Dick Dale

I'm not one of these guys who is dedicated to playing or performing - that's just one facet of my life.

I've never followed a list in my life, and that's probably what has created so much nervous energy in my body.

I enjoy living like a hermit, but I cannot live like a hermit.

I make jokes because humor is the greatest healing factor that there is.

When I first played the guitar without plugging it into an amplifier, the people at Fender were blown away. They couldn't believe the sound. I said, 'See, gentlemen, the world is no longer flat.'

Surf music is actually just the sound of the waves played on a guitar: that wet, splashy sound.

If you ask me what I'd rather be doing, well, I'd rather be home in California, watching TV, polishing my tools and working around the ranch.

Nothing could capture the sound of Dick Dale - he was too loud.

When I started surfing, you'd hear this neat rumbling sound when you took off and go for the drop, and when the wave is lipping up over the top of you, it makes this hissing sound.

People just loved the sound because I kept it simple.

My uncle gave me a trumpet, but I loved the Louis Armstrong sound and the Harry James sound and I played by ear and I played always soulful or very direct from the gut.

I've never taken a lesson in my life, and I can play every instrument there is. I play by ear, but I can fool anybody into thinking I went to some conservatory of music.