My Favourite Elliott Smith Song

Latest Episodes:

S3 Ep13: Charlene Kaye Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

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