By Daniel Nader
It’s the heart-jolting riff that kicks off the
credits of Pulp Fiction – absolutely relentless, a
driving rhythm with unstoppable energy, a bonerattler and earth-shaker. I had never heard it before.
I had never heard anything like it before. I wanted
to know more. I found the soundtrack of the movie
– it turns out the tune is called “Misirlou,” and it’s
played by “Dick Dale and the Del-Tones.” Dick
Who? I did some research – apparently this man
was known as the “King of the Surf Guitar.” He
was a legend in the world of surf music. The only
thing I knew about surf music was the Beach Boys
– and he didn’t sound anything like the Beach Boys.
This was a million miles away from Surfin’ in the
USA.
A little more research turned up some
surprising facts. Mr Dale was born in Boston in
1937, with the name Richard Anthony Monsour –
and he has Lebanese ancestors! Not only that, but
Middle Eastern music was a huge influence on the
sound he created, and he became a huge influence
in the world of rock music, even though his profile
is not as high as some others of his time (and there’s
a very interesting reason for that). The more I found
out, the more fascinated I was by the “King.”
Dale’s paternal grandparents came to the US
from Beirut. Dale’s father was born in Boston, but
spent most of his childhood in Lebanon. Dale grew
up speaking Arabic. He also grew up surrounded by
Middle Eastern music. He played the tarabaki drum,
and watched his uncle play the oud. The driving
rhythm of the tarabaki stayed with him when he
began playing the guitar. He often says that he’s just
playing drums on his guitar. And just as important
was the oud-playing technique he learned from his
uncle. Dale’s unique sound came from doublepicking the strings of the guitar – plucking them on