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Quick …name the greatest lefty gunslinger ever to pick up a Fender Stratocaster.
Jimi Hendrix.
Correct, but who's a close second?
Hmmm. A lefty? . . . Give me a hint.
Do the words "surf guitar" mean anything to you?
Surf guitar? Didn't that go out with the Beach Boys?
Uhhh, no. The Beach Boys were known for their breezy surf sound, while the high octane twang of surf guitar pioneered by Dick Dale is still going strong.
I thought bands like the Ventures and Surfaris made names for themselves in the Hang-Ten '60s.
They did, but Dale is the Grand Daddy-O of that unique six-string rumble. And the coolest thing about the King? He's done it all these years with a single gold sparkle Strat.
One guitar? Are you kidding?
He calls it the Beast. No fancy stage set-ups or truckloads of equipment, either . . . just the King, the Beast, and a killer rhythm section.
Sounds awesome. Where'd he play?
CBGB.
Was he good?
He was great. And I was right in front of him for the entire set. We're talking inches away. I could have played the Beast with my teeth.
Cool! But if he's been around so long, isn't he, you know, old?
Yeah, but he hasn't lost a single downstroke, and he still can outplay guys half his age.
Wait, didn't he do the song in that Tarantino movie a while back?
Right -- Pulp Fiction. The song was called "Misirlou". Most newbies and musical neophytes know him from that.
That's sort of a dickhead thing to say.
Of course it is. That's what us Dale fans are known as, Dick Heads.
Ha! Alright…Dick Head… How long'd he play?
About an hour-and-45. He totally blew CBs apart.
All his own stuff, or did he surf some covers?
Ever hear "Ghostriders in the Sky" or "House of the Rising Sun"?
Of course. He covered them?
Sure did. Even served up a slinky version of "Fever".
Get out! That's crazy!
You should have heard his dead-on Johnny Cash imitation with "Ring of Fire".
You gotta be kidding me . . . What else?
Well, at one point he put down the Beast, picked up some sticks, and pounded on the drums.
And?
And then he played the bass.
Lots of guitarists play bass.
No, you don't understand. He played bass with the drumsticks while his bassist held it up.
He played the bass with the drumsticks?! Who does that?
Nobody that I've seen . . . except Dick Dale.
Dude. I missed it.
That you did. But no worries, the King is almost always on the road.
Think he'll play CBGB again?
Doubtful, since the club is slated to close in a few months.
So one legend comes to an end, while another keeps on rollin'.
You got it . . . spoken like a true Dick Head.
— 27 June 2006
