Five years ago today, a musical visionary by the name of Steve "Elliott" Smith left this world under a veil of mystery, marked by a long history of depression, alcoholism and rampant drug use. On October 21, 2003, in Los Angeles, CA, Smith died as the result of two stab wounds to the chest. To date, there has been no conclusion as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted or not.
Since first hearing the now-hit "Needle in the Hay" from Elliott's self-titled album Elliott Smith (1995) early on in high school, his music has played an influential role in my growth and maturation. I was instantly hooked, and quickly scoured the music collections of my friend's and brother to get my hands on as much of it as I possibly could.
In my experience, Elliott Smith is a perfect example of how music can help to craft a person's perception, whether situationally or in the 'greater picture' view of life. Personally speaking, albums such as the aforementioned Elliott Smith, XO, Either-Or, Roman Candle, and From a Basement on a Hill became the soundtrack to the up and down rollercoaster ride that is high school, two relationship break-ups, homesick nights in college, the deaths of close friends, etc.
Any first-time listener will notice the obvious: his music is sad. But is that such a bad thing? In our times of grief, whether we can notice it or not, one thing we desire above all else is someone who can relate, someone who can comprehend our state of mind, someone who has been there.
Well, Elliott Smith has been around the Sad Block more times that anyone should like to count. Like many poets before him, and like many songwriters today, he wore his emotions on the sleeve of his albums. A bad breakup was transformed into a song. A drug overdose metamorphosized into an album. If anything, his music provided the solace in the form of, "You think you have it bad?.. Well listen to this!"
My mom always questioned my music choices, claiming I tended to gravitate toward the dark and gloomy. I guess it's just comforting to know that you don't need to be head-over-heels in love or driving fancy cars in order to write/perform/sell music. It's comforting to know that heartache happens, and that bumps exist in the road of life. It's comforting to know that others have been there, or are there, and show us that perseverance is indeed possible.
I may not seem quite right. But I'm not fucked, not quite.
-Elliott Smith, "Bled White", XO
Other links:
Paste magazine story on Elliott out today
"Sad Kermit" YouTube video singing "Needle in the Hay"
Elliott Smith Wikipedia entry
