Who put together helpsong.wav, the recording of someone complaining to
the Canon service department about losing all his data - "everything
that i've been working on for the LAST 5 YEARS OF MY LIFE!!!"  I'm
interested in both the person who called in AND who did the
outstanding job on the music

You can read about and download a Canon Help Desk Recording here
although this recording is not set to music.
http://www.antipixel.com/blog/archives/2002/10/05/canon_help_desk_recording.html

hmm - wow thank you very much.  yes, that is the recording.  

tell you what  - i'll make you a deal.  if i don't locate the music
portion of it i'll close the question and consider the question
answered.  but i am really interested in learning more about the
person who set it to music -

  http://samchillian.com/old/helpsong.wav

thanks again

Thanks Barma, just let me know.
--Bobbie7-ga

I haven't been able to find out who wrote the piano score for the
musical version, but here's a bit of detail about the person who made
the call:

"...when we heard Steven Thrasher's hissy-fit customer service call
about the missing hard drive on his laptop, something about the audio
just seemed right. It turns out our instincts were on the money. A
Canon spokeswoman explains that Thrasher's too-hot-for-TV phone call
was not, repeat not, to Canon or to an authorized Canon
representative, but rather to a third-party extended warranty service
provider whom she declined to name. In a get-more-flies-with-honey
denouement, it turns out Thrasher, more nonplussed than ever, called
the company Monday to complain that the .wav file of his explosion
(currently flying around the globe..."

http://www.suck.com/daily/98/08/27/daily.html

more info - thanks!