Depending on the source, the original title of the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” was either “ the Zoo” or “Our Freaky Friends.” Whatever the name, there is no debate about where this landmark album’s cover photo was taken (the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park) or when (February 1966).
“I can’t who came up with the idea,” Beach Boys’ mastermind Brian Wilson said, speaking recently from Los Angeles. “ I think I did.”
Not so, contends fellow Beach Boys’ alum Al Jardine, who is now on the road with Wilson for the “Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary World Tour.” Jardine credits — make that, blames — the art department at the band’s record company, Capitol, for selecting the zoo.
“The animals we posed with at the zoo had at us, because they were used to people feeding them,” Jardine said, speaking from his Big Sur home. “The goats were the most aggressive and that’s why that big white goat in the cover photo was in my face while I was feeding it. We were thrown into the thing, pretty much.”
The specific location was the children’s petting zoo. On the album’s cover photograph, taken by George Jerman, the five Beach Boys are shown feeding five goats. The animals appear to be enthusiastic, while most of the band seem wary.
“I was always under the impression ‘Pet Sounds’ was about romance and unrequited love,” Jardine said with a laugh. “And here we were, at this zoo in San Diego, posing for the album cover with goats. It was a little bit at cross-purposes!”
Why the confusion?
“Obviously, the photo department at Capitol hadn’t listened to the album and thought it was about animals,” he replied. “I don’t think they even put a needle to the groove of the record. Plus, we have a beautiful zoo in Los Angeles. What the hell were we doing in San Diego? It was kind of a weird day.”
The photo shoot with the goats lasted “about half an hour,” according to Wilson. More photos were taken elsewhere in the zoo, but only the petting zoo shot made the final cut for the cover.
Did any of the goats attempt to bite any of the Beach Boys?
“No, they weren’t trying to bite anybody,” Wilson replied. “We were feeding them apples. We held them out and they took them out of our hands.”
As is often the case, memories differ.
Then-new Beach Boy Bruce Johnston was at the zoo, but could not be included the cover photo because of contractual reasons. He was critical of the animals’ wild and woolly behavior.
“The goats were horrible!” Johnston told an interviewer, several decades after the photo shoot. “They (would) jump all over you and bite. One of them ate my radio. The zoo said we were torturing the animals, but they should have seen what we had to go through. We were doing all the suffering.”
Zoo officials may have stopped short of using the word “torture,” but the Beach Boys reportedly did not endear themselves during their visit.
At least they didn’t, according to a Feb. 13, 1966, column in the San Diego Union by Frank Rhoades, who apparently was not a big fan of rock bands in general or the Beach Boys specifically. Here’s what he wrote:
The Beach Boys, American counterpart of Britain’s Beatles, gave the San Diego Zoo a very bad time. … The six millionaire-musicians (including one fill-in) came down from Hollywood to take a cover picture for their forthcoming album, ‘Our Freaky Friends.’
Before they left, said zoo public relations director Bill Seaton, the caged animals were “about to crack up.” … Zoo officials were not keen about having their beloved beasts connected with the title of the album, but gave in when the Beach Boys explained that animals are an ‘in’ thing with teenagers. And that the Beach Boys were rushing to beat the rock ’n’ roll group called ‘The Animals.’ …
The Beach Boys, ‘two with long Beatle hair and all wearing funny boots,’ arrived with an art director, a cameraman and four girls, Seaton said. After posing with a baby elephant and a baby gorilla, the boys went on a tour of the zoo …
“First off,” Seaton said, “one of them bounced a carrot off the head of one of our tigers. Another tried to stick the head of a little antelope through some iron bars. Then they went around handling puppies and baby chicks, putting them down in the open and walking off.
“A few young girls who saw the Beach Boys acting like this were certainly disillusioned. The cameraman and the art director were awfully nice guys, but things just got out of hand and they couldn’t control the situation.”
The zoo superintendent, John Muth, an ex-Marine sergeant major, said the Beach Boys are not welcome back and never will be.
Thus concluded Rhoades’ story, along with Brian Wilson’s affinity for the San Diego Zoo.
“Have I ever been back? No,” he said. “Never again.”
