On my way to dying my hair pink and eating yuca tacos, as apparently all Silver Lake residents do, I saw some work being done on the Solutions! wall. Yes, the same one we reported on today, which had been horribly defaced. Some Silver Lake locals took it upon themselves to bring the mural, which serves as an Elliott Smith shrine, back to its former splendor.
The wall will now be a canvas ready for fan tributes, but can it escape the wrath of untalented taggers? I just hope Plastic God comes back and redoes his illustration.
This is down the street from me. It makes me happy.
_________________
thodoks wrote:
Man, they really will give anyone an internet connection these days.
Post subject: Re: Elliott Smith Figure 8 Wall Restored
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:14 am
Spaceman
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:03 am Posts: 24177 Location: Australia
that's nice to hear. i meant to visit it when i was in la but never got around to it.
_________________ Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear, Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer. The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.
Photo exhibit shows a complex portrait of the singer-songwriter.
There, in the dozens of beautiful, affecting photos, is the Elliott Smith we know — or at least think we know — from his poignant, melancholy music. Glancing downward, downcast. Looking straight at you, yet sheepishly. Seemingly uncomfortable in his own skin. But there he is smirking, laughing, too. Goofing around in a Portland Trailblazers jersey. Playful, bemused, sometimes serene, even.
The shots are by acclaimed music photographer Autumn de Wilde — longtime friend and documentarian of Smith, who died in 2003 — and they comprise the four-day Pictures of Me exhibit at Queen's Nails Annex, one of the highlights of the visual arts component of this year's Noise Pop festival. Collectively, they present a complex, multifaceted portrait of the beloved singer-songwriter that effectively dismantles the easy and prevalent reduction of the man to simply "troubled, tortured soul."
"I didn't like it that people were saying they couldn't listen to Elliott's music because it made them too sad," de Wilde says from her home in Los Angeles, "and I just felt like if I could do anything to remind people of the other parts of his life — not to put in soft focus any of the tragedy and the self-destructive choices — but to remind people of the whole human being."
She pauses, then continues. "There's a lot of artists who have dark histories, and there's a lot of artists who have beautiful lives, and I think they all have a little bit of both, and they shouldn't all be remembered in one way."
Pictures of Me features candid prints of Smith shot over her years of close friendship with the singer — some while the pair simply hung out with each other or around friends; others during promotional, album cover, or video shoots — and in several different film formats (though not any of de Wilde's precious Polaroids, due to their irreplaceability). Particularly fascinating are her proof sheets, displayed on a drawing table under Plexiglas, which captures de Wilde's casual-yet-purposeful process of arriving at some of her most iconic images.
"I never decide who they 'are,' ever," she says of all her subjects — a long list of music notables that includes Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Jenny Lewis, and the White Stripes. She considers them more friends than "clients," which explains why the notoriously shy Smith seemed comfortable letting down his guard around de Wilde's lens. "I'm just hunting for something, just looking for something I hadn't seen before, and that opens the door to many different types of photos."
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
Post subject: Re: Elliott Smith Figure 8 Wall Restored
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:33 pm
Interweb Celebrity
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 46000 Location: Reasonville
windedsailor wrote:
where is that ceebs?
Pictures of Me: Rare photographs of Elliott Smith shows at Queen's Nails Annex (3189 Mission St., San Francisco). Pictures of Me will have it's opening on Thursday, February 28th, from 7 – 11 pm. The exhibition will be open from Friday the 29th until Sunday March 2nd, from 12 – 6 pm.
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
Last edited by corduroy_blazer on Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Post subject: Re: Elliott Smith Figure 8 Wall Restored
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:34 pm
Interweb Celebrity
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 46000 Location: Reasonville
autumn de wilde and elliott.
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
Post subject: Re: Elliott Smith Figure 8 Wall Restored
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:37 pm
Former PJ Drummer
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 12:03 am Posts: 18376 Location: outta space Gender: Male
i just found this
Quote:
Hey Jude
Written by: Paul McCartney Era of origin: Era(s) recorded: From a Basement On the Hill
Known alternate/working titles: Common mislabels:
Source/availability (Official): Unreleased.
Source/availability (Unofficial): Unreleased.
Alternate versions (available): Alternate versions (known, unavailable): Live Appearances: None known. Information: Elliott was a big fan of the Beatles, often citing them as one of his biggest influences. Elliott was to record a cover of "Hey Jude" for The Royal Tenenbaums movie in 2001, but the song was not featured in the movie nor the soundtrack.
It is said that the cover was recorded during a bad time for Elliott, which has been well documented. While Wes Anderson, director of The Royal Tenenbaums, said Elliott never finished this cover, this has been disputed.
Johan Wohlert, former bassist of the band Mew, shared a story on his blog about helping record "Hey Jude" with Elliott after Elliott had passed away.
(Note: All spelling errors and instances of "Eliot" are kept intact.) October. 26, (2003) London, UK Hallo Everybody.... I've been a long time fan of his voice, songwriting skills and overall ear for what I would call beautiful music. It was with great grief that i learned that Mr. Elliot Smith had passed away... The reason that I write this jounal is to tell you all a nice story about me and Mr. Smith.
It took place on the 18th sep. 2001 in Los Angeles, USA. Me and my boys were going to LA to start the recordings of Frengers and had just arrived at our hotel. It was night, not late but still dark and we were sharring a beer on the balcony, trying to cope with our jetlag. Our producer Rich Costey was supposed to come by and say hallo and so he did. We talked a bit and after a while he said that he had to go to a studio somewhere in Hollywood to help out this guy record "Hey Jude". I think I asked who it was and Rich told me he was called Elliot Smith... "ELLIOT SMITH??!!" Hold on, THE Elliot Smith??!! I'm comming with you!!... So here I was on my first night in fantastic LA, a little bit drunk and sooooo jetlagged... On my way to meet Mr. Smith, one of my few idols!!! Bloody Good!!
We arrived at the studio (that turned out to be the place where Prince did "Purple Rain") and found Elliot, a gloomy looking guy with long greasy hair, bad skin and a knitted beanie on his head. Along with him was his Dad, his band and a bunch of hangarounds. Everybody seemed really down to say the least. Elliot just sat there and then said "Hallo I'm Elliot". He spoke in the ecxact same soft, gentle voice that I knew and loved from his records. I must say that it really hurt me to see him in such a depressed stage and without ever knowing him as a person I could tell he was a very troubled soul. The session seemed to be stuck and nobody really knew what to do about it... So like the typical optimist I am, I tried to take charge of the session together with Rich, (I'd like to add that I probably wouldn't have done this had I not been slightly under the influence of the King of Beers) but never the less it almost worked. At least we got Elliot motivated to recording the piano again, Rich fixed the drums and the spirit was higher all together at this point. Hours had passed and I was almost falling asleep on the couch. But then happend, what I would call the climax of my night... Elliot asked all of us, and I mean everybody in the studio, including Rich and me, to do the "Na Na Na NaNaNa Naaaaaaaee, NaNaNa Naaaaaaaee Hey Jude" outro vocalpart together with him... It was pretty fucking wierd standing there, even more drunk and sleepy, screeming Pauls ode to Johns son in the middle of the night, in a room full of people I had never met before and realizing that I probably would remember this the rest of my life....
I think they eventully got the track finished without me and Rich but I don't think the track ever made it on to the soundtrack. My facination of Elliot Smiths talent grew even bigger after that wonderfull, wierd evening, in a time when the world was threatning to fall apart.......
-You will be missed Mr. Smith -Johan
It is currently unknown if the studio version was ever completed.
_________________
thodoks wrote:
Man, they really will give anyone an internet connection these days.
Post subject: Re: Elliott Smith Figure 8 Wall Restored
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 6:10 am
Former PJ Drummer
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:00 am Posts: 16093 Location: dublin Gender: Male
I didn't know about this & we were in LA the other day and made a pilgramage late one night, only to find the wall newly painted & *asking* for it...so i added my little bit of love in the form of a message to the man... #don't give out...people have been defacing U2s studio here for YEARS...a tiny 2 line note on this wall from me wont hurt anyone!! he was amazin...
_________________ At the end of the day, it's night.
Post subject: Re: Elliott Smith Figure 8 Wall Restored
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:50 am
Former PJ Drummer
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 12:03 am Posts: 18376 Location: outta space Gender: Male
dimejinky99 wrote:
I didn't know about this & we were in LA the other day and made a pilgramage late one night, only to find the wall newly painted & *asking* for it...so i added my little bit of love in the form of a message to the man... #don't give out...people have been defacing U2s studio here for YEARS...a tiny 2 line note on this wall from me wont hurt anyone!! he was amazin...
you were like 2 blocks from where i sleep. the internet almost crossed streams with reality
_________________
thodoks wrote:
Man, they really will give anyone an internet connection these days.
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Frank
