Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing
Page 24
Dear friends of Smith’s who might have been his staunchest defenders are absent from this book because they don’t generally talk to the press about him and they wouldn’t make an exception for me. This isn’t surprising, because while as a college kid I moped around Portland talking about how influential they were, I never met Portlanders Neil Gust, Joanna Bolme, Janet Weiss, and Sam Coomes. They’re the collaborators who knew Smith most intimately for the longest amount of time, and I hope someday they talk to someone in depth about Smith’s life. The same applies to Smith’s family. If one of those four musicians or any member of Smith’s clan decides to talk one day, I bet it’ll change the way people look at his story. That would be a palliative to much of the posthumous press about Smith, in which reporters were obliged to use quotes from people who barely knew him and people who wouldn’t give their names.
Because I can’t talk to Smith’s family, I don’t know how they handled the curatorial task of figuring out what music should wind up on From a Basement on the Hill and tying up whatever loose ends Smith might have left. This book should find its way into the hands of its first readers at the same time as Smith’s posthumous album, released by the indie label ANTI-Records, which has put out CDs by Nick Cave and Tom Waits. At the end of this project, the words that ring loudest in my ears belong to David McConnell, who admired Smith’s father, Gary, but worried about the task that confronted Smith’s loved ones: “Gary and I, I think, saw eye to eye about what should be released. I think what I really appreciate about Gary is that he is—he has enough insight to understand that what Elliott did when he was on drugs was very artistic and very much—it is really strong, artistic music. I think partially because Gary is familiar with the music of the ’60s, and he’s also just a very smart guy.” The risk, McConnnell felt, was that other family members working on the record might want Smith “to be represented in the best light.” He compares the task to Van Gogh’s family trying to finish a painting: “‘Oh, let’s make this sky look a little more real. That flower’s a little too big, let’s clean that flower up a little,’ you know what I mean?” It is a remarkable situation: Smith wrote his share of family songs, and then the people he wrote about were forced to try and be objective about his work.
The track list for the record includes both songs Smith worked on with McConnell and at least one song, “Memory Lane,” that Andrew Morgan remembers Smith developing in the second half of 2002, as well as one that sounds like the kind of soundscape Swanson and McConnell talked about with Smith. As of my writing this, the list goes “Coast to Coast,” “Let’s Get Lost,” “Pretty (Ugly Before),” “Don’t Go Down,” “Strung Out Again,” “Fond Farewell,” “King’s Crossing,” “Ostriches and Chirping,” “Twilight,” “A Passing Feeling,” “Last Hour,” “Shooting Star,” “Memory Lane,” “Little One,” “A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to be Free.” The song McConnell recalls Smith saying he wanted to lead the album at the time they were working together, “Shooting Star,” comes near the end.
I wouldn’t fault Smith’s family for any decisions they make in finishing the album. Smith recorded different versions of many songs, and it would be a weird, necessarily speculative task trying to reconstruct his intentions. There’s no way the album that’s released this fall, mixed by Rob Schnapf and Joanna Bolme, could ever be exactly the one Smith intended to produce. That said, I hope From a Basement on the Hill was mixed and cut in the spirit in which Smith approached Roman Candle in the basement in Portland. I want listening to the last Elliott Smith album to be as voyeuristic an experience as listening to the first. I want to feel that shock of recognition that comes with listening to a really good Elliott Smith song for the first time.
INDEX
Abbey Road Studios
Academy Awards
Smith, Elliott, performing at
Affleck, Ben
AFI
AIDS
Alcohol
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alice in Chains
Alien Ant Farm
“All Tomorrow’s Parties” (Velvet
Underground)
Allergy Control Group
“Alphabet Town”
“Amazing Grace”
American Music Club
Amherst
“Amity” 111 Amplifiers
“Angeles”
recording
Apple, Fiona
Artichoke Music
Azerrad, Michael
B-Girl
“Baby Bitch” (Ween)
“Baby Britain”
Backstreet Boys
“Ballad of the Big Nothing”
The Band
Barlow, Lou
Smith, Elliott, and
Barton, Donna
Basketball
Bass
Merritt, Mark, on
Beach Boys
Beatles
Smith, Elliott, on
Beatles for Sale
Beck
Belle and Sebastian
first album of
Ben Is Dead (magazine)
Berbati’s Pan
Berryman, Bunny Kay. See Smith, Bunny
“Between the Bars”
lyrics of
recording
Bible
“Big Decision”
Big Pink
Bikini Kill
Bill’s Records
Birddog
Black Flag
Blake, Chad
“Bled White”
lyrics of
Blue (Mitchell)
The Bodeans
Bolme, Joanna
background of
breakup with
in The Minders
mixing Basement on the Hill,
Smith, Elliott, and
“Bottle Up and Explode!"
Bowery Ballroom
Bowie, David
Bowling
Bratmobile
Bright Eyes
Brion, Jon
Britpop
Browne, Jackson
Buckley, Jeff
Buffalo Springfield
Built to Spill
Bush
The Byrds
Cafe Flesh
soundtrack for
Calamity Jane
California Frown
Call for Renewal
“Candyland” (Heatmiser)
“Can’t Be Touched” (Heatmiser)
Caroline
Carter, Betty
Cash, Johnny
Cassidy, David
Cat Power
Cavity Search Records
Cervenka, Exene Day, E.V., and
Smith, Elliott, and
Chapman, Jake
Cherokee
Chiba, Jen
Smith, Elliott, and
during Smith’s suicide
Chicago (band)
“Christian Brothers”
Christian Death
Christianity
Mormonism and
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
literature of
Cibo Matto
Circle Jerks
Clarinet
The Clash
Clifton, Ramona
Barlow, Lou, and
on celebrities
on exposure
on Figure 8 tour
Cobain, Kurt
death of
Smith, Elliott, and
Comes with a Smile (magazine)
Community of Christ
Con Air
“Condor Ave."
lyrics of
Cooke, Sam
Coomes, Sam
effect of, on Heatmiser
on tour
Cop and Speeder (Heatmiser)
Cotton, Josie
Crack
Crackerbash
Crane, Larry
Croghan, Sean
in Jr. High
“Cupid’s Trick”
arrangements of
The Cure
Cursive
Dallas
touring in
Dalsimer, Amy
on Roman Candle cover
Damon, Matt
Daramin, Mandy
“Darling Nikki” (Prince)
Day, E.V.
on alcoholism
on art
Cervenka, Exene, and
on drug use
on fame
on fans
on friendship
on Los Angeles
on rehab
on Smith, Elliott
with Smith, Elliott
on social life
on suicide
on tattoos
on touring
Dead Air (Heatmiser)
highlights of
Deal, Kim
Deerin, Valerie
breakup with
Smith, Elliott, and
on suicidal tendencies
Denbow, Kevin
Depp Ellum
Depression
Dion, Celine
at Academy Awards
Smith, Elliott, and
Dischord
Disney
“Distinct Complicity” (Bikini Kill)
“A Distorted Reality Is Now a
Necessity to Be Free”
lyrics of
“Division Day”
lyrics of
The Donner Party
“Don’t Walk Away Renee” (Left
Banke)
The Doors
Dots Cafe
Doughty, Mike
on alcoholism
on DreamWorks
on music taste
Smith, Elliott and
on songwriting
Doyle, Julie
on name-changing
on Smith, Elliott
DreamWorks
Doughty, Mike, on
leaving
McConnell, David, and
signing to
Drums
Duckler, Garrick
Dumbo
Duncanville
Pickering, Steve, on
population of
Dworkin, Andrea
Dylan, Bob
Eating problems
Echo Park
The Echo
Ecker, Felice
EELS
Egyptian Room
Either/Or
arrangements on
recording
tour for
El Oso (Soul Coughing)
The Elected
Elephant Six
Elfman, Danny
Elliott Smith
metaphors on
release of
Elliott Smith Foundation for Abused
Children
“Everybody Cares, Everybody
Understands” “Everything Means Nothing To Me”
Exile in Guyville (Liz Phair)
Exile on Main Street (the Rolling
Stones)
Faces
Factor, Andy
The Faint
Fame
isolation and
Krebs, Pete, on
Fancher, Lisa
Fans
friends and
Feminism
Fighting
Figure 8
recording
touring for
The Flaming Lips
“Flowers for Charlie”
lyrics of
Foljhan, Tim
Football
For the Record
From a Basement on the Hill
recording
Frontier Records
Froom, Mitchell
Fugazi
The Fugees
Full Moon Fever (Tom Petty)
Fun House (the Stooges)
Furtado, Nelly
Galaxy Lounge
Garry, Dorien
on friendship
on Los Angeles
on moving
Smith, Elliott, and
Thanksgiving with
on XO,
Gates, Rebecca
Geffen, David
Germann, Carl
on identity politics
on music taste
on Smith, Elliott
“Get Lucky”
“Get Me Away from Here I’m Dying”
(Belle and Sebastian)
lyrics of
Giants Stadium
Gibson, Debbie
Gibson guitars
Girlie Action
“Glass Onion”
Glorious Noise (website)
The Godfathers
Goldenboy
Gonson, JJ
on Heatmiser
on Roman Candle,
on tattoos
Good Will Hunting (Van Sant)
soundtrack for
Gordon, Kim
Grandaddy
Greenwald, Marta
Group Sex (Circle Jerks)
Groupies
Grunge
chart-success of
Smith, Elliott on
Guitars
Merritt, Mark, on
Gust, Neil
coming-out
in Heatmiser
lyrics of
music taste of
in No. 2
in Portland
reputation of
on Roman Candle cover
Smith, Elliott, and
songwriting methods of
Swanson, Marc, and
“Half Right”
The Halo Benders
Hampshire College
identity politics in
SOURCe at
“Happiness”
recording
Happy Ending
Harrison, George
Harvest (Neil Young)
Hawaii
moving to
Hazel
Heatmiser
break-up of
collaboration in
Coomes, Sam, in
first lineup of
Gonson, JJ, on
Krebs, Pete, on
last album of
in Portland
roles in
signing of
Smith, Elliott, on
“Helter Skelter”
Henry Fonda Theatre
Heroin
Krebs, Pete, on
Herring, Chris
Heterosexuality
homosexuality and
“Hey Now”
Hip-hop
in Portland
Hitt, William
credentials of
legal history of
Homosexuality
heterosexuality and
Swanson, Marc, on
Hornick, Jason
Houston, Whitney
“How Do I Live” (Yearwood)
“I Didn’t Understand”
lyrics of
recording
“I Want It That Way” (Backstreet
Boys)
Identity politics
at Hampshire
“I’m So Tired” (Beatles)
“Independence Day”
recording
Indie rock
in late 90’s
Irresistible Bliss (Soul Coughing)
Irving Plaza
Isolation
fame and
Jabberjaw
Jackpot! studio
Jackson, Janet
Japan
touring in
Jean, Wyclef
Jeru the Damaja
The Jicks
Jobs
“Johnny Are You Queer?” (Cotton)
Johns, Jasper
Johnson, Calvin
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Joplin, Janis
Jr. High
touring with
“Junk Bond Trader”
K Records
Kafka, Franz
Katzenberg, Jeffrey
Kay, Randy
KCRW
Keith, Toby
Kennedy, Myles
on relationships
on Rolling Stone -sponsored tour
Kill Rock Stars
leaving
Kinks
Kiss
makeup of
“Kiwi Maddog 20/20”
Klonopin
The Knitting Factory
Kotche, Glenn
Kraitsowitz, Pierre
Krebs, Pete
on fame
on friendship
on Heatmiser
on heroin
on Portland scene
on Roman Candle,
on songwriting
on touring
on work
Kweller, Ben
La Luna
Lash, Tony
Smith, Elliott and
Laurelthirst
Lawson, Robert
Le Domino
Led Zeppelin
Left Banke
“Lights Are Changing”
Lit
Little Beirut. See Portland
Lo-fi sound
“Long, Long, Long”
Lord, Mary Lou
touring with
Los Angeles
activity in
effects of, on Smith, Elliot
residency in
Los Lobos
“Loser” (Beck)
Love, Courtney
“Low-Flying Jets” (Heatmiser)
Luna Lounge
The Lutz
interior of
Lyric writing
emotional extremes in
MacGowan, Shane
MacKaye, Ian
MacKinnon, Catherine
Madonna
Magic Castle Hotel
The Magnetic Fields
playing with
Main Street Records
The Make-Up
Malkmus, Stephen
Mann, Aimee
Martin Sigma guitars
Martsch, Doug
Mascis, J
Massive Attack
Max Fish
Maxwell’s
McConnell, David
on arrest
DreamWorks and
on drug use
on eating
facilities of
on finances
on gear repair
on interventions
on lo-fi recording
on lyrics
on paranoid behavior
production of
on recording
on suicidal tendencies
on therapy
on work habits
McGuinn, Roger
McPherson, Scott
on tour
Mean Streets (Scorsese)
Mekons
Melberg, Rose
“Memory Lane”
Morgan, Andrew, on
Merritt, Mark
on bass
on drums
on first live performance
on guitars
on songwriting
Merritt, Stephin
playing with
Methodist church
Mic City Sons (Heatmiser)
highlights of
recording
release of
Middle East (club)
The Minders
Minor Threat
“Miss Misery”
arrangements of
crowd response to
delivery in
lyrics of
performance of, at Academy