The Riptides

Total Beach Boys stand-ins in the 1996 movie Grace of My Heart. Carole King-like main character Denise Waverly (Illeana Douglas) meets up with the group's leader, Brian Wilson-like Jay Phillips (Matt Dillon), when her boss, Joel Millner (John Turturro), gets him to produce her single as a means of cheering her up after a couple of unhappy relationships. Jay gives her song, "God Give Me Strength," a big orchestral sound, but it has "disappointing" sales. But they get married, so it works out. She has a ringside seat as he moves the band from California surf ("Take a Run at the Sun") to theremin-driven symphonic rock ("Chewing and Waving"). But meanwhile, one member grouses, "where are the cars, where are the surf boards?" Anyway, Jay, a bit of a space cadet, goes completely loopy, losing the kids and locking himself into the studio for three weeks. He gets talked out and after telling Denise how much talent she has and how much he wants to help her make her album, walks into the ocean and drowns himself. Doofus. The rest of The Riptides were played by real band Redd Kross: Jeffrey McDonald, Steven McDonald, and Brian Reitzell. The Beach Boys-pastiche songs were written by Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis, who also had a bit part playing The Riptides' engineer.

See also The Click Brothers, Little Tammy Lee, The Luminaries, Kelly Porter, The Stylettes, Denise Waverly.