Back in 1990, a telefilm with the self-explanatory title of Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys was broadcast by (I think) NBC. As many other fans of the group undoubtedly did, I tuned in. The star of this compressed, two-hour (minus commercial time) recounting of the turbulent history of the legendary West Coast pop group (who initially came to fame by riding surfing’s new-found wave of popularity in the early sixties, but eventually exceeded all artistic expectations thanks to the musical genius of group leader, Brian Wilson), the focus of this TV movie, was actor Bruce Greenwood.
He played Dennis Wilson.
Hey, he was the sexy one, the bad boy, the one who hung out with Charles Manson, the Beach Boy who – how’s THIS for tragic irony? – actually DROWNED! Throw in numerous drug problems and a revolving cast of bedmates and you’ve got yourselves a story even the most casual American tube watcher could understand, one that surely comes across a whole lot easier than trying to properly portray brother Brian’s fragile mental and emotional state during the group’s heyday, the period when he composed his masterworks. To be fair, Brian DID get a fair amount of screen time, second only to Dennis. After that, attention paid to the core members dropped off precipitously: Mike Love was mostly there to man the microphone for some iconic lead vocals and, later, not dig his cousin’s revolutionary ideas – and to bluntly tell him so! Young brother Carl, well, he had a few lines, and a few vocals.
And Al Jardine?
Pity actor Andrew Mylar. The Internet Movie Data Base lists his portrayal of Jardine as his debut credit – followed up by only three more, the last in 1995.
(Bruce Greenwood, by contrast, has 89 credits, dating back to 1979 right on up to the present. I recall him best as Dr. Seth Griffin during the 1988 season of St. Elsewhere…)
Anyway, you’d think taking on the role of a world-famous rock-star would’ve propelled Mylar’s thespian ambitions, but there was one little thing missing from his role that might’ve helped him even further:
A line.
Look, it’s been 17 years, so maybe I’m misremembering, but best as I can recall, the Al Jardine character wasn’t afforded a single line of dialog in the entire piece! Mostly, our faux Al just hovered around in the background, smiling when the group was up, frowning when they weren’t.
Not fair. Not fair at all. Not to a man who sang lead on (among others) “Help Me Rhonda” and “Vegetables,” and who suggested Brian cut a version of “Sloop John B,” the only smash hit single from the since-universally lionized (but at the time of release, commercially disappointing) Pet Sounds LP.
Hey, there’s even some evidence that Al, following founder Brian, was actually the second man recruited for the group. After a musical assemblage made up of the pair and some of their college friends didn’t quite jell, their university associates were booted, only to be replaced by Carl and Mike, and THAT’S when the real Beach Boys were born! (Mother Audree Wilson later insisted that Dennis be added.)
You’d think THAT scenario would be worth a line or two, but apparently not.
Well, all these years later, Brian and Al are back together, touring to perform Pet Sounds on stage in it’s entirety one last time (or so they say). This is a rather recent development. Brian and The Boys went their separate ways years ago, with Wilson touring on his own while Mike Love, Carl Wilson, mid-sixties recruit Bruce Johnston, and Al went out before audiences as The Beach Boys. After Carl’s tragic passing nearly a decade ago, the group not only sorely missed his angelic voice (my personal favorite amongst all of the group’s extremely talented vocalists), they also missed his peacekeeping nature. Thus, soon after, lacking in love for Mike, Al split to go off on his own. However, Love legally controlled The Beach Boys brand, so Jardine was forbidden from performing under any sort of a moniker that included the word “Beach” in it.
Still, Al managed.
Don’t believe me? Check out this live recording, Al Jardine Family and Friends: Live In Las Vegas…
Recorded in 1999, and featuring Jardine sons Matt and Adam – as well as Brian’s offspring, Carnie and Wendy – sharing lead vocals with Al on a generous helping of Beach Boy classics and overlooked gems alike (“Surfer Girl” and “Breakaway,” “Good Vibrations” and “Girl, Don’t Tell Me”), I was pleasantly surprised not only by the music’s energy but by its polish as well. Frankly, as much as I love The Beach Boys, I have never been overly impressed by the handful of concert recordings they’ve issued over the decades (and that includes most of Brian’s recent forays as well), as the shimmering vocal precision so instrumental to the original tracks’ success is rarely close to being duplicated, with the live recordings always sounding positively ragged by comparison. Plus, there’s always those groan-inducing raps of Mike Love’s to endure. After all, who needs to hear “Good Vibrations” sung live if the lead vocalist is gonna mock it midway through?
But this record is an awful lot of fun (which Al closes out with “California Energy Blues, a studio track of his own). Hey, it may not be SMiLE, but it’s not Looking Back With Love, either. You can order a copy through Al Jardine’s Official Website, and I think even a casual Beach Boy fan would find it to be a worthy purchase.
Who knows – maybe somewhere out there, Andrew Mylar is listening to his very own copy right now?
(And Ned Vaughn, as well. He also took on the role of Al Jardine, this time in 2000 TV flick called The Beach Boys: An American Family. Frankly, I don’t remember if I actually watched this latter day rehash of The Boys history or not – as big a rock music fan as I am, after awhile I wearied of mostly second-rate attempts to dramatize pop music history, and have a half dozen still unwatched network takes on key moments in Beatles history languishing downstairs to prove it, and the American Family likely suffered from a similar indifference…
Maybe I SHOULDA tuned in – Vaughn’s imdb listing is far more impressive than his predecessor – 47 credits overall, 18 since he slipped into Al’s striped shirt, including four appearances as Mitch Anderson during the fourth season of my beloved 24! I don’t know if he sidled up to the mic to warble “Help Me Rhonda” during The Beach Boy bio flick, but I’m pretty sure he screamed “Help me, Bauer!” during his 24 stint!…)
Sadly, Carl and Dennis are gone – and Mike has staked out his own path – so for the group’s two originals, Brian and Al, it’s a much belated reunion, which, from all accounts, has infused a new level of confidence in the stage-wary Wilson. Clearly, Brian is the musical immortal, but let’s not overlook the contribution Al Jardine made to the group’s success. This man has seen it ALL, folks – just imagine the sort of book he could write? A blockbuster, I’m betting – one just ripe for a THIRD teleflick!
AND a far juicier role for narrator Al Jardine, I’m betting!
And now, for you comics fans who’ve muddled through my rock ramblings, allow me to share with you a strip I did for the 71st issue of Marvel Age (February 1989) which features not only Cartoon Fred hosting an earlier version of “The Fred Hembeck Show,” but Brother Voodoo, several Beach Boys, and their NEW lead singer as well! I even give Cartoon Al Jardine a pivotal line – and this a full year before Video Al Jardine showed up on the small screens of America, woefully bereft of dialog!
This strip was drawn in the regular centerspread format of the day, meaning that I had to divvy up the twenty one panels rather than just post the double-wide pair of pages for your viewing enjoyment. Also, bear in mind that this was composed while I was deeply in thrall of the great Jack Benny, and shortly after Mike Love shot off his mouth during the group’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech! In retrospect, I wonder exactly HOW many Marvel Age readers knew just what the heck I was talking about, but good ol’ editor Jim Salicrup let me run around unfettered, and this was one of those times where, hey, good luck getting the punchline, kids! (Another was when I did a strip about Roy and Dann Thomas taking over the scripting of Dr. Strange, and the humor revolved around Cartoon Fred mistaking Roy’s missus with comedian DANNY Thomas, culminating with a Dormammu bearing a big honker, and an “Uncle Tonoose” reference to boot. After it came out, I was in my local comics store, and the clerk – a pre-Hutch Owens Tom Hart – confessed he didn’t understand the gags in that particular strip at all! I think that was when I first began to realize that, y’know, maybe I shouldn’t always be so narrow with my quips…)
But before that overdue bolt of lightning finally hit, I did the following strip…
Aside from my labored caricature, the Jardine impressions above were all garnered from the 1979 trade paperback, The Beach Boys, by the late Byron Preiss, and were the work of, in order of appearance, Bill Nelson, Joey Epstein/Tom Hachtman, George Chastain, and Overton Loyd. This handsome volume also contains contributions by such stalwarts as Howard Chaykin, Ralph Reese, Edward Gorey, John Pound, Kenneth Smith, Walt Simonson, Bobby London, William Stout, and Harvey Kurtzman – none of whom, unfortunately, offered up a Jardine of their own. Still, it’s a book well worth searching out, especially for the comics fan who likes to listen to Endless Summer while reading his (or her) Man of Tomorrow Archives…
Well, that’s about it for this week – say good night, Al…
Visit Hembeck.com for all the good vibrations you can handle! And worry not – no one’s gonna eat all your corn there, I promise!
-Copyright 2007 Fred Hembeck
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Kid Rock is putting together 
It’s stated numerous times throughout both the documentary and critical review that comprise 2/3 of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band: The Complete Nutter History of The Bonzos (Classic Rock Legends, Not Rated, DVD-£19.99), but there really has not been so engagingly witty a band both before or, sadly, since the Bonzos far too brief reign of lunacy in the late 60’s. From covering classic 78s of the 20’s & 30’s like “My Brother Makes The Noises For The Talkies” and “Jollity Farm” to crafting their own pop classics like “I’m the Urban Spaceman,” the Bonzos could do it all – and they did, under the musical aegis of the late Vivian Stanshall and the very much still with us Neil Innes. This 3-disc set features the aforementioned in-depth documentary and critical review of the Bonzos output, as well as the BBC edit of their recent 40th anniversary reunion concert featuring guests like Stephen Fry, Phill Jupitus, Paul Merton, and Adrian Edmondson (you can also purchase the complete, unedited version separately). There’s also loads of bonus material and rare television appearances that provide a perfect primer for the uninitiated, or a wonderful keepsake for the Bonzo fan. And while we’re on the subject of that 40th anniversary concert, you absolutely must pick up the 2-disc companion CD of the event, Wrestle Poodles… And Win! (Classic Rock Legends, £9.99).
Meanwhile, Viv Stanshall fans will be elated to know that the long-awaited DVD release of his brilliant Sir Henry At Rawlinson End (Digital Classics, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP) has finally (finally!) happened. And not only does the print look better than all of those shoddy bootleg VHS tapes we’ve all subsisted on for years, but there’s also an audio commentary, trailer, and photo gallery. If you’ve yet to see Stanshall’s portrait of the decidedly daft fading uppercrust Rawlinson clan, then now if the time to rectify that oversight in your comedic knowledge.
Much like the MGM films which saddled the brilliant anarchy of the Marx Brothers with a rather mundane romance plot involving often star-crossed lovers and the comedians as virtual supporting players, so it is in the rarely seen Three Stooges outing Swing Parade. In it, the original Stooges play a trio of waiters in support of a mediocre romantic A-plot – in fact, the Stooges are the only thing saving this from the dustbin. A fully restored black & white print of this flick (also containing a colorized version) is the first outing for Legend Films’ Rifftrax Complete edition (Legend, Not Rated, DVD-$12.99 SRP), featuring a Rifftrax audio commentary from Mike Nelson (with a “super exclusive” edition signed by Mike 
Americans may know him from his infrequent appearances as The Daily Show‘s resident statistician, but UK audiences (and Anglophiles) know Dave Gorman as a brilliantly sharp comedian . For proof, fire up your region free DVD player and snag a copy of Dave Gorman’s Googlewhack Adventure (Channel 4, Not Rated, DVD-£19.99), Gorman’s stage show detailing the internet and serendipity’s hand in scuttling his attempts to write a novel. Bonus features include a live audience Q&A, outtakes, additional inserts, and more.
Another year, another season of the rejuvenated Doctor Who, as the complete second series (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP) picks up – literally – just where series one left off, as the good Doctor has regenerated from the gruff, leather-jacketed Christopher Eccleston into the much more dandyish David Tennant. Still on board the Tardis is faithful companion Rose (Billie Piper), and the 14 episodes comprising the season are quite the rollercoaster ride, particularly the re-introduction of the Cybermen. The 6-disc box set features the behind-the-scenes “Doctor Who Confidential” episodes, audio commentaries, video diaries from Tennant & Piper, deleted scenes, in-vision commentary, the “Children in Need” special, and outtakes.
Terry Gilliam just can’t seem to catch a break. Still one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time, he’s been dogged by misconceptions, rumors, and a reputation as a fiscally irresponsible, uncontrollable madman. Similar to his decision to follow up the perceived disaster of Baron Munchausen with the Hollywood for-hire gig The Fisher King, Gilliam signed on to do The Brothers Grimm for Miramax after his own The Man Who Killed Don Quixote fell apart. What followed was a production that found Gilliam butting heads with Harvey & Bob Weinstein, as they systematically went about dismantling the team Gilliam had put together to make the film, and questioning his every move. I’m not criticizing the Weinsteins – after all, that’s how they work, and it’s proven incredibly lucrative for them in the past – but Grimm was another story, and it proved to be a difficult, troubled production from start to finish. Thankfully, the story is recounted via candid recollections and diaries in Bob McCabe’s Dreams and Nightmares: Terry Gilliam, The Brothers Grimm & Other Cautionary Tales of Hollywood (HarperCollins, £17.99). Available only in the UK for some reason, it’s a wonderful account of a filmmaker’s descent into the machine.
While not as beloved as Everybody Loves Raymond, I still have a great deal of affection for that loveable lunkhead of a show, King of Queens (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). Like Raymond before it, the episodes are virtually interchangeable (although the guest star turn from Burt Reynolds as Doug’s old football coach is a real highlight), as this is the very definition of sitcom comfort food. Sadly, the 3-disc set is limited to all 23 seventh season episodes, but nary a bonus feature in sight.
One afternoon – December 4, 1956, to be exact – a rather historic, impromptu recording session took place. It was a recording session that gathered together four legends on the rise – Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. This historic session has now been released in its entirety as The Complete Million Dollar Quartet (Sony BMG, $13.98 SRP). It’s rough around the edges – they were clearly jamming – but it’s a must-have artifact of a bygone age of myth and legend.
Although largely unknown to the American audience, The Royle Family (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) has been hailed as a modern classic – and rightly so. Not quite sitcom and not quite drama, it’s the rather intimate, everyday life of the lower middle class Royles – and it’s told entirely within their living room. It’s brilliantly written and executed, and I’m thrilled that the first season is finally available in the US for Americans to discover.
Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt have brought their traveling animation show – comprised of dozens of hand-picked animated shorts from around the world – to DVD. The 2-disc collection of The Animation Show (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) contains 31 shorts, plus audio commentaries, galleries, featurettes, additional shorts, and more. Also included is an in-depth booklet profiling many of the creators involved.
Another of the short-lived, incredibly kitchy Filmation live action “classics” of the 70’s has come to DVD with the release of Space Academy: The Complete Series (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). It’s basically high school in space, with Lost In Space vet Jonathan Harris as instructor Isaac Gampu. The effects featured in the show are surprisingly good considering the budget, due largely to their pedigree – many of the guys were Star Wars veterans. The 4-disc set features all 15 episodes, plus a pair of audio commentaries, a newly-produced documentary, commercial bumpers, galleries, easter eggs, and more.
24 has returned with a brand new, rather explosive season, and true fans should definitely grab themselves a copy of the deluxe making-of tome 24: Behind The Scenes (Insight Editions, $29.95 SRP). Packed with production details and copious photos, it’s a must have – as is the bonus DVD featuring exclusive interviews
In My Hero (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), Ardal O’Hanlon (late of the magnificent Father Ted) stars as Earth’s greatest, but befuddled, superhero Thermoman, who lives a quiet suburban life as health store owner – and family man – George Sunday. It’s not laugh-a-minute, but it’s certainly a pleasantly quirky series worth checking out. The disc features all 6 first season episodes, plus an interview with O’Hanlon and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
When the creator of Cracker launches a new series, you’d better believe it’s at least worth a look. With The Street (Koch, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), Jimmy McGovern delivers a beautifully-acted, engrossing drama about six neighboring houses in Northern England, and the stories behind each of those seemingly ordinary doors. With a cast that includes Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall, Jane Horrocks, and Sue Johnston, it’s a must-see. The 2-disc first season features all 6 episodes.
If you’re a child of comic books and Saturday morning TV (like myself), then Stan Lee is instantly recognizable as the creator (with legendary artists such as Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby) of Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, X-Men, and many, many more.
LEE: Well, what I really wanted… I was trying to think of, “What kind of a heroine can I do that hasn’t been done before?” And forgetting the super power for a moment, I thought I’d like to get a girl who’s just out of her teens, and who wants to be an actress, and that’s the big thing. I thought that a lot of girls could relate to that. Most girls at some age want to be actresses or rock stars. And then I figured, “Okay, what super power will I give her?” And it occurred to me that if a girl wanted to be an actress, probably the best super power – the thing she’d most want – would be the ability to take over other people’s personas. To be able to act like other people and look like other people. So I gave her this chameleon-like quality.
KP: Which is the collaboration with Ringo Starr?
KP: You’ve also participated in Kevin’s poetry readings in the past…
KP: To anyone actually watching your visual signals, you tipped it off just with that broad grin when they introduced you…
KP: Well, you just did again. And Lightspeed.
LEE: Yes, I thought you would! It stands, of course – and I’m sure our readers will already have guessed it – but it stands for “Purveyors Of Wonder.” POW! And the reason we had to give it that definition is I didn’t want people to think it stood for Prisoner Of War. So, for that reason, I put an exclamation point after it. You see the things you learn when you do these kind of interviews?
