He knocked,
Beach Boys gig answered

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By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

The '70s was a time when celebrities were approachable. It was a good thing for Jeffrey Foskett, who was a fledgling musician attending the University of California-Santa Barbara and about to turn 20 when he set a birthday goal.

"I decided to drive to L.A., find Brian Wilson's, knock on the door and introduce myself," said Foskett, who wrote in his high school yearbook that he would join the Beatles or the Beach Boys within five years.

"Since the Beatles were broken up at that point, I only had one option," he said.

Foskett didn't have Wilson's address, but he knew he lived on Bellagio Road. He also knew that Wilson's "Wild Honey" album cover image was duplicated in stained glass in the singer's living room window. So for a couple hours, Foskett drove slowly up and down the road until he spotted the window.

"I walked up to door and knocked. Brian came to the door and I introduced myself. He said, 'Hi, I'm Brian.'

"I said I was a musician, that I admired his music. Brian invited me inside, and we talked and played guitar and ate lunch. We became fast friends."

Foskett would eventually perform with the Beach Boys from 1979 through the 1980s. Since 1998 he's been Wilson's musical director.

What: Papa Doo Run Run At "Taste of Honolulu" Where: Honolulu Civic Center When: 6 p.m. tomorrow Admission: $3, to benefit Easter Seals

"Oh, are we going to put on a show for the Honolulu Marathon in December," said Foskett, 46, who'll be playing here at tomorrow's "Taste of Honolulu" event with the group Papa Doo Run Run.

Foskett, who became one of the Beach Boys when Carl Wilson left the group, has been described as the finest American pop singer-songwriter that most people never heard of. He sang lead vocals on many of the group's hits, including "The Warmth of the Sun," "Surfer Girl," "Don't Worry Baby" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice." His voice and guitar are also heard on "Kokomo."

"My task was playing the guitar, doing those little three-string dink-dink-dink things for all the surf songs," he said. "We were on a European tour when I first met Carl. Carl tells me, 'You know, Jeff, the guitar has six strings, and I suggest you use them all.' He just wanted me to play the guitar a certain way."

Foskett and Wilson played most recently at Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee in England, where he met longtime idols Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton.

"Playing music with these guys was a dream," he said.

Foskett also recorded and toured with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Chicago, Ringo Starr and the Moody Blues.

He's performing with Papa Doo Run Run (he was with the group from 1993-98) as a temporary replacement for lifelong friend Randell Kirsch. It's a perfect fit because Papa Doo Run Run performs many Beach Boys and Jan & Dean classics of the '60s and '70s.

"Papa" was created nearly four decades ago in Cupertino, Calif., when four high school buddies got together to form a garage band. From 1965-70 they were known as the Zu, then Goodie Two Shoes and Papa Du Run Da Run. (The name came from the background line of Jan & Dean's "New Girl in School.")

The group performed at nearly every high school and college in California, where their opening acts included Van Halen and the Doobie Brothers.

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