This first major examination the interrelationships of music and
surfing explores different ways that surfers combine surfing with
making and listening to music. Tim Cooley uses his knowledge and
experience as a practicing musician and avid surfer to consider the
musical practices of surfers in locations around the world, taking
into account ideas about surfing as a global affinity group and the
real-life stories of surfers and musicians he encounters. In doing
so, he expands ethnomusicological thinking about the many ways
musical practices are integral to human socializing, creativity,
and the condition of being human.
Cooley discusses the origins of surfing in Hawai'i, its central
role in Hawaiian society, and the mele (chants) and hula
(dance or visual poetry) about surfing. He covers instrumental rock
from groups like Dick Dale and the Del Tones and many others, and
songs about surfing performed by the Beach Boys. As he traces
trends globally, three broad styles emerge: surf music, punk rock,
and acoustic singer-songwriter music. Cooley also examines surfing
contests and music festivals as well as the music used in a
selection surf movies that were particularly influential in shaping
the musical practices of significant groups of surfers. Engaging,
informative, and enlightening, this book is a fascinating
exploration of surfing as a cultural practice with accompanying
rituals, habits, and conceptions about who surfs and why, and of
how musical ideas and practices are key to the many things that
surfing is and aspires to be.
eISBN: 978-0-520-95721-3
Subjects: Music
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