We've apparently just lost Jim Fuller of The Surfaris (FB post from Bob Dalley this morning). More details to come.
—www.johnblair.us
www.soundofthesurf.com
Last edited: Mar 07, 2017 14:44:12
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Surf Music General Discussion »
RIP Jim Fuller
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Joined: Aug 23, 2007 Posts: 582 Monterey County, California 
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Posted on Mar 03 2017 12:55 PM
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Joined: Jul 27, 2006 Posts: 1284 Berlinesia, Germanifornia
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Posted on Mar 03 2017 01:03 PM
Oh no! Twang cheers! Ralf Kilauea |
Joined: Apr 01, 2016 Posts: 89 
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Posted on Mar 03 2017 01:08 PM
----The first guitar lick I ever learned. RIP Jim.-- |
Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 1872 Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies 
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Posted on Mar 03 2017 01:27 PM
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 |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 3731 tn
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Posted on Mar 03 2017 03:35 PM
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Joined: Nov 16, 2013 Posts: 4536 Wisconsin
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Posted on Mar 03 2017 06:03 PM
Damn. Hard news indeed. RIP Jim. Thank you John for passing it along. —Wes DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices. |
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Joined: Jul 22, 2009 Posts: 202
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Posted on Mar 03 2017 11:03 PM
RIP Jim. Great guitar player. |
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Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 1872 Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
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Posted on Mar 05 2017 09:28 PM
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 |
Joined: Sep 01, 2006 Posts: 2672 New Orleans, LA
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Posted on Mar 05 2017 09:34 PM
To be fair, the title of the thread doesn't say that he died. I've always thought the Surfaris were way way better than they get credit for. Point Panic, Scatter Shield, Scratch, and Waikiki Run are some of my absolute favorites and encapsulate so much of what I love about this music. — |
Joined: Feb 25, 2006 Posts: 19194 Des Moines, Iowa, USA
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Posted on Mar 05 2017 09:41 PM
RIP Jim Fuller —Site dude - S3 Agent #202 "It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea |
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Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 1872 Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
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Posted on Mar 05 2017 10:00 PM
ElMonstroPorFavor wrote:
Yes. I think they get unfairly slagged because of Wipeout. And, it might be one of their less stellar efforts, in the overall scheme of things. They had 4 or 5 albums of pure surf, and surely had to be one of the most popular surf bands at the time. —"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been" |
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 3731 tn
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Posted on Mar 05 2017 10:34 PM
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 |
Joined: Mar 05, 2010 Posts: 362 Mauna Lani, HI
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Posted on Mar 05 2017 10:39 PM
That is a shame Wipeout is indelibly inked into the minds of every person whose heard it even once. Condensed the spirit of the California frenzy into one unforgettable simple melody. |
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Joined: Sep 03, 2006 Posts: 330 Herten - Germany 
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Posted on Mar 06 2017 01:45 AM
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) |
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Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 854
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Posted on Mar 06 2017 04:40 AM
Sonichris, I know what you mean. My feelings aren't personal in regard to who or who doesn't post something but there's a larger sense of something that's hard to describe. This man, who I didn't know and didn't really know anything about, created one of Humankind's most memorable tunes, a song that has been woven into the fabric of the life of every person who has existed since 1960-whatever when it was released. It's practically a folk song at this point. It feels the occasion of his departure from the living world should be somehow grander than a thread on a forum on a website populated by extremely niche dudes. That said, Jim Fuller was more than Wipe Out and more than the Surfaris and to most of us, the details of his life will probably remain unknown but nevertheless, now is the time to reflect upon how his existence has influenced our own and appreciate the ways in which he has enriched us. |
Joined: Oct 01, 2014 Posts: 519 Streatham, London 
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Posted on Mar 06 2017 05:03 AM
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. |
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Joined: Feb 25, 2006 Posts: 19194 Des Moines, Iowa, USA
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Posted on Mar 06 2017 07:53 AM
Legend has it the band recorded and wrote Wipeout on the spot in the studio after being told they needed a B-side for the one song they came in to record (Surfer Joe). So on the surface, they just let their insane young drummer go nuts on a revved-up high school marching band beat while the rest of the band played a sped up version of Duane Eddy's Yep. Then in an inspired but not unprecedented move, their manager added the funny laugh and broke a piece of wood or shingle for the intro. Who knew this recipe would turn into a cultural landmark, a lighting-in-the-bottle moment that forever captured and defined for many what California surf music was. A song used in countless TV shows, commercials, and movies. Kids all over the country pounding out the drum parts on their desks at school. It's insane!!! I very much agree with Ted Pilgrim here. The band was so much more than Wipeout. They recorded some of my favorite 1st wave tunes like Scatter Shield, Point Panic, and Similau. One of the best examples of crazy kids at their most creative trying their hardest to make the wildest and coolest music they could. —Site dude - S3 Agent #202 "It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea Last edited: Mar 06, 2017 07:55:18 |
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Joined: Apr 01, 2016 Posts: 89
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Posted on Mar 06 2017 08:28 AM
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 |
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Joined: Jun 10, 2015 Posts: 16 Tehachapi
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Posted on Mar 06 2017 09:08 AM
What about a members tribute to Jim and the Surfaris at this years Surf |
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Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 1872 Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
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Posted on Mar 06 2017 09:25 AM
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. "You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been" |
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