She Said, Z Said: All ‘80s, All the Time
http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/081709_she_said_z_said_all_80s_all_the_time/
By Leslie Dinaberg and Zak Klobucher, Noozhawk Columnists
'It was a surf party. It was a surf SURF surf SURF party' at Fiesta with Santa Barbara band The Tan
Z: “It was a bad party. It was a bad BAD bad BAD party.”
She: No one knows what you’re talking about.
Z: “We’re hanging out. We’re hanging out.”
She: OK, I’m sorry, four people know what you’re talking about. Maybe five.
Z: The Tan. How can anyone not know about Santa Barbara’s pre-eminent surf band from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s?
She: I don’t know. They have jobs? They’ve evolved a little bit in the past three decades?
Z: C’mon. It was such a massive blast from the past seeing them during Fiesta at the all-Santa Barbara über ‘80s reunion at EOS.
She: The ‘80s again? I think that’s all we’ve written about this month. People are going to start thinking we write a column called “She Said, Z Said, Cyndi Lauper Said.”
Z: It’s August. It’s a slow news month. People will understand.
She: Really? OK. In that case, I totally agree. It was rad! I love the Tan.
Z: For those in town who don’t know, Spencer the Gardener’s first band out of high school was the Tan.
She: I saw them every chance I could get. They were so cute.
Z: I actually even hired them once, when I was in charge of getting a band for a La Colina Junior High School dance. I was a ninth-grader with excellent taste and considerable power.
She: Aha. That must have been when you were peaking.
Z: For years, every time we went to a bad party, we’d replace “bad” with whatever the party was in my favorite Tan song. “It was a bar mitzvah party. It was a bar BAR bar BAR mitzvah party.”
She: Those weren’t really bad parties — those were great parties. I remember dancing till my head was spinning.
Z: Are you sure it wasn’t the spiked Big Gulps?
She: Quite.
Z: The surprising thing to me is that apparently every generation has a Santa Barbara surf band that they love.
She: What?
Z: I was talking to a woman who is a decade older than me, and she went to a concert starring the Tridents and the Duquanes during Fiesta.
She: I’ve heard of the Duquanes.
Z: They are two local bands that have been doing surf songs forever.
She: According to an article in Southern Oregon’s Mail Tribune, “In 1966, the Duquanes triumphed at a Santa Barbara ‘Battle of the Bands’ and became a rock ‘n’ roll legend where the surf meets the sun. They became so popular that they were booked for 72 weeks in a row, an amazing feat for four teenagers who weren’t from Liverpool.”
Z: That’s awesome. The Tan’s not from Liverpool either, you know.
She: I think they’re from the Mesa. Hey, do you think Toad the Wet Sprocket counts as a surf band?
Z: Probably a stretch, even though they had a few Beach Boys-esque harmonies. But apparently, there’s a band called Kelp that’s keeping the surf beat alive these days.
She: Kelp is a good name for a surf band. Actually, the perfect name for a Santa Barbara surf band would be Tar the Tourists.
Z: Or how about just “Dude”?
She: Hey, I wonder if the Kelp audience wears towels, like guys did for Tan concerts?
Z: “It was a surf party. It was a surf SURF surf SURF party.”
She: It was really fun. Still, we seem to be stuck in the ‘80s lately. Too many margaritas or something.
Z: Uh, spiked Big Gulps?
She: Bad BAD for you on so many levels. Speaking of which, doesn’t it seem like we should have written something about health care this week?
Z: “It was a Democratic party. It was a dem DEM dem DEMocratic party.”
She: Yes, dear.
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http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/081709_she_said_z_said_all_80s_all_the_time/