Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing
Two years ago on Friday, October 21, 2003, Elliott Smith died. The intentions behind his death have not been confirmed, but sometime that day, Elliott met the Big Nothing. Born Steven Paul Smith in Omaha, Nebraska, he grew up in Texas and Oregon. In high school, he began calling himself, "Elliott" as he felt that Steven was too "jock-like." Indeed, this encapsulates the crux of many of Smith's problems. He would assume the appearance of something and then he would become it. For instance, long before he became a drug addict, he wrote songs about being a drug addict. Before his death, he wrote many songs about committing suicide.
He was always musical, even writing songs when he was a child. In high school, he was in his first band, Stranger than Fiction. Later, he was in the band Heatmiser with his friend Neil Gust. During this time, he held a number of odd jobs including being a baker and a chimneysweep. Though Heatmiser became moderately successful, he felt creatively unfulfilled by the work -- feeling that he was playing music he didn't even like. His dissatisfaction brought an end to the band.
He released his first solo Album, Roman Candle, in 1994. In 1998, his song, Miss Misery from Good Will Hunting nominated for an oscar. He appeared in the awards telecast, and was mocked for his performance and his white suit.
Subsequently, he released albums, and grappled with his higher profile, his problems with drugs and depression. In 2002, he went to someplace called the Neurotransmitter Restoration Center to recieve a treatment involving IV bags of saline solution and amino acids to cleanse his system (this treatment has not been approved by the FDA.)
Elliott Smith had a tattoo of Ferdinand the Bull (from a popular children's book about a bull who, rather than fight, enjoyed sitting on a hillside, smelling the flowers), a symbol to him, of someone who wanted to live outside the expectations of the world. It was an admirable desire, even if it wasn't so easily accomplished. It endeared him to Indie kids all over the world, but especially those in his newly adopted home, Echo Park, an up and coming neighborhood near the hipster enclaves of Los Feliz and Silver Lake.
To be Continnued...
posted by kuaptic. @ 8:25 AM
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