Jan & Dean Publications/Books

[wintersdawn]

Having read my 'Carnival of Sound' CD booklet many times, I wondered what Jan & Dean publications/books are available?  I am eagerly awaiting Mark Moore's two publications but in the meantime could anyone give me some others including title & author?  I am not going to get hung up on inaccuracies so these are not an issue.  Many thanks.

[Salzburg Surf Scene]

Far too few. We're all waiting for Mark's books!

There is the Passmore book: Mark Thomas Passmore: "Dead Man’s Curve and Back: the Jan & Dean Story". Mark has pointed out before that its filled with inaccuracies. I think its also self-published, and not the highest quality. But its not a bad read, and has some decent parts.
Then there's Bob Greene's "When We Get to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams". This is really a memoir of his time with the J&D band during phase 2. It is a fascinating insight, although its much more about his experience than about J&D in general. There are some excellent passages - his brief synopsis of J&D history is outstandingly moving - but there are also long parts which descend into overly sentimental nostalgia. But in general an essential book for anyone interested in J&D.
There are also a number of books by Stephen McParland, who sells through his own website (http://www.garyusher.com/cmusic.html). He seems to have written on every aspect of surf, with quite few on J&D. Haven't seen most of them and I think Mark has also questioned their accuracy. Problem is, with postage they are prohibitively expensive.

Any I've missed?

[wintersdawn]

Many thanks Salzburg Surf Scene for the info, much appreciated.  Such a shame that more hasn't been written.

With regard to the supposed inaccuracies, I imagine each author (including Mark Moore) is convinced that their work is 'the definitive story' based on the understanding that they think they have.  However the 'real' definitive story is with those that were involved and this may never be revealed, unless it comes from them 1st hand, and even then who can say what they reveal is true?

[jdman]

Wintersdawn, the inaccuracies are exactly that. When we speak of things that are inaccurate, we are referring to fact vs fiction.
It's not opinion. If Mark says that he believes Anaheim Asusa is Jan's greatest production, that's an opinion based on everything he knows. But if he says that the documentation shows that Dean was not on Jennie Lee, that's not an opinion. He is writing from researched documentation. Is that 100%? No, but an author that writes from documentation is much more reliable than one who just writes from what he or she believes.  To say that the song Linda hit number 1 on Billboards national chart is inaccurate. But to say it reached number 28 on Billboard is a fact. Some historians write inaccuracies and some do a lot more research to find the truth. I think Mark is doing a lot of research. I look forward to his findings.

[Mark A. Moore]

Many thanks Salzburg Surf Scene for the info, much appreciated.  Such a shame that more hasn't been written.

With regard to the supposed inaccuracies, I imagine each author (including Mark Moore) is convinced that their work is 'the definitive story' based on the understanding that they think they have.  However the 'real' definitive story is with those that were involved and this may never be revealed, unless it comes from them 1st hand, and even then who can say what they reveal is true?

When it comes to writing history, nothing is ever "definitive" . . . That's a tired cliche and falsehood that writers, publishers, reviewers, and critics perpetuate.

And this is inclusive of "professional historians" . . . meaning people who obtain Master's Degrees and Ph.D.s in History, who then teach for a living, and who are then pressured to publish in their fields of study, in an effort to gain "tenure" with their respective employers (universities).

Nevertheless, contemporary documentation (in all its many forms), will always trump the decades-old memories and stories of primary players  in any story . . . which, taken by themselves, are always skewed and embellished to present the story-teller in the best possible light (while sometimes disparaging others).

The best approach is to study period documentation (in all its forms), while interviewing as many living witnesses as possible, and then comparing it all to see what adds up and what doesn't. That's the key, and there will always be unanswered questions.

Sometimes, you can cite period documentation that will jog the memories of key players . . . and you can strike gold in the process.

At the same time, you can also debunk a lot of falsehoods and cut closer to the heart of the matter. But it takes perusing and studying many sources to get there. Not just accepting the filtered and biased memories of those who were "there."

[sunny13]

I agree with Jdman and with Mark.  As analyst, I have to do a lot research which involves searches, interviews, surveys (depends on project).   When it comes to my pages or writing a book, you have to cross reference .  Gathering information and the facts is one thing, but you have to question if this is legal or how your statements will impact others (family, friends, business associates and in this case the fans).  It's a lot back and forth going, and sometimes you have to start all over.  All this takes time.

[wintersdawn]

Many thanks for the comments & for helping me to understand how inaccuracies are avoided.  Looks like Mark's publications are the ones to carry on looking out for, any release timescales yet Mark?

[blue fox]

I realize Timothy White's Book "The Nearest Faraway Place " is the story of the Beach Boys but it may be the most incisive book ever written on the SoCal Music scene as it related to socal culture/ surf culture/ and hot rod culture, and Jan & Dean are all through the book as important trend makers and iconoclasts. i enjoyed the book hugely and reread it twice, Fans of J&D will enjoy their frequent cameos.

[2dean2]

I dont know the name of The Beach Boys book . But the one passage say's it all . Murray is with the Capitol Execs and after listening to Surfin . They say , They sound just like Jan & Dean of course we'll sign them .

[jdman]

I just ran into an old employee of mine. He started telling me that he was 19 when he worked for me and now he is 50. I did the math in my head and realized that I wasn't even at the company 31 years ago, I was in high school. I checked the employee records and found that he worked for me 10 years ago. Some other things he said made no sense relative to when he worked here. I told him what the records show and he was shocked. He really thought he was right, he didn't work here when he was 19. He was 39. Everything he said was wrong and he really remembered it that way.
So I started thinking about Dean. Maybe his elaborate stories are really the way he remembers it. Maybe he isn't lying but just doesn't remember it accurately.
To get to my point, I'm realizing more now than ever how much more value documentation has over memory. It's a lot more important than listening to stories of those who were there. Phil Sloan said he was on Drag City. Maybe he was, I don't know. But that makes no sense because at the time the Matadors were doing all Jan & Dean backing vocals. I trust the documentation and look very forward to reading Mark's work.

[Mark A. Moore]

It's been a very busy second half of the year. Getting pulled in a lot of directions.

It's looking like I'm going to take a different approach with the Sessionography, publishing it in multiple volumes -- beginning next year with 1964.

This will allow me to begin getting it out there (too much stuff for one book), while I continue to do further research, trying to tie up loose ends in other parts of the timeline.

[2dean2]

You know too If Dean was told to tell everyone he was on certain recordings he wasnt . Well you know the old saying . "Tell a lie enough times and soon you'll really believe it" Sometimes too people will get you to remember something that never happened .
Dean " Hey Jan when am I gonna do the falsetto on the Surf City song ?
 Jan , Wow Dean you did that last week remember.
Dean , No ! Jan hey Hal remember Dean doing that Falsetto last week after getting back from the 'Blue Fox in T J . Hal  , Yeah Dean your were all sore Saying My Landy I'm not going back there for a while.

[blue fox]

   Lol.... thats sounds like a J&D radio promo that never went to air!!!