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Surf City: The Jan and Dean Story
The Jan and Dean Story is a personal story of the iconic musician and entrepreneur Dean Torrence. As a memoir The Jan and Dean Story has elements of humor, tragedy and redemption. It tells their story from the early high school friendship struck up between Jan Berry and Dean Torrence and their ascent to the dizzying heights of stardom riding the crest of the “surf” craze. The Jan and Dean Story is as much about the culture of the 1960s as it is about music. Dean has lived an incredible life and continues to promote a lifestyle and surf culture that is now universally admired and followed throughout the world.
The story also recounts Jan’s tragic car accident and his ability to recover enough to continue to perform will be inspiring to many readers even those not familiar with surf music. For pop culture addicts and music buffs alike this book is indispensable. As early teen icons, Jan and Dean left an indelible mark on the music of the 60’s and the American psyche.
Dean Torrence is still touring and creating music and often appears with the Beach Boys and other groups from the heyday of surf music.
The story also recounts Jan’s tragic car accident and his ability to recover enough to continue to perform will be inspiring to many readers even those not familiar with surf music. For pop culture addicts and music buffs alike this book is indispensable. As early teen icons, Jan and Dean left an indelible mark on the music of the 60’s and the American psyche.
Dean Torrence is still touring and creating music and often appears with the Beach Boys and other groups from the heyday of surf music.
256 pages, Paperback
Published September 27, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 12, 2017
It was time to complete my surf music trifecta of autobiographies – after Mike Love and Brian Wilson came “Surf City – the Jan & Dean Story”. Back in the early 1960s Jan & Dean more than held their own with the Beach Boys with a string of surfing/car hotrodding singles. Their career came to an abrupt end after the horrific crash by Jan Berry in his Stingray. Dean Torrance takes us back to those days with his own story. He writes in a very straightforward fashion and does not try to re-open old grudges or stir up any new controversies. More than the Beach Boys – Jan & Dean lived the surfer/hot rod lifestyle. They were both very good athletes and spent just as much time in the garage as on the beach. Dean relates the funny anecdote where they help Brian Wilson with lyrics as he really didn’t know much about cars. Another interesting tidbit that I found fascinating was that both Jan & Dean were attending college while recording and touring. This idyllic life came to a crashing stop in 1966 when Jan Berry is badly hurt in a car crash.
The second half of the book covers Dean’s career change as he becomes a successful art designer for other artists. This is followed by a reunion of Jan & Dean that lasted almost until Jan Berry passed away in 2004. I did see them perform in Michigan in the early 1980s – Jan was visibly impaired but the show was great fun. The book paints a much different picture as Jan Berry had suffered severe neurological injuries and this reunion was a difficult challenge. I would have liked to read more about Jan’s recovery – in the book Dean Torrence abruptly jumps from the car crash to his own personal career and does not mention Jan again till they reunite years later. Nevertheless, it’s an enjoyable book to read and makes you wish that you were in southern California on a beach somewhere listening to “Surf City”.
The second half of the book covers Dean’s career change as he becomes a successful art designer for other artists. This is followed by a reunion of Jan & Dean that lasted almost until Jan Berry passed away in 2004. I did see them perform in Michigan in the early 1980s – Jan was visibly impaired but the show was great fun. The book paints a much different picture as Jan Berry had suffered severe neurological injuries and this reunion was a difficult challenge. I would have liked to read more about Jan’s recovery – in the book Dean Torrence abruptly jumps from the car crash to his own personal career and does not mention Jan again till they reunite years later. Nevertheless, it’s an enjoyable book to read and makes you wish that you were in southern California on a beach somewhere listening to “Surf City”.
January 30, 2017
For music fans of a certain age, a must read. Probably means nothing to anybody under the age of fifty. Competently written account of the life and times of a group that deserves much wider recognition in the UK and contributed as much as the Beach Boys to the west coast sound of the sixties. Goes on a bit too long about the later career, after the hits had stopped, but understandable that Dean would want to bring the story up to date.
November 18, 2016
A goodreads giveaway.
I enjoyed this story of one of the early groups in the rock and roll era. Once I got use to Dean Torrence's first person conversation style, the book is an interesting and enjoyable read. I knew their music from being a teenager at that time but was surprised to learn much I did not know about Jan and Dean but also many of the people and bands of the time.
I enjoyed this story of one of the early groups in the rock and roll era. Once I got use to Dean Torrence's first person conversation style, the book is an interesting and enjoyable read. I knew their music from being a teenager at that time but was surprised to learn much I did not know about Jan and Dean but also many of the people and bands of the time.
May 24, 2019
California in the early 1960's developed it's own unique rock and roll sound focusing on surfing, hot rods, teenage innocence and two of the bands that personified that sound were The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. This is Dean's story of those years - from their high school years harmonizing in the showers through Dean's stint in the U.S. Reserve; their success as singers to Jan's devastating accident which required Dean to move on even as he kept their presence on the music scene with the hope that Jan would eventually heal and return to studio. Dean's personal career in designing group logos and album covers - he was nominated several times for Grammys best album cover and actually won one. The later reunion tours, Jan's cocaine addiction and his eventual death.
Overall, it's an interesting read. Dean seems quite flippant no matter what is happening but then he is looking back decades. The drag races, the mischief, drunkenness, petty larceny are all treated with a teasing playfulness. But this also gives personal insights into the early years of American rock-and-roll music industry which was very obviously in its infancy.
The only negative is that even though the title says that it's the Jan and Dean story, one Jan Berry had his accident, the following chapters were all about Dean Torrence and his business ventures before Jan finally reappears for the reunion tours. There really isn't anything about Jan's struggle with brain damage and partial paralysis.
2019-076
Overall, it's an interesting read. Dean seems quite flippant no matter what is happening but then he is looking back decades. The drag races, the mischief, drunkenness, petty larceny are all treated with a teasing playfulness. But this also gives personal insights into the early years of American rock-and-roll music industry which was very obviously in its infancy.
The only negative is that even though the title says that it's the Jan and Dean story, one Jan Berry had his accident, the following chapters were all about Dean Torrence and his business ventures before Jan finally reappears for the reunion tours. There really isn't anything about Jan's struggle with brain damage and partial paralysis.
2019-076
February 1, 2017
I grew up in the era of The Beach Boys, The Beatles and Jan and Dean. I picked up the book mostly out of curiosity. I knew the history of The Beach Boys, The Beatles and many other groups. I knew who Jan and Dean were, and some of their songs , but really not much about them.
The book was not really what I expected. These guys were REALLY smart. And outside of Jan's drug addiction after his accident, really clean, conservative guys. Not what you usually find in a R & R book. The book is simply a written explanation of their rise to fame and the aftermath.
The story encompasses family and friendships, including their connection to The Beach Boys. It talks about the college degrees they pursued during the most popular years of the 60's. And the ability to be able to hate and love someone at the same time. Dean mentions a near escape from the Manson family and a football game with Elvis.
Once I started this book I did not want to put it down. I just kept shaking my head and going, "really"?. And then I had to read more. And more. And more.
And Dean..if you read this. Please bring your band to Portland, Or. I would love to hear you all play!
The book was not really what I expected. These guys were REALLY smart. And outside of Jan's drug addiction after his accident, really clean, conservative guys. Not what you usually find in a R & R book. The book is simply a written explanation of their rise to fame and the aftermath.
The story encompasses family and friendships, including their connection to The Beach Boys. It talks about the college degrees they pursued during the most popular years of the 60's. And the ability to be able to hate and love someone at the same time. Dean mentions a near escape from the Manson family and a football game with Elvis.
Once I started this book I did not want to put it down. I just kept shaking my head and going, "really"?. And then I had to read more. And more. And more.
And Dean..if you read this. Please bring your band to Portland, Or. I would love to hear you all play!
August 20, 2017
Dean Torrence, of the surf music duo Jan and Dean, tells the history of this influential early rock/pop band of the 60s in a lively voice. He brings growing up in Southern California in that era to life in a way you wish you could have been there.
The story of his evolution from a teenage pop artist to a Grammy-award winning album cover designer and back again is interesting, even inspiring. My complaint is that given the quick (short) read, his story-telling prioritization was off rather acutely. An entire chapter is devoted to a pick-up game of football at a city park, replete with descriptions of plays and pass routes and pass coverages, when the only point is that Elvis was on the opposing team. Meanwhile, the story of Jan's tragic car accident gets fairly short shrift. Dean glosses over what sounded like an interesting episode where they were witnesses in a kidnapping trial involving Frank Sinatra, Jr., telling readers we can go elsewhere to read about it, but spends several pages unfolding a story about robbing their tour manager, only to end it saying he made it all up.
Setting that aside, this is Dean's honest first-person version of a compelling story of triumph and tragedy in the pop music world.
The story of his evolution from a teenage pop artist to a Grammy-award winning album cover designer and back again is interesting, even inspiring. My complaint is that given the quick (short) read, his story-telling prioritization was off rather acutely. An entire chapter is devoted to a pick-up game of football at a city park, replete with descriptions of plays and pass routes and pass coverages, when the only point is that Elvis was on the opposing team. Meanwhile, the story of Jan's tragic car accident gets fairly short shrift. Dean glosses over what sounded like an interesting episode where they were witnesses in a kidnapping trial involving Frank Sinatra, Jr., telling readers we can go elsewhere to read about it, but spends several pages unfolding a story about robbing their tour manager, only to end it saying he made it all up.
Setting that aside, this is Dean's honest first-person version of a compelling story of triumph and tragedy in the pop music world.
June 6, 2021
I actually thought I liked Dean before reading this. You’d think an editor may point out that the book makes him look like a racist, sexist, name-dropping a-hole before he published it. Apparently they didn’t.
I mean come on. There’s a train wreck that almost killed his singing partner and he is LAUGHING as he runs to the scene of the serious wreck because he’s so glad he got off the train when everyone else didn’t. This type of thing happens multiple times. What a jerk.
It turns out he wasn’t really responsible for much of anything that Jan and Dean accomplished either. And his list of credits after being a singer is a list of “that epic project ALMOST worked out…but not quite”.
He’s also best pals with Mike Love. That explains a lot.
I mean come on. There’s a train wreck that almost killed his singing partner and he is LAUGHING as he runs to the scene of the serious wreck because he’s so glad he got off the train when everyone else didn’t. This type of thing happens multiple times. What a jerk.
It turns out he wasn’t really responsible for much of anything that Jan and Dean accomplished either. And his list of credits after being a singer is a list of “that epic project ALMOST worked out…but not quite”.
He’s also best pals with Mike Love. That explains a lot.
October 20, 2021
Based on all the negative reviews about this I expected to hate it. On the contrary I really enjoyed reading this. I've been a huge fan of Jan and Dean since I discovered them as a kid. I have read other books about them...some better and some worse than this one but this is the only one that came from the source...that was actually there through all of this. Yes this was a book based heavily on Dean's view which should be no surprise since he wrote it. Most of the bad reviews are because there's not enough about Jan. Well Jan's story has been written about many many times before by many many authors. I found it refreshing to finally hear about the events through Dean's eyes. Very well done Mr. Torrence!
April 30, 2020
Fun read that I picked up from a Little Library in the neighborhood. I knew a few of their songs but hardly knew anything about their career or lives. There's a ton of 60s LA in the glory days stories (football with Elvis in the park, Manson murders) and lot of band trouble and salvation. The book has some pretty big time gaps in places and the chapters are a bit disjointed once in a while. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys their music, 60s LA, or music history.
September 22, 2017
Mildly entertaining but badly written. Torrence should've hired a ghost writer at least. The Jan and Dean story is coupled strongly with the Beach Boys in a musical way but also in a Brian Wilson way. Both Jan and Brian had issues that affected the band's progress. Dean, during a 17 year hiatus while Jan recovered from a devastating auto accident, founded a graphic design company that was doing very well but decided to reunite the Jan and Dean group and did that until 2004 when Jan died.
June 9, 2017
Inspirational Read
I thought that this was an inspirational read because of Deans compassion toward his close bandmate. I have met Jan myself, getting his autograph numerous times. I even have a picture of him that was taken with my camera. I even have a camera shot of Dean, no autographs though. Thank You for writing this book.
I thought that this was an inspirational read because of Deans compassion toward his close bandmate. I have met Jan myself, getting his autograph numerous times. I even have a picture of him that was taken with my camera. I even have a camera shot of Dean, no autographs though. Thank You for writing this book.
February 2, 2018
I love these guys.
Dean’s prose may not be the most eloquent, but he’s a musician, not an author. The story of Jan & Dean is a classic story of Southern California, the music of the Beach, and true friendship. I recommend reading this, and following up with Bob Greene’s “When We Get to Surf City”. Time well-spent.
Dean’s prose may not be the most eloquent, but he’s a musician, not an author. The story of Jan & Dean is a classic story of Southern California, the music of the Beach, and true friendship. I recommend reading this, and following up with Bob Greene’s “When We Get to Surf City”. Time well-spent.
May 3, 2020
The book had some interesting tidbits, but was in no way as insightful as the autobiographies by Brian Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys. Also this is mostly "The Dean Story," not the "JAN and Dean Story." As the book was written by Dean, you'd expect it to be a bit slanted in his favor, but he went way overboard documenting "his" history.
It was ok.
It was ok.
July 28, 2018
Just ok
Book was fragmented at best. Problems with Jan then learn they performed snother twenty years.
I would recommend this book for the background on how jan and dean got started.
Book was fragmented at best. Problems with Jan then learn they performed snother twenty years.
I would recommend this book for the background on how jan and dean got started.
August 12, 2018
Lots of fun to remember those wonderful California boys and their music. Total craziness.
December 23, 2019
Open and honest
Jan hit all the high ( and low ) points. It was a great time in America. Beautifully told. Great read.
Jan hit all the high ( and low ) points. It was a great time in America. Beautifully told. Great read.
October 26, 2021
I love 50s/60's music and was lucky enough to see Jan and Dean and The Beach Boys in concert years ago, so I really enjoyed this book.
Not without its drama, but a fun look back to a simpler time.
Not without its drama, but a fun look back to a simpler time.
March 21, 2017
I thought the story would flow smoother and be more interesting. Didn't really get into their personalities.
February 28, 2022
I liked this book much. But it is so slight. It felt like the Cliff notes to what could have been a much more expansive story.
August 23, 2017
I have never been to California and I have never touched a surf board, but I do own a dusty copy of the Rip chords' "Hey Little Cobra" on vinyl. The relevance of that is the fact that The Rip Chords were contemporaries of Jan and Dean and on one of their albums covered "Surf City," the song from which Dean Torrence has borrowed the title for this memoir. The Rip Chords also worked with some of the same people that Jan and Dean did, including Terry Melcher and The Beach Boys. And I always liked Jan and Dean's songs, especially "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" and "Surf City" so I was tickled pink to win a free copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Dean begins the story by painting a glowing picture of his life as a high school football player and amateur surfer in sun-soaked southern California. You can almost feel the warm sand under your feet and hear the throaty rumble of hot rod engines as he describes his beach excursions. Dean met Jan Berry in the football locker room and soon was invited to Jan's house, where the pair's singing careers were soon to be born. In the chapters that follow Dean recounts their rise to rock and roll stardom, the ups and downs of their music experiences, the joys and sorrows of their lives. Along the way the reader gains insight into the music industry, learns trivia about the California music scene and the records it produced, and meets some very interesting people, including the Beach Boys. In fact, Mike Love wrote the book's foreword.
Anyone who grew up in the 50s or 60s and still loves the music of their early years, as the author clearly does, will enjoy this look back at a bygone time. It is written in a conversational style that violates some basic rules of exposition- tenses slip back and forth like the California surf, sometimes changing mid-sentence, but that's OK. It's like sitting on a beach in the sun and listening to Dean tell the story. It's fun.
The book includes twenty photos from various stages of Jan and Dean's careers. More would be welcome, of course, especially some of the album covers Dean worked on. (Did you know that he...? No, I won't spoil the surprise.) The book lacks a discography, which of course can be easily found online, and an index would have been nice. I'm sure there were anecdotes that Dean could have included but, for whatever reasons, chose not to. Perhaps an expanded edition will be published some day, but if not, that's fine. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thanks, Dean!
Dean begins the story by painting a glowing picture of his life as a high school football player and amateur surfer in sun-soaked southern California. You can almost feel the warm sand under your feet and hear the throaty rumble of hot rod engines as he describes his beach excursions. Dean met Jan Berry in the football locker room and soon was invited to Jan's house, where the pair's singing careers were soon to be born. In the chapters that follow Dean recounts their rise to rock and roll stardom, the ups and downs of their music experiences, the joys and sorrows of their lives. Along the way the reader gains insight into the music industry, learns trivia about the California music scene and the records it produced, and meets some very interesting people, including the Beach Boys. In fact, Mike Love wrote the book's foreword.
Anyone who grew up in the 50s or 60s and still loves the music of their early years, as the author clearly does, will enjoy this look back at a bygone time. It is written in a conversational style that violates some basic rules of exposition- tenses slip back and forth like the California surf, sometimes changing mid-sentence, but that's OK. It's like sitting on a beach in the sun and listening to Dean tell the story. It's fun.
The book includes twenty photos from various stages of Jan and Dean's careers. More would be welcome, of course, especially some of the album covers Dean worked on. (Did you know that he...? No, I won't spoil the surprise.) The book lacks a discography, which of course can be easily found online, and an index would have been nice. I'm sure there were anecdotes that Dean could have included but, for whatever reasons, chose not to. Perhaps an expanded edition will be published some day, but if not, that's fine. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thanks, Dean!
February 26, 2017
Breezy, conversational, easy read. It will be fun and engaging for anyone into the music. Dean seems like a very nice guy.
November 29, 2016
Full disclosure - I'm a huge fan of the California Surf Rock sound of which Jan & Dean were an integral part. Not only were Jan & Dean an influential group, but arguably one of progenitor bands of a distinctly American style of music that has become synonymous with bands like The Beach Boys and The Surfaris. As important as Jan & Dean were to popular music in the 1960s, my personal knowledge of the duo was mostly restricted to what I've gleaned from the various albums in my collection. Upon receipt of the new autobiography by Dean Torrence (the Dean in "Jan & Dean", for those wondering), I was looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the duo's rise to fame and the sudden, tragic events surrounding their demise.
Dean writes in a very informal, conversational style and, at least in the first half of the book, avoids providing as much detail as I was hoping for. While reading about the band's early start and move from garage band "The Barons" to recording as Jan & Dean, I was left with the impression that Dean was basically along for the ride, with the majority of the creativity and "music business" left in Jan's hands. Most disappointing was Dean's handling of Jan's near-fatal car accident in 1966. While it's true that Dean was not on the scene, I expected a bit more "insider" background information. The second half of the book, after Dean had embarked on a graphic design career and began exploring the possibilities of reuniting with Jan, was much more revealing and satisfying. Jan's drug addiction, as well as the permanent damage sustained in his car crash, were discussed in great depth and opened my eyes to the backstage emotions that were completely masked by the band's public face.
Aside from Dean's unconventional writing style and the distinct lack of detail during points in the band's career, Surf City is nevertheless a fun and quick read that I don't hesitate to recommend to fans of that era of popular music.
(I did receive this book as part of the Goodreads Giveaway program)
Dean writes in a very informal, conversational style and, at least in the first half of the book, avoids providing as much detail as I was hoping for. While reading about the band's early start and move from garage band "The Barons" to recording as Jan & Dean, I was left with the impression that Dean was basically along for the ride, with the majority of the creativity and "music business" left in Jan's hands. Most disappointing was Dean's handling of Jan's near-fatal car accident in 1966. While it's true that Dean was not on the scene, I expected a bit more "insider" background information. The second half of the book, after Dean had embarked on a graphic design career and began exploring the possibilities of reuniting with Jan, was much more revealing and satisfying. Jan's drug addiction, as well as the permanent damage sustained in his car crash, were discussed in great depth and opened my eyes to the backstage emotions that were completely masked by the band's public face.
Aside from Dean's unconventional writing style and the distinct lack of detail during points in the band's career, Surf City is nevertheless a fun and quick read that I don't hesitate to recommend to fans of that era of popular music.
(I did receive this book as part of the Goodreads Giveaway program)
November 19, 2016
First, let me state for the record that I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. As a kid, I remember hearing Jan & Dean on the radio. As a teen, I bought one of their albums, one of the first albums I bought. So, reading this book was interesting, learning about the backstory of the group and the songs. I didn't realize they were so genuinely madcap. Both were gifted with a lot of creativity. Anyway, this book tells what it was like for the guys growing up in Hollywood/LA. It was also enlightening to find out in what ways Jan's awful accident effected both their lives. All in all, I felt like Dean gave a good accounting of a talented partnership disrupted by tragedy. To summarize, Dean Torrence is a righteous dude.
January 22, 2017
This was a great read, taking me back to my youth in the sixties. I loved The Beach Boys as much as I loved Elvis and the Beatles. I love knowing about how they became such icons of music culture. Dean tells many stories, funny and bittersweet! He is an amazing, gifted man who has worked hard at his trade and hung in there even after his horrific car accident. I am so glad he wrote a book about the Jan and Dean story. I admire that he is still popular today and carrying on with his music. Highly reccomand this book to music culture lovers and those who like reading "biographies"!
December 31, 2016
I received this as a giveaway from Goodreads and the publisher. I'm sorry to have to say that I haven't enjoyed it as much as I'd hoped. I'm not as much a fan of the California lifestyle as some, and much of the language was too far over the top for my tastes. So mostly I just skimmed through the book.
I may try again to read the book in more depth. Meanwhile, enjoy the music, and I hope for good things for the author.
I may try again to read the book in more depth. Meanwhile, enjoy the music, and I hope for good things for the author.
December 12, 2016
I won this book on Goodreads.I went to High school with a friend of Jan Berry,not much of a big deal......unless your name is "Ba- Ba -Barbara Ann" So I knew some of the story of Jan & Dean,from Jans point of view,as told to my friend.I enjoyed the book.Its an easy read,learning about some of the songs I know.
Thank you Dean.
Thank you Dean.
December 16, 2016
I enjoyed this book because I grew up listening to Jan & Dean and The Beach Boys. Was interesting to see what really goes on behind the scenes and learning alot about what it took to keep the group together. I received this book from Goodreads First Read.
November 14, 2016
This is a Goodreads win review. This is an autobiography of the 60's favorties Jan and Dean. Since I was a teenager in the 60's I really enjoyed their story.
December 25, 2016
FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from Goodreads hoping I would review it.
December 7, 2016
good easy to read account of great 60's musical artist
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews