Oh no!
This really makes me sad...
Met him in 2009 in Berlin and did a great sightseeing day with him and Surfaris.
What a nice guy he was!!!!

Twang cheers!

Ralf Kilauea

www.kilaueas.de

https://kilaueas.bandcamp.com/album/touch-my-alien

Oh no! I heard he was sick. Another first wave legend gone.

I got to meet him twice, and I don't think he said 5 words either time - he was very shy and quiet. But, like so many other of the first wave guys, I could tell he was a total hell raiser in his younger days. It's hard to see in the photo below, but he has an iron cross decal on his guitar. What 14 year old does that? And, this is what they looked like when the recorded Wipeout.

Like it or not, the surf genre is often defined by Wipeout, and I still think it's a great record.

One of my favorite live surf clips is of the Surfaris at Y day at the Hollywood bowl. Especially Point Panic at the end. Here' they are getting ready - totally hip. I've included that clip, and another from a few years later, when they were attempting to keep up with the new bands from England. Check out Jim's hair and guitar.

RIP Jim.

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

Last edited: Mar 03, 2017 13:40:53

Damn. Hard news indeed. RIP Jim.

Thank you John for passing it along.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Seriously? WTF SG101. The guy that wrote, and performed possibly the most famous guitar lick ever, in any genre, dies, and 7....7 people give a shit? Love it or hate it, everyone knows the song Wipeout. And Jim Fuller was the guy that wrote it, and played it. How many of us have been asked what Surf music is, and responded with "you know, like Wipeout."?

And, The Surfaris did some other really cool songs too. Our scene would be lesser without the Surfaris, and Jim Fuller.

I'm ashamed to be a member here if this is the future of the forum.

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

Last edited: Mar 05, 2017 21:31:29

RIP Jim Fuller

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

We covered The Surfaris more than any other band. They were sometimes out of tune, they weren't virtuosos on their instruments, but they were real and they were The Surfaris and despite it all, they pulled off some of the greatest recorded moments in surf music history.

http://www.satanspilgrims.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Satans-Pilgrims/8210228553
https://satanspilgrims.bandcamp.com/
http://www.surfyindustries.com

One of the Surfaris´Jim was stationed in Germany Wolfgang Gerst once wrote to me in the 1970s (he even had done an interview with him)
but I don´t remember if it was Jim Pash or Jim Fuller.
His music will live on and I know a couple of fans who consider
The Surfaris as the BEST surf group of the sixties.
Rüdiger

I had a listen to a double CD I've got on Saturday when I heard the news. First time I've listened in years. There really are some diamonds in there that I've forgotten about. And they're so young!

The drummer of my fledgling surf band only called me last week to suggest we do Wipe Out as it's instantly recognisable as the genre. I leapt on the the suggestion.

I'll chime in again. Ya'll are right...they were exactly what we all love about this music, raw, crazy and a lot of fun! We had a drummer who wouldn't play "Wipeout" so before I fired him, I played the drums! The crowd went nuts! Yeah, we're all gonna miss you Jim. Once again, RIP brother.

Last edited: Mar 06, 2017 08:29:21

I think the story of the Surfaris is the perfect summation of the surf genre. 4 young guys record a song that becomes an over night sensation, and are quickly and promptly taken advantage of by nearly everyone they come in contact with. From Richard Delvy and his use of other band members on the first Surfaris release, to the record company trying to turn them into a Beach Boys clone, to drummer Ron Wilson dying at age 45 virtually penny-less. The song that brought them to prominence was also the reason for their downfall. How can you follow up a song that was as big as Wipeout? You can't. They tried, even releasing some better material. Then the shifting trends in music finished them off. No number of Bob Dylan covers could bring them back to the forefront of pop music in 1966.
I don't think any member of the Surfaris made any real money on their fame. But Richard Delvy mentioned his ownership of Wipeout paid the bills many times through the years.

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"