My Favourite Elliott Smith Song

S6 Ep12: Flyte Apr 17, 2024

Joining us for the final episode of the season are Will Taylor and Nick Hill of Flyte.
Will and Nick are very talented songwriters based in London. As Flyte, they have released three studio albums so far - with their most recent record, called Flyte, coming out towards the end of last year. They've also worked with some well-known names too, including the likes of Madison Cunningham, Laura Marling and the actor Florence Pugh.
We first saw Will was an Elliott Smith fan when he listed the Elliott self-titled album as one of his all-time favourites. We then got in touch to set up this interview, which Nick very kindly joined. In it, we discuss that self-titled record, what Elliott Smith might have been like at school and their favourite song pick - which they seemed to both agree on without ever discussing it.
Hope you enjoy listening to it!
Extra things:

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep11: Claire Rousay Apr 03, 2024

Joining us today is Claire Rousay.
Claire is a musician and composer based in Los Angeles. She describes her work as 'emo ambient' and is just preparing to release a new album, Sentiment, which is out later in April 2024. The record is a follow-up to Claire's last studio album Everything Perfect Is Already Here, which came out in 2022.
Claire says she listens to Elliott Smith at least four days a week and, in this interview, we talk about her and her partner's shared Elliott passion, her song choice (which is a track we've never covered on the podcast before) and her 'what would Elliott do' approach to navigating the ethics of the music industry.
Hope you enjoy listening!
Extra things:

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep10: Mikaela Davis Mar 20, 2024

Joining us for episode 10 of the season is musician, Mikaela Davis.
Mikaela is a harpist and songwriter based in Catskill, New York. Mikaela credits Elliott Smith with helping 'spark' her professional music career, as it was her cover of Twilight that helped bring her to the attention of a booking agent while she was still a college student.
She's now a firmly established artist with her 2023 album And Southern Star released to critical claim by Kill Rock Stars (in another Elliott parallel).
In this interview, she discusses the enduring impact of that Twilight cover, Elliott Smith's classical sensibilities and her favourite song pick.
Extra things:

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep9: Rey Villalobos (The Coral Sea) Mar 06, 2024

Our guest for today's episode is Rey Villalobos, who releases music under the name The Coral Sea.
Rey started out as The Coral Sea back in 2004 and has released several albums since then - including Golden Planet Sky which came out last year.
Before he went solo, Rey began his music career as a drummer. Playing in bands in Los Angeles and Portland - where we moved in similar ciricles to Ellliott Smith.
In this interview he talks about those days, covering A Distorted Reality is a necessity to be free and he also discusses his favourite song pick - which also has a strong Portland connection. Thanks to listener Pierrick for suggesting Rey as a guest!
Extra things:

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep8: Spencer Fox Feb 21, 2024

Today we're joined by musician, Spencer Fox.
Spencer is the guitarist in the New York-based band Charly Bliss. The band have released two albums to date with Guppy coming in 2017 and Young Enough in 2019, and they've recently been in the studio recording their third record too.
We had a great time chatting to Spencer. He's a self-confessed major Elliott Smith fan and had a lot to say on his pick for his favourite song, the YouTube rabbit holes he goes down and he kindly humoured attempts to draw parallels between his childhood acting career (he starred in The Incredibles) with his Elliott fandom!
Extra things:

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep7: Violet Mayugba (Destroy Boys) Feb 07, 2024

Our guest today is Violet Mayugba.
Violet is the guitarist and a founding member of the band, Destroy Boys. The group formed back in 2015 in Sacramento, California and have gone on to release three studio albums, with one more on the way - in fact, they had just finished recording it the day before this interview was recorded.
Violet is a huge Elliott Smith fan. She talks about her favourite song pick and the personal way she relates to it very openly and honestly, and we loved speaking to her.
And after the interview with Violet, we catch up with musician Dylan Rodrigue. Dylan and fellow musician Marcus Buser recently hosted an Elliott Smith tribute show in Los Angeles. It featured former podcast guests Johanna Samuels, Aaron Embry and Shannon Lay, and we discuss how the show went as well as Dylan's favourite song ES song.
Hope you enjoy it!
Extra things:

Roman Candle by Elliott Smith
Listen to Destroy Boys
Find Violet Mayguba on Instagram
Find Dylan Rodrigue on Instagram
In the episode, we play a clip of Johanna Samuels singing Antonio Carlos Jobim on Elliott Smith - here's the ES version

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep6: Lily O'Farrell (@vulgadrawings) Jan 24, 2024

Our guest today is Lily O'Farrell, who you may know by her online name @vulgadrawings.
Lily is a cartoonist and writer based in London. She began publishing feminist cartoons on Instagram in 2018 and has since reached more than 300,000 followers. She's also published a book, released a podcast (her recent series No Worries If Not is well worth listening to) and, yes, even created a number of Elliott Smith memes.
In this interview, we discuss what makes Elliott's music meme-worthy, whether or not you should date an ES fan and the impact her favourite song pick has had on her life.
Hope you enjoy listening to it!

Extra things:

Happiness/The Gondola Man by Elliott Smith
Happiness by Elliott Smith live in Paris
No Worries If Not - Lily's podcast
Follow Lily on Instagram
We also share a clip of Calebo playing Happiness at a recent tribute show in London - you can find them here
Photo by Holly Whitaker

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep5: Shannon Lay Jan 10, 2024

Welcome to our first episode of 2024 with Shannon Lay!
Shannon is a solo musician based in Los Angeles, who's released four solo albums, as well as a collection of covers that came out last year. And on that covers album is a version of Angeles (by Elliott Smith), which you can hear at the very end of this episode.
Before that though, we have the full interview with Shannon, where she discusses Figure 8, listening to albums from start to finish and the lyrical mastery in her favourite song pick.
Hope you enjoy it!
Extra things:

Can't Make a Sound by Elliott Smith
You can find Shannon's cover of Angeles here
Shannon's website
Photo of Shannon is by Kai McKnight

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep4: Margaret Glaspy Dec 20, 2023

Joining us for our last episode of the year is musician, Margaret Glaspy.
Margaret, who is based in New York City, released her latest album - Echo the Diamond - in August this year. The record is Margaret's third full-length album, and follows on from 2020's Devotion and 2016's Emotions and Math.
Margaret says Elliott Smith has been a big influence across her career, so in this episode we dive deeper into that, how she defines the Elliott 'vibe' and why her favourite song pick means so much to her.
Extra things to look at and listen to:

Stupidity Tries by Elliott Smith
Margaret Glaspy's website
Line of Best Fit review of Echo the Diamond
Kolby Dickens plays us out with Say Yes

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep3: John Vanderslice Dec 13, 2023

Our guest today is John Vanderslice.
John is a musician, producer and the owner of the legendary Tiny Telephone studio, which initially began in the Mission district of San Francisco. Bands who've recorded at Tiny Telephone with John include the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Okkervil River, the Mountain Goats, St. Vincent and many, many more.
Embarking on his musical odyssey as a singer/songwriter, John has left an indelible mark with the release of 17 albums since 2000. Recently, he underwent a significant evolution by immersing himself in the vibrant realm of electronic music. Notably, he continues to manage Tiny Telephone Oakland.
In this interview, he tells us about how Larry Crane introduced him to Elliott Smith, his experience of seeing him live and we also talk about John's changing relationship with narrative in music.
Photo by Maria Brand
Extra links:

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep2: Kimbra Nov 15, 2023

Our guest today is Kimbra.
Kimbra is a musician originally from New Zealand but is now based in New York City. You may have first heard of her when she sang on the track Somebody That I Used To Know in 2011 alongside Gotye, who wrote the single. The pair went on to win two Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
These two Grammy wins are part of a huge career, which includes signing with Warner Bros, multiple collaborations, an appearance on a Sims computer game soundtrack and a total of four albums, with her most recent, A Reckoning, coming out earlier this year.
Before releasing this record, Kimbra made the decision to break away from her major label recording contract and work independently.
In this interview, we talk about the reasons behind that decision, the parallels between her career and Elliott Smith's, and, of course, we cover her favourite song choice too.
Extra links:

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S6 Ep1: Paul Rees Nov 01, 2023

Our first guest of the new season is author, Paul Rees.
Paul has had a great career as a music writer. He's held senior positions at magazines such as Q and Kerrang, he's written several books including a best-seller on the life of Robert Plant, and most recently, penned a biography of Elliott Smith titled, Shooting Star.
In this interview we discuss that book, how Paul decided to write about Elliott, the many stories he learnt along the way, and we also discuss his pick for his favourite song too.
At the end of the episode, we also mention this brilliant Elliott Smith tribute from Adam Walton on BBC Wales and this unreleased interview from the year 2000 (courtesy of Mark Benton).
Thank you for listening!
Music in this episode:

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep12: Lauren McCarthy Dec 14, 2022

Our guest for our final episode of this season is Lauren McCarthy.
Lauren is the Executive Editor of Nylon, a publication that covers fashion, entertainment and music. Through her work, Lauren has the enviable opportunity of interviewing some of the most exciting artists working today - people like Phoebe Bridgers, Beabadoobee and Snail Mail.
One interesting thing Lauren has noticed through her work is the enduring influence on these younger musicians of Elliott Smith. So, for this final episode of the season, we look to the future. We ask why it is that Elliott still lives on so strongly in the minds of this new generation of artists, as well as of course talking about Lauren’s favourite song pick too.
Thanks for all your support over the course of this season!
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Waltz #2 (XO) by Elliott Smith
XO by Elliott Smith
Check out Lauren's work on Nylon
Follow Lauren on Instagram
Subscribe to our newsletter
Our cover today comes from Sparky Bosque - listen to it here

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep11: Julia Shapiro Nov 30, 2022

Our guest today is Julia Shapiro.
Julia is a musician who is perhaps best known as the lead singer and guitarist in the band Chastity Belt, which formed in Washington state in 2010. Chastity Belt have released four studio albums, including, most recently, 2019's self-titled record. Julia's work isn't just limited to that band, though, she's also part of the group Childbirth and has released solo records too.
A key theme throughout her work, Julia says, is her Elliott Smith influence, which we, of course, discuss in this interview. We also talk about her views on Elliott's songwriting style and why she's never stopped listening to his music.
Hope you enjoy the episode!
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Satellite by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/track/satellite
Julia Shapiro Bandcamp: https://juliashapiro.bandcamp.com/
Our cover today comes from The Fencesitters - find out more about them here: https://linktr.ee/thefencesitters
Read our latest newsletter
Send us your Elliott Smith cover to covers@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep10: Elise Okusami (Oceanator) Oct 26, 2022

Our guest today is Elise Okusami.
Elise is a New York City based guitarist and vocalists who performs under the name Oceanator. As Oceanator, Elise has released three albums so far, including, most recently Nothing’s Ever Fine, which came out earlier on this year.
Elise has covered a couple of Elliott Smith songs during her career, including and the Biggest Lie, which we’re discussing today in this episode. As you might be able to guess from that, Elise is a big Elliott Smith fan. In fact she’s such a big fan that she even wrote a university thesis on him.
It was really lovely talking to Elise for this episode, so I very much hope you enjoy listening to it.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

The Biggest Lie by Elliott Smith
The Biggest Lie by Oceanator (cover)
Wouldn't Momma Be Proud by Oceanator (cover)
Elliott Smith live at the Yo Yo A Go Go Festival, Olympia 1999
Clementine by Sofa City Sweetheart
Read our latest newsletter
Send us your Elliott Smith cover to covers@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep9: Aaron Powell (Fog Lake) Oct 12, 2022

Joining us for episode nine is musician Aaron Powell.
Aaron is based in Newfoundland, Canada and plays under the name Fog Lake. He’s been recording music for the last 10 years or so and his work has been referred to - quite interestingly - as ‘harrowing nostalgia’. Aaron’s released several albums to date, including 2021's Tragedy Reel, which reflects on his upbringing in rural Canada.
Aaron is a self-confessed major Elliott Smith fan. He’s got a lot of Elliott knowledge and thoughts on his music that he kindly shares with us during this chat. Hope you enjoy listening.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Coast to Coast by Elliott Smith on Spotify
From a Basement On the Hill by Elliott Smith on Spotify
Fog Lake Bandcamp
Circuit Rider by Fog Lake
Read our latest newsletter
Send us your Elliott Smith cover to covers@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep8: Nilüfer Yanya Sep 28, 2022

Our guest for episode eight of season five is Nilüfer Yanya.
Nilüfer is a musician from London. Nilüfer's first ever release came back in 2016 when she put out her debut EP Small Crimes/Keep on Calling and, since then, she's released two full-length albums: 2019's Miss Universe, which was then followed up by Painless earlier on this year - a record that's well worth checking out if you haven't heard it already.
We recorded this chat with Nilufer over the summer. In it, we talk through her favourite song pick, the importance of having your own interpretation of music, and we also go a bit deep on the nature of fame. We hope you enjoy it!
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Angeles by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/0Ziohm1Ku8E2yUDYoclfhO?si=aeb7ca596f144a0d
Either/Or by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=NyNrLWt0QCCAYeaeN5zJtw
Painless by Nilüfer Yanya: https://open.spotify.com/album/1rw1hpm0jSriJVVCyf6Da6?si=CTEN0SO9QbSrQ7yPlkqktg
Nilüfer Yanya's website: https://niluferyanya.com/
Read our September newsletter: https://myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.substack.com/p/newsletter-3-lola-kirke-momma-and
Our cover today comes from Andre Salvador - you can listen to it here: https://andresalvadorandthevonkings.bandcamp.com/track/needle-in-the-hay-elliott-smith

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep7: Joshua Burnside Sep 14, 2022

Joining us today is the musician Joshua Burnside.
Joshua is a singer-songwriter based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He’s released five albums across his career, with his first record, Ephrata, winning the Northern Ireland music prize in 2017.
Joshua is known for incorporating a wide range of influences into his work, from Colombian and Indonesian music, right the way through to one Elliott Smith. And while Elizabeth was over in Northern Ireland for work this summer, Joshua was kind enough to invite her to his studio to discuss his love of Elliott Smith and talk her through his pick for his favourite song.
Hope you enjoy listening to this episode.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Tomorrow, Tomorrow by Elliott Smith on Spotify
XO by Elliott Smith on Spotify
More on Joshua Burnside
Joshua Burnside on Bandcamp
Our cover this week comes from Jack Lavery
Subscribe to our newsletter:
Send us your Elliott Smith cover to covers@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep6: Momma Aug 31, 2022

Joining us for episode six of this season are Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten from the band Momma.
Etta and Allegra have been playing music together since they became close friends while at high school in Los Angeles, California. Since those early days, they've gone on to record three studio albums, including most recently, Household Name which came out earlier this year.
2022 has been a great year so far for Momma: that new album has been released to widespread acclaim, they’ve been tipped as the next big thing by a range of publications and they’re currently touring with the band Snail Mail. So, what better way to cap that all off than by being guests on this podcast...?
Etta and Allegra were great guests and kindly shared lots of Elliott Smith-related anecdotes, as well as discussing their musical influences more broadly. Hope you enjoy this conversation.
(Photo credit: Sophie Hur)
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Christian Brothers (Heatmiser version)
Christian Brothers (Elliott Smith solo version)
Household Name by Momma
Documentary on the making of Household Name
Subscribe to our newsletter
Today's cover comes from Oisin Ruxton from Cork, Ireland
Send us your Elliott Smith cover to covers@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep5: Lola Kirke Aug 17, 2022

Our guest today is the multi-talented, Lola Kirke.
As an actor, Lola has starred in the TV show Mozart in the Jungle and the film Mistress America, as well as many others. And, as a musician she has released two studio albums - most recently Lady for Sale which came out on Third Man Records earlier on this year.
Her favourite song pick is a great selection from Figure 8 and, in this interview, she delves a bit deeper into this track, and tells us how her how she was introduced to Elliott Smith by her boyfriend when she was 13.
Photo credit: Zack Michael.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Son of Sam by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/6tPiCU4LFsXUQPRIykOAnl?si=72633655a1d147e7
Figure 8 by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/album/7DC0pE943VR5tAKIvQXHts?si=kPG8pSi1R-aKcBOzW_wnfw
Lola Kirke website: https://www.lolakirkemusic.com/welcome
Our cover today is from Dan Caleb (Calebo): https://www.calebo.co.uk/
Newsletter #2: https://myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.substack.com/p/newsletter-2-orono-toledo-milwaukee?utm_source=%2Finbox&utm_medium=reader2
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.substack.com/p/coming-soon?r=1jzwzn&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Send us your Elliott Smith cover to covers@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep4: Toledo Aug 03, 2022

Our guests today are Dan Alvarez and Jordan Dunn-Pilz, who together make up the band Toledo.
The pair have been making music together since they were 11 years old, growing up in Newburyport in Massachusetts After parting ways for college, Dan and Jordan are now reunited and living in Brooklyn, New York, and are steadily building a big following, with their debut coming out in September this year.
For this episode, Dan and Jordan took a slightly different route, and instead of picking one track, we compare two well known recordings of the same song.
It was a lot of fun chatting to Dan and Jordan - you really get a sense of their friendship and chemistry as a double act - and I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation.
Extra things to look at listen to:

Miss Misery (early version) on Bandcamp: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/track/miss-misery-early-version
Miss Misery (movie version / on XO extended edition): https://open.spotify.com/track/4zetUxeSCCDwrr1jJT0SuD?si=a014d56aa5ea4fb9
Good Will Hunting closing scene with Miss Misery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5qajitmZd0
Toledo website: https://www.thebandtoledo.com
Our cover today comes from Jake Lamb - you can find it on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vXsIoJ4Wdk
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.substack.com/p/coming-soon?r=1jzwzn&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Send us your Elliott Smith cover to covers@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep3: Orono (Superorganism) Jul 20, 2022

Our guest for episode three of season five is Orono from Superorganism.
Superoganism are a band now based in London, though they started out more geographically dispersed. When the group formed, Orono would record her vocals separately from Maine, where she attended boarding school.
After finding prominence with their debut single Something for Your M.I.N.D in 2017, Superorganism followed it up with their first album - a self-titled record - a year later. The group released their second album, World Wide Pop, in July 2022.
Orono has been an Elliott Smith fan since her dad introduced her to his music as a teenager. In this interview, Orono shares more about how she discovered his music, we talk about how the self-titled album accompanied her through some very difficult times, discuss learning to play Elliott songs and, of course, we go in depth on her favourite song pick too.
Our listener cover today comes from Andrew Alarcon (featuring Tawnie Lucas).
Photo by Jack Bridgland.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

St Ides Heaven by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/track/st-ides-heaven
Elliott Smith by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/album/elliott-smith
Orono's Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/oronooo
Andrew Alarcon (featuring Tawnie Lucas) playing St Ides Heaven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct5YH1EPD2k
Read our newsletter #1: https://myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.substack.com/p/newsletter-1-ruth-radelet-carmen
Please send us your cover to covers@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com.

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep2: Carmen Perry (Remember Sports) Jul 06, 2022

Our second guest of this season is Carmen Perry from the band Remember Sports.
Remember Sports formed back in 2012, when Carmen and her bandmates were studying at college/university. Since then, they've released five albums, most recently Like a Stone, which came out last year.
It was as a teenager that Carmen became an Elliott Smith fan. She discovered his music when she was searching indie artists on download sites and immediately connected with it.
In this episode, we discuss her Elliott Smith origin story, how he made the piano cool and, of course, we talk about her favourite song choice too.
We close out the episode with a cover of Angel in the Snow from the band Sam and Me.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Pitseleh by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/1Q0sk7b7PAGjgC3R5zyuWt?si=964479edaa854f6e
XO by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=dqsoX_oGQ9mX8WajvucG9g
Find out more about Remember Sports: https://remembersports.bandcamp.com
Listen to Sam and Me's cover of Angel in the Snow: http://www.samandme.com/downloads.html
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.substack.com/p/coming-soon?r=1jzwzn&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Send us your Elliott Smith cover to covers@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S5 Ep1: Ruth Radelet Jun 22, 2022

Our guest for the opening episode of season 5 of My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is Ruth Radelet.
Ruth is a musician based in Portland, Oregon, who has recently started a solo career, after a long and successful stint with the band, Chromatics, a group she joined back in 2006. One of her first releases as a solo artist was, in fact, a cover of Twilight by Elliott Smith, which she recorded for the 30th anniversary celebration of the record label, Kill Rock Stars.
In this interview we talk about that cover, why Ruth wanted to do that song in particular and what it means to her. As an added bonus, the conversation was recorded at New Monkey Studio in Los Angeles, California and we're very grateful to Greg, Robert and Joel for allowing us to use the space, and for being such great supporters of the podcast.
In this episode, we also announce to new additions to the podcast for this season - a newsletter and the chance to have your cover featured. You can find links to these below.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Twilight by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/track/twilight-2
From a Basement on a Hill by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/album/from-a-basement-on-the-hill
Twilight by Ruth Radelet: https://killrockstars.bandcamp.com/track/twilight-elliott-smith
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.substack.com/p/coming-soon?r=1jzwzn&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Send us your Elliott Smith cover to covers@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com
More about New Monkey Studio: http://newmonkeystudio.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S4 Ep12: Craig Thomas Nov 18, 2021

We're very happy to welcome Craig Thomas onto the podcast for the final episode of this season.
Craig is a writer and producer perhaps best known as the co-creator of the comedy, How I Met Your Mother, but he's written lots of other things as well, including for David Letterman, American Dad and Oliver Beene.
It was as a young writer living in New York City that Craig became a big Elliott Smith fan. And, in this interview, he shares a great story of hearing his song pick live during that period.
Hope you enjoy this chat with Craig and thank you so much for all your support during this season. We'll be back very soon.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Stupidity Tries by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/4ggVOqzCnaK9vFXAuvxUeM?si=c9e8045049b846fe
Figure 8 by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/4ggVOqzCnaK9vFXAuvxUeM?si=c9e8045049b846fe
Elliott Smith plays Stupidity Tries on David Letterman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrp2hdN9OX0

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S4 Ep11: Hrishikesh Hirway Nov 04, 2021

Our guest today is the musician and podcaster, Hrishikesh Hirway.
Hrishikesh is the creator of the excellent Song Exploder podcast - where musicians dissect their songs and discuss how they were made - which has recently been made into a TV show by Netflix. He's also involved in other popular podcasts including West Wing Weekly, Home Cooking and Partners.
But music is Hrishikesh's first love and he has been working as a musician on and off for the last 20 years or so. From 2002 to 2011, he put out several albums under the name The One AM Radio and just last month he released a new track, this time under his own name, called Between There and Here.
In this interview, as well as talking through his favourite song selection, we discuss where Hrishikesh first discovered Elliott Smith's music, how it influences his own work and what track he would cover on an Elliott Smith Song Exploder episode.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Angeles by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/track/angeles-remastered
Either/Or by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/album/either-or-expanded-edition
Between There and Here by Hrishikesh Hirway: https://open.spotify.com/track/2QZSKNoM76itD9uLr53PaQ?si=e2d19d010d92491c
Arlo Parks on Song Exploder: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Qoy8NA3ItXrFa3X0KSgv4?si=02453e3460d84322

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S4 Ep10: Dorien Garry Oct 21, 2021

Today, we're joined by Elliott Smith's close friend and publicist, Dorien Garry.
Although they had already known each other for a little while, the two cemented their friendship when Elliott moved to New York City in the late '90s and stayed for a while at Dorien's apartment. At this time, Dorien was also working at Girlie Action, the PR agency that represented Elliott.
So, in this interview Dorien talks about their friendship, how it developed over the years and how another one of their good friends in New York inspired the song she’s chosen to talk about today.
Hope you enjoy it!
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Independence Day by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/3pM7gfel0ho7yVJw4KK5Eq?si=27891cc0611b4787
XO by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=cbt2IPMvQVelsBTmTZvNqw
Elliott Smith discusses the origin of Independence Day: https://soflawedanddrunkandperfectstill.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/i-was-actually-thinking-about-someone-in-particular/

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

S4 Ep9: mehro Oct 07, 2021

Joining us today is the musician, mehro.
mehro is based in Los Angeles and has spent the 18 months or so of the pandemic amassing a huge following online. He hadn't released a song before February 2020 and has since put out a handful of singles as well as a debut album, SKY ON FIRE, which came out earlier on this year.
He came to Elliott Smith's music relatively recently too, having been introduced to him by an engineer he was working with. He has since dived deep into his back catalogue and recently took a tour of Los Angeles to visit several of the places Elliott played.
It was a pleasure talking to mehro for this episode - hope you enjoy listening to it!
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Between the Bars by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/52Bg6oaos7twR7IUtEpqcE?si=f5a1e29b6fee4446
Either/Or by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=S7VIEUayQG6NAP7SCGl0yg&dl_branch=1
SKY ON FIRE by mehro: https://open.spotify.com/album/78pXYuIlTIUBQhtQTH8gTP?si=lu5FXV7yQ2GQRZBp-neutA&dl_branch=1

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S4 Ep8: Johanna Samuels Sep 23, 2021

Joining us today is musician Johanna Samuels.
Johanna is a singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles, who put her first full-length album, Excelsior, out earlier this year. She's also a huge Elliott Smith fan and recently appeared singing Elliott Smith's Single File on a Kill Rock Stars cover record.
In this interview, she discusses that tribute show, connecting with a good friend of Elliotts and of course we discuss her favourite song pick, which is one we’ve never spoken about before.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Antonio Carlos Jobim by Elliott Smith (solo live): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83XMNCuZa_g
Antonio Carlos Jobim by Heatmiser: https://open.spotify.com/track/5d00XHKV66BAMEyrXgl5d7?si=1ba1aee3fc204c7b
Excelsior by Johanna Samuels: https://open.spotify.com/album/3Fnql0RShULAYWGq0oBpcl?si=QbrheUIlR9Ch05ubHOO_Fw&dl_branch=1

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S4 Ep7: Steven Page Sep 09, 2021

Our guest for this one is Steven Page. Steven is a musician, who is perhaps best known as the lead singer and a guitarist in the band Barenaked Ladies. He was one of the founding members of the group and was with them for just over 20 years until 2009, when he left to pursue other projects.
Steven is now a solo artist and is soon heading out on a solo tour of North America.
He’s a big Elliott Smith fan too, of course, and joined us for this interview to talk about his song pick, his love of the album XO, Elliott’s drumming abilities, and much more besides.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Everybody Cares Everybody Understands by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0uEGjq4WbwCb4C6ZpEA25c?si=252c17d879124ab3
XO by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=RV5vjiziSH6KNYVk-g59vA&dl_branch=1
Steven Page's website: https://www.stevenpage.com/
Elliott Smith cover of Schoolhouse Rock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XikZCsZkdtk

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S4 Ep6: Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) Aug 26, 2021

Our guest today is the musician Matthew Caws.
Matthew is the lead singer and guitarist in the band Nada Surf, a band he formed in New York City in the early ‘90s with his friend, Daniel Lorca. In total, Nada Surf have put out nine studio albums, and their most recent, Never Not Together, came out in 2020.
Nada Surf also had the pleasure of touring with Elliott Smith and the band Quasi in 1998, and in this interview we discuss Matthew’s memories of that tour, why he decided to turn down the opportunity to play solo shows with Elliott and his 'favourite' song pick too.
Hope you enjoy it!
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Coming Up Roses by Elliott Smith on Bandcamp: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/track/coming-up-roses
Elliott Smith (album) by Elliott Smith on Bandcamp: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/album/elliott-smith
Nada Surf website: http://www.nadasurf.com
Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nadasurf?lang=en

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S4 Ep5: Phil Elverum Aug 12, 2021

Today, we're welcoming Phil Elverum onto the podcast.
Phil has been releasing music for over 20 years now. First, through his band The Microphones and then under the name Mount Eerie - a project he started in 2003 and is still running today. Over the course of his career so far, Phil has put out more than 40 albums.
Phil discovered Elliott Smith’s music in the mid-'90s and even saw him play live a couple of times. He has lots of interesting perspectives to share - so hopefully you enjoy this interview!
Extra things to look at / listen to:

I Didn't Understand by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/3IQApXKUun0iHHtpsvI7xL?si=db96c08b1b0b4596
XO by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=ycBNDKIPQseK8I_WFHiKLw&dl_branch=1
Phil Elverum website: https://www.pwelverumandsun.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S4 Ep4: Maggie Smith Jul 29, 2021

Our guest today is the writer, Maggie Smith.
Maggie is a poet and author based in Columbus, Ohio. She has published several collections of her poetry, including most recently Goldenrod, which came out in July 2021.
After seeing her tweeting about Elliott Smith, I got in touch with Maggie to invite her on the podcast. We had a lovely chat about Elliott's music, her favourite song pick and why it might be a good choice to walk down the aisle to. Hope you enjoy listening to this episode!
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Rose Parade by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/track/rose-parade
Either/Or by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/album/either-or-expanded-edition
Maggie Smith website: https://maggiesmithpoet.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S4 Ep3: Ed Harcourt Jul 15, 2021

Our guest today is the musician Ed Harcourt.
Ed has released six studio albums - one of which was nominated for the mercury music prize - and has written songs for lots of other artists too, including the likes of Marianne Faithful, Paloma Faith and Sophie Ellis Bextor.
Ed also counts himself as a big Elliott Smith fan. And in this episode, he talks to Elizabeth Withstandley about his favourite song pick, Elliott Smith’s enduring influence on songwriters and we talk about an Elliott cover he did as well.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Ballad of Big Nothing by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/track/ballad-of-big-nothing-2
Either/Or by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/album/either-or
Ed Harcourt: https://edharcourtmusic.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S4 Ep2: Rebecca Gates Jul 01, 2021

Our guest today is the musician Rebecca Gates.
Rebecca is based in Portland, Oregon and was one half of The Spinanes before she left to release music as a solo artist. The Spinanes were a firm fixture on the Portland music scene and it was there that she met Elliott Smith for the first time and established a friendship that would lead to her recording backing vocals on the song St Ides Heaven, which appears on his self-titled album.
That makes Rebecca - as far as I understand - one of only three people to have sung backing vocals on an Elliott Smith album track. Thank you to Reddit for the answer!
So, you might have guessed that St Ides Heaven is the song we discuss. Rebecca very kindly shares her memories of recording her vocals for the song, what she thinks of it now and a few other Elliott related stories besides as well.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

St Ides Heaven by Elliott Smith: https://elliottsmith.bandcamp.com/track/st-ides-heaven
St Ides Heaven performed by Rebecca Gates: https://rebeccagates.bandcamp.com/track/st-ides-heaven-live
Madding by The Spinanes: https://thespinanes.bandcamp.com/track/madding
For No One Else by The Spinanes: https://thespinanes.bandcamp.com/track/for-no-one-else

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S4 Ep1: Mike Doughty (Soul Coughing) Jun 17, 2021

Mike Doughty is a musician and the founder of the band Soul Coughing. Mike set up the experimental group in 1992 and they released three albums before going their separate ways in 2000. Mike has since gone onto pursue several solo projects.
Already an established fan, he met Elliott Smith during the 1990s and Elliott also recorded some vocal tracks for Mike during that period. He discusses those encounters, as well as his favourite song with Elizabeth Withstandley in this interview.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Christian Brothers by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4oAk3085zSd1SAhjBdx4MV?si=cb21837b50214bcd
Christian Brothers (Heatmiser version) on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1QUXSToImDkW7CUzJwRrWQ?si=25d384f81b7c4311
Mike Doughty website: https://www.mikedoughty.com

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep14: Aaron Espinoza (Earlimart) Oct 29, 2020

We're delighted that musician Aaron Espinoza joins us to round off our third season.
Aaron is a producer, who owns his own studio in Los Angeles called The Ship. He's also in the band Earlimart and it was when he was starting out with that group in the early 2000s, that he became friends with Elliott Smith.
Aaron, Elliott, the members of Grandaddy, Lou Barlow and many others were all part of the same vibrant LA music scene back then. And Aaron has lots of great stories from that time that he shares with us in this interview, as well as his choice for his favourite Elliott Smith song.
We couldn't think of a better way to end the season - hope you enjoy it!
Extra things to look at / listen to

Punch and Judy by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1vOD1DZtgbKxxpgKTDfLXl?si=L7J3_6ZRQ9aj4-ZywFjENg
Either/Or by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3UVJu0QdTJBfGJBl1AMWEM?si=qHijyU-4Q5GZ_bg-0PqH7Q
Heaven Adores You by Earlimart on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6VkUaLenR8WwsuP5n9AVZV?si=8FgzSCtzQ2epMMezryOElQ
Heaven Adores You (film) now available on Amazon Prime UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elliott-Smith-Heaven-Adores-You/dp/B07PNSK4HS
Heaven Adores You (film) now available on Amazon Prime US: https://www.amazon.com/Elliott-Smith-Heaven-Adores-You/dp/B07PQYGQRG

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep13: Charlene Kaye Oct 15, 2020

Musician Charlene Kaye joins us for our penultimate episode of season three.
Charlene is a solo artist, who goes by the name KAYE. She's preparing to release her new album, Conscious Control, which comes out in November 2020. You may also know Charlene as the lead vocalist of the band San Fermin, which she was part of for five years.
She's a big Elliott Smith fan too. And in this episode, we discuss how his music takes her back to a certain place in time, his impact on her and the wider music world, and of course we take some time to go through her favourite song pick too.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Satellite by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6ybrBH5DdnCwEilkEtuMtI?si=BDLV9xV0TTiCroisfS0kKA
Elliott Smith (album) by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0w0jXq1fLPMPCNsVmmxNnc?si=5TDcO5nNRaCDpvmJbqa4iQ
Elliott Smith plays Satellite live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCY-zHvtVcQ
Charlene Kaye announces new album Conscious Control: https://guitargirlmag.com/news/music-news/music-premiere-kayes-new-single-earthrise-from-upcoming-album-conscious-control-due-out-november-20/

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep12: Catherynne M. Valente Oct 01, 2020

Catherynne M. Valente - or Cat - is a writer of fantasy and science fiction books. Her work includes the novels Palimpsest and Space Opera, and the Fairyland and Orphan's Tales series of books.
Cat heard Elliott Smith for the first time in Miss Misery and immediately set about saving the money she needed to buy the film's soundtrack. In this interview we talk about how her love of Elliott has grown since, how it has helped her through some difficult times and, of course, her pick for her favourite song.
We round this off with a listener pick from Laura. If you want to feature on the show, just send us a voice note telling us what your favourite Elliott Smith song is to submissions@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

The White Lady Loves You More by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1GRafxm1wx4A31ULSBhKRt?si=1Jp9CvGuQlykyuUF5v4Z4A
Elliott Smith (album) by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0w0jXq1fLPMPCNsVmmxNnc?si=XlzOkMiQSx-q0F2t9Zk_Vw
Blackbird (Beatles cover) by Elliott Smith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTOZTK-yDr4
Catherynne M. Valente website: http://www.catherynnemvalente.com/

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep11: Jessica Dobson (Deep Sea Diver) Sep 17, 2020

Joining us today is musician, Jessica Dobson.
Jessica Dobson is a musician based in Los Angeles. She's the lead singer and guitarist for her band Deep Sea Diver, a group she formed in 2012. Before starting that project, Jessica played and toured with the likes of Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Conor Oberst, and was a member of The Shins for a couple of years from 2011 to 2013.
In this interview, Jessica picks a great Elliott Smith song to discuss (one we were surprised didn't go earlier) and shares lots of stories about her relationship with Elliott's music and how it's influenced her.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

2:45am by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6R3485odccMLEZac4eDALD?si=n9kSWkq2SlW-IzEpxZy65g
2:45am by Elliott Smith live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia8QItEc_QU
Either/Or by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=41bGP8A2TjmY3TzvogE5Gg
Deep Sea Diver on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6CD0HbcaKmuVB3NHJJgSdH?si=h3bb5rftRqmjrN-BZhpf3A
Deep Sea Diver announce new album: https://www.kexp.org/read/2020/8/4/deep-sea-diver-announce-new-album-share-single-video-lights-out/

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep10: Bunny Rogers Sep 03, 2020

Joining us today is the visual artist, Bunny Rogers.
Bunny is a contemporary American artist that creates installation, video and sculptural works. She told us that Elliott Smith has been a big inspiration in a number of her works, sometimes consciously and other times subconsciously.
Bunny has exhibited her work at many significant art museums and organisations all around the world, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY, The Marciano Art Foundation, Los Angeles, Societe, Berlin, Louisiana Museum of Art, Denmark, Art Basel and most recently at Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria.
Excited to bring you a different take on Elliott Smith than we have done before and to cover a track we've been wanting to discuss for a while.
Photo by Filip Olszewski.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

True Love by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0xuwiQwAXEG9IWACfGeRai?si=AMpdt2p_TFiZIb-X_8iH3Q
True Love by Elliott Smith (Bunny's preferred version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvTQBHsMLa0
Sister Unn’s (installation in Queens NY converted into an abandoned flower shop. This project has a subconscious reference to Elliott Smith. The first line in True Love is “True love is a rose behind glass”. She realised the reference years later: http://meryn.ru/portfolia/sister-unns/
Columbine Cafeteriais an installation featuring a video that play 3 Elliott Smith covers, "See You in Heaven" "Son of Sam" and "Unlucky Charm: http://societeberlin.com/zh/exhibitions/bunny-rogers-columbine-cafeteria/
Kind Kingdom, Bunny's latest work that was exhibited at Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria earlier this year: https://www.bregenz.travel/bunny-rogers-kind-kingdom/
Life of the Record podcast episode on Elliott Smith self-titled record: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-of-the-record/id1487396757
More Elliott Smith self-titled record related content on this thread: https://twitter.com/MyFavESmithSong/status/1299276518196228096?s=20

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep9: Steve Holmes (American Football) Aug 06, 2020

This episode is released on a special day - what would have been Elliott Smith’s 51st birthday.
We’ve been saving this interview to put out today because our guest Steve Holmes, who plays in the band American Football, has quite a strong personal connection to the song he picked. He talks us through one of Elliott’s rare and unreleased tracks because he was actually there at one of the very few times it was ever played live.
For those that don't know, American Football are a band that formed in Illinois, USA, in the late '90s. Since then, they have released three studio albums, one coming in 1999, then a further two after a 15 year hiatus.
Steve is a huge Elliott Smith fan and saw him play live a few times, including when he was his favourite song pick being played. So, it was great to get the chance to speak to him and chat through one of the hidden gems in Elliott’s back catalogue.
Following Steve's interview we have a listener pick from Leni in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Extra things to look at/listen to:

Unlucky Charm by Elliott Smith (1997) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f0hLC8pkBU
Unlucky Charm by Elliott Smith (2002) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f0hLC8pkBU
Unlucky Charm on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/elliottsmith/comments/4qwvdk/what_are_all_the_known_recordings_of_unlucky/

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep8: JJ Gonson Jul 23, 2020

Joining us for this bonus episode* is the photographer, JJ Gonson.
JJ had a big impact on Elliott Smith's career - particularly in the earlier stages. She was the manager of Heatmiser, she lived with Elliott in the house he recorded his first solo album in (a record she had a writing credit on), and she took countless photos of him and their friends during those days in Portland.
JJ is also preparing to publish a coffee table book of rare and unseen images of Elliott alongside the self-titled record, when that album gets re-released by record label Kill Rock Stars at the end of August.
So, in this interview we talk through the book, we discuss how she came to meet Elliott and the other members of Heatmiser, what it was like being involved in the making of Roman Candle, and we cover the songs that remind JJ of the time she spent with Elliott.
*This is a bonus episode as we focus on a wide variety of Elliott Smith songs, rather than just one.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Roman Candle by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0vgbFgcYqm2B0csVXvo8d5?si=7-iYwbYWSc2MQ-9LiWzqqg
Elliott Smith (album) by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0w0jXq1fLPMPCNsVmmxNnc?si=AzUVHDz6RNC6lyfUvLuhxg
JJ Gonson's online store, where you can order the self-titled record and book bundle: https://jj-gonson-photography.myshopify.com/?fbclid=IwAR3u8yzAeYIH0SeZSgcMJkm80bFAmizgcmRbwRan76QWRJFo9-ku9clgUsQ
JJ and Kill Rock Stars speak to Rolling Stone about the re-release of the self-titled record: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/elliott-smith-some-song-umbra-penumbra-1022079/
JJ Gonson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jj_gonson_photo/?hl=en
James Mercer of The Shins discusses living in Elliott Smith's old house: https://www.qthemusic.com/articles/interviews/qa-shins-james-mercer-port-morrow-pirate-hats-living-elliott-smiths-old-house

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep7: Sammy Brue (plus Max Bloom) Jul 09, 2020

In this episode, we’re taking a bit of a two pronged approach to the song we’re looking at.
First up, we have our main interview, which is with the musician Sammy Brue. Sammy is a musician based in Ogden, Utah, in the United States. Sammy released his first album at the age of just 16, and now at only 18 he’s just put out his second record, Crash Test Kid. He’s also quite new as an Elliott Smith fan, having only recently delved a bit deeper into Elliott’s catalogue on a recent tour to Germany. And in this interview, he talks to Elizabeth Withstandley about how he’s enjoying discovering Elliott’s music and why it resonates with him so much.
Following Sammy's interview, we speak to an old friend of the show and former guest, Max Bloom, as he covered the song that Sammy picked for an Elliott Smith tribute album that came out in 2016
We round this off at the end with a listener pick from Rebecca in London and a couple of other bits and pieces.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Bled White by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/44xqX8IBgEkis0PZrKRXp1?si=XIRlNGkdTFiJ5AizEWWuwg
XO by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=lqEOn60SReudDXPh_iXQQQ
Crash Test Kid by Sammy Brue on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/715W6wjKwoI3VytDoX0RQl?si=HeU0ReQ6QCSwxXj0_gBD_w
Yuck cover Bled White for Say Yes! An Elliott Smith Tribute Album: https://open.spotify.com/track/0mKKOBllTOKeVXVnIp0f1g?si=ZxdpgR3xSESbFgWb4CwzfQ
Max Bloom covers Bled White in London, 2019: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2735573866674913

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep6: Josh Burgess (Yumi Zouma) Jun 25, 2020

Our guest today is the musician, Josh Burgess.
Josh plays in a band from New Zealand called Yumi Zouma. The group have been making music since 2014 and have put out three studio albums, with their most recent record - called Truth or Consequences - coming out in March this year.
The band’s sound is a lot poppier than Elliott Smith’s, so it was interesting to hear that Josh was a fan, and we used this discussion to find out how he weaves Elliott influences into his songwriting, as well as discussing his favourite song pick and much else besides too.
Following the interview with Josh, we're joined by musician Tom McClung (Francis Lung) for a very special announcement about something we're working on with him and La Blogotheque.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Baby Britain by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3pwj90XGAD6I0jO3q6fkCx?si=b4q9Hem3Q1eQOSqLMXMiXg
XO by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=qDqZNFkTRlCK7oywDuDP_w
Waterloo Sunset (The Kinks cover) by Elliott Smith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFbQQzkZuqU
Truth or Consequences by Yumi Zouma on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0yss5R3uULkCI7Dc9jKRoV?si=ld3yULmGS46cl8XkVTQW2Q
Donate to the charities we're supporting through our tribute show: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/everybodycares

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep5: Ben Gregory (Blaenavon) Jun 11, 2020

Our guest today is the musician Ben Gregory.
Ben is the lead singer and guitarist from the band, Blaenavon. Last year the band released their second album, Everything That Makes You Happy, and a collection of demos called Demoitis.
And Demoitis has, Ben says, some of his most Elliott Smith-influenced work. So, in this interview, we discuss that record, how he can relate to the mental strain Elliott may have experienced while touring, as well as his favourite song pick too (disclaimer: it may not actually be Ben's favourite Elliott Smith song).
To finish off this episode, we have a listener pick today from Gabe.

S3 Ep4: Merlin Mann May 28, 2020

Our guest today is the writer and podcaster, Merlin Mann. Merlin is the man(n) behind shows such as Do By Friday, Reconcilable Differences, Back to Work and Roderick on the Line, with a former guest on this show, John Roderick.
He's also a big Elliott Smith fan too, and in this interview he talks about seeing him play live, how he still turns to his music when he's feeling vulnerable and we cover his favourite song choice as well.
Our listener pick today comes from Steven Erskine in Arizona, USA.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

St Ides Heaven by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7ys1RkQ4DA2Olul6pHlO91?si=uXjv4YL4RauWsaTO2gJmwA
Elliott Smith (self-titled album) on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0w0jXq1fLPMPCNsVmmxNnc?si=Oy_S59CLSgq3wVnzrkzSUw
Lucky Three film by Jem Cohen: https://youtu.be/N1aLTnCja9Q
Elliott plays St Ides Heaven live: https://youtu.be/_vMXtoC_LZ4

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep3: Joseph Gilgun May 21, 2020

Welcome to a season three bonus episode! Our guest today is the actor Joe Gilgun, who's been in films and TV programmes such as This is England, Misfits and Preacher, and you currently see him on screens in the UK in Brassic, a show he also created.
It's a bonus episode because Joe had so many different Elliott Smith songs he wanted to pick, we decided to discuss several tracks, rather than just one. We also talk about why he relates to Elliott's music so much, particularly the honesty of the lyrics.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Can't Make a Sound by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3WaYhAz45pwhS2boBUjvfO?si=jNtXbDhlTFm_6086bSo-0Q
Coast to Coast by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3FR9weMRq5uV9bs11PJPhk?si=6GrsAF6GTi6mKOoWvzwNpg
High Times by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7I74ofx0tRpZjaoeeROUv3?si=axVz0CnXRw-kExoQ4ywwBg
Last Call by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4NZTQN3IYbb44aYw0XwOa6?si=8iZq75V9RbWu6hEmxozxJA
Needle in the Hay by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1bFPKxP56XWDXJOwo3Kvfp?si=nFm8nc2XRLOBbOHBZzLI-g
Joe discusses Elliott Smith with NME: https://www.nme.com/tv-interviews/joe-gilgun-soundtrack-of-my-life-2648843
Elliott Smith on Rick and Morty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxMA2i_SlQ8

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep2: Joan as Police Woman May 14, 2020

Our guest today is Joan Wasser (aka Joan as Police Woman). Joan is a musician, who started off her career playing with several bands including the Dambuilders, Antony and the Johnsons and Those Bastard Souls. Since the early 2000s, Joan has principally released music as a successful solo artist, releasing five regular studio albums, plus an EP and a couple of collections of covers.
She's lived in New York City since the '90s, and it's there she met Elliott Smith - playing the same shows and drinking in the same bars and clubs. She also toured with Elliott and even wrote a song about him, after seeing parallels between the reaction to his death and the death of her partner, the musician Jeff Buckley.
In this chat, we talk about that track, we talk about touring with Elliott, and we also cover her favourite song choice too. The interview is followed by a listener pick, which today comes from Stephen Johnson.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Wouldn't Mama Be Proud by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4GZRKea2czcuYBX2HhNNsI?si=1tOmsuUlQS6DyhPMKC0Wsg
Figure 8 by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7DC0pE943VR5tAKIvQXHts?si=uljHTS7ESgmgmEgrd75s4g
We Don't Own It by Joan as Police Woman on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4RxgC2IO98zIWrqhlqlnB8?si=rakZ0Z09QA6p8-8Ovwn4VA
Joan plays We Don't Own It live in 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP3njyeHOww

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S3 Ep1: Christian Lee Hutson Apr 30, 2020

Kicking off our third season is the musician, Christian Lee Hutson.
Christian is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. He's currently preparing to release his third album, which has been produced by his friend and collaborator (and former guest on this show) Phoebe Bridgers.
Keeping that kind of company, it's perhaps unsurprising that he is a big Elliott Smith fan. In this interview, we talk about how his dad introduced him to Elliott, why it was 'unfashionable' to like the album XO in school and, of course, his favourite song pick too.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Oh Well, Ok by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7AG284RTvcDG9uHt1NQIbu?si=_AUWRZJbRMq89eYJS3pNFQ
XO by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=FMMIVH5HSVGmZvQNj9C6YQ
Christian Lee Hutson on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5B7NeaqVrmXPyF05C9tnZ3?si=RSLzypouQAW8ORIb_jBHmA
Christian on the My Favorite Album podcast: https://jeremydylan.net/podcast/rpnw3kbjwfx8w5a6npmytklgwtcc75

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep16: Fenne Lily (plus Ross Harris and Charlie Ramirez) Jan 16, 2020

To kick off the final episode of our second season, we speak to the musician Fenne Lily.
Fenne is based in Bristol in the UK and released her first album, On Hold, in 2018. She's currently preparing to release her second record and kindly took some time out to chat to us about her favourite Elliott Smith song, what she learns from Elliott's writing and why she didn't become a fully fledged fan until a little bit later on.
After we speak to Fenne, we delve into the podcast archives to pick out a couple of clips from our S1E6 interview with Ross Harris, who directed the video for Fenne's favourite song pick.
We round this all of with a special listener pick, which today come from Charlie Ramirez, the founder of Elliott Smith fansite, SweetAdeline.net. Charlie talks us through his favourite song pick, as well as a few stories from his time working on Sweet Adeline.
Thanks for your support of the podcast over the course of this season, it's hugely appreciated. We'll be back with a new series very soon.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Miss Misery by Elliott Smith (music video directed by Ross Harris): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH8-lQ9CeyI
Miss Misery (early version) by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7esXCD9cnI5PBcpQxvg47u?si=_6278btCS0OgDPTNPdPNPA
Elliott Smith performs Miss Misery at the Oscars, 1998: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPf-hRoZDp4
Good Will Hunting closing scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49TeSoo4Sx8
On Hold by Fenne Lily on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5zNHRKWMMBW7NIx7v23swV?si=gMeGQ2v3TF6lZI50gsllfQ
Sweet Adeline: http://sweetadeline.net

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep15: Rob Grote Dec 12, 2019

Our guest for our final episode of 2019 is the musician Rob Grote.
Rob is the lead singer and guitarist in Philadelphia band, The Districts. He's also a massive Elliott Smith fan, and in this interview we talk about his selection for his favourite song, some of the Elliott lyrics he likes and why his music is really for any occasion.
Following the chat with Rob, our listener pick comes from James Jefferys from Aarhus, Denmark.
Hope you enjoy listening to this episode and see you again in 2020.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Alameda by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1tmMGcpr8JwkYDOZEK7B2I?si=zhA1w9fKSv-6XehX9ADHMg
Either/Or by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=NBB6Fer7TLm5BGn-TD1e6A
Elliott Smith plays Alameda live: https://youtu.be/Q6t8aMgXgUU

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep14: Ellen Kempner Nov 27, 2019

Our guest today is the musician Ellen Kempner.
Ellen leads the band Palehound, who released their third studio album, Black Friday, earlier this year. Ellen cites Elliott Smith has a major influence on that record, as well as on all of her previous work too. In this interview, we discuss how those influences come through in her music, how she was introduced to Elliott by a former guest on this show and we also talk through her favourite song pick too.
Following the interview with Ellen, we have a listener submission from Andrew Alarcon.
Hope you enjoy the episode.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Rose Parade by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6EdqqSD6saL8vzmd4xRI8n?si=24zfY6r2S569-xrFYuJGQg
Either/Or by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=GQMIxB_2T569xc4Id9_Z9g
Black Friday by Palehound on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/065DtYyK9Y7VozUju4bfkA?si=e70BzMKbQ-6oRo-vKzyhpA

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep13: James Alex Nov 07, 2019

Our guest for episode 13 of our second series is the musician, James Alex.
James is best known for his work with the punk rock band, Beach Slang, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the US. They've released two studio albums - as well as one under the name Quiet Slang - with another on the way in the early part of 2020.
James is, unsurprising, a massive Elliott Smith fan. In this interview, he talks about his at times academic approach to understanding Elliott's lyrics, as well as the impact his chosen song pick has had on his life.
Following the chat with James, we have a listener pick from Matt Tregortha from Birmingham in the UK.
Hope you enjoy it.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Easy Way Out by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6Hlt4S0nm1URyqM0WLlQzY?si=8pMOkKU6SqGo_qa9Fj3cAw
Figure 8 by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7DC0pE943VR5tAKIvQXHts?si=ppt4Fm2CSXehlq8l_kr2dQ
Wouldn't Mama Be Proud by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4GZRKea2czcuYBX2HhNNsI?si=538bAhpAQECG1_8FGBCf1g
James Alex (Quiet Slang) plays Thirteen by Big Star: https://open.spotify.com/album/0tLh2jTkZ1q9yRRjpkvHUN?si=BBI6ZT97RouCCAiRa1SQVw
James Alex speaks to Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/derekscancarelli/2018/05/22/loud-and-quiet-the-diy-charm-of-beach-slang/#454bc6cf22c8

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep12: Prateek Kuhad Oct 24, 2019

Our guest today is the musician Prateek Kuhad.
Prateek is a singer/songwriter currently based in New Delhi, India, though his life as a touring musician means he often finds himself further afield than that. He grew up in India as an aspiring musician but it wasn't until he moved to New York to go to university that he really got into Elliott Smith.
In our interview, he discusses when it all clicked for Elliott with him, the impact it's had on his career and, of course, he talks about his favourite song of his too.
Following our chat with Prateek, we have a listener pick from Valarie Smith from Portland, Oregon, USA.
Extra things to look at/listen to:

Memory Lane by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6MfP6zApmURxo0KfHLeV6Z?si=tbFlZT3JQlaJblAK6m0R8Q
From a Basement on the Hill by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/66UbcdMK6oC2XFPLeESamq?si=r5Ro0hIQTSGTAcpbtz46yA
Prateek Kuhad plays Whatever (Folk Song in C) on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxy5ziundEW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Prateek discusses Elliott Smith in this interview: https://www.redbull.com/in-en/taking-it-easy-with-prateek-kuhad

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep11: Sameer Gadhia Oct 10, 2019

Our guest today is the musician Sameer Gandhia.
Sameer is the lead singer of the band Young the Giant, a Los Angeles based group who've released four albums so far, including, most recently, Mirror Master, which came out about a year ago.
He is also a big Elliott Smith fan, and in this interview he talks about how he's finding new appreciation for Elliott as his own career progresses, how he became a fan of his music and Sameer also talks through his favourite song pick too.
We round off the episode with a listener choice, which comes from Sam Harris from Brighton in the UK.
Extra things to look at/listen to:

Fond Farewell by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4R5su0RMFPUeReN0xkWalx?si=aMR-6SDVTb-U0HIoyz0W1g
From a Basement on the Hill by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/66UbcdMK6oC2XFPLeESamq?si=HCKvXfD1QbiYFTVnWwTsjQ
Pretty (Ugly Before) by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1vQu2XkLm2mgw48oE84OjH?si=2Ux8fqC-RFOw_44HeHb9bw
Elliott plays Fond Farwell live in Seattle, WA in 2000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XbveBHMbws
Mirror Master by Young the Giant on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6blMxezujKgPe8HjHNveuG?si=WZ_Gfl_BQcaJ4thwZRBcqQ

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep10: John Roderick Sep 26, 2019

Musician, writer and podcaster John Roderick is our guest for episode 10 of season two.
John was part of the music scene in Seattle during the '90s, while Elliott Smith was making a name for himself in nearby Portland. He saw Elliott play numerous times and admired the way he was able to carve his own sound, which was distinctive from a lot of other artists in the Pacific Northwest at the time.
In this interview, John discusses the song that really cemented that admiration for Elliott's music, what it was like watching him live and why he has what he calls a 'complicated' relationship with him.
To round this all off, our listener pick today comes from musician Tom Lee from Leeds in the UK.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Speed Trials by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4gRySBzWoWD2JqEFZnfPuX?si=c-MYQeHTT3aXCdNujFzRsg
Either/Or by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=lveggzrORn-BAoVtezie9A
John’s band The Long Winters cover Pictures of Me by Elliott Smith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXCbemvo9sI
Tom Lee (Tea Leaf) has a new EP out – listen on Bandcamp or Spotify

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep9: Slim Moon Sep 12, 2019

Our guest today is Slim Moon, the founder of the record label Kill Rock Stars. KRS put out two Elliott Smith albums, the self-titled record (1995) and Either/Or (1997), so Slim had pretty much a front row seat as he saw Elliott firmly establish himself as a successful solo artist. As you can imagine, Slim has some incredible stories to tell – both about his favourite song pick, his relationship with Elliott and their work together. He also reveals a new album Elliott album re-issue he’s currently working on. It was a pleasure talking to Slim, and we hope you enjoy listening to the interview as much as we did speaking to him. Following our chat with Slim, we have a listener favourite song pick from Kellan Stover from Austin, Texas, USA. Extra things to look at / listen to:

Last Call by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4NZTQN3IYbb44aYw0XwOa6?si=42krm4j3TgCVw4DtD4NGVA
Roman Candle by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0vgbFgcYqm2B0csVXvo8d5?si=IVCTD8HpT4-K1a8ehvo7cg
Slim shares some interesting insight on Elliott’s career in this Pitchfork article: https://pitchfork.com/features/article/9246-keep-the-things-you-forgot-an-elliott-smith-oral-history/
Slim’s profile on Kill Rock Stars: https://www.killrockstars.com/artists/slim-moon

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep8: Laura Stevenson Aug 22, 2019

Our guest today is the musician Laura Stevenson.
Laura is from New York and has released five albums over the course of her career, including, most recently, The Big Freeze which came out in March.
Laura is also a big Elliott fan, whose work has been influenced considerably by him. In this interview we talk about how those influences come up in her music, her covering the song Angel in the Snow and her pick for her favourite song too.
Hope you enjoy it!
Next up on My Favourite Elliott Smith Song will be Slim Moon, the founder of the record label Kill Rock Stars. This episode will be out on Thursday 12 September.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Roman Candle by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/432cZXiWQjsN8GJgVBFemM?si=c3gbp9gyT8CnaYL99QVCEQ
The Wheel by Laura Stevenson on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/76mtoqBh1Anv4Qv6y7YP6X?si=zZsAfrMxTau8muFdTtr8KA
The Big Freeze by Laura Stevenson on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7unXiwafDHQziqHxKg3xd1?si=wMYq0eMMQYaqvm9V3sTENg
Laura covers Angel in the Snow for the AV Club: https://youtu.be/aiG71bh8AsU
Saddestnightout podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0u111ZeQokehTfata6sR2j?si=kKrzC9EAQWGftDMiY5wFIg

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep7: Margaret Cho Aug 08, 2019

Our guest for today's episode is the comedian, musician, actress and writer, Margaret Cho. Margaret is multi-talented, so you may know her from films such as Face Off, TV shows like Drop Dead Diva or her successful stand up and music careers.
Margaret is also a huge Elliott Smith fan, which came to light most prominently in the day following his death in 2003 when she posted a heartfelt blog on what Elliott's music meant to her. In this interview, we discuss that article, how it helped her connect with Elliott's family and her favourite song pick.
After the chat with Margaret, we cover a couple of Elliott Smith tribute shows that took place in the UK to mark the great man's 50th birthday on 6th August. First, we play a few clips from the night we organised in London with the musician Dan Caleb and featured two previous podcast guests: Max Bloom (Yuck) and Benjamin Langford-Biss (As It Is). Then, we head to Brighton where Mark Benton from the band Seadog brought together a packed line-up of 15 musicians to play Elliott songs.
Rounding off the episode is our event co-host Dan Caleb, who provides this week's listener submission.
Extra things to look at/listen to:

Sweet Adeline by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5KmMMmc1pXL5lL4HlR9Srz?si=J2qBmiWfQK2ysB6AA8LmOg
XO by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=L1eJcTnJQbehyL2aXbXFnQ
Margaret Cho's Elliott Smith blog: http://margaretcho.com/2003/10/22/rip-elliott-smith/
Photos from our tribute show in London by Speak Soft Magazine: https://speaksoftmagazine.com/2019/08/07/photo-gallery-elliott-smith-50th-birthday-tribute-show/
Photos from our tribute show in London by Ciara Wilkinson: https://www.facebook.com/550453138369243/posts/2460588004022404/

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep6: Charlie Campbell (plus Portland Cello Project) Jul 25, 2019

In the sixth episode of this series, we're joined by Charlie Campbell, formerly of Portland band Pond, and Douglas Jenkins from the Portland Cello Project.
First up, we hear from Charlie on his favourite song pick, what it was like playing and touring with Elliott during the '90s, and he also mentions one or two regrets he has about the time they spent together.
We stick with the Portland theme with Doug, who is the artistic director of the Portland Cello Project. His group are a collective of cellists, who play music you wouldn't typically associate with the instrument and, a few years ago, they released an album called To E.S. featuring six Elliott Smith covers. Doug tells us more about the Project and Elliott's enduring influence in the city.
We round this all off with a listener pick from Sara Robertson and a quick update on more Elliott Smith 50th birthday tribute shows.

Extra things to look at/listen to:

Needle in the Hay by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1bFPKxP56XWDXJOwo3Kvfp?si=w83zlQ5MTYWfROC0eTkJ7w
Elliott Smith self-titled album on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0w0jXq1fLPMPCNsVmmxNnc?si=E4t-NCUYTn-CDQ2P45p9xQ
To E.S. by Portland Cello Project on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6yzEl0LeIcuxRtLqzfQmbm?si=13Gsu8f1QkS2Ta9y2Lg7-w
Taking A Fall by Portland Cello Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHNLJO0sQ1I
Tickets for our 50th birthday Elliott Smith tribute show in London: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/elliott-smith-50th-birthday-party-tickets-63494629145?fbclid=IwAR0Xv5LJGIpFe0fySbPCB7u0Zt62SuGLL2k-04klFbuMV07E7n40GeXXqe8

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep5: Martin Courtney Jun 27, 2019

Our guest today is the musician Martin Courtney. Martin is the lead singer and guitarist in the band Real Estate. He’s been big into Elliott Smith since he was in high school and can even be found tweeting about Elliott from time to time – which is actually how we realised he was a fan in the first place. In this interview, we discuss his favourite song pick, we talk about how he came across Elliott first time and Martin also mentions a producer he’s worked with who may have some hidden Elliott live recordings. After we speak to Martin, we have a listener submission from Jessica Smith and we also talk more about our charity tribute show in London on 6th August (tickets are now available for this event here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/elliott-smith-50th-birthday-party-tickets-63494629145). Hope you enjoy the episode! Extra things to look at / listen to:

Ballad of Big Nothing by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4HqRhdpxH9zFUkf1kzbr3H?si=Am-UoyFgQsGA9KipokS_Pw

Either/Or by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=80l0iiQ0SBaez5kb2j6x7w

Angeles by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0Ziohm1Ku8E2yUDYoclfhO?si=kylFXgRQTGGIziUB93G9GQ

Tickets for Elliott Smith 50th birthday tribute show in London: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/elliott-smith-50th-birthday-party-tickets-63494629145

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep4: Benjamin Langford-Biss Jun 13, 2019

Our guest for episode four of our second series is the musician Benjamin Langford-Biss.
Ben is a guitarist and vocalist for the alternative rock band As It Is. He calls Elliott Smith his 'favourite ever artist' and makes it part of his mission to spread the word about Elliott's music among his fan base.
In this interview, we discuss keeping Elliott's legacy alive, how Ben works in his influences and, of course, what his favourite song is.
We also hear from listener Jessica in Tasmania on why Everything Means Nothing to Me means everything to her and we have an update on a couple of tribute shows taking place in the UK on 6th August.
Extra things to look at/listen to:
Son of Sam by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6tPiCU4LFsXUQPRIykOAnl?si=hc-MwTX2R8OvfZYgw3-LZw
Everything Means Nothing to Me by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6YNfrgCOy1dCXZKKRUuZVq?si=DI10g5qUSZCACSkMhaMxjg
Figure 8 by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7DC0pE943VR5tAKIvQXHts?si=68SsB91QRtqTZJY6qfHZxw
Elliott plays Son of Sam live in 1999: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8ah9CO5CRQ
My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep3: Scott McPherson (plus Sean Croghan) May 30, 2019

Scott is a seasoned drummer. He played on the Figure 8 tour with Elliott and also featured on the album version of the track Pretty (Ugly Before), which is on From a Basement on the Hill. In addition to Elliott, he's also worked with musicians including M Ward, Sense Field, Beck and Bright Eyes.
Sean Croghan is a musician and artist from Portland. He became good friends with Elliott during the '90s, when their respective bands (Heatmiser and Crackerbash) were breaking up. Scott witnessed Elliott's first hand, particularly around the time the solo album was recorded, so he's got lots of great insight on how it was developed and what it changes as a result.
In addition to these two interviews, we also have Kathy Parkin from Minnesota, who provides us with this week's listener submission. If, like Kathy, you want to be featured on the show just send us a clip explaining what your favourite Elliott Smith song is and why to info@myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com.
Extra things to look at / listen to:

Pretty (Ugly Before) by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1vQu2XkLm2mgw48oE84OjH?si=czbjIuIlTtGsLIi743c7CA
From a Basement on the Hill by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/66UbcdMK6oC2XFPLeESamq?si=v0vo4W4RRSeqL47rHi7t_g
Elliott plays Pretty (Ugly Before) live in 2000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqEUcm2NQXI
Sean Croghan covers Alameda by Elliott Smith: https://www.opb.org/opbmusic/video/sean-croghan-alameda/

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.
Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.
MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep2: Becky Albertalli and David Arnold May 16, 2019

Our second episode of season two is a bit of a literary special. We have two authors joining us, Becky Albertalli and David Arnold, both writers of young adult fiction.

Becky is perhaps best known for her book Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda, in which the main character (Simon) is a big Elliott Smith fan. The book was recently made into a film called Love Simon.

David is the New York Times bestselling author of Mosquitoland, Kids of Appetite, and The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik. He has acknowledged Elliott Smith in his work and has even quoted some of the lyrics of Coming Up Roses in one of his books.

After Becky and David discuss their joint selection for their favourite Elliott song, we hear from listener Abed Gheith who has a related pick.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/2a9BZtyH4JD4kwsoaVzYCY?si=CNK1QHzyTWS-B3VuSG4M7A
Speed Trials by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/4gRySBzWoWD2JqEFZnfPuX?si=annLmEZ8RTuPi-67AYE1Hg
Either/Or by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=YKbIOZRzSYWLXvRfz3nKdw
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19547856-simon-vs-the-homo-sapiens-agenda
Mosquitoland by David Arnold: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18718848-mosquitoland

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2 Ep1: Ken Stringfellow May 02, 2019

We're back with a new series and a (very slightly) different episode format.

Our main guest here is the musician Ken Stringfellow. Ken knew Elliott during the '90s and '00s, and was part of a project called the Color Bars Experience which toured France playing Figure 8 backed by a chamber orchestra.

After Ken talks us through his favourite song pick, we take a closer look at Elliott's first studio album, Roman Candle. We hear from podcast listener Kayla Bolton about why No Name #1 is her #1, before William Todd Schultz - the author of Elliott Smith biography Torment Saint - and Denny Swofford, of Cavity Search Records, discuss the legacy of the record.

We'll be doing more of these features over the course of this second season, so do let us know how you're finding them.

Extra things to look at/listen to:

Place Pigalle by Elliott Smith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-rs-WGzm4
Color Bars Experience plays Can't Make A Sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-uMXdCUni8
Torment Saint by William Todd Schultz: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17286770-torment-saint
Roman Candle by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/album/0vgbFgcYqm2B0csVXvo8d5?si=2a_G7HRJQP6ZgLlC5p0bwA

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S2: Figure 8 Bonus Episode Apr 18, 2019

Today (18 April) is the anniversary of the release of Figure 8. It's Elliott's fifth studio album and the last he put out before he died.

It can feel, at times, feel a little underrated. But listening to it again (as well as to From a Basement on the Hill) you can't help but feel excited by where Elliott would have gone musically had he stayed with us.

In this episode, we celebrate the album. We share some clips of previous guests discussing their favourite songs from Figure 8, as well as their thoughts on the album more broadly. We also give a little preview of what's to come when we launch the second season of this podcast at the end of April 2019.

It features:

Greg Cortez, New Monkey Studio
Max Bloom, Yuck
Jade Bird, solo musician
Jim Fairchild, Grandaddy and Modest Mouse
Jason Lytle, Grandaddy
Ken Stringfellow, The Posies, Big Star

Listen to Figure 8 on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/album/7DC0pE943VR5tAKIvQXHts?si=LXmc9UJHRQyoS7e1_5J90w

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep27: Jim Fairchild Jan 24, 2019

The musician Jim Fairchild joins us for our final episode of series one.

Jim plays guitar in Grandaddy - alongside our former guest Jason Lytle - and Modest Mouse, and he also works as a solo artist too.

It was when he was with Grandaddy that Jim first got to know Elliott Smith properly. The band joined Elliott on tour following the release of Figure 8 and they built up a friendship after that. Jim would even arrange for Elliott to come onstage to sing at the occasional Grandaddy live show and would visit him at New Monkey studio when he was trying to fix old equipment.

In this episode, Jim shares some great Elliott stories, as well as going in-depth on his favourite song pick.

Hope you enjoy this one. We'll be back with a new series in a few months - in the meantime, please do share the podcast with anyone you think might be interested.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

Happiness by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3aU2ui8JQOtmgHYH0g1qFL?si=BG4sNlz6S6yIHcYC9KAfGA
Figure 8 by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7DC0pE943VR5tAKIvQXHts?si=k7gT_SU3Q6ioiKzwEqWT0g
He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot by Grandaddy on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6v7xLYNIdtJkyCGsenzQxh?si=eNa3DE0wTE2z5yL8y15wiw
Recording of Elliott playing He's Simple... with Grandaddy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jZ0_YUXO-I

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep26: John Paul White Jan 10, 2019

Our guest for episode 26 - and the first of the year - is John Paul White.

John Paul is a musician from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He's worked as both a solo artist, as well as in The Civil Wars - a duo he formed with Joy Williams that won an impressive four Grammys.

His Southern charm makes listening to him very easy, but there's substance behind what he says too. Elliott Smith had a huge impact on John Paul's career and the way he works. In this interview, he talks about the moment he heard Elliott for the first time and things started clicking into place, as well as his favourite song pick - a track we've been waiting a little while for.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

Waltz #2 by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5AMrnF761nziCWUfjBgRUI?si=-hnFm880S5-mt_XuIdF4yA
XO by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=S-zLodZISCig0iSCYZKVFA
Between the Bars by The Civil Wars on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4mm4V9uS6AOuWBG0f65HH9?si=7dwlBTznSPa3evJDaBW8gA
John Paul White on the Grammys' Life-Changing Record discussing Either/Or by Elliott Smith: https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/life-changing-recordings-john-paul-white

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep25: Emily Kinney Dec 20, 2018

Our guest for episode 25 is the actress and musician Emily Kinney.

Emily made her name on the TV show The Walking Dead, where she played the character Beth Greene. She's seen been in several other programmes and has released three albums, with her most recent, 'Oh Jonathan', coming out in August 2018.

She discovered Elliott Smith's music while she was starting out in her acting career in New York. In this interview she talks about how her favourite song pick helped her during that challenging time in her life, as well as how he influences her now she's making more music.

This episode is our last of the year. Thanks for listening to us in 2018, we'll be back in January.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

Between the Bars by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/52Bg6oaos7twR7IUtEpqcE?si=bSTOrELTTl6rXL8bmcBTmQ
Either/Or by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=H9332mnTRbaik2LuEUAQ3w
Madonna covers Between the Bars: https://www.nme.com/news/music/madonna-elliott-smith-cover-between-the-bars-twitter-2158041

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep24: Lindsey Jordan Dec 06, 2018

Our guest for episode 24 of My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is Lindsey Jordan.

2018 has been a great year for Lindsey and her band Snail Mail. They released their debut album, Lush, in June and they’ve been touring pretty much non-stop ever since. So we were really lucky to catch her during some rare time off at her home near Baltimore, Maryland (USA) to talk through her favourite song pick, as well as how she finds rare Elliott tracks and why she connects so much with musicians who made their names during the 90s.

Hope you enjoy it.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

Dancing on the Highway by Elliott Smith (this song has never been officially released so we have to link to YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xawASIzzJRQ
In the Lost and Found by Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/2xVikBZt3KxyUR7o8NGYDU?si=g37K4qzaSh25ycCc57c6Ug
Stereogum’s albums of 2018 – with Snail Mail at #2: https://www.stereogum.com/featured/the-best-albums-of-2018/

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep23: Aaron Embry Nov 23, 2018

Our guest for episode 23 is Aaron Embry.

Aaron is a musician who played in Elliott Smith's band during the Figure 8 tour in 2000. They played many shows together across Europe and the US, with Aaron on keys and long-time Elliott collaborators Sam Coomes (from Quasi) and Scott McPherson on bass and drums respectively.

In this interview with Elizabeth Withstandley, Aaron talks through his personal connection to his favourite song pick and shares some stories of life on the road with Elliott.

Hope you enjoy it.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

Strung Out Again by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0Bd2DmHtJrqfG507TQ1WSM?si=iexcX_zbSpuZMuMpRVql0w
From a Basement on the Hill by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/66UbcdMK6oC2XFPLeESamq?si=jVxMcYfJRwGvvP0kKmq5pA
Struck Down Again (original version of Strung Out Again) recorded live in Stockholm, Sweden - Aaron is playing keys on this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVSH2ztpvcs

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep22: Mary Lou Lord Nov 08, 2018

Our guest for episode 22 is the musician Mary Lou Lord.

Mary Lou was great friends with Elliott. The two of them met at a gig in Seattle arranged by Slim Moon, the founder of the record label Kill Rock Stars. She was already on the label and, of course, Elliott would soon follow.

In this interview we talk through Mary Lou's favourite song choice, hear more about the time she saw Elliott for the first time and how they started touring.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

I Figured You Out by Elliott Smith on Either/Or (2017 issue): https://open.spotify.com/track/5NlQ8We8fhLVGDjO2LfB5i?si=XhNQ71E0SJyC9hBw6pEAng

I Figured You Out by Mary Lou Lord: https://open.spotify.com/track/7FZGxzuLt649qwmTqUtYYP?si=xkdAXCqcRQCplYvGQkj3jg

Mary Lou covering Half Right by Elliott Smith/Heatmiser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25BdmZGG1s0

Mary Lou interviewing Elliott for Spin magazine in 1998: https://www.spin.com/2018/10/elliott-smith-interview-1998-mary-lou-lord/

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Huge thanks to Greg Cortez and New Monkey Studio for their help mixing and mastering our podcast.

You can find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @MyFavESmithSong.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep21: Steve Hanft Oct 25, 2018

Our guest for episode 21 is the film director Steve Hanft.

Steve made his name making music videos for artists such as Beck, which led him to eventually directing the 1998 Elliott Smith documentary Strange Parallel (although calling it a documentary is perhaps doing it a disservice). It's part music performance, part interview but mostly a surreal dream involving Elliott - if you haven't seen the film, there's a link lower down.

In this episode, we cover how that film came about, how it ended up like it did - with Elliott being implored to buy a robot hand to improve his guitar playing - and what he thought of the documentary after it came out. We do find time to discuss Steve's favourite song too!

A special thank you to Ross Harris for making this interview possible.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

Strange Parallel (full length film on Vimeo): https://vimeo.com/74984466
Condor Ave on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4Tz0TCqxlpMDDMQWMycyEF?si=YgNXrK6CTNylUBMsEgUrJg
Roman Candle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0vgbFgcYqm2B0csVXvo8d5?si=o_y9Q5g6T0y7tVlKynq8EA

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

You can find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @MyFavESmithSong.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep20: Jade Bird Oct 11, 2018

Our guest for episode 20 is the musician Jade Bird. Jade is a hotly tipped artist from the UK - in the last year or so she has been on the BBC's Sound of 2018 list and Rolling Stone have called her a country artist to watch out for.

She's also a massive Elliott Smith fan, albeit one who has discovered his music relatively recently. She can, of course, be forgiven for this though, as she just turned 21 the other week. Hope you enjoy this episode - Jade has an interesting take on Elliott and his work, particularly on how his approach can help newer artists like herself.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

Colorbars on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5HaOloWn9b5PJtxvE6Vtke?si=K0KXbLlVTGSdcRyoJP64Ug
Figure 8 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7DC0pE943VR5tAKIvQXHts?si=B5wrTqs9StKwNvfFvVXptQ
Who is Bruno S?: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/aug/22/bruno-schleinstein-obituary

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

You can find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @MyFavESmithSong.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep19: Pete Krebs Sep 27, 2018

Our guest for episode 19 is the musician Pete Krebs.

Pete is somewhat of a legend on the Portland scene. His band Hazel broke through in the early '90s at a similar time to Heatmiser. As well as playing numerous shows with Elliott Smith, Pete was also good friends with him - the pair drank in the same bars and worked the same construction jobs to fund their music careers. They even released a split seven inch record together in 1994, with Pete's Shytown as the A-Side and Elliott's No Confidence man on the other side.

We were delighted when Pete agreed to be on the podcast. Not only does he talk through his favourite song pick for us, when we told him that Rhys Buchanan, a British journalist, was visiting Portland, he took him round a few of the old places he and Elliott used to play in and drink at.

So, in this episode, we begin by Pete sharing his thoughts on his favourite song before cutting to Pete's car driving through the streets of Portland, where he points out some of the famous venues they used to frequent.

Extra things to look at/listen to:

Say Yes by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7zVfEu1dEvRw4EkWoqrBkx?si=rNX93AzBTv2opoC3W4dXSA
Either/Or by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=GvA4gXkoSo6O607_H7bmVw
Shytown/No Confidence Man by Pete Krebs and Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://www.discogs.com/Elliott-Smith-And-Pete-Krebs-Shytown-No-Confidence-Man/release/1014717
Nice profile piece on Pete from PDX Monthly: https://www.pdxmonthly.com/articles/2015/11/23/one-legendary-musician-unites-decades-of-portland-music

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

You can find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @MyFavESmithSong.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep18: Andy Hull Sep 13, 2018

Episode 18 of My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is with Andy Hull.

Andy is a musician probably best known for his work with the band Manchester Orchestra. He also has a couple of other side projects too and one of those is called Bad Books, which is a collaboration with Kevin Devine - a former guest on this show.

And Andy was recording with Kevin when we called him up for this chat. It was a lovely conversation, where Andy spoke very thoughtfully about his song pick, about what he calls 'the bible' of albums, and also what Elliott Smith meant to him growing up in a small town in Georgia.

Hope you enjoy it.

Other things to look at/listen to:

I Didn't Understand on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3IQApXKUun0iHHtpsvI7xL?si=li7LZsifS4aRCnjwWxf6tA
XO on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=g-W9cFetS7mwGkIExM4EGw
I Didn't Understand (alternate version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANrRoKTFtls
I Didn't Understand (piano version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jivTIbXNGjQ

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

You can find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @MyFavESmithSong.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep17: Marissa Nadler Aug 30, 2018

Our guest for episode 17 is Marissa Nadler. Marissa is a singer-songwriter based in Boston, Massachusetts. She regularly cites Elliott Smith as a big influence on her and also took part in the same Elliott tribute show as our guest for episode 16, Yoni Wolf.

In this interview, Marissa talks about covering Elliott for that show, how his music has helped her as a shy person and her selection for her favourite song.

It was lovely speaking to Marissa for the podcast. Her answers both on the song, and about Elliott's music in general, are very thoughtful, so hope you enjoy it.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

Marissa covering Pitseleh by Elliott Smith: https://youtu.be/-owQSCA_Jmw

Pitseleh by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1Q0sk7b7PAGjgC3R5zyuWt?si=wAfuU2u9T0WvXofj4Dpicg

XO by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=AXyLG0oQTeSma6m_uBY8hw

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @MyFavESmithSong.

www.myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S1 Ep16: Yoni Wolf Aug 16, 2018

Yoni Wolf joins us from his holiday in North Carolina for episode 16 of My Favourite Elliott Smith Song. Yoni is a musician and producer from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is probably best known for his work with his band, Why?

Although his work is musically quite different, Yoni became interested in Elliott Smith because the sentiment of his music resonated with him. He talks about this during the episode, as well as his favourite song pick and what it was like playing at a Smith tribute show a few years ago.

Hope you enjoy it.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

Yoni Wolf covers Say Yes at Elliott Smith tribute show: https://vimeo.com/77886136
Yoni discusses Elliott in this interview for Stereogum: https://www.stereogum.com/1528172/musicians-pay-tribute-to-elliott-smith-who-died-10-years-ago-today/franchises/sounding-board/
Angeles by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0Ziohm1Ku8E2yUDYoclfhO?si=iM3YYk6oSgyT7MLERkRuwg
Either/Or by Elliott Smith on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hryhrT7wEdLnZCbJX9F6L?si=Bu9S7LcvSAG7rd1WoRT8Ig

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep15: New Monkey Studio Aug 02, 2018

A few years before he passed, Elliott Smith bought a recording studio in Van Nuys, California. He poured his heart and soul into the place - buying vintage analogue equipment and staying in there for weeks at a time to try and fix it. He called the studio New Monkey because, it is said, this big new commitment was like a monkey on his back.

In this special episode, we speak to the three guys who now run New Monkey Studio. Robert Cappadonna and Joel Graves - who bought the studio from Elliott's family in 2004 - and Greg Cortez, who has been working with the pair since 2009.

We begin with, what else, a discussion of Greg's favourite Elliott Smith song, before discussing some of the studio's history, the guests who've visited and how it's doing now with Robert and Joel.

They are doing a great job building on Elliott's legacy, so it was such a privilege to be able to speak to them. They were also kind enough to master this episode on Elliott's old console.

Things to look at/listen to:

New Monkey Studio website: http://newmonkeystudio.com
Everything Reminds Me of Her on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3nkdVXnH4xC6f3YZS0C8pC?si=26QKiCxpQCaUC0vSvuuF3g
New Monkey (the song) from New Moon: https://open.spotify.com/track/257KKUjp1uISAGG3000M8W?si=tRi7a_8vSsecfzXStDTZIA
A nice interview with Robert and Joel from 2006: http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb/01/entertainment/et-monkey1

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @MyFavESmithSong.

www.myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S1 Ep14: Jason Lytle Jul 19, 2018

Our guest for episode 14 is the musician Jason Lytle. Jason made his name as the frontman of Grandaddy, and it was with that band that he met Elliott Smith for the first time. Grandaddy had just released their second album, The Sophtware Slump, while Elliott had recently put out Figure 8, and they had been lined up to tour together.

In this interview, Jason discusses the moment he met Elliott for the first time, how their friendship developed and, of course, his favourite song.

We loved hearing Jason's stories, so we hope you enjoy this interview too.

Things to look listen to:

Jason Lytle playing on the Color Bars Experience tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-uMXdCUni8

Color Bars Experience website: http://www.the-color-bars-experience.com/elliott-smith/

Jason discussing Elliott in this interview from 2009: http://larecord.com/interviews/2009/06/09/jason-lytle-interview-i-just-want-to-be-that-six-year-old-kid

Waltz #1 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4SD4ri0Msp6DxgoXKcf6ug?si=T0LxiCNvSayIHcqy0_fN-Q

XO on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zOxlHQGGV6EH7n4OIFTyh?si=PLpMoCgaTvqS2_EAaFHoWg

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @MyFavESmithSong.

www.myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

S1 Ep13: Max Bloom Jul 05, 2018

The musician Max Bloom is our guest on episode 13 of My Favourite Elliott Smith Song. The frontman of the band Yuck talks us through his pick for his favourite song, his experiences covering Elliott as part of the Say Yes tribute album and why (in a weird kind of way) his music reminds Max of a certain British comedy character (see more on this in the links below).

This interview was recorded in London in June 2018. Hope you enjoy it.

Extra things to look at / listen to:

Yuck covering Bled White on Say Yes: A Tribute to Elliott Smith: https://open.spotify.com/track/0mKKOBllTOKeVXVnIp0f1g?si=va5S1R0tQGmpAFpJJfIBXg
Say Yes: A Tribute to Elliott Smith (album link): https://open.spotify.com/album/22vpNv1nma4K9wDMvIDbPg
Alan Partridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdCfuZMD3L0

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. You can find us on Twitter and Instagram.

www.MyFavouriteElliottSmithSong.com

S1 Ep12: Amanda Palmer Jun 21, 2018

In this episode, we speak to musician, songwriter and author Amanda Palmer.

Amanda came to prominence during the early 2000s as one half of the duo the Dresden Dolls. She's since gone on to release several successful solo albums and books, including 2014's The Art of Asking. You probably won't be surprised to find out that Amanda is also a huge Elliott Smith fan - she even appeared on an Elliott Smith tribute album called Say Yes, which came out in 2016.

It was great hearing from Amanda about the influence Elliott's music has had on her, as well as how he's able to so clearly capture what it is to be famous. Hope you enjoy this episode.

Extra things to look at/listen to:

Amanda Palmer covering Pictures of Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8viCwhAjsLA
Bigger on the Inside by Amanda Palmer (a song influenced by Elliott Smith): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icWgTC6Y5-g
Pictures of Me on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4q1VulxPSfvFtgHx25FlvV?si=frj8gH8OQ7avLjwLzTjm7Q

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

S1 Ep11: Craig Bartlett Jun 08, 2018

This episode is with the animator Craig Bartlett. Craig is perhaps best known as the creator of children's TV shows such as Hey Arnold and Dinosaur Train.

As well as being a great animator, Craig is also a huge Elliott Smith fan. In this edition, he talks us through his favourite Elliott Smith song, as well as an Elliott comic he drew - you can find that comic on our website myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com.

Extra things to look at and listen to:

Craig at the Elliott Smith mural: https://www.instagram.com/p/BjuzoH6FGcb/?taken-by=myfavesmithsong
No Name #4 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3161kTNVNPqzGHArIpKWvU
Roman Candle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0vgbFgcYqm2B0csVXvo8d5

Find us on Twitter and Instagram - @MyFavESmithSong

This episode was produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley.

S1 Ep10: Beatie Wolfe May 24, 2018

In this episode, we speak to the singer/songwriter Beatie Wolfe. Beatie has built a reputation as an innovator - she combines music with technology and, last year, she was named in Wired magazine's people changing the world.

Importantly for us though, she's a huge Elliott Smith fan. Such a big fan, in fact, that she's written a song - called Little Moth - in tribute to him and had it beamed into space (yes, really). So, in this episode we speak about her favourite song, how she got into Elliott's work and why her moth analogy works.

Extra things to watch/listen to:

Beatie performing Little Moth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buWNjFmQ4uw
Beatie's album: https://open.spotify.com/album/3WsRLQElvywEUcM0xAuzfY
New Scientist article on her performance of Little Moth: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2130155-augmented-reality-brings-beatie-wolfes-new-songs-to-life/

S1 Ep9: Jessica Lea Mayfield and Seth Avett May 10, 2018

In this episode, a first for My Favourite Elliott Smith Song, we hear from two guests: the musicians Jessica Lea Mayfield and Seth Avett. Both artists made their names separately, Jessica as a singer-songwriter and Seth as part of the band the Avett Brothers, but they joined forces in 2015 to release the album Jessica Lea Mayfield and Seth Avett Sing Elliott Smith.

It was so enjoyable speaking to them both. They have a great chemistry and are both huge fans of Elliott's work. In the interview we cover their individual favourite song picks, as well as the album they worked on and a pet named after Elliott.

Hope you enjoy it.

Things to look at/listen to:

Jessica and Seth's Elliott Smith tribute album: https://open.spotify.com/album/45JsKQGdBmDiZxJjxE8UUW
From a Basement on the Hill by Elliott Smith (both tracks chosen by Jessica and Seth come from this album: https://open.spotify.com/album/66UbcdMK6oC2XFPLeESamq
Elliott Smith playing A Distorted Reality Is Now A Necessity To Be Free live: https://youtu.be/Nfy040FRT-U

S1 Ep8: Kevin Devine Mar 28, 2018

In this episode we speak to New York-based songwriter and musician, Kevin Devine. Kevin is a huge Elliott Smith fan and has covered his songs many times, so it was great to get the chance to speak to him. He's also worked closely with Rob Schnapf - the producer behind Either/Or, XO, Figure 8 and From a Basement on the Hill - and here we discuss how their relationship came about, as well as what it was like working with a person who helped shaped the career of one of his heroes.

Very much hope you enjoy this episode. Please do like, review and subscribe to the show if you can. Oh, and you can also contact me @RobComba on Twitter if you have any recommendations on who you'd like to take part.

Thanks xo

S1 Ep7: Sadie Dupuis Mar 06, 2018

In this episode we speak to Sadie Dupuis. Sadie is a New York based musician, who is the founder and lead singer of the band Speedy Ortiz, and she's also got a solo project called Sad13.

Sadie is a huge Elliott Smith fan and is incredibly knowledgeable about his work. She speaks about his music, and the culture surrounding it, with a passion and good humour that will be very familiar if you follow her on Twitter.

Hope you enjoy this one.

S1 Ep6: Ross Harris Feb 13, 2018

In this episode, we speak to Ross Harris. Ross directed three music videos with Elliott Smith - Coming Up Roses, Heatmiser's Plainclothes Man and, perhaps Elliott's most iconic video, the one for Miss Misery. You may also know him as the robot hand salesman in the documentary on Elliott, Strange Parallel.

But, much more than those impressive credentials, Ross was a friend of Elliott's, and he has some great anecdotes. So, hopefully you enjoy this slightly extended chat with Ross - he has some lovely stories about the time they spent together.

S1 Ep5: Phoebe Bridgers Jan 30, 2018

In this episode, we speak to singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. Phoebe was one of the breakthrough artists of 2017 with her album, 'Stranger in the Alps', in many people's best of the year lists. She's a big fan of Elliott's and you can really hear his influence coming through on some of the songs on that album.

It was great to speak to her about (what else) her favourite Elliott Smith Song, how she first got into him and whether Elliott would use Twitter if he was alive today.

And if you haven't heard Phoebe's album, check it out - after listening to this episode first, of course.

S1 Ep4: Denny Swofford Jan 11, 2018

In the fourth episode of the My Favourite Elliott Smith Song podcast, we speak to Denny Swofford. Denny is the co-founder of Cavity Search, the record label that released early Heatmiser Singles and Elliott Smith's first album, Roman Candle.

Hopefully you enjoy this chat - Denny's got some great stories about the Heatmiser days in Portland and listen out for his take on hearing, for the first time, the songs that would later become Roman candle.

There are more episodes of the show lined up, so please do like and subscribe so you can get them directly. Thanks for listening.

S1 Ep3: Nickolas Rossi Dec 06, 2017

In this episode, we speak to Nickolas Rossi, the director of Elliott Smith documentary Heaven Adores You. As well as talking us through his selection, Nickolas also discusses how he came to direct the film and what it was like using Elliott's music as his soundtrack.

S1 Ep2: William Todd Schultz Nov 13, 2017

William Todd Schultz, the author of Torment Saint - an Elliott Smith biography - joins us for the second episode of the podcast. As well as discussing his favourite Elliott track, he also talks about how he came to write the book and what we learnt when while working on it.

S1 Ep1: Louis Theroux Oct 15, 2017

The journalist and documentary maker Louis Theroux joins us for the very first episode of the My Favourite Elliott Smith song. Find out his number one Elliott track, how he got into the singer and the story of how the pair crossed paths in London.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected