Jim Lindberg Pays Tribute to Fellow Musician and South Bay Native Brian Wilson
Endless summer.
It was probably the summer I turned 9 when I realized how lucky I was. Our family had moved from the flatlands of east Manhattan Beach to a steep hill in Hermosa. It was just a short walk down my hill, across the railroad tracks, back up another ridiculously steep hill, past North School and Hermosa Avenue to The Strand and the beach.
Imagine discovering you had a mile-wide sandbox to play in every day, just hanging out with friends … an endlessly fascinating playground to stretch out against, submerge yourself in a sugar donut, find tiny hidden treasures, dip your feet or just lie there against its massive, grainy warmth. Nothing to do but stare up at the clear blue sky. I ate most of my meals in the sand, conspired with friends, made out with girls, and much more … ankles deep in the cleanest, whitest sand of any beach in the world.
The first record I remember obsessing over was Endless Summer by The Beach Boys, a collection of their greatest hits. The music of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys perfectly encapsulated everything I loved about growing up here—specifically the sand, surf and girls. Even if you were landlocked in an office in Kansas, Boise or Berlin, it instantly transported listeners to sandy beaches and a sunny surf vacation.
Brian Wilson’s harmonies dipped and floated like the cool breeze coming off the Pacific. The reverbed guitars tinkled like the sparkling lights glimmering off the ocean’s surface, and Brian’s wistful lyrics soothed your soul like the warmth of the sun—the promise of adventure on a “Surfin’ Safari” and the hopeful ache of longing to know the answer to the perennial California question: Do you love me? Do you, Surfer Girl?
A beach is where most people are happiest. Feet in the sand, listening to the ocean, riding its waves on a perfect vacation from problems of the bustling world. And The Beach Boys translated that feeling perfectly for all of us to enjoy. Even if we couldn’t always be there, we could dream.
So thank you to South Bay-born Brian Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) and The Beach Boys for putting our happy place to music. You sonically created for me, and all of us, a perfect and eternal endless summer.
