The Trashmen - The Army of Surf

Perhaps this band's name isn't familiar to some readers. Yet we're talking about a small but significant chapter in rock history: alongside the Kingsmen, Dick Dale, the early Beach Boys and Gary Usher, the Trashmen were among the key protagonists of that period of rock which came right after the first explosive wave of rock and roll (that of Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly, to be clear), but before the arrival of the “British Invasion” and the worldwide success of the Beatles.

Roughly speaking, that's the period running from 1960 to 1965. It's an era of music generally little known around here, even written out of history by those who tend to date the beginning of rock almost entirely from the arrival of the Beatles. Nothing could be more wrong: the early '60s were prolific years, when rock and roll was fun, direct, young. Fifteen years later, punk tried to bring that approach back to life, and to some extent it succeeded. Times had changed, though, and a mocking, irreverent streak emerged that hadn't been there before. It was the punks furthest from the nihilistic sound of the Sex Pistols who picked up the Trashmen's legacy: we're obviously talking about the Ramones. 

Among the bands of the early '60s, the Trashmen have kept a small cult alive, giving rise to a rather singular phenomenon: ever since 1963, their hit “Surfin' Bird” has become a rock classic, and its popularity has never waned — if anything, it's grown. Even those who've never heard of the Trashmen surely know this song: think of its many covers (starting with those by Ramones and Cramps), its use in a famous scene from “Full Metal Jacket,” not to mention its presence in numerous commercials, and even in a video game.

More than forty years on, “Surfin' Bird” is still one of the greatest manifestos of rock and roll, a creed for anyone wanting to keep its spirit alive. More than that: it's almost a statement of musical aesthetics, so much so that critic Richard Meltzer used it as the opening to his book “The Aesthetics Of Rock” (1970).

I spoke about all this, and more, with Dal Winslow, the Trashmen's longtime leader. Dal kindly agreed to an email exchange, and the result is this retrospective interview, produced in collaboration with www.surferjoemusic.com.  

Let's start from the beginning: can you tell me the origin of the name “The Trashmen”? 

We have to go back quite a way. Tony (Andreason), Steve (Wahrer) and I had been playing under various names since the late '50s and early '60s: The Citations, String Kings, Rave-Ons, and above all The Travelers. When Bob (Reed) joined us, we needed a new name, something that would really sound unique. So we got together in my mother's basement, where we rehearsed back then, and started listening to some records for inspiration. Steve landed on a song by a local artist called “Trashmen's Blues.” He said, joking around, “What if we called ourselves The Trashmen?” We started laughing, then looked at each other and... “why not?” The rest is history. The funny thing is that later on we actually ran into some trouble with that name, because some dance-hall managers thought it sounded obscene! One time, a manager refused to put it on the flyer and billed us as “Dal Winslow's Orchestra.” Luckily, once our popularity grew, that problem went away.

What were the main musical influences on the band and on your guitar style?

Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Dick Dale, Little Richard. Personally, I was very taken with Bo Diddley. A lot of my guitar playing comes from his style and from Buddy Holly's. 

Buddy Holly. I imagine your generation was deeply affected by his death, in 1959...

Buddy's death was truly devastating. Much like John Lennon's in 1980, except Buddy was only 21. A lot of us really looked up to him as a genuine role model and an idol.

Era diverso suonare rock and roll in Minnesota, rispetto alla California?

Not particularly. The early part of our career was spent in the Midwest: Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa and Wisconsin. It was only when "Surfin' Bird" became a hit that we started playing in California too.

We didn't notice any particular difference in the crowds at the venues.

In 1962, the Beach Boys arrived. What did you think of them?

We liked the Beach Boys well enough, but they were a bit too tame for our tastes: we didn't have the means to put together complex harmonies like theirs, and our approach was rougher.

Since your music embraced both genres, did you consider yourselves a vocal group or an instrumental one?

We liked to think of ourselves as a meeting point between the two styles...

"Surfin' Bird" is now one of the most famous rock songs of all time... how did it come about?

We'd already been playing together for a while before it came along. One night we saw a group, The Rivingtons, performing their "The Bird's The Word". We'd never heard of that group or that song, but we thought we'd try arranging it in our own style. A local disk jockey heard our performance and suggested we record it. So I borrowed 296 dollars from my mother, and with that money we recorded the song in the basement of a local record store, owned by a man named George Garrett. Garrett heard it and said he'd pay for a proper studio recording... and so he did. Since we were already leaning towards a "surf" repertoire, we decided to call it "Surfin' Bird".

Who's the lead vocalist? Were any vocal effects used?

The voice is Steve Wahrer's, the drummer (he died in 1989, ed.). A bit of echo was added, but apart from that it was recorded pretty much exactly as you can hear it today.

Was it recorded live?

Yes, it was recorded live in two separate sessions, and the middle section was then "spliced" together afterwards. The other songs on the self-titled album "Surfin Bird" were also recorded live, apart from a few limited overdubs.

Did you expect that song to become such a hit?

It was totally unexpected. Maybe we hoped it would do reasonably well locally, but we never imagined it would become a hit in 17 countries, let alone that it would still be known today. As you probably know, it's been used in plenty of commercials, as well as in the film "Full Metal Jacket". In the States it's just been used in a TV series too, "Family Guy". The following week, it was in eighth place among the best-selling songs on Amazon.com...

In 1970, critic Richard Meltzer used it as the introduction to a book called "The Aesthetics of Rock"... did you know that?

No, I confess I didn't know about Meltzer's book… I'll take a look, thanks!

Among the many, Ramones and Cramps covered “Surfin' Bird”: was there something you had in common with them?

I'm not entirely sure we had anything in common, apart from our approach to the song. Even so, Mojo magazine ranked us among the greatest punk bands of all time. Over the years we've been classified as punk, garage, or surf. We like the multiple categories, since our music touches on several genres.

As far as you can recall, did you ever hear the word “punk” used in reference to any artist in the '60s?

No, never. In the '50s and '60s, that word described a “nerdy” person. It was never applied to music.

What other songs would you recommend to someone who only knows “Surfin' Bird”?

“Sleeper”, “A-Bone”, “Tube City”, “King Of The Surf”, “Bird Dance”… e tante altre!

What do you remember about those years?

Rock music was fun, and it was about girls and roaring engines. You'd see young people dancing everywhere, and there were no hidden messages or protest songs yet…

Does George Lucas's film “American Graffiti” capture that atmosphere?

Yes, I'd say it hits the mark pretty well. Aside from the fact that it's set in California, the settings are pretty much the same otherwise; the settings of a carefree era with little concern for what was happening in the rest of the world.

Then what happened to the music…?

Many factors changed the course of music production: songs carrying “messages” became popular because of the Vietnam War and the unrest across the States; people stopped dancing and would sit on the floor during concerts; meanwhile, drug use kept spreading more and more. All of this, together with the protest movement and a certain return of the blues, forced us to retreat from the scene in 1967.

Why didn't what's known as the “Lost Trashmen Album” come out two years before the band broke up?

Two words are enough… British Invasion! The American charts were turned upside down: no local record had more success, and it became hard to get a record out there for quite a while. What you mentioned was supposed to be the follow-up to our first album: it was already recorded, mixed, and ready to come out. Then nothing came of it. Thanks to Sundazed, it finally saw the light decades later.

What happened between your breakup and today? And what led you to reunite?

After 1967, we were inactive for about ten years, although we stayed in touch with each other. Steve kept playing with a few bands. Then some clubs started showing interest in seeing us get back together. So, in the mid-70s we dusted off the gear and played a few sporadic shows. We kept that up until the mid-80s, but they really were rare occasions. In 1999, Spinout Records contacted us to play at the Las Vegas Grind, a garage-rock festival. We had no idea what it was, but we decided to give it a shot. The audience response was overwhelming, and that first test convinced us to keep going. We got back on the scene both because we still enjoy playing and because of our many fans. They're amazing wherever we play…

Was the era "Surfin' Bird" belongs to really a golden age?

It certainly was. I hope that same atmosphere can come back someday…

What kind of "age" do you expect with the new president Obama?

I'm afraid the financial crisis will keep raging on, but I believe we'll recover in time. I don't have strong political leanings, but we definitely needed a clear change.

You came to Italy last April. Will you be back this way?

We're actually planning a new tour right now, between the end of next spring and the start of summer. I'll keep you posted…!

Thanks, then, we hope to see you again soon!

I hope so too! Surf's Up!

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

Share on

This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Francesco Paolo Ferrotti, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.

Read the original in Italian · About the English edition