Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing
Encyclopedia
Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing is a biography
of musician Elliott Smith
by Benjamin Nugent
. It was published by Da Capo Press
on October 30, 2004, just past the one year anniversary of Smith's death. The book contains interviews with two of the musician's producers, Rob Schnapf
and David McConnell
, and friends such as Pete Krebs, but does not contain any original interviews with Smith, his family or his close friends.
remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight" and that Smith's fans "will be disappointed by this short and shallow biography." PopMatters
cited that Nugent "fails on a very basic level to discriminate between his privilege as a fan of Smith's unforgettable music and his responsibilities as a journalist writing an objective study of Smith's life" and the book "is murky, indistinct, and woefully incomplete." CNN said in their mixed review that "Nugent sometimes gets a little too insider-y -- too many details about too many '90s indie bands -- and his insistences on Smith's sense of humor, though no doubt true, ring hollow.". Many of the book's detractors complained about the absence of original testimony from Smith's family and close friends such as Joanna Bolme
, Neil Gust
, Sam Coomes
and Janet Weiss
. Ironically, many of his close friends granted interviews for the December 2004 issue of SPIN Magazine just as Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing was sent to print.
Perhaps the most damning review of the book came from LA Weekly
s Alec Hanley Bemis, who himself is ironically thanked in the acknowledgement section of Nugent's book. He graded Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing as "shallow", "sloppy", "a quickie", reliant on "second-degree friends and third-party accounts" and includes "fact checking that doesn't extend far beyond Google
." He cited one particular passage wherein Nugent incorrectly wrote that Smith spent an evening partying in New York
with hip-hop mogul and Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons
, when in fact he was actually hanging out with the drummer from the indie rock
band The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Russell Simins. Bemis goes on to say that Nugent "failed to realize the Blues Explosion’s drummer happens to be named Russell Simins, a profoundly inconvenient homonym
for a writer hurriedly transcribing interviews and rushing a book into print. The biography is filled with many such errors and approximations." The Simmons/Simins mistake was not corrected in subsequent editions of the biography.
However, Jim DeRogatis wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times
that Nugent "did his research and left few stones unturned in telling Smith's relatively short and very sad story," and the Austin Chronicle
stated that Nugent "opens a window of insight into our reluctant hero."
In a paperback
edition released a year later, Nugent used a new afterword to respond to his critics, revealing that his publisher had given him an option of two deadlines: either on the first anniversary of Smith's death, or on the release date of Smith's posthumous album From a Basement on the Hill
. Nugent aimed for the release of the album, but when it was revealed the album was to coincide with the anniversary of Smith's death, he had no choice but to rush the book to completion.
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of musician Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
by Benjamin Nugent
Benjamin Nugent
Benjamin Nugent is an American writer, best known for the book American Nerd: The Story of My People.-Biography:Nugent grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts. He was the original keyboardist for The Cloud Room, an indie rock band based in Brooklyn, New York...
. It was published by Da Capo Press
Da Capo Press
Da Capo Press, is an American publishing company with headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers. it had additional offices in offices in New York City, Philadelphia and Emeryville, California...
on October 30, 2004, just past the one year anniversary of Smith's death. The book contains interviews with two of the musician's producers, Rob Schnapf
Rob Schnapf
Rob Schnapf is an American record producer and musician. He was the co-producer of Elliott Smith's albums Either/Or, XO , Figure 8 and From a Basement on the Hill, for which he was recruited by Smith's family to complete after Smith's death.Schnapf, along with Rothrock and partner...
and David McConnell
David McConnell
David McConnell is a southern Californian musician, most notable for his involvement as collaborator, producer and engineer for Elliott Smith's final album, From a Basement on the Hill as well as his involvement with the Summer Hymns and Folk Implosion/ Lou Barlow. He also plays solo under his own...
, and friends such as Pete Krebs, but does not contain any original interviews with Smith, his family or his close friends.
Reviews
The book received mixed reviews, with Publishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight" and that Smith's fans "will be disappointed by this short and shallow biography." PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
cited that Nugent "fails on a very basic level to discriminate between his privilege as a fan of Smith's unforgettable music and his responsibilities as a journalist writing an objective study of Smith's life" and the book "is murky, indistinct, and woefully incomplete." CNN said in their mixed review that "Nugent sometimes gets a little too insider-y -- too many details about too many '90s indie bands -- and his insistences on Smith's sense of humor, though no doubt true, ring hollow.". Many of the book's detractors complained about the absence of original testimony from Smith's family and close friends such as Joanna Bolme
Joanna Bolme
Joanna Bolme is a multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer who works with several indie rock bands and artists, mainly in the Pacific Northwest...
, Neil Gust
Neil Gust
Neil Jacob Gust is an American musician. He is best known for co-founding Heatmiser with Elliott Smith in 1992.-Music career:Gust and Smith first met in 1987 while the pair were attending Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Gust wrote songs for as well as played guitar and sang in the band...
, Sam Coomes
Sam Coomes
Samuel J. Coomes is an American musician, and currently one-third of the Portland-area indie band Quasi, along with drummer and ex-wife Janet Weiss and bassist Joanna Bolme...
and Janet Weiss
Janet Weiss
Janet Lee Weiss was the drummer of now defunct Sleater-Kinney and is currently a member of Quasi and Wild Flag. She was the drummer for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, leaving after the album Mirror Traffic.-Early life:...
. Ironically, many of his close friends granted interviews for the December 2004 issue of SPIN Magazine just as Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing was sent to print.
Perhaps the most damning review of the book came from LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
s Alec Hanley Bemis, who himself is ironically thanked in the acknowledgement section of Nugent's book. He graded Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing as "shallow", "sloppy", "a quickie", reliant on "second-degree friends and third-party accounts" and includes "fact checking that doesn't extend far beyond Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
." He cited one particular passage wherein Nugent incorrectly wrote that Smith spent an evening partying in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with hip-hop mogul and Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
, when in fact he was actually hanging out with the drummer from the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Russell Simins. Bemis goes on to say that Nugent "failed to realize the Blues Explosion’s drummer happens to be named Russell Simins, a profoundly inconvenient homonym
Homonym
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that often but not necessarily share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings...
for a writer hurriedly transcribing interviews and rushing a book into print. The biography is filled with many such errors and approximations." The Simmons/Simins mistake was not corrected in subsequent editions of the biography.
However, Jim DeRogatis wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
that Nugent "did his research and left few stones unturned in telling Smith's relatively short and very sad story," and the Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
stated that Nugent "opens a window of insight into our reluctant hero."
In a paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
edition released a year later, Nugent used a new afterword to respond to his critics, revealing that his publisher had given him an option of two deadlines: either on the first anniversary of Smith's death, or on the release date of Smith's posthumous album From a Basement on the Hill
From a Basement on the Hill
From a Basement on the Hill is the sixth and final studio album by the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Released posthumously on October 19, 2004 by ANTI- Records in CD, double LP, and digital download, it peaked at #19 in the US and #41 in the UK....
. Nugent aimed for the release of the album, but when it was revealed the album was to coincide with the anniversary of Smith's death, he had no choice but to rush the book to completion.
External links
- "Two musicians, dying young" Review by Todd Leopold for CNN.com
- "Sleepwalker: Elliott Smith's unhappy dream life" Review by Alec Hanley Bemis for LA Weekly