Bob Hanes 1947-2010

[sockittome]

This is indeed sad news.  I've been off this board for awhile and have been out of touch with Bob for some time.  I had no idea that he passed until reading this thread just now.

I hope no one minds if I share my story about how I got to know Bob.  I live in Eugene just across town from where he lived.  I am somewhat of a musician and an avid record collector.  In late 2001, my wife went into House of Records, one of our local indy cd/record shops, to find some Beach Boys vinyl for a Christmas present for me.  She told the clerk that I was a big Brian Wilson fan and had read up on quite a bit of his history including the SMiLE story.   The clerk gave my wife Bob's phone number and told her that we needed to contact "the Reverend".  Not only could he set us up with some good vinyl treasures, but he would be delighted to answer questions and discuss Beach Boys with me.  So my wife came home and excitedly spoiled the surprise for me, knowing that I would want to contact this fellow immediately.

The memory of my first phone call to Bob is a big blur to me.  He gave me so much information I almost couldn't process it all!  He invited me to his home to listen to music, watch videos, and discuss.  Aside from his wealth of knowledge of anything Beach Boys, I found Bob to be a warm, friendly person.  Initially, I felt like I was an interviewer or something, getting the inside scoop from this guy who knew Brian, Marilyn, and many others in the Beach Boys circle, and here I was, just this average......fan, I guess you could say.  But Bob never acted like he was special in any way; as far as he was concerned it was one music fan sharing information with another music fan.  He helped me sort out a lot of pieces of the SMiLE puzzle, for which I am eternally grateful.

I remember one time when I was at his house, he played me a cassette of a song I had never heard before, but I immediately loved it.   At first, I thought it might have been something from the Beach Boys' vaults.  It sounded a little like Carl singing, but I wasn't sure.  It turned out to be "Ride" from the soon to be released cd "Mind if We Make Love to You" by Wondermints.  I had never heard of them before, but I was hooked (and still am).  It didn't take long for me to seek out all of their other cds.  They play in pretty heavy rotation around my house!

Bob also turned me on to BWPS.  There was enough publicity on that one, to where I probably would have encountered it eventually, but it was nice to get advance information about the cd, and the live shows, even though I never did get a chance to see one.

The fact that I am a member on this board (although I lurk more than anything) is something I have Bob to thank for.  He got me interested in the SMiLE Shop years ago, and then this one.

The last time I had talked to Bob was about two years ago.  I was telling him about a local band I had joined and he was happy for me.  Since then my music projects, holding down a regular job, and raising a family has taken all my time to where I never got a chance to check in with him on the latest.  I had no idea he was ill. 

By the way, Bob did make some great deals with my wife on a stack of 45s, including a Candix "Surfin'", a Brother Records "Heroes and Villains" all in primo condition ; a wonderful Christmas present, indeed, but the hours and hours he and I spent together, talking about the things we love is priceless.  I'll never forget it.  I will miss him.