Elliott Smith’s intensely personal music has left a deep mark on a generation of fans and musicians. Now Chronicle Books is releasing Elliott Smith by Autumn de Wilde, a collection of rare photographs and one-of-a-kind interviews taken, and conducted, by one of Smith’s close friends, acclaimed photographer Autumn de Wilde. De Wilde was one of the few photographers with whom Smith loved working, and the photos in Elliott Smith are remarkably intimate and revealing, showing previously unseen sides of his personality. In addition to these startling, beautiful images, the book features conversations with many of Smith’s closet confidantes and collaborators—many of whom have never spoken on-record about Smith before—as well as musicians who never knew Smith but were deeply influenced by his music. Also included in the book are personal ephemera, handwritten lyrics, an exclusive CD featuring five songs from small shows in Los Angeles in 1997 that are all previously unheard, and a foreword by Beck Hansen and Chris Walla. A portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to the Sims Foundation in Austin and the Portland-based charity Outside In.
Autumn de Wilde worked closely with Smith as a friend and photographer for years, as well as directed the video for his song "Son of Sam," and designed the package and cover for his album Figure 8. After Smith’s death, fans turned the Silver Lake, California wall used on the cover’s background into a memorial site, leaving notes, flowers, and other items of personal connection.
Elliott Smith’s three independent solo albums (and earlier work with the band Heatmiser) earned him a devoted following that was greatly expanded by the use of his music in the film Good Will Hunting, his nomination for an Academy Award for his song "Miss Misery" in 1997, and his next two major-label releases on Dreamworks. After his death in 2003, his fan following has only grown and his absence is keenly felt, with the release of two posthumous collections (most recently the double album New Moon on Kill Rock Stars) and four tribute albums.
Conversations with friends, family, and musicians in the book include:
Ben Gibbard, Matthew Caws, Neil Gust, Ashley Welch
Sam Coomes, Dorien Garry, Jon Brion, Sean Croghan
Rob Schnapf, Alyssa Siegel, Chris Walla, Mark Flanagan
Joanna Bolme, Margaret Mittleman
The previously unreleased 5-track CD of Smith playing live, solo acoustic at Largo in L.A. circa 1997 includes the following songs:
Between the Bars
Angeles
Clementine
Clouds (a Quasi cover)
All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down (a Hank Williams, Jr. cover)
As a photographer or director, Autumn de Wilde has worked with Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Spoon, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Raconteurs, The White Stripes, Eels, Modest Mouse, Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis, Miranda July, and many others. She lives in Los Angeles. She has been documenting the award-winning fashion designers Rodarte for the past three years and plans to release a book about their work together. Her work has been featured in the pages of Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Elle, Res, V, Filter, Nylon, Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone, Spin, Dazed and Confused, and Zoo, to name a few.
Beck Hansen has collaborated with Autumn de Wilde since the early 1990’s, including on the cover for his album Sea Change; photo shoots for Mutations, Sea Change, and Guero; and photographs and videos for The Information.
Chris Walla is a guitarist and producer for Death Cab for Cutie and has worked as a producer with Hot Hot Heat, Nada Surf, the Prom, the Decemberists, Tegan and Sara, and other bands.
A portion of the proceeds of this book will be donated to The SIMS Foundation and Outside In.
www.simsfoundation.org
www.outsidein.org