Elliott Smith: Strange Parallel

March 17, 2009 12:46 AM

Filmed in 1998, this little-seen Elliott Smith promo video succeeds because it highlights the late singer's goofball side as he searches for an elusive robot hand. Directed by Steve Hanft. Elliott Smith in Strange Parallel.

A portion of his music is still unreleased. Among them, I really like 'True Love (live)', for example.

posted by one teak forest (10 comments total)

I'd never heard him talk before, he seemed like a cool guy. XO was the first album that I ever felt like was mine and mine alone when I was fifteen. I still haven't grown out of it. Does anybody know what the song at around 6:00 was? I don't recognise it from any of the albums.
posted by minifigs at 3:34 AM on March 17, 2009

I hate how much I love Pitchfork TV.

When I met ES in 1995, he was a pretentious stuck up wasted prick. I skipped his show at the college bar later that night. When Either/Or came out a couple of years later, I regretted it. Now I regret little else as much. Genius sometimes makes people untenable and inappropriate, useless for much else but creation. And of course I wish it had made him less miserable.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:25 AM on March 17, 2009

I discovered Elliot Smith through a Metafilter post many years ago. Lovely lovely stuff.
posted by davebushe at 5:31 AM on March 17, 2009

Nothing against Smith but this film is pure wankery.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 5:53 AM on March 17, 2009

I like the drill sargeant bit. The rest is pretty bad. Some nice music though.
posted by bardic at 6:34 AM on March 17, 2009

I can't be the only one who misread that as 'porno video.' Thank god it isn't.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 6:53 AM on March 17, 2009

Awwww, I still get sad every time I see Elliot Smith doing anything at all "normal" seeming. He was at Hampshire College more or less at the same time as I was and he was always that haunted looking kid skulking around the music building clearly in just a weird terrible amount of pain. Thanks for this.
posted by jessamyn at 7:48 AM on March 17, 2009 [3 favorites]

I can't be the only one who misread that as 'porno video.' Thank god it isn't.

Yet you clicked on it.

Yes you did.
posted by deliquescent at 2:48 PM on March 17, 2009

I discovered Elliot Smith through a Metafilter post many years ago

I discovered Metafilter because of this post.
posted by Elmore at 7:39 AM on March 18, 2009

"The music business will crush me eventually."

For someone with an Elliot Smith themed username, perhaps it's odd that I'd never seen video of him performing live. I'd certainly never seen him perform with a guitar full of dirt before.

It was disturbing to see just how pervasive and crushing his depression was, how withdrawn he is here and how he seems to be visibly in pain at all times. It's like you can see it killing him.

Irrationally, I found myself rooting for him. I want him to beat this. I want him to be here now. I want to hear what the rest of his career would have sounded like, and I want to see him perform in the flesh. I want to see him smile an unambiguous smile.

.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 3:57 PM on March 18, 2009 [1 favorite]