Formed in 1976 and borrowing elements from punk and surf rock, the Surf Punks were a completely singular if not unique musical phenomenon. Irrevent, funny and totally original, the Surf Punks would release five albums, Surf Punks (1976), My Beach (1980), Locals Only (1982), Oh No! Not Them Again (1988) and Party Bomb (1989). In the following interview, Dennis Dragon, drummer and founder of the Surf Punks, talks about the band.
For more information on Dennis Dragon’s current work, visit his website by clicking here.
Interview follows.
With all the information out there on the internet, surprisingly there isn’t a whole lot about the Surf Punks. Additionally, your albums are quite hard to come by. “Surf Punks” on Day-Glo is next to impossible to find, and compact discs of “My Beach” go for 90+ dollars on Amazon used vendors. Do you think any Surf Punks albums
will see rereleases?
Since Epic Records owns the rights to the “My Beach†album, the ball is in their court. I personally have a few unopened copies of our original Day-Glo record and would consider selling some if the price is right. I have recently re-acquired the rights to “Locals Only†and will probably re-release that one at some point.
What bands influenced you?
The bands that influenced both Drew Steele and myself prior to the formulation of The Surf Punks are The Tubes, David Bowie, AC-DC and of course, The Ramones.
What bands did you hate back then?
I really didn’t “hate†any bands; I didn’t care for The Cars and some British “glam†bands. I didn’t go for “the sterile sound”.
I was probably a little too young to really appreciate your music when you were current. What type of people listened to your music?
There was quite a cross-section of people that liked what we were doing, mostly those who appreciated what we were trying to do in bringing Zuma Beach in Malibu to them, via concerts or in recorded form. The “punk†twist was (I thought) a good musical vehicle for this delivery.
Re-listening to some of your tracks on “My Beach”, I think that Eminem must have come up with some of his MC bits riffing on you guys. What do you think?
I don’t know about Eminem, but I’ve heard direct “musical borrowings†from an English band called “The Adictsâ€. They combined elements of our sound with “A Clockwork Orange†theme.
What were some of the better slang words from back in the day?
We printed a “complete†list of this stuff on the back of our first Epic album. I can’t recall that stuff now. I blanked it out.
Your shows were pretty wild. What was the craziest gig you ever played?
The craziest gig was also the most volatile. It was in Ventura, CA. and Drew came out giving the large audience “the fingerâ€. The Ventura/Oxnard area is well known for hosting some of the most hostile “surf locals†around, and after this “welcoming gesture†from us “southersâ€, I thought the place was going to riot. Beer bottles were thrown, along with a beer pitcher that just missed my head. The crowd was pretty crazed, but miraculously no injuries. I do remember a tear gas bomb going off at another one of the gigs in Hollywood (The Starwood) that quickly cleared the crowd. Ah, those innocent dayze!
What was your favorite Surf Punk song?
My personal favorite is Big Top!
Do you have any projects at the moment that you’d like to plug?
Not really; I’m working on all sorts of stuff. I post info at dennisdragon.com. If somebody needs something, I can be contacted there.
Can you say a little about your involvement with the movie “Skateboard Madness” (1980), directed by Julian Pena?
I was the music producer/engineer for that film. I had fun working with a multitude of musicians. I also played drums on a lot of the tracks. The film was produced by the late Hal Jepsen. I’ve done many soundtracks for surf /skate/action films over the years. Was it all a dream?
Can you leave us with a closing quote?
How ‘bout 2… “If you don’t live here, don’t surf hereâ€! AND “Enjoy life…eat out more often.â€
Image “Dennis Dragon 1985” courtesy of Dennis Dragon.
Go back to the valley!
I was there, and in my opinion it was all about making fun of what everyone else was taking too seriously. You had the beach kids that thought they owned the beach and would do anything to defend it and then you had the punk scene that was all about being loaded and playing music and giving the finger to establishment. Dennis and Drew merged the 2 and made a parody of the whole thing. The cool part was that if you didn’t know them, then you didn’t really know that it was a joke. That’s why they could piss off a whole crowd at Ventura, but the joke was that the crowd took themselves so seriously that they became part of the whole performance of the parody. It was genius really and overlooked. But that was ok too because it was more of a personal joke. Dennis didn’t really care if anybody got it or not. It was more for his own enjoyment. At least that’s what it looked like to me.
T
I don’t know about about the Surf Punks mustic, but I think Dennis *Dragon* owes me some royalties or something, seeing as how I allow him to use my screen name as his given name.
I guess I’d have to agree with his tastes though: Big Top is pretty catchy.
Did you get “Bit Top” off Rhapsody? I think Rhapsody offers a couple of their songs.
Yup. Rhapsody has the “My Beach” album, but unfortunately none of their other stuff.
Cool. Had you ever heard them before?
The name sounds familiar, but I can’t say I was familiar with them before the article here. My exposure and tastes generally tend toward more recent pop- variants of punk and surf, rather than the in-your-face auld-skool style that Surf Punks seem to present.
From the one album I listened to on Rhapsody I do think Surf Punks had something interesting and I can certainly see how they probably contributed to the various genres they were associated with. But their sound just isn’t the sort of thing I can play in the background while concentrating on other stuff, it’s slightly jarring at points and the clever little jabs embedded in it demand too much attention.
Interesting. Can’t say that I really know the music, but I’m impressed that you managed to locate a member of the band and interview him.
I will lend you my tape when I get it back from Fred.
iTunes has one or two of their albums…and of course you can stream 30 sec of each song for free – if you want to get a sense of their music.
Or just stream that same 30 sec of that song over and over again in rapid succession. It’s just as good as listening to the whole song …but free!
sup im this kids son and i think that music is fuckign awesome. ahaha. im 16 and still i love that shit. rly brings back the stories he tells me. and stuff like that peace. and yes our last name is dragon
Glad you liked the interview! I had a lot of fun doing it.
I danced on stage that concert The girl in the pink Diana’s daughter. the music fit for the times and you name a time when surfers didn’t say this is my wave get the fuck off. each day was a locals only on the beach…. good surfing buddys
Deer Stuped pnuks,
thaet stuf you call msuik sucks.!
Backwards thongs forever!!
Thanks for laughs Surf Punks! Party bomb was it! The influence is with me to this day. I recently busted Wendell the Dirt Spy walking the local Motocross Track and reporting track conditions, via cell phone, to his sofa spud, 40 year old “Expert”, thirty pak ab encrusted, Valley Goon buddies of his. Don’t they know? MY TRACK, MY JUMPS, GO HOME!!!
Surf Punks rule. I wish I could have seen them live. My college friends bought the “Locals Only” LP from Denio’s flee market in Roseville and played it everyday in our dorm room. We had a lot of laughs on the record. “Tube Rider” is the shit. “Somebody Ripped My Stick” is fantastic. “God it rode the bay great!!”
the most classic song, and the one with the most over the top play on us stereotypical surfers, is “Somebody Ripped my Stick”.
Five dollar reward!
I friend of mine swears up and down he was at Zuma one day and a barge appeared with the Surf Punks aboard. Apparently an impromptu gig ensued. Can anyone confirm that?
I was at That Starwood Gig, It Was a New Years Eve Show. I Met Scott Goddard at a Slotcar Track.I was wearing my LOCALS ONLY t-shirt. I heard this voice say ” Hey,where did you get that shirt!” Sorry to hear he passed away. I saw the Surf Punks at the Country Club,Perkins Palace,Roxy,Starwood .Maybe The Santa Monica Civic? I still have t shirts ,sticker, visor No fat chick button day glo pink guitar pick button. Those were the best shows i ever attended. And I saw all the gigs in the eighties.
..l’m from Italy,the real one i mean not the one in Texas..anyway,sorry for my broken english,I start listening to surf punks in !)(0…sorry..1989!We were three people to know them!..ouch!from then I had try everything for some Punks news!!Even 10 years ago call the Enigma Records staff..they start to laugh..at phone,was strange..anyway.I am a music collector with more than 2.000 l.p and Surf punks are at the Zappa AND rAMONES best works level!!..GOOD JOB DDUUUUUDDDE!
I fucking love the Surf Punks, I have all their LPs even their rare self-titled debut album.
hey, i remember the my beach album well. i had the record back in 80 or 81. i had the cassette in high school. and as a 30 something adult i found the CD at BB’s in greensboro. My Beach is simply one of the best rock albums ever recorded. really. my favorite song is the whole album. they were awesome in skateboard madness. yeah. reform and tour. come to north carolina. for real doods.
check dragon out in Santa Barbara from time to time with the bar stool pigeons. I guess I finally ran out of luck, now find me, i still have your board and am the muse dragon.
I remember the surf punks! Glad to find this site. I was living in Malibu in the 70’s and 80’s and Dennis, you recorded us many times. the band was summerwind.
A big retrospective on The Surf Punks: http://www.gonzgonzgonz.com. Thanks to Drew, Tommy Steele, Harvey Kubernik (and Tuff Muffin), and The The Brothers Marshall. 3 years in the making, a lot of scanning, and one trip to Hawaii.
Mark the shark was my fav. Andy Jackson, St. whats his name with the Ducati, that really fuckin tall dude that hung out at Roarks for a while and got the chain busted across his forehead on a late night electric cart run. Julie S. OMG Julie was sooo cute. ATC’s, RD400’s, Duck Feet and backwards take-off’s at Tower 6 on big days in August. Oh that was so much fun! Thanks Dennis!
I’ve been a Beach Boys fanatic most of my life and when I got into punk rock the Surf Punks became one of the first bands to really get my attention. To this day I still consider them one of the greatest bands, period. Rock n’ Roll to me is about fun, humor and not taking yourself too seriously and the Surf Punks encompassed that in every aspect. Also as a drummer I give Dennis Dragon a lot of credit; the man is a very versatile musician, great engineer and a great producer. I have all their records, the rare first LP from ’79, Locals Only and their last album Oh No! Not Them Again!- all great in their own right.
I don’t think the Surf Punks get enough credit for their contribution to the revival of surf music and their involvement as one of the first LA punk bands, but they made quite a mark on the American underground and no one can deny that.
-Josh
HEY DENNIS, SAY HI TO DREW FOR ME.. I WAS IN THAT MOVIE WITH YOU GUYS IN ’87 UNDER THE BOARDWALK.. I WAS IN THAT DIVING GEAR, WITH THAT HEAVY ASS BELL HELMET, CHUCKING PEOPLE OFF STAGE.. DREW USE TO DATE MY SISTER LESLIE.. CLASSIC . I WAS AT THE CIVIC SHOW, SHIT WOULD HAVE BEEN ’79 OR ’80, I REMEMBER NATHAN PRATT FROM HORIZONS WEST HANDING OUT SURF GOODIES AND HAVING A BLAST.. HOPE YOUR WELL DENNIS, DIDNT YOU HAVE A SISTER NAME CARMEN TOO, I KNOW IT WAS YOUR DADS NAME BUT I COULD HAVE SWORE GOING TO OUR LADY OF MALIBU AND YOU HAD A SIS RIGHT ?, ANYWAYS PEACE GOOD TIDINGS M.L.O. FOREVER PETE MAYOTTE P.S. TELL DREW AND ANDY JACKSON MY SIS SAYS HEY !
OH FACTUAL LETTER FROM HAWAII, WAS BEST P.S. DONT COME OVER HERE
DUDE.. ALL CAPS MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER AND PARAGRAPH BREAKS ARE FOR LOSERS.. BUT YOU NEED FEWER PERIODS AND MORE EXCLAMATION POINTS!
HEY IN RESPONSE TO PETER, AND HIS ENGLISH LESSON. HEY THANK YOU MAN, YOU ARE THE REASON WHY SURFERS WERE STILL IN THE WATER DURING 1ST AND 2ND PERIOD. STAY IN SCHOOL KOOK, MORE WAVES FOR US. FROM PETE MAYOTTE, YOU GOTTA PROBLEM WIT DAT I PADDLE YOU OUT THE BACK AND GIVE YOU SOME BEEF BRAH…
WHAO! USING COMMAS!? WHAT ARE YOU SOME KIND OF ROCKIT GENIUS GUY? SERIOUS THO EXCLAMAITION POINTS ROOL! XESS PERIODS DRULE!
HEY FOOLIO, I AM NOT GOING TO DISRESPECT, DENNIS. SO YOU WANNA HAVE SOME MINIATURE WORD DIRT WAR. JUST BE DOWN IN FRONT OF THE MALIBU PIER THIS SATURDAY AT 11 A.M. I WILL BE OUT OF THE WATER, AND WE CAN HAVE A NICE LITTLE CHAT… WE CAN DISCUSS WHY YOU VOTED FOR BOTH OF THE BUSHES FOR PREZ. AND HOW FAR IN LIFE ALL THAT ANAL AND BENILE , GRAMMER AND ENGLISH CLASS CRAP GOT YOU. DO NOT TREAD ON ME FOOLIO.. JUST SHOW UP AND WE CAN TALK THIS OUT. HOPEFULLY YOU BRING YOUR BOOKBAG ALONG. I COULD USE A LESSON.
Ok man: I quit, you win. Anything but Malibu. No way I can afford that air fare for one thing.
Only two things:
1) Uh, dude, when someone’s from New Zealand I’m not sure how they’d be able to vote for you blokes’ head of state.
2) No sarcasm intended: Benile is a great word. It seems so wastelessly compound, sort of an elegant gem along the same lines as “fugly”. I highly encourage you to make an Urban Dictionary entry to preserve it for posterity (or “posteriority” …or is that taking a good thing too far?).
3) Who’s disrespecting Dennis? From the little I’ve heard or read about him he seems like the type of provocateur who’d happily have disrespected someone exactly like himself. What good are sacred cows after all if not to be smashed?
Peace.
Peter Dixon , Pahl and Jamies Father ?
OKAY, YOU ARE AT AN EDUCATION LEVEL , OF WHICH I AM NOT FAMILIAR. SO OKAY , YOU WIN ! AS FOR NEW ZEALAND, I HAVE BEEN , I HAD A GREAT TIME AT RAGLAND. DENNIS WAS WHEN I KNEW HIM ACTUALLY, VERY COOL. TO ME INTELLIGENT, I AM NOT SURE IF THAT IS SAYING ALOT. BUT IN MALIBU WE LOOKED OUT FOR EACH OTHER AND RESPECT EACH OTHER AS BEST WE CAN. I BELIVE DENNIS AND DREW DID THE SURF PUNKS , AS A FARCE. I THINK IT WAS TO GET CHICKS HAVE SOME FUN AND BACK THEN IT REALLY WAS LIKE THAT. WITH MALIBU LOCALS AND PEOPLE WHO CAME THERE FROM THE VALLEY OR ELSEWHERE. THERE WAS SILVER STRAND, OXNARD CA. OR LUNADA BAY. VERY LOCALIZED SPOTS. I AM NOT SURE I RAN INTO THAT WHEN I WAS IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY. AUSTRALIA WAS IN SOME SPOTS. BUT I HAD A GOOD TIME IN BOTH AND LIKED THE PEOPLE THERE. SO I AGAIN CANNOT REALLY APOLOGIZE FOR MY WRITING SKILLS. BECAUSE I REALLY WAS STILL IN THE WATER FOR MOST MORNING’S OF SCHOOL. I TAKE BACK THE HEAD OF STATE COMMENT, HE IS NOT REAL POPULAR. BUT MOST PEOPLE OF YOUR EDUC. LEVEL SEEM TO THINK HE IS A RIGHTEOUS DUDE.. JUST KIDDING ! I MEANT REPUBLICANS. OKAY TRUCE ! PETE M.L.O
As a 26 year old Brit, I hung out in between Trancas Beach up onto the Point for the summers of 79 and 80. What a great place. As far as the Surfpunks were concerned, they ruled the beach. they got all the hottest chicks. They really were what the seemed to be. When your house is across the road from Zuma Beach, you do get a little proprietry. They meant every word they said, and dressed it in the great music they made. They were a beach party band that really did surf, for they were, and likely still are, surfers, first and foremost. Their songs about the waves, say, Tuberider, are great songs. Well, all I can say is that those of us who know their music are lucky…and for those who actually live the music, so much the better. Tuberiding. What can be more cool?
I knew Drew better than Dennis. I used to see them on Zuma Beach. They hated the Valleys. Simple as that. But a love hate. What a great intro to life it must be, being raised on Zuma Beach, watchin the glassy dawn waves kisss the shore every day. It is great. So, when 50,000 people each weekend drive over to the beach, on one of the few roads over the mountains to the huge huge valley behind, it swamps the weekly peace and beauty that is what we are all here talking about, anyway.
My Beach. Great great song.
On it there is a girl’s voice, often laughing, in the background, and doing female dialogue, I knew that girl. She was also a surfer. The inclusion of the beach girls in their real lives, brought into their songs let for a reer playing of what life on the beach was really like. When it is good it is unbeatable. Long May You Run. On My Wave, and on quite a few, you can hear her laughing and stuff. It was about having fun and enjoying the beach. They did it all. Go Surfpunks. From Bill The Explorer, Sahara Records, Liverpool & Malibu and, for now, back in Africa. Still playing live 12 string acoustic 7 nites a week on the net. It’s cool. I left Malibu 28 years ago 🙁 but the net is now…..it’s just because…. it’s still the music.
ref the barge gig, yea it happened, gig wasnt impromptu. it was why.
what is drew up to these days? was he in bands after the surf punks?
Favorite Surf Punks memories:
“Shark Attack” (music video)
“Gas” (music video)
Drew Steele playing and participating in Jepsen’s “surf fashion show” in 1989
Denny Dragon’s interview segment as “Dick Damage” (steel wheel pioneer) for one of Hal’s film projects.
Hi folks and surf punk fans,
As a former Malibu local, Trancas local, and fifty year local of Malibu (now escaped to New Zealand) please believe me when I say The Surf Punks, Dennis, Drew, and everyone who play a dscordinate note were sincere, fun-loving music makers. They made their music and it rang out the feelings of that wild era. I lived it. They were true to the times. Bless them. We all had fun and hurt no one.
Where are you Drew? Peter D.
I can’t believe I’m right after Peter Dixon, My old Neighbor . Hi Sarah, Paul Jamie Meghan…Denis you old Nexus…I’ve been crusin some old U tube vids and Laughin a lot. You should be recognised for your sence of humor. Folks the guy was way before his time and not even that lonely from what I recall. Ahead of the curve and not even shoulder hoppin .
I agree with Peter 100% and then some , I just wish I’d been a little more in the flow – but Those days were fire and vice. Dennis , some of those old albums could be handy if you got em. Let me know …
You have my details man. I can’t believe I replaced Drew in Water world. How did you get turned into a bus in china ? Or is it Korea ? What the…??? Markus Broyles
Just wanted to say that it’s great to see Dennis is still hard at work doing projects and whatnot. I do miss the live shows tho.. Does anyone know if there is a Surf Punks DVD or VHS video available? Any info will be greatly appreciated.. Latez, Lance
…..I believe I went to school with this fellow, @ carpenter avenue elementary school. Wow, along time ago.
Surf Punks was the first show I saw in 1980 changed my life for ever. Even wrote a surf song inspired by them called skag up my ass from jugheads revenge. The most underated band ever…………….
I think I was at the Ventura show he was talking about. I saw them quite a few times back then. I still have a visor from a show. Localism was crazy back then. Esp at Silver strand and Hueneme. Glad its not like that anymore.
Surf punks was a very fun band., Thanks Dennis and Daryl
Sorry. Thanks Dennis and Drew.
My wave
The Country Club. Loved it when somebody squeezed a ketchup bottle all over the singer’s bubble. Will never forget that. Love you guys!
Hey Guys
This is weird! I can’t believe that it is possible to have a conversation with a guy who became such an obscure and treasured icon for me in my mid teens some 30 years ago. I first saw Dennis being interviewed wearing a leather flying cap on Hal Jepsen’s Skateboard Madness. For a South African kid living through the darkest hours of Apartheid, cut off culturally from the rest of the world by sanctions, those few minutes of this liberating goofball set my imagination free from the prevailing institutional insanity and later synchronystically popped up at very odd but key formative moments in my travels through life and around the world. As a young surfer starved of a skating and surfing culture that the rest of the world’s surfing fraternity took for granted, Dennis and later the Surf Punks inspired me to be the free spirit I am and to laugh and light the way with their quirky brand of fun. Perhaps it is was all just a joke but thanks for touching my life in such a positive way!
Yours sincerly Ivan
I had most of the albums on cassette in the 80’s! “Shark Attack”, “Somebody Ripped My Stick”, ” My Beach”, “Oh No, Not You Again” and ” Big Top” are awesome!! But my favorite Surf Punk song is the all-time BEST punk surf ballad ever, “Chlorine”!!! ( …she’s real clean!) Thanks for the inspiration guys!!
If anyone agrees with me shoot me an email- joshthekook@gmail.com
If you break rockNroll down by decade and give it a definitive band I’d say///
The 60s- the Beach Boys (first and foremost; and into the first half of the 70s too).
70s- Ramones (picked up where the Beach Boys left off and literally saved rock from imploding
80- the Surf Punks!- taking the spirit of the Beach Boys and Ramones and re-inventing it with the basis of SoCal localism. The ’79 album and Locals Only are brilliant!