Surf music helped fuel punk rock in the 70s and 80s, especially west coast punk rock. They showed that the guitar could sing and tell stories as well as any old rock and roll singer.
One of the first songs I learned both rhythm and melody was Walk, Don’t Run. Mostly, I just loved using my tremolo.
One of my favorite songs from The Ventures is Outer Limits:
And Telstar:
Not to mention Heheheheheheheheheheh WIPEOUT! (complete with a Diamond Head intro!)
Thanks for the link. To bad it was on a somber note though