‘My mom called me up once and said. ‘I just read in the gossip column in the local paper that Elliott Smith was seen having lunch with Minnie Driver, holding her hand,’ declared Larry Crane in Autumn de Wilde’s book, ‘Elliott Smith’. ‘And I thought to myself, holy shit. To the people writing that and reading that, he is like a nonentity. He’s just like a scruffy little musician guy. That was after he had some songs in the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. That’s when it got really weird, totally weird’, . ….’That’s just pure gossip bullshit, trashy journalism. And that’s harmful stuff, too, because that article made it out like this thing was going on between him and Minnie Driver while he was still dating someone else! He was just having lunch with her. Jesus Christ….’
I know Elliott and Minnie were just friends! At least this is what they said later, but Elliott must have made a big impression on her since she picked one of his songs for her new album of covers. She sings The Cure, Neil Young, John Prine, Stevie Wonder, the Killers and Frank Sinatra on ‘Ask Me to Dance’ but she opens the album with Elliott’s beloved song ‘Waltz #2’.
‘Elliott and I became friends after he did the music for Good Will Hunting, ‘ said Minnie Driver to USA Today. ‘While he was recording XO at Sunset Sound, I happened to be down the hallway in another studio. When I wandered into his, I was met with this beautiful wall of sound that was ’Waltz #2.’ I recorded it in memory of this great artist and a too-brief friendship.’
I understand that the song means a lot to her, and she does a fine, okay rendition, I just have a problem with the arrangements, why this terrible change in the chorus? To me, it brings the song down, it makes it less emotional and gut wrenching, it could even bring it in the easy-listening department, or Starbucks counter. And where are the awesome drums at the beginning? Sure she wanted to bring something new and personal to the song and not do an exact copy of the original recording, but I don’t think this is a winner.
And the irony of the story? Driver says to Speakeasy Wall Street Journal that ‘she was conscious about the songs she chose and didn’t want something to come off like a karaoke version’… Isn’t ‘Waltz #2’ precisely a song about a karaoke scene observed by a narrator (Elliott)? But she probably knows this.
Listen to the cover below and let me know if I’m wrong! Minnie Driver’s new album ‘Ask Me to Dance’ has been available everywhere since October 7th.