PFS ~ Jim, you seem to have a genuine appreciation for the music of the Beach Boys - How did that interest develop in you?
JS ~ I guess the harmonies are what sucked me in. Fun Fun Fun was probably the first thing that made an impression. My cousin used to sing it when he'd come over. Help Me Rhonda on the tinny AM radio of my Dad's 66 Mustang and I was hooked.
PFS ~ In the summer of 2007, you put together a weekend Beach Boys tribute that blew my mind ... You guys played almost everything, including "You're Welcome"! How did this tribute come about and why did you go so deep in the Beach Boys catalog?
JS ~ When we did the BB weekend I felt this was an opportunity to show there's more to them than the sound that reached the beaches. Not many people realize that they figuratively reached for Mount Everest, and even when they were struggling with the low oxygen levels, they sounded fresh and pure as the air up there.
PFS ~ Was was the reaction of your listeners? Annoyed at the lesser known songs? Appreciative?
JS ~ 100 percent positive feedback from the weekend
PFS ~ More than a few of the songs you played over that weekend are seldom (or never!) heard on oldie radio and may have never been heard back in Top 40 days. Please list some of them and explain why you included them . . .
JS ~ A couple rarely played songs come to mind...You Still Believe In Me really capsulizes Pet Sounds, as does I Know There's An Answer. Pet Sounds is one album that is sooo much more than Sloop and God Only Knows...Heroes and Villains has been totally ignored historically, despite having been a nice summer hit in 67, and also being a keystone in the whole Smile saga...
PFS ~ This year is the 40th anniversary of the release of Friends, an underplayed and under-appreciated album in the US ... Any comments on why (especially since it just missed Top Ten in Britain)? Your thoughts/feelings about this album?
JS ~ Friends is no doubt a masterpiece, possibly the most underrated album of all time. All the guys got involved in it too. Dennis with Little Bird is a real favorite. When a Man Needs a Woman really tells you that Brian's head was with home and family at the time. Oh and I use Wake The World for a morning show promo.
PFS ~ Any personal contact with the Beach Boys?
JS ~ Great meeting a Beach Boy story. Went to Nashville July 4, 2003 to hang out with my girlfriend (now my wife). they had a big concert with a whole bunch of people by the river and the whole thing was on like A & E or something. We watched a bit of it, then went out for a pizza to bring back to the room and eat while we watched the fireworks. We walk in the lobby with the Papa John's pizza and a guy in a Hawaiian shirt is sitting there with a guy who's obviously a music industry rep with a cell phone and a laminate. The guy says "hey can my friend have your pizza? I said sure because I instantly recognized the guy in the Hawaiian shirt...it was Brian wilson...Whoa! So i offered the pizza and he said "no, just one piece"...so I stood there and watched him eat a piece of my pizza and then he autographed a Papa John's napkin which i still have. its one of my most prized possessions.
JS~ I really can't say enough about Smile. I recently got my hands on a 3 CD bootleg set called "The Smile Sessions". its a bit tedious in spots, because you want to hear whole songs and they constantly stop and start. But you find yourself getting into it and you realize the massive grand slam they were swinging for. I describe it to people like this. Imagine if Sergeant Pepper had never made it out of the studio intact, but instead was doled out song by song throughout the next 3 albums and John went nuts in the process.
PFS ~ Jim, if you could interview any of the Beach Boys, who would you choose?
JS ~ I'd really love to interview any of the surviving members. I have heard Bruce Johnston several times. Al would probably be the Holy Grail at this point. Brian did not give off the impression that he was into doing much talking, but it was a huge thrill to see him wolfing down pizza.
PFS ~ Anything else ... ?
JS ~ Thanks so much for your interest! Yeah B Boys (surfers) Rule. Now that we're shaking off the Cabin (essence) Fever here in Chicagoland we're all thinking Surf's Up. I'll certainly let you know when we Do it Again on the BB weekend. Thank you Phil, keep up the good work!
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