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Figure 8
Figure 8
Recorded by Rob Schnapf & Tom Rothrock at Sunset Sound Studio 3 in 1999, and released on the album Figure 8 in April 2000 KEVIN MOYER: This song is from Elliott's Figure 8 album and is another one that fans who know his catalog probably knew was coming, I mean how perfect is it to use a song called "LA" to illustrate Elliott's move from New York to Los Angeles? It feels triumphant and energetic when the song kicks in with visuals of the car rolling into town with the palm trees and sun flying past the car windows of downtown LA. NICKOLAS ROSSI: Upbeat, a change in mood and direction. This song helps illustrate the move to Los Angeles. It's rock, it's powerful, it's a strong piece to bring us into the next chapter of Elliott's life.
On April 21, 2000, Elliott performs "Son of Sam" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien "There was an intensity about him standing in front of me that was as intense as him performing by himself on that stool on television. At that moment, I realized that Elliott was going to be a star." - Rob Sacher, owner of former NYC venue Luna Lounge via Rolling Stone. Read more here.
KEVIN MOYER: We use the alternate version here rather than the released version. Although the original release sleeve on the single doesn't specify this as the acoustic version, it is much different from the Figure 8 release and this version appears as a B-side on that album's first single "Happiness". Elliott really only pick strums on this acoustic version, whereas he had an electric riff on the Figure 8 version. "Something's happening, don't speak too soon I told the boss off and made my move..." is a really good lyric for this part of the film too, I think. And this is a great moment where we hear about how Elliott could be so connected, even in fleeting moments. Spending time with him would often feel so intense and personal, and if you could get him to open up to you it felt like you were going to be best friends forever, and then the next day it would be like it never happened. MARC SWANSON: I think some of that was the drinking too. But there were evenings that we would be out until the early morning hours talking about incredibly deep and personal things, and then the next morning we would wake up and go get a bagel like it was just another day. And with fans, he felt that anyone who would spend the time to come see him play or listen to his music deserved respect, and he would be sad or bummed if someone approached him and for some reason left and walked away from the encounter disappointed. So he was always putting himself out there in a big way to his fans, often complete strangers, and he was always really kind to people anyways, we would go out and he would always talk to them for a long time. His friends wouldn't have had seen him for a long time, but he would be at the bar talking with some fans he just met for an hour! KEVIN MOYER: And strangers feel like they know him because his music becomes so personal to them. His music the way it is delivered can feel so confessional, sometimes sung in whispers or hushed tones, and the lyrics seem like they could be pages torn from someone's diary, and they are delivered like he is telling you a secret, something that only you and him could understand. And to share those moments with an artist, even just by listening to their music in times of need, I think it's easy for the listener to feel like his songs are speaking to you, or for you, and that can make the connection between artist and audience so much more powerful. MARC SWANSON: And there was this really funny thing that I noticed too. Some people just felt the need to touch him. Like, when he wouldn't notice, they would reach out and touch him. They would touch his arm or something, like meeting him wasn't real unless they touched him.
Capitol Records Studio BRecorded by Rob Schnapf & Tom Rothrock at Capitol Records Studio B in 1999 KEVIN MOYER: This song was released on Elliott's fifth studio album Figure 8. I remember that Elliott said it was one of his favorite songs at the time because it was idiosyncratic, which I would agree with and I remember him also saying that it might seem dreary to others but that the song is a very positive sentiment to him. MARK FLANAGAN: I would leave him many nights to play the Largo piano and guitar and he told me that he wrote a bunch of stuff during this time including "Happiness" and "Everything Means Nothing to Me". Like a lot of songwriters, one gets the impression that these songs either come whole or the genesis is there but it isn't a song till they hit that certain word, chord etc. ROB SCHNAPF: Great memories of this song. To me, at the time, it foreshadowed the possibilities that were to come. As it turned out, it never ended coming, as things played out, but at the time it felt like an exciting future... Every step of the way, it started as an interesting piano ditty. Then we did the vocals with treatment between the verse and chorus. Reverb thru the Leslie in the verse. Looped dry vocals in the chorus. Then the drums with the room compression and the delay on them. And the moment the mellotron went on my arms went up in victory. Then we extended the song with echoplex feedback and looping the piano. Until it felt right.
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2000 show highlightsNovember 8, 2000Elliott Smith Neurolux, Boise, ID, US
November 6, 2000
November 4, 2000
October 31, 2000
October 20, 2000
May 6, 2000
May 10, 2000
May 5, 2000
April 21, 2000
April 3, 2000
March 30, 2000
March 22, 2000
March 17, 2000
March 15, 2000 - March 19, 2000
March 1, 2000
February 29, 2000
February 28, 2000
February 26, 2000
Performance at Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, 2000
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