Torment Saint: The Life of Elliott Smith (55 page)

BOOK: Torment Saint: The Life of Elliott Smith
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17
. Abernathy, “Yellow Heat,”
The Rocket
, May 25–June 8, 1994, Issue #182.

18
. See Elaine Beebe, “Punked Out: Half of Heatmiser’s Songs Are Straight,”
The Tribune
, May 5, 1994.

19
. Interview Brandt Peterson, December 4, 2011.

20
. Brendan Joel Kelley, “XO, Elliott,”
Phoenix New Times
, October 30, 2003.

21
. Interview Jason Mitchell, January 7, 2012.

22
. Interview JJ Gonson, May 15, 2012.

23
. See
http://www.daggerzine.com/interviews_lisafancher.html
.

24
. See “Interview With Lisa Fancher,”
http://punkmusic.about.com/od/recordlabels/a/An-Interview-With-Lisa-Fancher-Of-Frontier-Records.htm
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

25
. Interview with Jeff Scharlau, titled “Come on Feel the Warmth, Heatmiser,” 1993.

26
. Ibid.

27
. Interview Leslie Uppinghouse, April 20, 2012.

28
. See piece Abernathy,
The Rocket
, May 25–June 8, 1994.

29
. Interview Brandt Peterson, December 4, 2011.

30
. Interview JJ Gonson, February 14, 2002.

31
. Interview James Ewing, June 25, 2012.

32
. de Wilde,
Elliott Smith
, 60–61.

33
. Interview JJ Gonson, February 14, 2002.

Chapter Five: Yesteryear Soon

1
. See, for descriptions of Elliott’s genius,
http://louderthanwar.com
. January 8, 2011, Rob Haynes.

2
. Interview Christopher Cooper, October 12, 2001.

3

Sunk Music
interview, June 1995.

4
. Ibid.

5
. “Misery Has Company,”
Los Angeles Times
, April 19, 1998. See:
http://articles.latimes.com/1998/apr/19/entertainment/ca-40637
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

6
. Kagler, “Elliott Smith: Better Off Than Dead.”

7
. Interview Tony Lash, October 28, 2011.

8
. See, for a close and thoughtful analysis of Smith’s musical aesthetic, Elizabeth Newton, “Between the Bars: The Early Musical Language of Elliott Smith,” Summer Research, Paper 53 (2010). Accessible at
http://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/summer_research/53
.

9
. See M. Bates, “Walkin’ After Midnight,”
http://jimzine.tripod.com/no1/elliott.html
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

10
. See Barnaby Smith,
Roman Candle
review,
The Quietus
,
http://thequietus.com/articles/04066-elliott-smith-roman-candle-reissue-review
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

11
. See “Elliott Smith: One of Us Is on the Moon,”
http://www.mtv.com/bands/s/smith_elliott/news_feature_102903/index3.jhtml
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

12
. Interview Christopher Cooper, October 10, 2011.

13
. See “Elliott Smith (1969–2003),” at
http://wweek.com/popup/print.php?index—4489
.

14
. See “Elliott Smith Album Guide,”
Rolling Stone
,
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/elliott-smith/albumguide
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

15
. Interview Leslie Uppinghouse, April 17, 2012.

16
. John Graham and Mark Baumgarten, “Elliott Smith: Errant Son,”
Willamette Week
,
http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-4196-1997.html
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

17
. Communication with Garrick Duckler, May 25, 2012.

18
. Kagler, “Elliott Smith: Better Off Than Dead,” in the “bonus material” section.

19
. Interview JJ Gonson, January 31, 2012.

20
. Tyler Agnew, “Precluded Predecessors, Vol. 1: Heatmiser,”
Treble
,
http://treblezine.com/columns/112.html
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

21
. See Elliott Smith official website,
http://www.sweetadeline.net/rocket49.html
.

22
. Interview Pete Krebs, January 24, 2012.

23
. Interview Leslie Uppinghouse, April 17, 2012.

24
. “Back Where They Started,”
Filter Magazine
, May/June 2003.

25
. See Elliott Smith official website,
http://www.sweetadeline.net/rocket49.html
.

26
. The Haystack Calhoun connection was suggested to me by an Elliott Smith fan, Julie McNamara.

27
. Bates, “Walkin’ After Midnight.”

28
. For more on this episode as well as Kill Rock Stars and K Records, see Mark Baumgarten’s excellent history of that era,
Love Rock Revolution
(Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2012).

29
. See
http://www.well-rounded.com/music/reviews/elliottsmith_intv.html
.

30
. Dale Kawashima, “Top Success Story: Cutting-Edge Music Publisher and Manager Margaret Mittleman,”
SongwriterUniverse
,
http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/mittleman.html
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

31
. de Wilde,
Elliott Smith
, 215.

32
. Kelley, “XO, Elliott.”

33
. See “The Over/Under: Elliott Smith,”
Magnet Magazine
, March 31, 2009,
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2009/03/31/the-overunder-elliott-smith
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

34
. See, for instance, Allmusic.com. See:
http://www.allmusic.com/search/all/elliott+smith
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

35
. See Elliott Smith official website,
http://www.sweetadeline.net/ross.html
.

Chapter Six: Sweet High Notes

1
. Greil Marcus,
Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the Crossroads
(New York: PublicAffairs, 2005).

2
. See OPB radio show interview, “Five Years Later,” October 21, 2008.

3
. See Chandler and Wagner,
The Rocket
, April 9, 1997.

4
. Interview with Carsten Wohlfeld, 1998. See:
http://www.lunakafe.com/moon44/usor44.php
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

5
. Dornan, “Elliott Smith.”

6
. Kelley, “XO, Elliott.”

7
. RJ Smith, “Elliott Smith: He’s Mr. Dyingly Sad, and You’re Mystifyingly Glad,”
SPIN
,
http://www.spin.com/articles/no-easy-way-out
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

8
. Interview Dorien Garry, August 7, 2012.

9
. See
Under the Radar
interview, 2003.

10
. These quotes are from Alex Stein and Yahia Lababidi,
The Artist as Mystic
(Victoria, Australia: Onesuch Press, 2012).

11

Q Magazine
, January 2011, 102–04.

12
. de Wilde,
Elliott Smith
.

13
. Ibid.

14
. Ibid.

15
. Ibid.

16
. Ibid., 66.

17
. Ibid.

18
. Ibid.

19
. Ibid., 69.

20
. Ibid., 70.

21
. Ibid., 69.

22
. See Elliott Smith official website,
http://www.sweetadeline.net/pamart.html
.

Chapter Seven: Robot Hand

1
. de Wilde,
Elliott Smith
, 154.

2
. Interview Barney Hoskyns, April 30, 1998.

3
. Ibid.

4
. Jem Cohen chose not to do an interview for this book but he was willing to corroborate certain facts about his film
Lucky Three
.

5
. See Ross Spears interview, sweetadeline.net. See:
http://www.sweetadeline.net/ross.html
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

6
. Ibid.

7
. Greg Kot, “Who Is John Brion (and is there anything he can’t do?),”
Chicago Tribune
,
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-02-12/features/0302120057_1_jon-brion-instruments-aimee-mann
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

8
. Ibid.

9
. Ibid.

10
. Ibid.

11
. de Wilde,
Elliott Smith
.

12
. Ibid.

13
. Ibid.

14
. Interview Barney Hoskyns, April 30, 1998.

15
. Ibid.

16
. See “Music by Day” interview, November 20, 2007. See:
http://www.musicbyday.com/steve-hanft-interview/16/
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

17
. Interview Nelson Gary, March 27, 2012.

18
. Mark Pittman, “Memory Lane: Remembering Elliott Smith,”
Being There
,
http://beingtheremag.com/archives/content/0502/smith.html
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

Chapter Eight: A Symbol Meaning Infinity

1
. Casey Jarman, “Missing Misery,”
Willamette Week
,
http://wweek.com/portland/article-18112-missing_misery.html
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

2
. Bates, “Walkin’ After Midnight.”

3
. de Wilde,
Elliott Smith
, 218.

4
. Keith Cameron, “Pretty Barfly,”
NME
, reproduced on
http://www.sweetadeline.net/barfly.html
.

5
. Interview Jennifer Chiba, October 9, 2010.

6
. de Wilde,
Elliott Smith
, 79.

7
. See recording sessions link at
http://alphabettown.freeforums.org
.

8
. John Mulvey, “Brood on the Tracks,
NME
, April 8, 2000. Reproduced at
http://wwwsweetadeline.net/nme00.html
.

9
. Ibid.

10
. Nick Duerden,
Q Magazine
, August 2000. See:
http://www.sweetadeline.net/q00.html
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

11
. Interview Dave Leto, September 27, 2012.

12

NME
chat, March 28, 2000. See
http://www.sweetadeline.net/32800chat.html
.

13
. Paige La Grone, “Go Figure,”
Mean
, May/June 2000.

14
. de Wilde,
Elliott Smith
, 219.

15
. Alex Steininger, “Interview: Elliott Smith,”
In Music We Trust
,
http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/34h03.html
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

16
. Michael Kimmelman, “From Berlin’s Hole of Forgottenness, a Spell of Songs,” New York Times,
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/arts/design/25abroad.html?_r=1&
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

17
. Ibid.

18
. Valania, “Elliott Smith: Emotional Rescue.”

19
. Interview Shon Sullivan, December 31, 2010.

20
. Ibid.

21
. As of October 2012, this entire show can be seen on YouTube.com at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_ZpXF0O318
.

22
. “Flaming Lips Star Remembers Elliott Smith,”
NME
,
http://www.nme.com/news/elliott-smith/15386
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.

23
. The clip can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLVl7Asp3k
.

24
. E-mail exchange, Valerie Deerin.

25
. These lyrics are from the final version of the tune, its finished form. At Silver Lake Lounge he was less direct. There he simply noted true love’s cost, how it required more than anybody could earn.

26
. R. Daniel Foster, “Curiosity for Rent: Snow White cottages in Los Feliz,”
Los Angeles Times
,
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2011/11/snow-white-cottages-silver-lake.html
.

27
. Interview Barb Martinez, July 2012.

28
. Ibid.

29
. de Wilde,
Elliott Smith
, 211.

30
. Interview Jennifer Chiba, December 2, 2010.

31
. See
SPIN
, October 2004, Liam Gowing, “Mr. Misery.”

32
. Jonathan Valania, “All Things Must Pass,”
Magnet Magazine
,
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2005/01/28/elliott-smith-all-things-must-pass/
.
Accessed April 7, 2013.[AU: date of retrieval?]

33
. See
SPIN
, October 2004, Gowing.

Chapter Nine: Can’t Make a Sound

1
. Interview with Nelson Gary, April 16, 2011.

2
. The essay is by Nelson Gary. It’s titled “I’ll be Your Mirror: Blue Mask,” and it appeared in the online publication Heroin Times, date unknown. Provided to author by Nelson Gary.

3
. Ibid.

4
. Interview Nelson Gary, April 16, 2011.

5
. Interview Jerry Schoenkopf, March 27, 2012.

6
. Kagler, “Elliott Smith: Better Off Than Dead.”

7
. See, for a review of these charges,
http://www.listener.co.nz/uncategorized/back-to-earth/print
.

8
. See, for this nightmare and one other, Valania, “All Things Must Pass.”

9
. Interview Jennifer Chiba, October 25, 2010.

10
. de Wilde,
Elliott Smith
, 61.

11
. Interview Dorien Garry, August 22, 2012.

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