for Vietnam Veterans and local food banks. Judging by the glowing smiles of the exuberant audience, young and old, the groups blissful musical harmonies is providing a veritable feast for the ears. Life is good.

Led by Alan Jardine, founding member of the Beach Boys, the group is sending out waves of good vibrations with an invigorating set of Beach Boys classics and lesser-performed gems such as "Heroes And Villains" and "Girl Don't Tell Me." The group, which also numbers Jardine's two sons, Matt and Adam, Brian Wilson's daughters, Carnie and Wendy, and a host of former Beach Boys sidemen including bassist Ed Carter and keyboardist Billy Hinsche, are reinventing the legacy of the Beach Boys with a surprising freshness, vigor and vitality. Unlike latter-day Beach Boys' shows that traded spectacle over musical quality, the Beach Boys, Family And Friends rightfully celebrate what really matters - the sublime and majestic body of work by Brian Douglas Wilson.

A founding member of the Beach Boys, Jardine has been an integral part of the fabric of American popular music for almost four decades. As American as apple pie and baseball, the Beach Boys are icons of a generation. The band's quintessential sun-drenched sound remains a favorite of superstars such as Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend, Lou Reed, Tom Petty, and Neil Young. The Beach Boys' profound and enduring influence also permeates the soundscapes of more modern groups such as R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Barenaked Ladies, The Smashing Pumpkins, The High Llamas, and many more.

Never hungering for the spotlight, Jardine has always been a team player, more than happy with his supporting role in the band. Yet for the public and press alike, Jardine's indispensable role in the band has been criminally overlooked. A wonderfully expressive and dynamic singer - Jardine is a voice of "Help Me Rhonda," "Susie Cincinnati," "Come Go With Me," "Lady Lynda," "Loop De Loop" and "Looking At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)" among numerous others - he lent a distinctive and engaging folk sensibility into the group's diverse palette of sonic colors. Lyrically, Jardine's songs provide a wonderful and sumptuous musical storybook, espousing the joys of nature and the environment, ecology preservation and the power of love. While not exerting as high-profile of a media presence as Wilson or Mike Love, the innate blend and distinctive character of Jardine's honey-sweet voice cannot be underestimated to the success of the Beach Boys.

No longer a touring member of the Beach Boys with Mike Love, Jardine has formed The Beach Boys, Family And Friends to serve as both a joyous musical union and a creative outlet designed to further explore both the well-known and lesser-known contours of the Beach Boys' oeuvre. Equally exciting is the new that Jardine is working with his sons, Matt and Adam, also talented vocalists and songwriters, on the first Jardines' solo album.

A humble and charming man, Jardine sat down with Goldmine for a rare and revelatory conversation touching on more than years of good vibrations.

Goldmine: You're no longer a member of the Mike Love touring lineup of the Beach Boys. Tell us about why you made the jump to The Beach Boys, Family And Friends project.

Alan Jardine: We obviously had a difference of opinion. First of all, Carl died. He was the voice and the glue that held it all together as far as I was concerned 'cause Brian handed off a lot of parts to Carl. Brian, being the introvert that he is, decided early on that he wasn't going to be going on the road... So he began to design parts for all of us. Carl seemed to get the rich parts. Carl and I were always locked in harmonies, the lower two-thirds. Carl would be on the bottom, I'd be in the middle and Brian would be on top. Mike, of course, was the baritone. On the road, Brian would systematically deal out lead singing parts to the various guys, and Carl would get some of the richer parts, some of the great ones like "God Only Knows," "Good Vibrations." Brian would sing those to us on the piano, and we'd hear them singing it and go, "Wow, that's gonna be a great lead for you Brian," and he'd say, "This one's for Carl," or "This one's for Al," because he'd given so many to Mike that it was getting unbalanced, really unbalanced. The Summer Days, Summer Nights album was Carl's first lead, "Girl Don't Tell Me." That song we did on stage today as a tribute to Carl. That was a seminal moment for him. My first lead was actually on the Christmas Album, a song called "Christmas Day," which I still love till this day. My second lead was I think "Then I Kissed Her." Anyhow, we got off the track. Carl's voice [being gone] left a gigantic hole in the harmonies. So by that time Michael engineered a concept of a lighter and freer Beach Boys band, one that could move in a moments notice. He would call it "Beach Boys Light". That was his name for a kind of evolving Beach Boys band that did not include Carl or myself. I found that kind of disgusting. I didn't like that.

So what prompted your decision to stop touring with Love's version of the Beach Boys?

We had a symphony tour lined up for the United States. Lots of interested symphonies that could give our music a breadth and depth that we didn't have before and give them a little extra business they needed. A lot of symphonies were going bankrupt. For instance the San Diego Symphony was in a desperate state, and we were going to do our rehearsal concert there in San Diego. They would get one and we would get one. That kind of deal where they get one for their coffers and we'd get a chance to rehearse and get it underway. And then go to the Hollywood Bowl, get that wonderful place sold out and take it from there all over the country. Carry our charts with us and give them to all the different symphonies.

What happened?

Love steadfastly refused to do it. He insisted that Brian be there, I remember that remark which is not all wrong. I don't disagree with that. It would be great if Brian could be everywhere, but we all have to be realistic. He's not going to be predictable that way. He's got only so much energy for that kind of work. He's not built for it.

Brian never liked to tour.

I think Brian was designing our songs back in the day so we wouldn't have to be dependent on him. Anyway, I suggested that he conduct the concert at the Hollywood Bowl. I thought it would be neat if he could come out and take some credit for all that great work. Anyway, that wasn't to be. Mike refused to do it. I think it would've been a great tribute to Carl. It would have been built around the music, not the messenger. It wouldn't have been built around any one of us.

After Carl passed away, you were still in the band and then decided to leave the Love touring lineup sometime after that.

Right. It became one of those moments. Love continued to tour. He didn't stop touring. He just didn't want to tour in that modality. That wasn't his idea of "fun, fun, fun." [laughs] So he continued to work with his band, The California Beach Band, and he would go out and do dates and have surrogate singers do Carl's parts. I thought that was tasteless. While at the same time not going out with the Beach Boys because of Carl's passing so there's some kind of contradiction in that, in my opinion. In fact, my son Matthew at the time was still in that employ, which I did not disagree with because I don't want him to not be able to earn a living. But at some point it got uncomfortable.

So at what point did you pack it in with that lineup?

When Mike refused to tour with the Beach Boys. He just refused to tour with us in any fashion. I can't go into detail with you right now, [but] it got reorganized where Love took the band with an exclusive license and I didn't. And Bruce decided to go with the guy who sang all the hits. Matthew had to make some decisions of his own. We decided to form this entity - Beach Boys, Family And Friends, which I felt would more accurately define the harmonies and the vitality of what was missing in the waning years of the band.

What makes Beach Boys, Family And Friends different from the current Beach Boys lineup?

We have the gene pool of the Wilsons and the Jardines that makes it far more interesting vocally.After all, we're known as a vocal group first, and then a band secondly. You just have to get your priorities in order. It's not that Mike is doing anything wrong, it's just that he is doing it his way. And there's maybe this other way to do it. He wants to be party band kind of group and that's okay. There's room for that.

I've seen the band perform over the last twenty years and it seems there was a period where perhaps the music was not as important as the show, that is with the cheerleaders, special guests like Mr. T. It was turning into a...

Three-ring circus.

It saddened me that the Beach Boys' live shows were cheapened by the cheerleaders.

Yeah, I actually got in trouble in an interview I did for a big magazine. I said virtually the same things and Mike got quite upset because I characterized the band that way. But I'm only telling the truth. It began to be a sideshow. Mike reluctantly gave into that eventually. But then I think he was so embittered by that that maybe that's when he began to reinvent the band.

It is true that there existed two Beach Boys entities, the party band and the pure, artistic side - which I much prefer.

Oh yeah, me too. But we like to have fun too. Matt's doing a killer job carrying on the party songs that I don't think I would be comfortable doing. I don't feel like being a frontman. I don't like the frontman thing. Not only does Matt do Mike's leads but Brian's, in the same song, which is kind of unusual. It's like, 'Wow!' that's a range for you. But then in Mike's ban he was doing Carl's parts too, so he was doing three things too.

This is not the first appearance of your son, Matt, with the Beach Boys. He appears on the front cover of the band's Sunflower album.

Yeah, isn't that wild? That's Matt and Carnie on the cover. That was done in 1970. I don't think Wendy was born yet. Wendy, when were you born?

Wendy Wilson: '69

So you were on the planet but not on the album cover.

Characterize what Carl meant to the band not only on a musical level but as a person.

He brought integrity to the band. He was our truth... When you spoke to Carl you just went for the black and white of it. He was a very black and white kind of guy, which didn't always serve him very well, to be honest with you. Sometimes you can't be in this world, sometimes you have to compromise just to get things accomplished. Carl was perfectionist, and he fought for total honesty and integrity in music and he felt that there was no other way. Sometimes we'd have disagreements how to get to the end, but we always got there with respect for each other.

Carl was such trooper, he kept playing with the band, even with his illness.

Yeah, he really was great.

Do you think the music helped him to keep going?

Oh yeah, without a doubt, I think it kept him alive longer.

Were you aware how grave his condition was?

No. I was shocked. I was so devastated. We weren't included in all of the details of his illness, but I was of the understanding that he had brain cancer and was on the road to recovery. So there was a part of the story that I wasn't told obviously. It was so sad.

When was the last time you saw Carl?

At Audree's funeral. They passed very close to one another. They were so close.

Do you think Carl recognized how special he was as a musical talent?

I think he did. Carl had a definite sense of who he was, oh yeah... He just had this voice, this operatic tenor. Boy, he could just belt out a tune like his uncle Carl. I used to know his uncle. He used to deliver bread for a bakery in L.A., Carl Korthof, Audree's brother. Boy, that guy had such a great voice. He'd sing in that bakery truck when he'd come by and the smell of fresh bread on that truck - those are the great old days. So I think Carl got his voice from that side of the family, obviously. I don't think Murry could carry a tune as I remember. He was just kind of a gruff old guy. Audree had such a beautiful voice. [whistles in wonder] Wow! She had the voice, she played organ at home. I shouldn't say Murry wasn't talented, it's just the Korthof side of the family seemed to have that musical gene.

What do you miss most about Carl?

Oh, just his balance. Without his balance and his center of energy the whole thing just flew apart like a fly wheel without a whatever. What I miss most abut Carl is his friendship. Phone calls, getting together for dinner. We'd always go out for dinner.

Let me ask you about your role with the Beach Boys.

Carl and I were the anchors in the back.

Did you want more recognition?

No. No way. I was happy. We locked, our harmonies locked, that's all I cared about. Carl and I had a really good blend.

Eric Carmen once described the Beach Boys' voice as each being an instrument: "I think Brian was a French horn, Carl was a flute, Al Jardine a trumpet, Dennis a trombone, and Mike a baritone sax before their present incarnation as the Beach Boys."

Yeah, that's a good point. That's kind of how we saw ourselves too. In fact, "Heroes And Villains," at the start, was one of the first things we ever did, really early on, even before we recorded "Surfin'." We were working on that song way back in '61. We all became instruments for Brian's barber shop concept. He said, "Let's all do this, let's sing this idea." Carl would be one instrument, I'd be another. Mike would be another instrument.

So the idea of "Heroes And Villains" was born back in '61.

Yeah, the idea, not the song. We started singing a capella first because we didn't play instruments. With none of us really being players, we would just scat in the car going to a show or something or going to school, anywhere.

Was it pretty natural where each member would find his place singing harmonies?

Instantly. And Brian had this wonderful gift for remembering lines off of records. He'd pick up harmonies off of Four Freshmen records and he'd just feed them right back to us. We'd go, "Woah!" and like a sponge, we'd just absorbed it.

Were you a fan of the Four Freshmen as well?

Oh yeah. They did everything. They played all the parts. They played their own instruments. They sang. I mean it was a little bit sappy in a way too. When I say sappy I mean it in a good way. Saccharine might be a better term. Wholesome. But boy could they sing harmonies. Bob Flanagan, his soprano was incredible.

It's unbelievable the amount of pressure on the band, especially Brian as the main songwriter.

He had a lot of pressure. He had no time to rest. And he also never had a chance to enjoy his achievements. We were always being thrown out there on the road to support the next album.

How would Brian teach the band a new song?

He'd simply play it to us on the piano. We did "Wendy" in 10 minutes. And it was like "Boom!" That was a big song. He stopped doing one thing and went right to that and it was like, "Bang!" Come to think of it, maybe that track took 10 minutes to do and then the vocal track didn't take much longer. We laughed a lot in the studio. They were great times.

At what point did you recognize the musical side of Brian?

I saw him in concert once at a high school auditorium show with a couple of friends of ours. I think Carl was in it. Carl substituted for somebody who couldn't make it because he had an epileptic fit... So here comes Carl, this little pip squeak of a kid, playing in our auditorium. I asked Brian who he was and he said it was his baby brother.

Were you impressed with Brian's singing?

Oh yeah, right away. They were doing those Four Freshmen harmonies. He was copping those licks even then. And I went, "Man, I like that sound." But I do remember thinking that I've got to get to Brian and get together with him. I wanted to find him. At that point I was playing guitar for a couple of years. I had my own band, The Islanders. I have a good memory of those days. It was a lot of fun. It was real innocent, Kingston Trio-based music. It was so nonviolent and so melodic. We did have one song that the guys and I wrote together that was pretty good. It was called "Lonely Islander." It was really kind of nice. It has a nice melody. I've often thought about reinventing it. I tend to love those island songs. In fact we have an island song in our Jardine catalog. It's really nice, it's called "Islands In The Sun." God, it's really beautiful, but I don't know if it fits with the time. The kind of music that's out now is more progressive. It has that "Kokomo" essence to it. My favorite Beach Boys island song is a little-known tune called "Island Girl." I love the intro. It was the last time that Carl, Brian and I sang an a capella fugue together straight form the heart. We invented the parts right on the spot. I only had a half-hour with Brian. It was during the Gene Landy conservatorship period, and he gave me Brian for only a half-hour to do the song. [laughs] Talk about pressure. But it had great primal energy.

It's said that your love of folk music was the impetus for the Beach Boys going into the studio for the first time with Hite Morgan and recording "Surfin'."

We went in the studio quite early on with the intention of recording a couple of traditional folk songs. Brian had come up with this tune shortly before going down to the studio, this surfing idea. The surfing idea was actually Dennis' idea. Brian prepared this track bed called "Surfin'." I played stand-up bass on it. My mother had to rent the equipment because the Wilsons had gone on vacation to Mexico and the food money was gone. So we had to go and beg, borrow and steal from my mother, who came up with 300 bucks. That was a lot of money in '61. That was a hell of a lot of money. She just told me recently that she borrowed that money or got a loan from the bank, which surprised me. But I never really questioned where she got the money from, I just thought she lent us some of her salary. But that probably would have been a month's salary. We cut "Surfin'" real quickly. We did it all at one time. We sang and played. We just stood up in front of the microphone and basically played the song for Murry and the publisher and that's the one they liked. And we did Bruce Morgan's song. Hite Morgan's son, Bruce, wrote this song called "Luau." It was kind of a cute song. The single was on two labels, X and Candix Records, which must have been the same label when you think about it, just two different ways to steal money. They only paid us $900 in royalties for the whole thing, so they definitely buried a little money. They probably paid us on the one label, the one that sold the $900 worth, and kept the other label's worth somewhere in a vault. Murry added $100 to the check to make it an even $1,000 so we could each get $200. That was very nice of him.

Was it amazing to hear the completed song back over the speakers in the studio?

I don't think we heard the playback. We were pretty rushed [laughs]. I believe that was Murry's prerogative. Being young, we didn't think very much of it. I think it was a money thing - we had just an hour and we had to get up and leave. The clock was ticking away [laughs]. Next time we heard it was on the radio, and that was the exiting part. We were going to Camino at the time and Brian and I would run home at lunchtime to my mother's house and listen to it on the radio.

I heard Carl got so exited to hear the song on the radio that he threw up.

[laughs uproariously] That could be, that could be. Aw, that's very funny. [laughs]