-----Original Message-----
From: king radio <kingradio@pumpingstation.com>
Sent: Oct 22, 2003 5:27 PM
To: audities@smoe.org
Subject: Re: Elliott Smith - life is a complicated business

>I really doubt Elliott's troubles come from his failure to break 
>through completely as a mainstream artist, as the attached message 
>and some others suggest.  He broke through pretty far.  I think the 
>main message to be found here is not that artistic and commercial 
>failure leads to suicide, but rather that huge artistic and 
>commercial success can't shield someone from depression, first of 
>all, but more importantly drug addiction.  In fact success and fame 
>probably just makes it all worse.

I was going to post something similar.  It seemed that no matter how successful
he became, the demons stayed with him.  The one time I saw him solo (I saw him with Heatmiser as well)
was one of the shows where either his confidence seemed shot or the drugs had taken hold.  Forgetting
lyrics, basic chord changes of songs; the whole thing. It was heartbreaking, and only made
worse by the shouts from the crowd of people trying to request songs or not understanding
what they were seeing...an extremely talented man having a breakdown that night.  

I'll miss his music a great deal, but take some solace that he is finally at peace.

Steve