What is Dumb Angel ?
Dumb Angel is a rock 'n roll annual reader that, in the past, focused largely on surf instrumental music, hot rods and Wall-of-Sound productions. However, the original manifesto changed a little over the years. When the first issue came out in 1987, Dumb Angel was a straight-forward fanzine, complete with reviews, news and other elements common to a magazine. By the time DA #2 was released in 1988, the whole issue was devoted to Brian Wilson's unreleased 1966-67 Smile, and featured no reviews or news of any sort. It had become pure history, and went from 90 pages of content to 265, perfect-bound. By the time DA #3 had come out, the series was a full-on forum for surf and hot rod culture of the '60s, which included the Beach Boys, but also a lot of other subject matter that wasn't common knowledge to a lot of Beach Boys fans. DA #3 was released in 1989 and was the last printed edition of Dumb Angel to date. That said, the "target audience" was always geared toward the same people that read Ugly Things and Kicks magazine. That's why the original Dumb Angel(s) worked, because they were done for rock 'n rollers, not Beach Boys collectors ... and it was that way from the start. Dumb Angel #1, 2 and 3 were never officially out of print since their original date of publication,
and only recently went out of print within the last year.
I hear there is a new Dumb Angel in the works?
That might be the understatement of the year. Dumb Angel No. 4 has been in the works since the summer of 2001. Filmmaker/writer Brian Chidester contacted Domenic Priore about doing a new color issue of DA and the two decided to do a two week research trip to get the content together. Along with a host of other projects, they worked part-time on No. 4 over the past four years ... and the new issue is now complete and available.
Will this issue be the same as the previous ones?
Yes and no. The purpose has always been to look at Los Angeles, Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, surf culture, and related subjects
from an alternative point of view. SPIN magazine pointed that notion out in its review of Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile! (DAG #2). That remains the same. However, two things will be different: 1) the new issue will be printed in full-color, glossy, silk pages; and 2) the revised format will now encompass all that we've set out to do from the beginning. This really is a crystalline effort. Dumb Angel No. 4 will still be about Los Angeles, Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, Jan Berry, surf culture, and related subjects. (In fact, Los Angeles has actually come to the fore here as the source of all genius ... it's the source of Brian Wilson's genius, it's the source of exotica
genius, it's the source of surf music genius. Why is that? This is what we explore here.) However, #4 is not as heavy on articles or
reviews of rare records or outtakes and things of that nature. There are plenty of magazines, journals and books devoted to that type of collecting. We've dropped reviews of contemporary recordings and live shows also, so it's become pure history we are covering in this issue. We don't want to discount what we've done in the past, and maybe in the future there may be a reason to get back into covering live shows and new releases. Now is just not the time for us.
GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA
DETAIL — (250K)
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When will this new issue come out?
Dumb Angel No. 4 is finished, and had its official debut on Thurday, June 16, 2005, at the Duck Soup pop culture boutique in Westwood (Los Angeles). Our mailing address and online ordering information is now available on this site. Now is the time for hearts & flowers and golden hours beneath the sun.
Will there be future editions in the Dumb Angel series?
We have planned a series of great Dumb Angel readers and hopefully they will come to fruition. It all depends on how well Dumb Angel No. 4 does financially and with excitement from the buyers. If it goes off well, then we'll have a lot more to say that ain't been said yet.
What is your Mission Statement?
Everybody knows I got a happy life
got no troubles, and I got no wife
Freer than a bird in a banyan tree,
I'm the original happy me
Never have a worry livin' on the beach
everything I want is in my reach
Catch a little dinner from the bright blue sea
eat it with a haole girl, crazy for me
My back is strong, my shoulders broad
ride the ocean on my big surfboard
Catch'em wave, bigger than a mountain high
jump on the shore, I'm still dry
I do a lot of swimmin' when the sun is bright,
do a lot of luvvin' in the pale moonlight
Don't know if its better in the night or day
but I'm very happy, either way
Play my ukulele and I sing my song
mele everybody wants to sing along...
Fish come a-swimmin' in just to hear me, too
Throw in the pot, we got fish stew
Everybody knows I got a happy life
got no troubles, and I got no wife
freer than a bird in a banyan tree
I'm the original happy me
— Don Ho, "Happy Me," from the Tiny Bubbles album, 1966 (Pober, Pukui, Aluli)... originally "Laupahoehoe Hula"
by Bill Kaiwa (Namaka Bacon, I Aluli -- Criterion Publishing)
BRIAN CHIDESTER
Editor-in-Chief / Publisher
DOMENIC PRIORE
Founder / Co-Editor
