The Smiley Smile Message Board

The version on the thesmileshop.net has an unreadable first page of the interview (resolution is too low).  Anyone know of another source for the Fusion interview, either on the web or in book form?  It is a great interview--full of insights.

I guess a follow up question would be: how much do we trust the Mike Vosse version of things?  I tend to give some thought to what he says because he was a first hand witness to the Smile era.

The main thing that makes me really highly regard this interview is the time frame in which it was conducted.  These aren't the hazy memories of someone 40 years removed from the events.  This is the leader of the Vosse Possee, just a year or two after everything happened.  Fascinating reading.

The thing that most caught my attention when the interview came to light was what he doesn't say regarding certain subjects.

Well, that and the revelation that Nick Kent lifted a lot of it wholesale for his 1975 NME three-parter on Brian (the single item that spurred my interest in the BB - now you know who to blame).

It's in both versions of Dominic's  magazine/book about SMiLE; Look,Listen,Vibrate, which I see at used book stores fairly often.

You mean the big yellow Look, Listen, Vibrate book?  I looked in there and didn't find Fusion interview.  I will have to look again.  Thanks.

And what would that be, pray tell old friend? [eyebrow arched]

Not in any version I've seen or got.

Geez, Andrew, I thought you became a fan when you read my first issue...

Whoops,
Maybe I ought to pay more attention to exactly what we're talking about... :p

I printed the Vosse article from the Smile shop and don't remember any of it it being unreadable. Give me a day or so and  I'll dig it out and scan the 1st page, if it is clear enough.

I agree, it's a fascinating read.

Actually, doing that damn nearly turn me off the band forever. If not longer.  ;D

Please do, and thank you in advance, buddhahat! I'm not very computer-savvy, and if this was on the Smile Shop board, which was the forerunner of this fine board if I understand correctly, can the entire article be retrieved (or re-posted) without much computer knowledge?

I didn't know of its existence at all and would REALLY like to read it, as would many here I'm sure!

Even though this board was started by Chuck as a replacement for the Smile Shop, there's no administrative overlap, and the files that were on the Smile Shop can not be accessed on this site.

If I remember you can click on the page (bottom right corner usually) to increase the size of the page so it's readable.

I put a lot of stock in the interview because the interview was conducted shortly after 20/20 came out, just two years after Smile collapsed, so his memories are fresh and he was in the "in" group that would have known what Brian was talking about doing with Smile and the Smile songs.  The fact that he doesn't mention three "movements" or movements at all to me rules out there being movements considered for Smile at the time, despite what some BB authorities may expound.

You can do that on every page of the article except for the first one.  Looks like the large version of that image has gone missing.  I'm looking forward to your scan, Buddhahat.

Scans for 1024x768 monitors can be found here:

http://beachboys.freecp.net/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=587

Thanks Jasper!! And thanks to all others for throwing in their two cents.   What an amazing recourse this message board is.  I am damn lucky to have access to it.

Wow! That is an amazing, evocative, contemporary first-hand, down-to-earth account of
the complete Smile scene. It's so sad to read about how some band members started to
feel resentful that the music was "too complex for them", leading to non-participation, conscious or unconscious sabotage etc., and all the other elements (no pun intended) that contributed to the failure of the album to reach fruition.

Anderle and Siegel's memories and interviews are great too, but this goes into more
musical detail and is simply incredibly tantalizing. It conveys a palpable sense of what could have been. Great stuff and thanks for making it available! :)

Thanks.  You wonder if any animosity towards SMiLE from the group was less to do with musical direction and content than with the fact that the Beach Boys was becoming more of a business in some ways dominated by outsiders and Brian, himself, was moving further from them on a personal level.

Um... that he says Brian painted his house pink has to cast some doubt on his facility of accurate recall.  ::)

That's true! Lou Adler told the same thing in an interview on the Monterey Pop Festival DVD set.

The most revealing thing for me are the bells recorded at different speeds during the piano part in "Wind Chimes".

Thanx for the link Jasper... 8)

Interesting comments by Vosse about the Smile Shop cover...



It still bugs me a little that Frank Holmes' art wasn't really part of BWPS.

Although it was a big part of the BEAUTIFUL DREAMER doc! I think going with Mark London's work was the right choice for BWPS - it compliments that album just fine. Frank Holmes' work is best saved for the BB SMiLE box set.

Very well put. Save the real art for the real music!

Well, okay, and when is this "BB SMiLE box set" coming out?  10 minutes after NEVER.

Ye of little faith, my son... ;)

And never once have I thought of the original cover as being 'not well done'....

Well, by "dumb" I guess vosse means primitive.  But that was the intent - and a major move in art of the 60s with art borrowing from cartoons and comics and popular culture.  Brian ahead of the curve as usual.

Frank was inspired by the Hairy Who school which was hot in Chicago; I think they had just had their first major exhibition at the time.

That link to the interview is dead. Any chance of a repost or a PM? Thanks.

Found one: http://www.thebeachboys.ch/Forum/viewtopic.php?p=4249

So it ends with the Cabinessence bit? It feels like it should go further to me, on quick examination...

This is a great piece of recorded history.

Given Vosse's statements it will be interesting to see how much humor stuff is in the SMiLE Sessions release.

All links are dead...

I was wondering what time it was.

And *I* was wondering if anyone has a new link to this interview? All the old ones are indeed dead.

Bit Groundhog Day this but ... I have a print out that I can scan later and post. Hopefully it'll be legible.

Here ya go:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,17157.msg430386.html#msg430386 (http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,17157.msg430386.html#msg430386)

God bless you, sir!