The Stephen Desper Thread

[Andrew G. Doe]

No, but there seems to be a change in style and spelling after the board changeover.
Check it out for yourselves, guys.
Do you think Desper would have got  Do It Again/All I Want To Do mixed up?
Or done the Sunflower CD thing?

The CD thing was linked to Steve's site, where there was documentation and stuff, so it would have havd to be a double hack.

Easy way to settle it - Steve's email is under his avatar. Someone ask him.  [Researcher's Golden Rule #42c - do it the easy way first]

[I. Spaceman]

Hmmm, this is weird.
Really weird.
 

[I. Spaceman]

Just sent an email to Desper.
Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know.

[Aegir]

First post here (12-25-05):

Thank you again for all you have done with this posting board.  I know it takes a lot of hard and long hours to make it happen. I'm certain I speak for all posters in expressing our gratitude for and apprecition of your efforts that continue the interest in Beach Boy history and bring to us the ability to express ideas about Beach Boy events of this day.

Last post by the REAL Desper (from the archive):
December 14, 2005.
One scan of the last posts by the real Desper and a comparison to the above post tells the whole story.
We've been hoodwinked. MASSIVELY.

I don't see what you mean here.. are you referring to the change in writing style?

[I. Spaceman]

Yep.
 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Hmmm, this is weird.
Really weird.
Desper may have done the Sunflower thing on his site for real, but there's no way these posts since the changeover are real. No way. IMO.

Maybe... it's really Alan. 

[I. Spaceman]

*edit*

[Andreas]

I might be way off here....but if you check Desper's posts on this board, there was a change of style on February 2.


http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php?action=profile;u=2;sa=showPosts
 

[Andrew G. Doe]

The hooker story, FWIW, is almost exactly what he told me in the studio in question, March 1985. I've never published that much detail and there's bits there only he would know.

[I. Spaceman]

Well, in case I have been terribly wrong, I have edited my old posts.
I hope I am wrong, and if so, forgive me all.

[I. Spaceman]

The hooker story, FWIW, is almost exactly what he told me in the studio in question, March 1985. I've never published that much detail and there's bits there only he would know.

I wrote a complete story about the f--k sound at the ending of All I Want To Do. That writing was one of those lost from Susan's old website.

Or was it?

[king of anglia]

What about all those studio pictures? What date was that?

[I. Spaceman]

Ahhhh. Forgot that.
I suppose Andreas is correct, then.

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

Perhaps the Digital Desper has taken over.

[Susan]

Same story, kids...in fact, i believe that i wrote a day or two ago, "Nice to see this story again."  If i didn't type it, i sure thought it...i've known that story from Stephen's original telling several years ago.

Some of you aren't old enough to know this, but trust me: memories of events that occurred 40 years ago tend to blur.  You young-uns have to cut us old folks some slack sometimes...

[JRauch]

  That´s about the weirdest thing I have ever read. Either it´s a hacker, or Mr Desper´s memory just went completly nuts. I´m very curious how this will evolve.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Did it ever occur to you that the Beach Boys and particularly Brian weren't so keen about talking about Smile by name around Stephen, since it had negative feelings for all of them?  They were probably trying to put it behind them.  Of course, you wonder what Carl called it when he tried to assemble a Smile in 1971...

[JRauch]

It´s just insane to say that there wasn´t an album called SMiLE, when in fact Capitol made THOUSANDS of LP-covers with this title on it. And Brian and Van Dyke didn´t meet each other until 1967?!?!?


  Is this the Twilight Zone or what?!?!?

[Evenreven]

Perhaps the Digital Desper has taken over.

Perhaps. 

[al]

Hacker. Pretty easy to work out who it could be - who has previous form om the BB?

[Day Tripper]

  On the second link Steve reffered to an article about Smile (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/watw/02-09/smile.shtml) . In that article it says Brian met Van Dyke in Feb 1966. Isn't it possible that he just made a simple mistake when typing, when he said 1967?  I like to call the new Smile, BWPS because they have 2 completely different sounds and vibes. I prefer to hear recordings of songs right after they have been written because the energy and creative mood are at its peak. I'm curious what Brian was into (musically and books he was reading) when he was writing Smile. It's such a departure from anything he had done til then.

[Jeff Mason]

I would think that except in context he is saying that since Brian didn't meet VDP until 2.67 they could not have collaborated on Smile until after the sessions for some indeterminate album were over.

Something's up there -- I don't see many defensible facts in Desper's reply to my initial question.  It will be interesting to see what happens next.

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

I'd like to point out, as fascinating a conspiracy as it seems, if someone has hacked Stephen's account, they've been so clever as to use the same internet provider.  

Deep breath everyone, and Stephen, or whomever you may be, thanks for posting.  

[Jonas]

Stephen,

The "sweetning" by Carl and Dennis made a huge difference, especially the stereo mix that you did for it. the 20/20 version of "Our Prayer" sounds so much fuller and rich...I can't believe its 12 tracks though! And yes, originally I was talking about the 'smile-sessions' recorded in the 60's, not Brian's 2004 version.

two more questions:
what synths did you guys have in hand when recording 20/20? for example, what made the white noise sound in the beginning of 'Never Learn Not to Love"?  its very 'spacey' and cool for lack of a better term.

Also, I know its been a while, but how many instruments do you think were used for Bruce's 'The Nearest Faraway Place'? To me (not including the guitar playing) it sounds like it was done all with just one keyboard synth...

cool, thanks
j$

[Andreas]

I think it was the real Mr. Desper. You have to remember, he is an engineer and a true expert in this area, but he is not a historian.