Dean Torrence (right in photo above of Jan & Dean) is being interviewed in the video for an Australian TV program. Dean discusses how he and Jan Berry came up with the themes for their successful band.

This video interview of Dean Torrence is a bit dodgy to hear. Our videographer had to stay behind the cameraman for the Australian television program who lined up an interview with the Dean.  He had a mic on his subject and was picking up the sound much better. The interview above took place at the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum.

The interviewer asks Torrence: You started out in rock & roll...how did you end up with a surf band?

Torrence: Out of necessity. We needed subject and we ran out of things to write about. The only other subject matter we knew anything about happened to be California lifestyle. That would be surfing and cars. So It wasn't like we sat around marketing-wise and went hey, this a good idea to write about this stuff because there's somebody else that might be interested. We actually didn't know what else to write about. It's as simple as that. See, you thought there might be some intellectual reason why we did it. There was no intellectual reason at all.

Interviewer: So what were some of the major influences on Jan (Berry), himself, developing the sound you came up with.

Dean: We didn't know anybody else who was doing it other than the Beach Boys. We didn't know anyone else who was doing it so their early stuff sounded more like our stuff.

Dean Torrence is a legend to millions who grew up with the blonde-haired boy who sang  songs about cars, surfing, skateboarding and girls. Everybody wanted skateboards, thanks to the duo that made skateboarding seem so cool.

Living in California, you discover that Jan & Dean accurately portrayed a lifestyle in their songs, and surely must have taken the material from the streets, themselves. Driving through Pasadena in a car, you can't help but notice people driving slow. "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena," occurs before your eyes right out of a Jan & Dean' song, for instance. On some occasions you c

While the songs are remembered for the lifestyle they portrayed, if you come across Dean Torrence today, you discover that people still line up to talk to him, get his autograph, and attend his concerts.  Jan Berry passed away several years ago, but Dean performs with a band that delivers the Jan & Dean songs with the identical sound that was created decades ago. With guest performances at local events where he lives,

Dean Torrence, artist, has worked in two careers, with one being his singing and the other as a talented graphic artist. His art is quite popular and is sold and represented in galleries, including The HB Gallery. Dean's long, illustrious career that spans decades has included collaboration and affiliation with The Beach Boys and numerous other musical groups.