| But Elliott Smith: well, it’s not just that he was a completely distinct talent, though he was that; when he was at his best, none of his peers could touch him. And it wasn’t just the sordid details, though they didn’t help: fight with your girlfriend, then stab yourself in the heart when she goes down to the store for smokes? Of all the ways to go, this one seems even more meaningless than the rest. It wasn’t how young he was, though seeing “Elliott Smith Dead at 34” made it even harder. If his best work did in fact lie ahead of him, then the world has been robbed at knifepoint and will never get back what might have eased some of its pain. |