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April 9, 2007
do you believe what i sing now
former friends - i feel it's time for a sort of monumental confession from me to you. and it goes something like this: i HATE elliot smith. HATE. HATE. HATE. there. i said it. sorry to spring this so suddenly but i've been keeping this secret for far too long. partly because i have several friends who enjoy his music quite a bit and i always thought i would eventually come around. to that end i actually imported most of his albums onto my itunes in hopes that somehow his music would seep into my subconscious and before too long i would be helplessly humming along. but that just hasn't happened. in fact - whenever one of his songs comes up in the rotation i get knots of anger in my stomach that travel up into my throat - knots that refuse to subside until i skip to the next track. and this really makes no sense because elliot earnestly ripped off alot of music that i actually enjoy. and i'm usually a sucker for the sad sack singer songwriter types. my cd collection is littered with them.
but what it comes down to for me is that for all of elliot smith's supposed darkness and misery - i just don't believe a word he is singing. it feels phony to me. and yes, i am aware that he committed suicide and that should be all the proof i need that his angst was not an act. but it all sounds so passionless and unoriginal. if i want to listen to an album of songs that sounds like big star out on a friday nite with the beatles and nick drake i can just as easily put on those records and not have my heart filled with thoughts of violence.
anyway, that's all i've got for now. i just felt that - in the interest of full disclosure - i needed to put that out into the universe. so for all those folks scoring along at home you can now add elliot smith to your list of young_christophers most hated artists of all time.
| By young_christopher | 4:26 PM
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Comments
See, that's why sometimes it's bad to listen to the "critics" before delving into an artist's catalogue. Because sometimes the critics are just wrong.
I always thought I was lame for taking so long to get into Elliot Smith, but now I'm glad I did, because I managed to forget everything the critics said, and listen to his stuff with an unbiased ear. Plus, I started with the only two albums by him that are really worthwhile, Figure 8 and XO. And guess what? Most of the songs on those albums are lighthearted and poppy, hardly the depressing acoustic guitar-mourn of Nick Drake or the New Wave robo-sad of Joy Division like the critics would have you believe. In other words, the music is not mopey...for the most part. He did have his pensive moments, but Smith wrote great pop tunes.
I'll admit that, lyrically, Smith deserved the "8th grade poetry/emo kid/black clothes and nail polish" tag, but to me, there was never a sense of "oh woe is me, I'm so sad." Listening to Smith, I always get the sense that he was constantly fighting the wolves at the sled, and his only weapon was music--the happier, the more effective. Listen to the songs "Sweet Adeline," "Baby Britain," "Bled White," "Son of Sam," "Junk Bond Trader," "L.A.," or "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?" for examples.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that he had his sad sappy moments, but I think those tracks by and large his weakest moments musically (a notable exception, at least to me, being the song "Pitselah," which was on one of the greatest...no, the greatest mix tape I ever got in my life, thanks Amanda).
Bottom line is, at his best, the guy wrote great pop tunes with an undercurrent of sadness, not great sad songs.
I really think you should try again, I know you could find a handful of songs by him that you like.
Of course, this all coming from a guy who has unfettered, blind hatred for Belle and Sebastian (except for the song "Don't Leave the Light on Baby," AWESOME song).
Posted by: Nick at April 10, 2007 4:46 PM
Posted by: Micah at April 10, 2007 9:38 PM
agree to disagree nick. i''ve listened to all the albums and remain unimpressed. you listen to your selected works of elliot smith and i'll stick with my big star and belle & sebastian. the only other person on the planet who inspires such hatred in my heart is kelly ripa.
Posted by: young_christopher at April 11, 2007 12:07 AM
I....don't know what to say. This is a complete and utter disaster. I might cry because I don't know how our friendship can survive this kind of betrayal.
Posted by: heidi at April 11, 2007 1:26 PM
Well, dammit Micah, that's why I insisted that they allow me to take your place in the blog. That comment was as long as the original post (and could have been longer). See, if I were allowed to make blog postings, Chris and I could take our bitch fight to the front page and to unprecedented heights, seeing as how I like to disagree with him on so many things. Plus, then Heidi would have someone to defend her on things like, oh, I don't know, her love for Elliot Smith.
Posted by: Nick at April 11, 2007 3:39 PM
i don't see how a musical preference could be seen as a betrayal. i could have simply kept it to myself. but the loathing was taking years off of my life. and i refuse to be browbeaten onto the bandwagon simply because the masses demand it.
Posted by: young_christopher at April 11, 2007 5:46 PM
Betrayal: to disappoint the hopes or expectations of
Yes, Chris. I hoped and expected that you would have the same affection for Elliot Smith as I and am disappointed that you actually despise him. How very Pitchfork of you (not the Elliot Smith part, but the hating something wildly loved everywhere else). And now you apparently refuse to stop talking about it - just dig that knife deeper!
There's also this definition: to seduce and desert
Not sure what relevance that has, but I though I'd throw that out there.
Posted by: heidi at April 12, 2007 8:30 AM
clearly i have hurt your heart heidi - but had you found out the truth in heaven it might have spoiled your eternity. also - i don't know that elliot smith is that widely loved. perhaps he is widely loved the way starbucks is widely loved but i've come across a few people in my time on this planet who believe as i do - that elliot smith is the ben affleck of indie rock. regardless i am still hella seductive!
Posted by: young_christopher at April 12, 2007 12:35 PM
Email "do you believe what i sing now" to a friend!
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