Jacobs prof: Now’s the time to tell story of ‘incredibly sophisticated’ Beach Boys
I can still remember the tone of my friend’s voice. She’d called while I was home, actually attempting to clean my room, grooving along to a Beach Boys cassette tape.
Shouting to be heard over the strains of “California Girls,” she asked accusingly, “Are you having a party?” Despite my assurances to the contrary, all these years later I’m still not sure she believed me.
No boring lectures here — at the end of each semester, Jacobs professor Andy Hollinden plays a rock show at Bloomington’s Bluebird nightclub.
Because of my longtime love for those sunny songs about surfing, cars and girls, I was excited when I heard Jacobs School of Music professor Andy Hollinden would teach a class about the Beach Boys this fall.
Then, I got to interview the rock ‘n’ roll professor and walked away with a whole new sense of respect for founding member Brian Wilson, as well as a deeper understanding of the band’s talent and its place in musical history.
Casual fans (like me) don’t realize the Beach Boys’ music was “incredibly sophisticated,” Hollinden said. “Their musical maturity, artistic quality and production levels were, in America, unparalleled.”
Now is the time to tell the band’s story, he said, with the convergence of a long-awaited “lost” album, another new album and a 50th anniversary tour.
Sold. Surely enrolling in this course could be considered part of my job, right?
Tags: Andy Hollinden, Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Jacobs School of Music
