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A Sad Day In Music
Elliott Smith Dies At 34
By Eddie Fleisher
October 22nd, 2003 will go down as one of the saddest days in music
history. Though not widely known, Elliott Smith's influence is quite large
in the indie rock underground. He played in the noisier indie rock band
Heatmiser, and released two solo albums on the side. When Heatmiser called
quits after 3 records, Smith persued a much quiter and more introspective
solo career. He released such underground classics as "Either/Or", and
eventually garnered some national attention when his music was featured in
the film "Good Will Hunting", which also gained him an Academy Award
Nomination. Smith's music was deep, sometimes dark, and explored the pains
of life. Earlier in his life he had problems with addiction, and he shared
such subjects in his very personal songs. Smith was sometimes tagged as
"depressing", a tag in which he was never really happy with. His attention
from the Oscar nod got him signed to a major label, Dreamworks, where he
released the amazing "Figure 8". He was working on a double album called
"From A Basement On A Hill", which was to be released next year.
He was found dead on 10/22, from an apparent suicide. This marks a sad
time in modern music. Elliott Smith was important to our generation. His
death, while not as largely covered by the press, is as big a blow to music
as Lennon's death was in 1981. Smith's songwriting talents were comparable
to such greats as Nick Drake and Bob Dylan. His intimate lyrics and
soft-spoken singing were nothing short of beautiful. It's now clear that his
sadness in song, became too strong for him in his real life. Elliott was a
fragile soul, and maybe too fragile for the world we live in. We can only
hope he has found peace, and that whatever demons he was battling, have now
been laid to rest. Music has lost a great voice and an amazing talent.
Luckily, we can still hold on to his memory through the terrific body of
work he has left behind for us.
Rest In Peace Elliott Smith 1969-2003, a true inspiration.
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