The house where Surfer Girl was born

The boyhood home of Brian Wilson and his brothers Dennis and Carl is now a California state landmark-- or it would be if it still existed. Unfortunately, it was torn down and turned into a segment of freeway over 20 years ago, so the state has erected a 15-foot brick wall where it used to be, featuring a picture that recreates the original cover of the Surfer Girl album. The project, proposed by a couple of longtime fans, was paid for in part by donations by Beach Boys admirers who bought the site brick by brick.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by Wilson, who performed for the crowd of 300, as well as original Boys Al Jardine and David Marks. Conspicuous by his welcome absence was the group's resident asshole, Mike Love, who still has nothing but bad things to say about his cousin Brian. (For those unfamiliar with Love's sins, a nice recent overview of one of rock's biggest shitheels can be found here.)