Jokermen Podcast

Episode: The Beach Boys: 25 YEARS TOGETHER + AN AMERICAN BAND

Date: September 2, 2025
Hosts: Jokermen

Overview

In this episode, the Jokermen take a deep dive into two pivotal yet very different Beach Boys cinematic retrospectives: "The Beach Boys: 25 Years Together," a 1986 Hawaiian TV special celebrating the band’s quarter-century mark, and "An American Band," the 1985 documentary chronicling the band’s tumultuous story up to that point. The conversation moves between critical analysis, personal reactions, and historically rooted insight, all anchored in the hosts’ signature playful and irreverent tone. Before the main topic, a highly detailed “Root Beer Report” taste test of the new A&W Ice Cream Sundae Soda sets the scene, introducing themes of nostalgia and authenticity that echo throughout the episode.

Key Segments

I. Root Beer Report — A&W Ice Cream Sundae Soda (00:02–14:14)

The Taste Test (00:02–08:08)

• The hosts excitedly announce a “timely” Root Beer Report focusing on the latest A&W release: Ice Cream Sundae Soda.
  • B: "This is as new as you can get from ... the world of A&W. That's right. This is a big deal." (01:10)
• They discuss food industry trends where every food becomes another, referencing pickle-flavored everything and the Doritos Loco Taco.
  • A: "Every food is becoming every other food. And it's just kind of a ceaseless gyre of brand collaboration." (02:55)
• Explores the historic context of “ice cream soda,” tracing it back to the soda jerk and “egg cream” traditions (03:28–04:48).
• Descriptive sensory analysis as they pour the drink:
  • B: "It smells like a scratch and sniff, like, sticker...I'm not thrilled with the aroma." (05:43)
  • A: "It just smells like...whatever Buddy the Elf eats in that movie. Elf." (05:53)
• Their verdict: it tastes more like a “chocolate milk soda” or “egg cream” than root beer. There’s appreciation for the mini cans.
  • A: "I kind of like this as a treat...I can kind of get behind this." (06:56)
  • B: "This is a great amount of soda to be served at once...This is an elegant way of packaging and selling soda." (07:27)
• Ideas for cocktail applications are floated—rye, mezcal, White Russian, vodka, Bailey’s—with much amusement.

Nostalgia, History & Ratings (08:31–14:14)

• The soda’s flavor and concept lead the hosts to muse sentimentally on the vanished era of soda fountains and thrifty ice cream at drugstores.
  • A: "We’ve gone so far away from the soda jerk and the drugstore counter...All of the Rite Aids are closed or closing. And with them, all of the Thrifty ice creams..." (09:42)
• Ultimately, they see the soda as an “unintentional tribute” to a bygone era.
  • A: "All of this is to say that I think that this AW Ice Cream Sundae Soda is a welcome ... it points, it gestures back to a time. It says, do it again." (11:04)
• Ratings:
  • A: Three stars ("I'm savoring this. I love this." [07:54])
  • B: Two stars ("I would take a root beer, you know, pretty much any day. But I appreciate the effort." [13:47])

II. The Beach Boys: 25 Years Together (14:21–42:47)

Purpose and Structure (14:21–19:38)

• A televised celebration from Waikiki, Hawaii, marking 25 years of the Beach Boys.
• Packed with cameos (Joe Piscopo, Paul Schaeffer, Ray Charles, Everly Brothers, Glen Campbell):
  • B: "They sort of drag Ray Charles into it." (18:41)
• Contextualized as a corporate commemoration, probably steered by Dr. Eugene Landy, Brian Wilson’s controversial “therapist.”
  • B: "I took a screenshot...Special Consultant Dr. Eugene E. Landy." (17:53)
• Seen as analogous to the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary concert, but with more Vegas razzle-dazzle and “pomp and circumstance.” (19:38–20:41)

Analysis and Reception (19:45–28:40)

• Mixed feelings about the variety special format and its showbiz atmosphere:
  • A: "It's mostly goofy and not necessarily in a good way...it's endurable." (22:41)
• Insight into the Beach Boys' state: Dennis is dead, Brian is present but awkward, Mike is thriving. They arrive by boat and are greeted with leis, perform classics for a seaside crowd heavy on bikini-clad women:
  • B: "It’s a very Mike kind of energy all throughout...Mike is wearing no shirt and a skirt." (25:36, 25:43)
• The special as Mike Love's idealized vision: eternal summer, same songs, eternally young and adoring crowd.
  • B: "We're gonna keep getting older, but the audience is gonna stay the same age." (26:18)
• Reflections on the authenticity of live performance versus the modern music industry’s reliance on technology and AI.
  • A: "Just at least get the fucking lyrics right...You're up there doing the songs in front of all these people because these are the great songs..." (41:04)

Notable Quotes and Highlights

• On Brian Introducing Ray Charles:
  • B: "Here he is, the man that I always imagined was gonna sing this song. You know him, you love him. A living legend." (24:48)
• On the show's superficiality:
  • A: "The whole vibe of it is just odd because it feels like one of those...early reality things." (35:32)
• On flubbed lyrics:
  • A: "[On 'God Only Knows'] Life would say nothing to me but what good would living do me? ... Just do better at executing the tiny percent of the catalog that you deemed presentable." (38:39/41:04)

Final Verdict on the Special

• A: "One star for that." (42:17)
• B: "Yeah, one star. Pretty good." (42:20)

III. The Beach Boys: An American Band (42:47–63:19)

Overview and Strengths (42:47–46:12)

• 1985 documentary by Malcolm Leo tracing the Beach Boys from their origins to mid-80s.
  • A: "Brian is an incredible...Being very creative. I've been called a genius by a number of people." (44:31)
• Praised for extensive primary source footage, including rare archival material and outtakes—especially from the “It’s OK” era and Brian's birthday with Paul McCartney.
  • B: "There's a lot of Brian in bed. There's a lot of Dennis and Carl...talking shit about Murray." (45:14)

Candidness and Emotional Impact (47:20–52:44)

• Direct comparison to the later Disney+ documentary, calling this one more "frank" and less sanitized.
  • A: "This is more accurate and direct, thoughtfully conceived than the Disney one could ever [be]." (47:37)
• Emotional weight around Dennis Wilson’s decline and death.
  • Harrowing footage from Dennis’s final performance and press conference acknowledging his death.
    • A: "It was flattering the way the whole country, from the President on down, stood behind us...My brother Dennis was in pretty bad shape." (49:13)
    • B: "When Brian is just like, 'I've lost my father, I've lost my brother. It's very hurtful to me. I'm extremely upset about it and I don't really want to talk about it anymore.'" (52:20)
• Dennis montage set to “Forever”—described as "very affecting," "genuinely harrowing," and "important to have." (52:27–52:54)

Accuracy, Tone, and Historical Importance (54:21–58:12)

• Faithfully hits major, sometimes painful, beats in Beach Boys history (Monterey Pop, Smile, downturns).
  • B: "A lot of these Beach Boys kind of myths...we've kind of come to rely on...this sort of set the tone." (55:42)
• Commended for not “lying by omission,” with direct address of drugs, alcohol, and other hard truths.
  • A: "They are only received wisdom because it was reiterated enough times. And this is like, one of the least adulterated versions of the story..." (55:42)
• Entertaining references to band quirks, rare performance clips, unique hats worn by Mike, and the first unveilings of "Fire" from Smile.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On Mike Love’s stage presence & performance:
  • B: "He's doing a lot of little limp wrist things and kind of flouncing around...God bless him for doing it." (61:08)
• On documentary’s value to fans:
  • B: "If you're gonna spend 100 minutes watching some Beach Boy shit on YouTube, go to this one." (63:19)

Final Verdict on the Documentary

• A: "Two stars for that documentary." (63:49)
• B: "Well, you got the whole thing this episode. You got a one star, a two star, and a three star." (63:52)

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• On A&W Soda Nostalgia:

  • A: "I think that this aw. Ice cream sundae soda is a. A welcome. Not whether intentional or not, it is... gestures back to a time. It says, do it again." (11:04)

• On Brian’s Energy during 25th Anniversary:

  • B: "He gets that kind of excited quality that he has when he's, like, talking about Be my baby or something...Ray Charles, the best." (24:48)

• On the special’s showmanship:

  • A: "I feel like there's always stuff like this happening. Like it...you know, every anniversary of any kind of thing is an excuse to celebrate it." (18:52)

• On the “An American Band” ending:

  • A: "It's the best documentary about the band that exists, I think, in terms of, like, a holistic view of their career." (48:44)

• On the Beach Boys’ myth-building:

  • B: "I think a lot of the beats in this film are kind of the beats that have become sort of, you know, standard received wisdom about the Beach Boys story." (54:21)

Segment Timestamps

• Intro / Root Beer Report: 00:02–14:14
• 25 Years Together: 14:21–42:47
• An American Band: 42:47–63:19

Closing Thoughts

This episode weaves together criticism, nostalgia, and dry humor as the Jokermen review the Beach Boys' televised and cinematic attempts to narrate their own legend. The hosts find unexpected value in both nontraditional places (A&W's soda as a vessel for nostalgic Americana), and are refreshingly blunt about the cheesy, performative elements of the 25th Anniversary TV special. Ultimately, the episode ends by championing "An American Band" as the definitive Beach Boys documentary, lauded for its candor and archival depth—a must-watch for anyone interested in the truer side of the band’s story.

Ratings Recap

• A&W Ice Cream Sundae Soda: 3 stars (A), 2 stars (B)
• Beach Boys: 25 Years Together: 1 star (A & B)
• Beach Boys: An American Band: 2 stars (A & B)

Listen for rare Beach Boys footage, honest peer-throughs at the band’s history, and at least one passionate digression about the fate of Thrifty ice cream and soda culture in the U.S.A.!