BEHIND SURFIN' SUNDAYS 6-20-07
By Corky Carroll

In Huntington Beach they have a series of concerts every Sunday afternoon in the area just north of the pier.  The theme is “Surfin' Sundays.”  All summer long they have a continuing lineup of great surf bands.  The girl that is behind this whole thing is Linda Miller.  I recently did a piece about the concerts in my Thursday column for the Huntington Beach Wave and I mentioned that I loved the press release that she sent out.  I just got this email from Linda and it was so cool that I felt like it was a “must do” to share it with you.  Here it is.

“Hey Corky I'm the person who writes the "official" press releases for the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum's Surfin Sundays. First of all I want to say you are my writing idol and I love reading your articles. To have you publicly declare in writing that you personally loved my "official" press release was a real shot in the arm.  I was very pleased that you understood I am a real person and I do have a great passion for what I do.  Here's how I got started as Events Director for the museum and why I am so passionate about it...

It all started with my best friend and dear friend of yours Dick Dale and his passion for my son and my well-being.  My son Scotty was an avid lover of surf music I think from birth because I used to listen to it when I was pregnant.  Scotty was born perfectly healthy or so we thought until he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  Scotty was four and a half at the time and able to do most of the things kids normally do but that would be short lived.  As he got older he became more disabled eventually winding up on life support and more involved in surf music.  One day his respiratory therapist asked me if I remembered Dick Dale, to which I responded with Dick having died from colon cancer years ago.  Then I was told he was playing at the Crazy Horse and I said it had to be an impersonator, not Dick.

Well Scotty got on the Internet and found out it really is Dick Dale alive and well and back on stage performing next at the Roxy in Hollywood.  Of course we went and were blown away by his performance but more amazing was his interest in making a fuss of Scotty in his big wheel chair in the
audience.  He came and played right next to Scotty's face, gave him a "King of the Surf Guitar" salute, a God bless you son along with a pick and when the concert was over we went home.  To make a very long story shorter that was the beginning of a beautiful forever friendship and my passion for DickDale. 

Over the years Dick was there for me and Scotty every time I needed or wanted him and when my world was walking out he walked in and saved me.  My husband John and I were at great odds with each other in dealing with Scotty's care and the stress in relating to it so I was grateful to have Dick's help and advice.  At the Endless Summer Jam at the Hyatt Newporter in June 2001 Dick dedicated his latest CD "Spacial Disorientation" to Scotty which included his diagnosis and email in Dick's liner notes.  Scotty went
to every southern California concert Dick played and either introduced him or told everyone he came in contact with on tour about his pal Scotty.  In so doing we developed friendships in person and through email with 100's of surf fans and fellow musicians many of whom play for me on Surfin Sundays.

Scotty passed away at the age of 22 1/2 years June 30, 2002 but thru his friendship with Dick and others I was asked to take over as HBISM Events Director in 2005...This came at another point in time when I was reaching rock bottom suffering from not only the loss of Scotty but my own battle with muscular dystrophy and my husbands battle with Diabetes...Dick had also saved my marriage and become my best friend during this time so at least I had something positive going for me but seemed to need more.  After all I had a gigantic gap to fill having been my son’s caretaker all his life and now that was gone.  Taking on the volunteer job as Events Director working with all the musicians who either knew Scotty or knew of Scotty thru Dick Dale have given me the passion to do what I do.  Dick continues to be my
Rock of Gibraltar and has helped me to develop marketing strategies and the knowledge of understanding what makes a great show and how to stay on a positive.  You can verify this with Dick if you like, it's a true and wonderful life story that continues to grow and flourish.  Dick has been
helping thousands of families just like ours over the years since he survived his frightening bout with cancer.  He firmly believes as I do that he survived because of his ability to reach out and help others through his music...We at HBISM are actively campaigning for Dick's star on the Walk of
Fame in HB hopefully next year...I personally think he deserves it not only for starting the surf music craze but the passion instilled in this gentle giants compassion for humanitarian acts.”

 

 

BLUE DOG AND THE BEAR

The Wave ~ 06-20-07
By Corky Carroll

Those of you that have read me for a while will be familiar with Blue Dog and the Iguana.  They are my two pals that I hang out with most of the time and they are both semi loco kinda dudes.  The Iguana, if you remember, is the dude who had the frozen dog in his fridge.  Blue Dog is the adventurer who is always taking off to some exotic land in search of surf, senoritas and serenity.  This is the dude who actually went to Bolivia looking for a secret surf spot.  The secret turned out to be Bolivia has no ocean.  That is when he learned to check the globe before taking to the friendly skies. 

This is the story of one of Blue Dog's latest adventures.  Blue Dog's real name is Des Metcalf, but to mostly everybody he is Blue Dog.  Or Dog, Blueboy, Smellymutt, His Blueness and he will even come to Spot on occasion.  Most of Blue's adventures are to some crazy place far from here.  But this one took place not long ago right on Main Street in Huntington Beach.  The Dog was in town to have a check up at UCLA Medical Center.  I guess it was in the canine wing or something.  I was in Mexico at the time so he cruised down Main Street looking for a snack and to check the surf.   Somehow he wound up sitting on the bench in front of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory next to the big old dirty stuffed bear that they have sitting there.   Doggie kinda liked the bear and thought of him as great company as he didn't say much and seemed to agree with whatever Blueboy had to say.  In this way he was able to kick back and have a relaxing one-way conversation with somebody who didn't argue with him and check out all the people going by.   Main Street in Huntington Beach can be a real parade of entertaining, and otherwise, looking people.  

After a little while George “Mayor of Main Street” Lambert himself was walking by and spotted Blue Dog sitting there next to the bear.  He commented on the striking resemblance between the two and mentioned that they could have been brothers.  G-boy in his normal bright blue eyed and freckled tail happy mode.  Blue always liked George because George is almost always stoked about something.  He is presently selling real estate for Bob “the Greek” Bolan at Huntington Beach Realty and I guess on this day he had made a deal and was heading down to check the surf with a huge happy smile on his face.   That was until Bob “the Greek” Bolan happened along and was also on his way to check the surf and suggested in the “boss” kinda way, that only the boss can, the G-boy head back to the office to answer the phone because the boss was going surfing.  I guess George limped back to the office and Bob “the Greek” Bolan went surfing.  

Then Chris “the Waterman” Ryan came screaming along on his bike and almost crashed over the curb when he saw Blue Dog.   A whole lot of energy later and the exuberance of Waterman's talk of how he is working on breaking into “show business” and selling lots of water left Blue Dog hungry and thirsty.  

Just as he was getting ready to stroll down to Duke’s for some pupas a couple stopped by and started talking to him.  It turned out to be a John and Duffy Routh who live in Huntington Beach and have been following the wild tales of Blue Dog and the Iguana in my columns.  A friendship immediately blossomed and John and Duffy wound up taking the Dogboy home with them and took care of him for a couple of days while he was there waiting to do his tests.   John even loaned him a BMW to drive.   Hey, I like these kinda people.   Blue Dog always seems to wind up fat and happy no matter what he is doing and where he goes.  It's weird.   That stuff never happens to me.  I would have wound up sleeping on the bench with the bear.