Strange Coincidences
"Ironic" isn't the word I'm looking for here... it seems almost flip, and evokes an Alanis Morissette song. "Terribly coincidental" maybe... I dunno.
The other night, I was watching "Subterranean" (MTV2's 60-minute-long replacement for "120 Minutes"). This week's episode featured the band Ima Robot... and, so, they're talking about their album (seems promising), about how one of them used be in Beck's band (very cool!), and then they list a handful of their musical influences, which include Elliot Smith, who they kinda casually referred to as "this guy we know, Elliot Smith." I always like when bands are all buddy-buddy like that: "this guy we know..."
And I've been kinda intent these past few months on making myself familiar with the bands my friends enjoy the most. I mean, we could all use a bit of musical cross-pollination and, besides: conversations about bands and their music are fantastic. With that in mind, I downloaded a few tracks from Elliot Smith... only a few, and all REALLY catchy, really smooth. So when I hear Ima Robot mention him, I'm like... "Hey now! I know that fella!"
It seemed quite coincidental, because one of his songs, "Stupidity Tries," had been creeping in among "Sleigh Ride" and all the rest of the Christmas jingles that'd invaded my mind last week.
But then the terrible coinicidence: Singer Elliott Smith dead at 34.
And worse yet?
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Elliott Smith, a singer-songwriter whose dark, introspective songs won him critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination, has apparently committed suicide, his publicist and coroner's officials said Wednesday. He was 34.
It seems as though the article was put up right after I'd come home from the library, too.
Now, I'm certainly not one to be delivering a eulogy to Smith, and don't mistakenly think that I am in providing this somewhat lengthy personal reflection. I am in quite a writing mood and that's mostly why I put included all those details. All I really mean to say is that I think it's a shame.
The other night, I was watching "Subterranean" (MTV2's 60-minute-long replacement for "120 Minutes"). This week's episode featured the band Ima Robot... and, so, they're talking about their album (seems promising), about how one of them used be in Beck's band (very cool!), and then they list a handful of their musical influences, which include Elliot Smith, who they kinda casually referred to as "this guy we know, Elliot Smith." I always like when bands are all buddy-buddy like that: "this guy we know..."
And I've been kinda intent these past few months on making myself familiar with the bands my friends enjoy the most. I mean, we could all use a bit of musical cross-pollination and, besides: conversations about bands and their music are fantastic. With that in mind, I downloaded a few tracks from Elliot Smith... only a few, and all REALLY catchy, really smooth. So when I hear Ima Robot mention him, I'm like... "Hey now! I know that fella!"
It seemed quite coincidental, because one of his songs, "Stupidity Tries," had been creeping in among "Sleigh Ride" and all the rest of the Christmas jingles that'd invaded my mind last week.
But then the terrible coinicidence: Singer Elliott Smith dead at 34.
And worse yet?
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Elliott Smith, a singer-songwriter whose dark, introspective songs won him critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination, has apparently committed suicide, his publicist and coroner's officials said Wednesday. He was 34.
It seems as though the article was put up right after I'd come home from the library, too.
Now, I'm certainly not one to be delivering a eulogy to Smith, and don't mistakenly think that I am in providing this somewhat lengthy personal reflection. I am in quite a writing mood and that's mostly why I put included all those details. All I really mean to say is that I think it's a shame.