5 years without Elliott

[real talk]

So I was thinking about it and I looked up on wikipedia and it's been five years on Oct 21 that Elliott Smith left the living. It's one of those things that sticks with a person. I remember the weekend after he killed himself I was in a dive bar in Detroit and somebody sang him a tribute. That was his memorial service, for me.

Anyway, five years later. Got any stories?

[wmgaretjax]

I cried when I heard. I've never done that for an musician before. But he was one of those singers that was with me all growing up and has still stuck with me in a really meaningful way.

I guess my memorial involved walking around in a park at about two o'clock in the morning singing along with Either/Or at the top of my lungs.

[real talk]

champion or chore

I feel sad.

[Deviate_420]

Elliot Smith stabbed himself, twice. Thats fucking metal dude..

[wmgaretjax]

Actually, the coroner refused to file it as a suicide.

[thestripe]

Field Day fest 2003 in the rain. I was green to Elliot's stuff, and this was the opening for me. He died a few months later.



R.I.P Mr. Smith you are missed.

[RotationSlimWang]

From A Basement On A Hill was an integral part of getting off heroin for me. That says more that those of you that were never junkies can possibly imagine.

[Boourns]

It's Christmas time
And the needles on the tree
A skinny Santa is bringing something to me
His voice is overwhelming
But his speech is slurred
And I only understand every other word

[apostle2]

I went to the wall outside Solutions audio last week for the first time to see where they took the picture for Figure 8, intending on setting up a couple goofy pictures of me standing in the same position. I hadn't realized it had become a make shift memorial, and I started reading the wall. I got too emotional to take the pictures, had a moment of silence for myself, and left.

[bug on your lip]

he was no Chris Whitley

[rskapcat]

It still makes me sad whenever Elliott's songs pop up on my ipod. Same with "Late" by Ben Folds (it's about Elliott). :( He's one of those people I forget is dead, and then when I remember, it makes me sad all over again!

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

I had a dream about him last night. I don't have any good stories about Elliott, other than that it took a long time for me to get over his death. I remember crying when I listened to A Fond Farewell, despite the fact that it isn't really about that.

I went to the wall outside Solutions audio last week for the first time to see where they took the picture for Figure 8, intending on setting up a couple goofy pictures of me standing in the same position. I hadn't realized it had become a make shift memorial, and I started reading the wall. I got too emotional to take the pictures, had a moment of silence for myself, and left.

I always thought this was really nice. I remember a year or so ago some assholes tagged it with graffiti, but then a bunch of volunteers got together to paint over it and restore it to it's original condition. The messages on the "old" wall were lost, but I still always thought that was really cool.

[TomAz]

so did the gf do it? what do you think.

[real talk]

I can't help but consider it when I'm watching the Jicks. Either way if she did or she didn't when I see her I can't not think about how she was the last one to hear him speak and the one that pulled the knife from his body.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

No no, SHE wasn't Elliott's girlfriend at the time of his death. That was Jennifer Chiba. I did find it weird when I met the Jicks though, I kept looking at her and thinking, "Elliott Smith fucked her"

[bmack86]

I can't help but consider it when I'm watching the Jicks. Either way if she did or she didn't when I see her I can't not think about how she was the last one to hear him speak and the one that pulled the knife from his body.

Woah. Full stop. Is she Bass Jick? No way...

[real talk]

No no, SHE wasn't Elliott's girlfriend at the time of his death. That was Jennifer Chiba. I did find it weird when I met the Jicks though, I kept looking at her and thinking, "Elliott Smith fucked her"

So the Jicks girl was his gf BEFORE the gf that maybe killed him?

[TomAz]

No no, SHE wasn't Elliott's girlfriend at the time of his death. That was Jennifer Chiba. I did find it weird when I met the Jicks though, I kept looking at her and thinking, "Elliott Smith fucked her"

thank you. i was like Jennifer Chiba's in the Jicks? but now I get it.

[real talk]

I don't get it. I'm misinformed.

[loveless]

Autumns book was a good read. His setlists were depressing in 2003, I have a recording of when he played the Fonda, during King's Crossing his girlfriend at the time and his sister yell out Because we love you when he sings Give me one good reason not to do it. Just sad, I always forget his birthday and the date he passed away, but I'm always listening to him on those days. Weird.

[vinylmartyr]

He was suppose to play ATP that year. They did like all star tribute instead.

http://www.atpfestival.com/archive/line_up.php?archive=2

[PassiveTheory]

I did find it weird when I met the Jicks though, I kept looking at her and thinking, "Elliott Smith fucked her"

What I will be thinking about when, if ever, I see Joan As Police Woman... Except about Jeff Buckley.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

I don't get it. I'm misinformed.

Joanna Bolme from the Jicks was Elliott's girlfriend, but not at the time of his suicide/murder/whatever you want to call it. His girlfriend at that time was Jennifer Chiba, she was the one who would have seen him in his last moments of life.

[real talk]

Thank you for correcting me. I told a lot of people it was the Jicks girl, but I don't think any of them cared.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

haha

[fikus222]

His death sure was fishy, I mean how many times can you stab yourself in the heart? Wthout "help" I mean.

[humanoid]

I get sad about it almost every single time i listen to him, yet simultaneously grateful that he brought such beautiful music into my life

[greghead]

I went to the wall outside Solutions audio last week for the first time to see where they took the picture for Figure 8, intending on setting up a couple goofy pictures of me standing in the same position. I hadn't realized it had become a make shift memorial, and I started reading the wall. I got too emotional to take the pictures, had a moment of silence for myself, and left.

My area of research is DIY memorials to deceased musicians, and I have done a lot of work about that wall and what people do there; it's pretty amazing considering what happened to it a year ago.

I miss Elliott Smith. Stabbing yourself in the heart, no less than twice, is pretty fucking intense. Poor guy, I wish he would have missed. XO and From a Basement on the Hill form the soundtrack from me getting all fucked up on drugs, and then getting mostly clean again back in the late 90s and early 2000's.