Jan and Dean, which one was a poser?
Check out this clip of Jan and Dean lip-syncing Sidewalk Surfin’ on American Bandstand. August 22, 1964. Dick Clark talks with audience a little bit about skateboarding (a young man’s game?) and half the “band” actually does sidewalk surf on the stage. There’s even a little bit of dorking around during the lip sync session. See what passes for a “trick” in 1964. All in all, a very interesting clip showing skateboarding and skatesploitation in mid-60’s popular culture.
Just came across this article; as both a skateboarder and a Jan & Dean fan wanted to mention a few things in response. Neither Jan Berry nor Dean Torrence were posers, both actually rode the boards that were available in the early 60’s. They were pretty primitive boards, basically steel roller skate wheels on a small plank. There are a lot of clips of both riding on different outdoor locations; indoors, on a relatively small soundstage with heavy wires. lights and cameras to consider they kept it fairly simple to execute, and usually for comedic purposes (which is why Dean often drops his board out of a guitar case). The song itself is just a reworked version of the Beach Boys’ “Catch a Wave.”