My Favourite Elliott Smith Song

Latest Episodes:

S2 Ep9: Slim Moon Sep 12, 2019

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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: