I listen to Elliott when I feel like shit to feel better. His music gets me through a lot of crap, & it has no genre. It's heavenly. I owe a lot to this man
yeah idk what genre i would call it either some of his stuff is super orchestrated and sounds like something a classical composer would make and some is super raw basic but beautiful
His live performances make me think he is very shy and awkward and depressed but this documentary shows a really confident and goofy side of Elliot, not just the sad one.
When he finishes "I didn't understand" at the end and just has the misery of his memories flood through his head.....and the look in his eyes.....it gives me the chills. I know that look of hurt and disappointment and it's a shitty thing to feel....somehow he manages to capture it onto paper and through his music he somehow makes everything okay just for the few minutes you listen to it. What a timeless genius....
Man...It kills me to see Elliott playing Waltz #2 perfectly and then say he stopped it because he was playing it wrong... I can't handle to watch all those mega-confident untalented singers that get so much credit.Elliott was on an all other level, he was so good, he deserved so much better... This whole story is so depressive.
I love that about Elliott too. He could be playing his songs as lucidly as he does and it'd be so hard to notice but he'd admit there was a mistake and would refuse to continue.
His end is depressing, I guess. At the same time Elliott Smith's story has some wonderful parts, like how he kept it completely real even after he was noticed during the Oscar spectacle, he didn't lose the foundation of why he made music in the first place, like so many have once they "make it". I guess where it went wrong was when music wasn't enough for him to channel his pain through, which lead him down the wrong road.
That's what it is for me too. I think that's why I put Elliot up on such a pedestal, BC there are people out there with 0.01% of his talent, topping charts, making bank, thriving off of fame. He just loved music, there was no ulterior motive with him. No gimmick.
An honest, humble and beautiful man with exceptional talent and not a single vain bone in his body. I know famous / successful people are prone to false modesty but you believe this guy really means it when he says stuff like 'I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous'
I never even knew he existed until like 2 years ago, but all I can do is thank him, I won’t say he actively saved my life but he definitely has a become a big part of my life
"Cross between Nick Drake, Curt Cobain, and Lou Barlow... sad sacks." That's such a limited comparison, in my view. There are stronger connections to The Beatles; I also hear Paul Simon and Brian Wilson in there at times, as well as classical composers. Elliott had such a wide and exhaustive collection of influences. Check out the ZZ Top t-shirt he's wearing in this video (think he's being ironic? I don't). He's also known to have been a fan of Willy Nelson and Hank Williams Jr. And Rush! Anyone new to Elliott Smith should know that he's not just a clone of Curt Cobain.
mellowaite This drivel from the interviewer was surely one of the most pathetic and disrespectful questions I have ever heard from a talentless idiot thrusting a microphone in the face of a great artist. She deserved a slap in the face, but Elliott being the patient and graceful soul that he was, politely answered her as best he could without wanting to seem rude or worn down by such typical trash. Rest in peace Elliott. I love you.
I never understood why people compared cobain to smith two completely different approaches to music both great but elliot had music flowing through his veins Personally I always viewed elliot as a punk rock kid that had the spirit of claude debussy trapped inside his body the melodies and chord progressions he composed are not of this world
I compare him to classical composers and some people don't get it. This guy was an absolute powerhouse of talent. It truly boggles the mind. His melodies were complex and transcendent, but they were also simple in the sense that they were memorable (like so many of the Beatles melodies) and his lyrics belong in the heart of the pantheon of singer-songwriters. And he just seems like such a pleasant to guy be around. You just wanna hug him.
He wrote some sad songs, but i'd NEVER call his music "depressing." I actually find a lot of his music uplifting and inspiring. But i guess in this time where everything on the radio is about clubs and partying, ANYTHING remotely serious would be depressing. Funny enough, i find most music now, including the club/party movement, even more depressing.
Devin Lay Lmao. Butthurt in stereo. You children have tantrums so easily. Now, that's depressing. You sure you're an Elliot Smith fan? You come off more like an Emo fan?. Go listen to your Linkin Park kid. Leave the grown up discussions, to people that have gotten laid before.
The fact he stops right when he says im tired in the song. He might play dumb but I don’t think a single thing this guy did or said wasn’t thought out first.
Asking such an amazingly sensitive and talented songwriter like Elliott if he's a "sad sack" is just so disrespectful. I hate how many obnoxious interviewers treated him this way and thought it was acceptable to be this rude to someone whom they didn't even know was struggling with his own demons. Elliott deserved so much better. 💔
This man worked his arse off for years. He's one of the most amazingly talented and underrated songwriters of this generation. Taught me so much. Cat Stevens vs Paul Simon closer to the mark
"The thing I liked about punk in the first place is still alive in my head. But it's not like the style of music that it is and was it's just that kinda angle on things that it is... have to keep changing and not get stuck in a little box and not become like a connoisseur of yourself."
Brilliant stuff here. Never saw him talk about the Oscars before (haven't seen a lot of his interviews). So painfully shy. Really seems like he had no idea what an influence he had on so many people.
I think it's a very subjective thing, but there is definitely music that can accentuate mood and I'm sure there are certain people that could listen to Elliott Smith all day and not feel depressed/ uplifted. I personally think his songs are so honest, sincere and have this intense emotional quality to them that they're extremely moving. Someone once said a great movie is one that changes depending on what the audience brings to it, I believe that. I do think that Elliott Smiths music is powerful
I miss the era when musicians were actually approaching this art like it meant a goddamn motherfuckin thing beyond selling pez flavoured pop tarts. This man is a fucking elite songwriter
That's hilarious. 5:20 he just gives up. I was fortunate to see him play in Austin at Liberty Lunch in March of 1999. He did this like five times during his set. He would just stop in the middle of the song and sulk to the crowd. It was really hard to watch live. His music is amazing but I felt in the end the fame was his demise. Rest in peace Mr. Smith.
Here come the sidewalk boss again Telling me how I can't cave in That I'm a study in black Need a pat on the back I look up and smile A picture of dissatisfaction That he can only see as a junkie
Wow. What a fantastic find. Thank you for posting this. His music and life will never be forgotten. Gone way too soon. Rest in peace man and know that you are missed more than you ever thought possible.
You're not bursting my bubble, when it comes to Elliott there are no bubbles that can be burst. Yes, he had coping mechanisms, like any of us who mentally suffer.
Death is not putting out the light, but extinguishing the candle cause the dawn has come...the after glow of Elliott Smith will always remain...sleep softly
No matter if he thought otherwise: He was one of the biggest and justified famous too. He will not be forgotten, I love this guy. I don't say that very often.
Do you find they make you feel depressed or uplifted? I used to fin them really really overwhelming.. elevating in a strange way. I always feel altered after listening to Elliott Smith, which I think is as great a complement as you can give to any form of art.
he is so beautiful on the inside it also makes him beautiful on the outside,its in the eye of the beholder,or in the sight of the listener. Just my personal view of him,RIP Mr. smith, c u someday, someday.....Luva luva*
elliott smith reminds me so much of david foster wallace. you can tell elliott wasn't into the waltz number two, it sounded stale and he knew it. both foster wallace and smith could reach and explain levels of consciousness that few are able to grasp, and in both cases it led to deep depression and suicide.
"I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous" Oh Elliot, if you only saw how the world sees you now. You inspire me, you tortured soul. R.I.P.
The music scene wasn't so bad after all compared to now, looking back. I can't imagine another Elliott Smith ever coming out again. Sort of like Nick Drake.
I really want to know what it would be like to know him personally, in all the interviews he always seems really uncomfortable so that definitely isn't the real him, I guess all we have left to base ideas off of is his music.
I don't think Music causes someone to feel either depressed or uplifted. Instead the person feels that way and then listens to the music that suits their mood. I think people feel good from music, but that comes from relating to and feeling connected to another human being through lyrics or music that you relate to.
