The Stephen Desper Thread
rab2591:
Quote from: Stephen W. Desper on December 27, 2019, 09:44:30 AM
This is the problem when the majority of posters are represented unanimously or with a false identity. Unfortunately I can't take that stand. If I posted behind a pseudonym, my posts would be of little value or interest. And by reveling my true identity, I expose myself to both compliments and complaints.. In a way, I believe that in posting as myself this website has some responsibility to look out for situations that spiral out-of-control.
A long time ago my real name was more easily identifiable here due to a link in my signature. However, events occurred since then that keep me from being obvious about my identity: According to his own PMs that were exposed years ago, Andrew G Doe was asked by an "interested party" (I'm assuming it was someone close to or in the band) to get the home address of a poster here. AGD then asked a moderator here (via PM) for the IP address of this poster because it would give a general location this person. Fortunately, I don't think the moderator gave Andrew any information...and thus, the "interested party" never got the information. And more importantly, thankfully the exact home address was likely not found due to the anonymity of the poster's monicker. Who knows what would've happened to this poster had their address been traceable. The following was written by AGD in a PM (it is regarding a completely separate incident):
"If that bloody woman suddenly vanishes, it may or may not be down to the fact that I know where she lives. LOL"
Joking or not joking, this quote coupled with this person's willingness to find a specific address for another poster goes to show the importance of anonymity in the world we live in now. Some people get childishly angsty about other people's opinions on this forum...including people in or close to the band itself...these people wanted the friggin home address of someone here. Posters here posting via their real name would invite an intrusion of privacy, and it would in turn keep people from speaking their true thoughts about things - lest some disgruntled person try to seek revenge in real life (which clearly tried to happen before).
As for the Feel Flows boxset...Any time I have seen your posts I have come away more enlightened and informed about this band. Even the more technical stuff that mostly goes right over my head - I'm just in awe that a) the things you talk about actually happened, and b) that you are willing to write in such incredible detail about your experiences with the band and your role in making their sound in one of the band's most fruitful eras. So it's an incredible shame that no one contacted you regarding the upcoming boxset, but I hope you'll still be able to shed light on it here once it is out. Thanks for all the time you've put into your posts here. This place wouldn't be the same without you!
♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇:
Quote
A long time ago my real name was more easily identifiable here due to a link in my signature. However, events occurred since then that keep me from being obvious about my identity: According to his own PMs that were exposed years ago, Andrew G Doe was asked by an "interested party" (I'm assuming it was someone close to or in the band) to get the home address of a poster here. AGD then asked a moderator here (via PM) for the IP address of this poster because it would give a general location this person. Fortunately, I don't think the moderator gave Andrew any information...and thus, the "interested party" never got the information. And more importantly, thankfully the exact home address was likely not found due to the anonymity of the poster's monicker. Who knows what would've happened to this poster had their address been traceable. The following was written by AGD in a PM (it is regarding a completely separate incident):
"If that bloody woman suddenly vanishes, it may or may not be down to the fact that I know where she lives. LOL
I can personally confirm this and provide proof if needed.
DRM:
An autobiography might be the way to go. Organized by chapters named after the song titles contained within Sunflower and Surf’s Up. Meshing autobiographical details and personal reflections with discussion of the making of each song. To accomplish what you accomplished at such a young age is extraordinary. What got you to that point is a story worth telling.
DRM:
Mr. Desper’s groundbreaking Spatializer is featured in this article:
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=A-QDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Don Malcolm:
I am disappointed to hear that the surviving BBs seem disinclined to endorse and assist in disseminating the historical/analytical materials you've created over the years, Stephen. I'm wondering whether this situation might be different if Carl Wilson were still with us--it can't be accidental that his growth as a producer seems related to the presence of a highly innovative engineer and cutting-edge inventor.
I don't think a compilation called FEEL FLOWS can possibly be complete without some version of what you've written--either in book form or in the study videos. I would hope that Mark and Alan, who surely must understand that such is the case, would consider making such a suggestion to the other parties involved in the project in hopes of providing some context for what makes the songs of this time frame so unique.
Even an abridged version of your recollections would be highly valuable, and their presence in such a set would make it clear to other parties that a formally published version of this material, accompanied by an advance against royalties, would be worth whatever financial gamble might be taken by a publisher. Allow me to write a quick blurb for how such material could be put across:
"After their years of unprecedented success culminating in the legendary #1 hit 'Good Vibrations,' the Beach Boys spent the next five years making even better music than what had made them world famous. Long obscured by a downturn in their commercial fortunes, the band's output in the 1967-72 time frame is increasingly seen as the most wide-ranging material, marked by a new level of musical expression.
Supporting this collective creativity was the work of groundbreaking sound technician and engineer Stephen Desper, who was the first of his kind to be given space in the liner notes of a popular music LP. Those brief comments have now been expanded and augmented to provide the reader with a remarkable look at how the Beach Boys' collective involvement with a cutting-edge collaborator resulted in a new level of creativity. Desper takes you inside the Beach Boys' home studio, constructed at Brian Wilson's Bellagio Road home, to relate how this resource was the key catalyst to the band's brilliant (but still under-appreciated) rebirth.
With a wealth of detail and a demonstration of technical know-how that is unprecedented in scope, Desper provides what is undoubtedly the clearest chronicle of the most remarkable time in the history of a band whose career is simultaneously the greatest and most enigmatic in all of popular music. You'll never think of the Beach Boys in the same way once you've read this singular look into their creative world."
I don't know if it's literally true that you were the first engineer to supply text printed on a pop music LP, Stephen, but even if it isn't the case, it still demonstrates that the band (or, at least, key individuals in the band) recognized the significance of your contributions. I'd urge everyone to focus on this point as well as the aural evidence of the recordings, and find a way to make this material more readily available to the public. It is to everyone's benefit that such becomes the case.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page