My Favourite Elliott Smith Song

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song
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My Favourite Elliott Smith Song

The premise of this podcast is very simple - in each episode, we speak to a famous fan of Elliott Smith's to discuss their favourite song of his and how they got into his music.

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  1. Paul Rees

    EPISODE 1

    Paul Rees

    Our first guest of the new season is author, Paul Rees. Paul has had a great career as a music writer. He's held senior positions at magazines such as Q and Kerrang, he's written several books including a best-seller on the life of Robert Plant, and most recently, penned a biography of Elliott Smith titled, Shooting Star. In this interview we discuss that book, how Paul decided to write about Elliott, the many stories he learnt along the way, and we also discuss his pick for his favourite song too. At the end of the episode, we also mention this brilliant Elliott Smith tribute from Adam Walton on BBC Wales and this unreleased interview from the year 2000 (courtesy of Mark Benton). Thank you for listening! Music in this episode: Kings Crossing by Elliott Smith From A Basement On the Hill by Elliott Smith My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong.

    32 min
  2. Kimbra

    EPISODE 2

    Kimbra

    Our guest today is Kimbra. Kimbra is a musician originally from New Zealand but is now based in New York City. You may have first heard of her when she sang on the track Somebody That I Used To Know in 2011 alongside Gotye, who wrote the single. The pair went on to win two Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. These two Grammy wins are part of a huge career, which includes signing with Warner Bros, multiple collaborations, an appearance on a Sims computer game soundtrack and a total of four albums, with her most recent, A Reckoning, coming out earlier this year.   Before releasing this record, Kimbra made the decision to break away from her major label recording contract and work independently. In this interview, we talk about the reasons behind that decision, the parallels between her career and Elliott Smith's, and, of course, we cover her favourite song choice too. Extra links: Everything Reminds Me of Her by Elliott Smith A Reckoning by Kimbra Far Out: Elliott Smith's Favourite John Lennon songs My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    30 min
  3. John Vanderslice

    EPISODE 3

    John Vanderslice

    Our guest today is John Vanderslice. John is a musician, producer and the owner of the legendary Tiny Telephone studio, which initially began in the Mission district of San Francisco. Bands who've recorded at Tiny Telephone with John include the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Okkervil River, the Mountain Goats, St. Vincent and many, many more. Embarking on his musical odyssey as a singer/songwriter, John  has left an indelible mark with the release of 17 albums since 2000. Recently, he underwent a significant evolution by immersing himself in the vibrant realm of electronic music. Notably, he continues to manage Tiny Telephone Oakland. In this interview, he tells us about how Larry Crane introduced him to Elliott Smith, his experience of seeing him live and we also talk about John's changing relationship with narrative in music. Photo by Maria Brand Extra links:  Say Yes by Elliott Smith Dear Elliott by Graciela Maria and Sneaky Bellza on Bandcamp Gruesome Details on Bandcamp Tiny Telephone (website) My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    32 min
  4. Margaret Glaspy

    EPISODE 4

    Margaret Glaspy

    Joining us for our last episode of the year is musician, Margaret Glaspy. Margaret, who is based in New York City, released her latest album - Echo the Diamond - in August this year. The record is Margaret's third full-length album, and follows on from 2020's Devotion and 2016's Emotions and Math. Margaret says Elliott Smith has been a big influence across her career, so in this episode we dive deeper into that, how she defines the Elliott 'vibe' and why her favourite song pick means so much to her. Extra things to look at and listen to: Stupidity Tries by Elliott Smith Margaret Glaspy's website Line of Best Fit review of Echo the Diamond Kolby Dickens plays us out with Say Yes My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    29 min
  5. Shannon Lay

    EPISODE 5

    Shannon Lay

    Welcome to our first episode of 2024 with Shannon Lay! Shannon is a solo musician based in Los Angeles, who's released four solo albums, as well as a collection of covers that came out last year. And on that covers album is a version of Angeles (by Elliott Smith), which you can hear at the very end of this episode. Before that though, we have the full interview with Shannon, where she discusses Figure 8, listening to albums from start to finish and the lyrical mastery in her favourite song pick. Hope you enjoy it! Extra things: Can't Make a Sound by Elliott Smith You can find Shannon's cover of Angeles here Shannon's website Photo of Shannon is by Kai McKnight My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    40 min
  6. Lily O'Farrell (@vulgadrawings)

    EPISODE 6

    Lily O'Farrell (@vulgadrawings)

    Our guest today is Lily O'Farrell, who you may know by her online name @vulgadrawings. Lily is a cartoonist and writer based in London. She began publishing feminist cartoons on Instagram in 2018 and has since reached more than 300,000 followers. She's also published a book, released a podcast (her recent series No Worries If Not is well worth listening to) and, yes, even created a number of Elliott Smith memes. In this interview, we discuss what makes Elliott's music meme-worthy, whether or not you should date an ES fan and the impact her favourite song pick has had on her life. Hope you enjoy listening to it! Extra things: Happiness/The Gondola Man by Elliott Smith  Happiness by Elliott Smith live in Paris No Worries If Not - Lily's podcast Follow Lily on Instagram We also share a clip of Calebo playing Happiness at a recent tribute show in London - you can find them here Photo by Holly Whitaker My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    37 min
  7. Violet Mayugba (Destroy Boys)

    EPISODE 7

    Violet Mayugba (Destroy Boys)

    Our guest today is Violet Mayugba. Violet is the guitarist and a founding member of the band, Destroy Boys. The group formed back in 2015 in Sacramento, California and have gone on to release three studio albums, with one more on the way - in fact, they had just finished recording it the day before this interview was recorded. Violet is a huge Elliott Smith fan. She talks about her favourite song pick and the personal way she relates to it very openly and honestly, and we loved speaking to her. And after the interview with Violet, we catch up with musician Dylan Rodrigue. Dylan and fellow musician Marcus Buser recently hosted an Elliott Smith tribute show in Los Angeles. It featured former podcast guests Johanna Samuels, Aaron Embry and Shannon Lay, and we discuss how the show went as well as Dylan's favourite song ES song. Hope you enjoy it! Extra things: Roman Candle by Elliott Smith  Listen to Destroy Boys Find Violet Mayguba on Instagram  Find Dylan Rodrigue on Instagram  In the episode, we play a clip of Johanna Samuels singing Antonio Carlos Jobim on Elliott Smith - here's the ES version My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    44 min
  8. Spencer Fox

    EPISODE 8

    Spencer Fox

    Today we're joined by musician, Spencer Fox. Spencer is the guitarist in the New York-based band Charly Bliss. The band have released two albums to date with Guppy coming in 2017 and Young Enough in 2019, and they've recently been in the studio recording their third record too. We had a great time chatting to Spencer. He's a self-confessed major Elliott Smith fan and had a lot to say on his pick for his favourite song, the YouTube rabbit holes he goes down and he kindly humoured attempts to draw parallels between his childhood acting career (he starred in The Incredibles) with his Elliott fandom! Extra things: Thirteen by Elliott Smith Lucky Three (which features Thirteen) film by Jem Cohen Elliott Smith songwriting masterclass (the video Spencer mentions) Charly Bliss' website  Follow Spencer on Instagram My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    30 min
  9. Rey Villalobos (The Coral Sea)

    EPISODE 9

    Rey Villalobos (The Coral Sea)

    Our guest for today's episode is Rey Villalobos, who releases music under the name The Coral Sea.  Rey started out as The Coral Sea back in 2004 and has released several albums since then - including Golden Planet Sky which came out last year.  Before he went solo, Rey began his music career as a drummer. Playing in bands in Los Angeles and Portland - where we moved in similar ciricles to Ellliott Smith.  In this interview he talks about those days, covering A Distorted Reality is a necessity to be free and he also discusses his favourite song pick - which also has a strong Portland connection. Thanks to listener Pierrick for suggesting Rey as a guest! Extra things:  Alameda by Elliott Smith  The Coral Sea on Instagram  A Distorted Reality by The Coral Sea My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    25 min
  10. Mikaela Davis

    EPISODE 10

    Mikaela Davis

    Joining us for episode 10 of the season is musician, Mikaela Davis. Mikaela is a harpist and songwriter based in Catskill, New York. Mikaela credits Elliott Smith with helping 'spark' her professional music career, as it was her cover of Twilight that helped bring her to the attention of a booking agent while she was still a college student. She's now a firmly established artist with her 2023 album And Southern Star released to critical claim by Kill Rock Stars (in another Elliott parallel). In this interview, she discusses the enduring impact of that Twilight cover, Elliott Smith's classical sensibilities and her favourite song pick. Extra things: Half Right by Heatmiser Half Right by Elliott Smith Twilight by Mikaela Davis  Half Right by Mikaela Davis  Follow Mikaela on Instagram Torment Saint (book) by WT Schultz My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    32 min
  11. Claire Rousay

    EPISODE 11

    Claire Rousay

    Joining us today is Claire Rousay. Claire is a musician and composer based in Los Angeles. She describes her work as 'emo ambient' and is just preparing to release a new album, Sentiment, which is out later in April 2024. The record is a follow-up to Claire's last studio album Everything Perfect Is Already Here, which came out in 2022. Claire says she listens to Elliott Smith at least four days a week and, in this interview, we talk about her and her partner's shared Elliott passion, her song choice (which is a track we've never covered on the podcast before) and her 'what would Elliott do' approach to navigating the ethics of the music industry. Hope you enjoy listening! Extra things: New Monkey by Elliott Smith New Moon by Elliott Smith  Claire Rousay's website More on Claire's new album  Between the Bars by Lisa Osborn and Seadog My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    36 min
  12. Flyte

    EPISODE 12

    Flyte

    Joining us for the final episode of the season are Will Taylor and Nick Hill of Flyte. Will and Nick are very talented songwriters based in London. As Flyte, they have released three studio albums so far - with their most recent record, called Flyte, coming out towards the end of last year. They've also worked with some well-known names too, including the likes of Madison Cunningham, Laura Marling and the actor Florence Pugh. We first saw Will was an Elliott Smith fan when he listed the Elliott self-titled album as one of his all-time favourites. We then got in touch to set up this interview, which Nick very kindly joined. In it, we discuss that self-titled record, what Elliott Smith might have been like at school and their favourite song pick - which they seemed to both agree on without ever discussing it. Hope you enjoy listening to it! Extra things: Coming Up Roses by Elliott Smith  Coming Up Roses music video (which Will and Nick reference in the episode) Losing You music video by Flyte (inspired by Coming Up Roses) Our episode with Ross Harris Flyte website My Favourite Elliott Smith Song is produced by Rob Comba and Elizabeth Withstandley. Find us on social media @myfavesmithsong. myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com

    25 min
See All Season 6 (12)

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The premise of this podcast is very simple - in each episode, we speak to a famous fan of Elliott Smith's to discuss their favourite song of his and how they got into his music.

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