Search the Fresh Air Archive

Close Search

The King of Surf Rock.

The man known as "the King of the Surf Guitar," Dick Dale. He launched surf rock in 1960 with his band, the Deltones. He described the surf sound in a 1963 article as "a heavy staccato sound on the low-key guitar strings, with a heavy throbbing beat--like thunder, or waves breaking over you." It's also played loud and with plenty of reverb. Dale defined the California sound, and influenced The Ventures, The Beachboys, and Jan and Dean. He also influenced later groups like Sonic Youth. Now Dale has a new release with a scaled down Deltones, "Tribal Thunder," (Hightone Records).

16:32
Queue

Guest

Host

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on July 26, 1993

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, July 26, 1993: Interview with Barney Frank; Interview with Dick Dale; Commentary on teaching children about death.
Queue
22:44

U.S. Congressman Barney Frank.

U.S. Congressman Barney Frank, Democratic Representative from Massachusetts, and one of two openly-gay members of Congress. He's been lobbying for lifting the ban on gays and lesbians in the military. Terry will talk with him about President Clinton's announcement last week about gays and lesbians in the military. (In a recent Washington Post op-ed piece, Frank defends Clinton, blaming, instead, those allied against lifting the ban.)

Interview

Transcript

Transcript currently not available.

Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

You May Also like

Queue
06:59

A Sunny California Sound Is Back

Rock historian Ed Ward tells us about surf music. The genre's had a resurgence, in part because of it's use in Quentin Tarantino's film "Pulp Fiction."

Commentary
Queue
07:28

The American Cities that Gave Us Rock and Roll: Los Angeles.

Rock historian Ed Ward begins a special series on the contribution of various cities to rock and roll. He begins with Los Angeles. Artists discussed Roy Milton, Johnny Otis, Esther Phillips, Richie Valens, Eddie Cochran, Beach Boys, Phil Spector, The Ronettes, and The Byrds.

Commentary

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Learn How
Advertisement

Recently on Fresh Air Available to Play on NPR

32:56

Remembering Irish singer–songwriter Glen Hansard

Best-known for his band The Frames and his part in the 2007 film Once, Hansard got his start as a street busker in Dublin. He died July 29 in a motorcycle crash. Originally broadcast in 2008.

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

08:42

Celebrating Tony Bennett on what would have been his 100th birthday

Bennett, who died in 2023, was known for a string of hits, including "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Kevin Whitehead offers an appreciation and remembers some of Bennett's lesser-known songs.

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

08:52

'I Want Your Sex' urges Gen Z to get a little more X-rated

In the new comedy "I Want Your Sex," Olivia Wilde plays an LA-based artist who initiates a dominant-submissive relationship with her younger employee, played by Cooper Hoffman. It's the first new feature in 12 years from the queer cinema pioneer Gregg Araki, and it's opening in theaters today after premiering to much acclaim in January at the Sundance Film Festival. Our film critic, Justin Chang, has this review.

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

See All Recent Segments

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue