taught himself to play a right-handed guitar upside down and backwards. He is called the father of heavy metal by some for his ingenuity in creating the Fender Reverb and striving for louder, more powerful amps. Dale’s recording of “Miserlou”became the title song for Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.”
Dale’s 1961 West Coast hit, “Let’s Go Trippin,’” released two months before the Beach Boys’“Surfin,” is considered the beginning of the 1960s surf music craze. First came Dick Dale and the Beach Boys, then the Second Wave, comprised of a full contingent of punk/surf bands from the O.C. and Agent Orange, who will play with Dale tonight.
Agent Orange remains a pre-eminent band in SoCal’s surf and skate scene, from early airplay on Rodney Bingenheimer’s “Rodney on the Roq” radio show to being featured in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4. Considered the originators of Skate Rock, Agent Orange’s sound has influenced bands such as Nirvana, Bad Religion, The Offspring and Green Day.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 13, 2006. Read the original PDF.