I don't have anything useful or enlightening to add about suicide or
depression or the music industry or heroin addiction or alcoholism or
tortured artists or cliched martyrdom. But I would like to say something
about Elliott Smith, as someone who was affected by his music. I've said
some of this on other lists, so if you've read it before, please bear with
me.

I was an Elliott Smith-fan-come-lately. But I've had a long and difficult
past few months, and part of what made it a little more bearable was
listening to Elliott Smith's records. His music, sad though it was and
bitter on occasion, buoyed and comforted me because it expressed truth and
understanding about what it feels like to go through difficult times.

The news of his death affected me on a surprisingly personal level, just
as his music did. And when I thought about why, I realized it was because
he had the ability to make me feel better when I was low, and there aren't
a whole lot of people -- ones I've met, or otherwise -- who can do that
for me. From what I can tell, a number of other people had the same
response to his music, many of them fellow musicians. I bet he wasn't a
shining example of a perfect human being, but neither am I. Are you? I
never had to deal with him personally, so I can't comment on what he was
or wasn't dealing with that might have driven him to his end, but I sure
did appreciate his music.

And now I won't get to hear any more of it, and that's sad, and it sucks,
no matter what anyone thinks about any of that other crap.

Andrea