There’s a randomness to the universe that, to simple minds such as this one, can no better be comprehended through science than philosophy or religion or myth. It’s a vast and mysterious wonder, meant to be explored but not to be understood. For all the inscrutable and arbitrary character of the cosmos, though, there are times when the stars align just right, and a sequence of events unfold that somehow just make sense.
On Monday, Labor Day brought summer to its symbolic close.
Tuesday arrived, and where others stepped with trepidation into a gloomy, summerless world, Brian Wilson responded with utter defiance. The very icon of summer, the genius of the Beach Boys – indeed, the genius above all others in American pop music – rekindled summer’s torch with That Lucky Old Sun. Wilson’s new CD is widely being recognized as his best solo work in years, and the perfect complement to his revered 2004 completion – or perhaps re-imagination – of the Beach Boys’ never-released Smile.
Smile: the here and now of another time thrust oddly into the future. That Lucky Old Sun: a slice of the here and now that’s wistfully nostalgic for a time when innocence was first being lost. Both evidence of a creative spirit renewed, proof that summer can live on even in the autumn of one’s life. To put it far more crudely than is deserved, the only voices Brian Wilson is hearing in his head these days are singing in breathtaking harmony.
Wednesday, September 3, a seemingly unrelated and innocuous relic of history: The date when, 13 years ago, a broken laser pointer went up for auction on a tiny web site. That web site would, in time, grow up to become eBay, a multi-gazillion dollar corporation that provides the world with a sanitary alternative to dumpster diving.
And finally, today, September 4. A fine day when this Fine Day’s own home base of Los Angeles celebrates its birth in 1781. A group of just 44 people – half of them children – from what are now the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa officially broke ground on El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles. Long before it was a concrete-lined drag racing strip in Grease, the Los Angeles River (if you prefer, El Rio de Nuestra Señora La Reina de Los Angeles de Porciúncula) was, believe it or not, a pristine waterway and the primary source of water for the new settlers.
Though that rare day after a hard rain offers a fleeting, magnificent glimpse, it’s difficult to imagine a time when anything was pristine in the smoggy and filthy expanse of concrete that is modern day Los Angeles. Not even the women are as nature made them. Oh, some of them are – but the disturbing and all-too-frequent visual encounters with grotesque collagen-implanted lips, and middle-aged women whose lunch lady arms are juxtaposed with gravity-defying D-cups, are enough to make one thankful that they can’t all be California girls.
Just the same, Los Angeles is indisputably the dream factory, the place where the myths and lore of Southern California are made. That Lucky Old Sun is an ode that iconic Southern California – whether it’s a lost world, or merely an idyllic figment of the collective imagination.
And here’s where the stars have aligned: eBay – the very same eBay, which just yesterday celebrated a birthday of sorts – is home now to a charitable auction of some items a bit more desirable than a broken laser pointer. To be specific, a That Lucky Old Sun surfboard from surfer and custom surfboard maker Robert August and handwritten, autographed lyrics to Brian Wilson’s “Forever She’ll Be My Surfer Girl.” Every last penny (ah, to be so lucky) of the proceeds benefit our friends at the Surfrider Foundation, so bid away. (The auction closes at 5pm EDT on Friday, September 12.)
Our friends? Really? Well, ok. It just sounded good. But if we were the ocean, they would be our friends. Just ask the man himself: "The Surfrider Foundation has always done an outstanding job in preserving our precious oceans, waves and beaches," says Brian Wilson. "I want to do all I can to help."
Yes, indeed. The word of God – or a god, anyhow – on this fine day for a beer. And to tie it all together as you blow your life’s savings, there could hardly be a more appropriate indulgence than Karl Strauss’s Endless Summer Light. It’s appropriate for obvious reasons: it is in fact named for the Endless Summer surf films, the first of which prominently featured Robert August. Endless Summer is also, of course, the title of one of the greatest collections of greatest hits ever assembled.
It’s not merely the obvious, though, that recommends this SoCal brew today. Endless Summer may be Light, but it is decidedly not “Lite.” No, nary a hint of the juice of a goat’s bladder in this fine drink. Instead, a refreshingly crisp finish and light mouthfeel conspire with a delicate Saaz hop aroma to bely the surprisingly full malt flavor of Endless Summer Light. Where others may leave you looking anxiously ahead to the bolder flavors of colder seasons, this is that rare warm weather beer that will leave you pining for an endless summer. A fine choice for sure on a fine day for a beer.
