I thought the same thing when someone gave me the cd of Either/ Or back in 2004, and saw his picture and his tattoos on the cover, I was like ok this guy is the typical punk. Then I finally put on the album and was floored by the sense of melancholic melody and lyricism of this genius. Wasn’t what I expected at all, been a huge fan ever since.
@manonthemountain I actually like how affable the host is. He is the typical host trying to make it fun but I do think he had an underlying respect for him the whole time. What is amazing about this is seeing Elliott Smith around normal people. He is just such an odd man out here and probably felt that way a lot. Imagine how he must have felt at the Oscars! His music really deals with that a lot too. It's hard to be objective about this clip though because I just love his music so much.
What a fever dream. I’d be so freaked out in his position & want to end the song as quickly as possible. It’s like having 50 dads gathering around you trying to tell dad jokes while you share your deepest emotions.
Especially dealing with the abuse from his step father I feel like him singing is almost his way of fight against that trauma by being vulnerable and showing that he can still be so emotionally present in his own way despite the presence of very obvious triggers
Don’t sweat it. You have clementine in your pocket. That’s just how that age group deals. They shut the fuck up while he was playing and admired as he played and clapped when he was done. Don’t sweat that shit if you’re him. He knows he’s got the ace.
Elliott would be 55 this year. I had the stupid thought listening to this that he could be on Rick Beato today, being interviewed for hours with a long gnarly beard and a baseball cap and fake white teeth, talking about his favourite guitars and how he does that thing with his thumb so soft and gentle, with Rick gazing at him with unreserved respect, and the world pouring out its love for him in the comment section, and I just felt so old and sad.
I still get that disbelief, like I'm still in denial, thinking we can still get him back, it's very weird grieving someone you've never known. But we must be glad he left so much of his heart behind for us to enjoy
Yup. Just came back to experience that very thing. Haven’t seen it in years but that I remember because it was so magical. I’m not really even a fan of his. It was still magical
It starts out so absurd, but the mood turns 180° when he begins to sing. There's that point at 3:50 where they cut to the woman in the black dress with the astonished expression like she's hearing music for the first time.
I don’t think anyone should hate on the morning show people for being goofy and maybe even a little condescending at first. That’s their job, they obviously had a goofy upbeat morning show which actually lifts a lot of people up. Elliott, who’s art also lifts people up, albeit in a much different way, came into their world, so it was obviously something he had to do for promotion, but not everybody is going to be as real as him. But like as someone pointed out, as soon as he started playing, you saw the real people come out of them and most of them are probably very intelligent and intuitive people. And now we get to enjoy this video forever, Elliott’s music in the context of this goofy ass setting. It just works for some reason. It’s almost like getting to see van goh paint the starry night in the mental asylum.
@@GeneseeBen He seemed like a good guy. The character of the show is supposed to be silly. Notice too how everyone was quiet and respectful when Elliott started playing. Seems like he was treated well, and it's cool of them to bring someone like Elliott on in the first place
I know I'm the 100th person to say this, but watching in real time as Elliot truly affects the hosts and guests is powerful. Watching their joking, phony morning show energy, and goofiness turn to "Whoa....this is something special happening right now" is pretty fucking amazing. This is terrific.
Yes. This. He is drawn in from his TV persona that he had on, and that's the power of music, and specifically Elliott's music. There's just something about it that not just humbles you, but grounds you, makes you feel things...feel a deeper meaning in this life. For that, I am forever grateful to Elliott Smith's work. Forever my favorite artist.
Absolutely! Ultimately so nice to watch. They obviously weren't being inherently malicious initially, just two very disparate worlds meeting and the vibe in the room when he starts playing is unmistakable. Really unique performance from any artist, fucking sucks that he's not around anymore.
it's when the living spirit enters the room, or in other words, when there's room enough for everyone to exist in. He gave them room to be, his creativity opens the way for everyone else to be creatively engaged, and thus divested of all the trappings of their personality they were previously bound up in.
Seriously! This is really the first full song I've ever heard from this guy and I'm really impressed by his simple yet technical way of playing. Really sweet melodies.
@@dx315I really like the studio version of his song "Strung Out Again" it has some great guitar work. Not crazy complicated, not super simple either, but every single note feels purposeful.
Still can't quite believe the genius/lunatic who decided to book Elliott Smith on a show like this. It's like a scene from a movie. He stays very professional throughout even though it must have been difficult for him. On a side note, I've watched this a few times now and I've gone from originally finding the male host a bit cringey to actually kinda liking him. It's not an easy gig for him either and he just about manages to keep things respectful. By the end of the song, he's definitely a fan.
Yeah he is just playing a character and running a show isn't easy. He gave Elliott some serious looks when he was playing, could tell he was actually listening.
This is incredible to me, something like this just essentially "lost" for 28 years found by pure chance. It makes me incredibly happy that there's still stuff out there, bless the person who found it.
Yeah, they were sleeping on Elliott...until he started strumming and singing. Then their hearts opened up. Hard not to, with a song like "Clementine." A truly great song.
I was lucky to see him at the Black Cat in Washington DC. It's a very small venue where they used to hold punk shows. Bikini Kill, Sleater Kinney etc. Elliot was there with just his guitar and his amazing voice. I paid $5 for the cover charge. After he was done he got himself a drink and sat by himself in the bar. Nobody bothered him and Im sure he appreciated that. A wounded healer.
This made my chest feel heavy but in a good way. His playing and his voice puts you in a state where your emotions come to surface and you just listen and connect to the song. I love his music so much.
You know Jack.... I've read people over the years, friends/acquaintances and the like say a lot of different things about the guy..... What you wrote was one of the sweetest and regular and probably most poetic... Thanks friend
All those people on that TV set were kind of wondering "who's that introverted freak?" until they realised what a genius songwriter with a moving voice Elliot was. I do love Elliot Smith like a soul brother
She does. It hits her. Then he sings, "What if she thinks so but just didn't say so." He singing it about Clementine, in that moment he could be singing it about the woman on the show.
I just love the juxtaposition... they mock him for being an 'angry punk kid' and then their reaction when he plays them the most beautiful music they have ever heard.
its crazy how odd this video is, i love everything about it. elliott awkwardly addressing the hosts questions, the weird characters of the set and the weird setting and film quality all add this surreal touch to this already lovely song. I miss you elliott.
Elliott Smith is one of the softest, sweetest souls ever. They were riffin and then they heard him sing and he’s an absolute angel. I’m cryin, he’s so good and it just shows the power of song is insanely deep. Here’s this edgy disgruntled overstimulated guy who really prefers his solitude because he lives in his head, and he’s thrust into the public world, and he doesn’t really wanna be there so they’re not vibing, then he does his thing and boom, love and respect. It gives me a lot of feels but God do I love Elliott and music and how he shows music’s power
I love the reaction shots at 3:34 and especially 3:51. That look of awe that this guy could create such beautiful music, combined with all the feelings it’s bringing out of them.
90s man, 90s..and 90s when Elliott was still around..I have seen him live and now the sunshine of 2023 seems too bright for me now when all the memories break and shimmer 😌
He was so mismanaged at this time. From his performance at the Oscars to having him play college bars in the mid 90's. He clearly wasn't comfortable doing it. What a pure talent.
I had the pleasure of meeting him in the 90's, when I lived in Portland, OR. He was exceedingly shy, but seemed nice. Saw him play with Heatmiser, and often found him hanging out around town. Totally a down to earth man. So sorry about his passing. He was truly something special.
Every woman in the room just fell in love. Theres something very humble and soft and vulnerable about him but also dark and weathered like hes been through things, as well as a relatability to everyone . In every recording of a performance ive ever watched of his, everyone in the room was completely silent. In a good way. Its not because they were bored or not enjoying themselves, its because they are being devoured and mesmerized by the music. Its hard for a musician to do that. Everyone is really focused on him. Hes an acoustic artist too, mostly. I grew up listening to him in middle and high school and now even today at 33. He is the reason i play guitar also. I dont think i might have even had the chance to grow up if not for him. I might have taken the easy way out. his music carried me through some very dark times throughout life, even a 11 year active heroin addiction which i also survived, thankfully. Im 5 1/2 years clean now im really grateful for his balance of an upbeat and happy sound with such tragic and devastating lyrics. Theres an elliott song for every mood ❤
I've never identified with anyone as much as I did with Elliott. Just weird, humble, cute, creative, uncomfortable, sad... Simply gorgeous. I also make music, but I'm ashamed of my face so I don't record it. Wish me strength to someday show the world what I can do best.
Thank you. You're story gave me hope that I could start successfully using heron for a few years and be back to my old self before my son is old enough to start remembering things
on the other hand, i don't think they were being mean to him. i just think they were putting on a relaxed kind-of playful ambient. not everyone is that bad of a person nor that everyone has bad intentions
I've lived in portland for 38 years, "streets wet, you can tell by the sound of the cars" is a real poetic comment about the months of October to March--- he captures something that is not necessarily Portland.... but so persuasive in its genuine commentary. you don't see that often.
Thanks for sharing. This whole scenario kind of reminds me of when Nirvana were promoting Nevermind and had to tell journalists about their world and how it never really translated. Whereas Kurt wouldn’t have played the nice guy part, Elliott seemed to play it better I suppose due in part to the music being less abrasive than Nirvana’s at least sonically but still dealing with heavy subject matter. He seemed to be dealing with this level of notoriety better than say when “Miss Misery” brought him into a larger spotlight three years later. You can tell in later interviews his unease with that type of attention which became more apparent and it became more difficult for him to adapt his personality to the invasiveness of the whole thing.
This whole thing feels like we are watching a weird, side show nightmare of a story about Eliotte Smith. Like none of this was real, it was all a metaphor scene in a movie about how Elliotte felt living in this world. It's even more wild that this was REAL. Kudos to him for being exactly as he was through this. I would have been so unbearably uncomfortable I would have just folded in on myself if I were him.
I love how they change in this video, just kinda making fun of him a bit and elliott just plays and sings and it just consumes them like it does to me thank you for posting this. : )
5:10 - He said that because he was the one who was really craving for a cigarette with Elliott! He couldn't wait to get off cam! I mean, c'mon, did you see the way he was mooning over him! I would too if I was sat like that, directly across Elliott Smith as he was pouring his soul out like it was nothing.
I love how he seems to want to get out of there and then perform one of his most beautiful music in the greatest gentleness. I don't think they realized how lucky they were to have such a precious jewel with them
I thought I'd seen every Elliott video but this was a new and, uh, interesting one. I can't think of a performer less suited to this kind of press interaction but he just does his thing and dazzles.
I miss Elliot Smith. I miss how awkward and uncomfortable he was at Every show he ever attended or performed in. When I was a kid, I didn’t get it, but now that I’ve done four tours with the US military, Ben injured, seen real trauma, deal with PTSD. And realize coming home is the worst part. All of his mannerisms makes sense now. And his music is one of the only things to gets me outof my own mind. For what it’s worth thank you Elliot.
at 3:41 you can see his fingers slightly shake before switching chords, you can definitely tell he was nervous at this performance and yet it was still so beautiful
Amo el "Oh My God!" del tipo, nunca se esperó una canción tan hermosa, imagino que pudo ilustrar con facilidad toda la letra. Me da mucho miedo no peder dejar de pesar en "está canción "
Man, it can be so rough watching him sometimes. As someone who has performed for many people with just an acoustic guitar throughout my life, I know all too well the type of emotions he was probably going through. Shaky hands. Finishing the song and immediately doing whatever you can to not fully engage with people’s reaction. Struggling to get the song right while your whole body is freaking out. And I’m sure all of this was really amplified in him.
"Finishing the song and immediately doing whatever you can to not fully engage with people’s reaction" These words and the rest of what you wrote describe exactly what happens to me when I play. I also sing my own songs and play with an acoustic. I hadn't seen it described like this before, but you really hit the nail on the head. I think you're absolutely right about it being amplified in him and he did so well during this performance. Best of luck to you for all your future performances.
@@anthonywallace3830 Yeah, if you know you know. It’s really hard when you’re playing original material, which is what I do as well. Especially in intimate settings like these. In front of large crowds it can be a lot easier surprisingly. I once had a girlfriend who played old timey fiddle. I didn’t play that kind of music much but a friend of ours was curating a big, week long acoustic blues festival on the west coast and he asked her to teach a fiddle class at it. I came along to provide some guitar accompaniment for the class and, long story short, we ended up playing the festival. I had no clue I was going to play until about 15 minutes before we went on. The crowd was in the thousands and I was tasked with playing guitar and singing old timey blues in front of a bunch of old timey blues legends. Not exactly a fun scenario for me. To put it into perspective, one of Reverend Gary Davis’ former students lent me a guitar he had built for the performance. I internally freaked out for about 10 minutes but realized I had to do it for her sake. When I got up there, I couldn’t hear myself, I couldn’t see the crowd and I wasn’t even sure if the guitar an incredible musician had just handed me was in tune. And yet, I wasn’t nervous the same way as I had been a million times before playing in small clubs or at friends parties and stuff like that. I’m sure I was terrible but some people asked for an autograph afterwards and KEXP approached us and asked if we’d want to go do a session. So I guess I couldn’t have been THAT bad. We both had to be back in NY and couldn’t do KEXP unfortunately, but it felt good that they asked. But yeah, I’ve played for crowds like that a few times and somehow it was always easier. You’re disconnected and can’t really feel the eyes on you. Especially if there are bright lights. Then you can barely even see the crowd anyway. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck with your future performances as well! I try to remind myself that I’ll probably never see most of the people I play for again, but it never really helps lol.
What a soldier to power through an absolutely awkward environment playing a truly heartfelt song in front of so many unwary people when you're mostly unknown at the time. A truly heroic moment.
Just goes to show that great art can cut through all the noise and still reach people. You can see the listeners trying to make sense of the experience in realtime. They all look surprised or a little uncomfortable in the face of such unexpected sincerity. Vulnerability can be powerful. RIP Elliott.
Real art, and he always handled himself with such unique class. Watching a bunch of dads being dads and then watching said dads melt doesn't bother me, everyone has their craft and their role and they played theirs very well.
It sounds like they clearly didn't listen to the album before interviewing him which I will never understand. Like I get that it is just a morning show but it is literally just 40 minutes of your time and your interview won't be nearly this awkward.
A lot of people are coming for Breakfast Time in the comments but it really was not a normal morning show at all. Was very avant garde (hence the puppets) in fact it’s probably why they had Elliott on in the first place because it was so “out there”
This is amazing...howd you come by this?? I'm gushing...14 yr old me would sit around just waiting for new undearthed videos of Elliott to pop up on the internet.
This is wild. You couldn't imagine a more incongruous coming together of worlds. And yet the whole schtick of the morning show is just utterly transcended and punctured by his beautiful music, which is undeniable in the moment. So great, and such a raw demonstration of the power and necessity of great art to cut through artifice.
Wow, thought I'd seen most interviews and performances but little gems like this keep popping up. Thanks for posting. I can think of few people less well suited to being around manic morning talk show people and "wacky" puppets than Elliott Smith. LOL - RIP!
Everyone in the comments tryna make it seem like Elliott was being tortured in this interview 💀 bro was laughing and even made a few jokes with them not to mention he would have to agree to go on this
2:25, sometimes I come back just to hear the performance. Glad I'm finding this guy at this point in my life, where I'm not doing great but better than I was. Just gotta remind myself to enjoy some music every now and then and that I've never felt something that someone else hasn't either.
He was 100% singular in every song he wrote, there had never been anyone like him to that point and nothing since. His music hit me like a freight train in '97...still hitting me...hes greatly missed.
