At first I thought the knife to the heart was a bad metaphor; I wish it were. Blades hurt so Elliot Smith's conviction is impressive. Suicide pulls me in two directions: praise for the personal right to choose death, or upset about the selfishness of the person. Can one resolve those two points of view? All I know is no one wish a world without Elliot Smith and many people are saddened by the loss.
No, I do know a few more things. I remember seeing Elliot open for the Softies in a record store back in 1995. Or being forced to listen to one of his albums in a car for about five hours and just not getting it. Seeing him play with the Spinanes and getting it. And somewhere losing it again.
Perhaps he'll be happier with hanging on the porch with Johnny Cash. Ghosts have a lot to talk about.
