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Aaberg, Kemp

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Abellira, Reno

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Alms, Paige

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Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

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Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Loud, funny, proudly stupid Southern California rock band of the late 1970s and '80s. The Surf Punks added members as needed for live performances, but were essentially a two-man act consisting of Malibu-based drummer-producer and hardcore bodysurfer Dennis Dragon (son of Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra conductor Carmen Dragon; younger brother of Daryl Dragon, of Captain and Tennille fame), and guitarist Drew Steele.

, the Punks' first album (Epic Records, 1980), played off the increasingly aggressive vibe found on Southern California surf beaches. It sold more than 100,000 copies, and featured songs like "Shoulder Hopper," "Punchout at Malibu," "Can't Get a Tan," and "Somebody Ripped My Stick." Vocals for "My Beach," the album's two-chord opening track, were nasally and spare, and set a tone for the cuts that followed: "My beach / My wave / My chick / Go home!"

 (1988), both released by Enigma Records. Younger surfers got a chuckle out of the Punks, as did a portion of the larger rock community, but the laughs turned to sighs of resignation as the band shouldered on. "What are you going to do?" 

 magazine wrote of the Punks in 1982. "They're part of the family, good or bad, so tolerate them if you must and enjoy them if you can."

Performing as The Dragons, Daryl and Dennis and brother Doug created the soundtrack for Dale Davis' 1964 surf movie 

 and also contributed songs to Hal Jepsen's 1973 film 

. The brothers played with the Beach Boys touring band in the late '60s and early '70s; Dennis also played drums with the Byrds, and worked as a sound engineer for Captain and Tennille, Cheech and Chong, and the Plimsouls

In 1987, the Surf Punks backed Pee-Wee Herman on "Surfin' Bird" for the movie Back to the Beach, starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. 

Dennis Dragon died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2017, at age 71. Drew Steele died of cancer in 2021. 

Surf Punks

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing