Back in August 2002, Elliott Smith’s fans were surprised to see some intriguing posts on the message board that can now be found here:
Posts like this one:
‘…i ain’t gonna work on maggie’s farm no more…maybe charlie’s farm…i’ve already planned to put at least a song up…maybe more than one…SOMEBODY ALREADY HAS, RIGHT?…now who might that be? THIS MESSAGE COURTESY OF THE BLETHER, but written by (h)hhelliott.
…i kiss goodbye the howling beast on the borderline that separated you from me…(not my lyric, dammit.)
love to you all, even YOU and YERS,
elliott’
It was effectively Elliott, not an impostor, as it was confirmed later by someone who attended one of his shows, and had a little chat with him. Elliott must have been in a Bob Dylan phase, judging from the sentences directly borrowed from ‘Idiot wind’ and ‘Maggie’s farm’. This Maggie was probably a direct reference to his manager Margaret Mittleman, who had handled him since ‘Roman Candle’ and from whom he was distancing himself. At that time there were a lot of stories floating around about Elliott’s health and possible addiction, and as we have learned it later, they were true since 2001-early 2002 was not a good time for Elliott. He had been heavily criticized for strumming the opening chords of songs before aborting them and mumbling half-remembered lyrics during the few shows he had played during this period. He even had a total breakdown when he opened for Wilco in Chicago early May 2002.
However, he decided to try a new treatment in August 2002 when he checked into the Neurotransmitter Restoration Center in Beverly Hills, and despite the controversy surrounding this clinic, he had cleaned up after the treatment.
A little bit later he posted this:
‘I’ve had a sick feeling for a long time, but you will see LP6, IN LEGAL FORM (not that I care if people bootleg it). also, thanks for the photo album of letters and 2nd double disc. some of you sing better than me, of course. this record is not being held up by my (quite good) management or, some kind of corporate crap. I’m getting healthy after a bad time. 2 songs left to pick now from 40. i haven’t died, y’know? (wished I had for awhile.) THIS MESSAGE APPEARS COURTESY OF THE BLETHER, but is from (h)hhelliott (i am not the blether, but i know…them.) sure seems like a lot of people on this thread running around with arrows in their hats. love to you all, m’friends. peace, (h)hhelliott (elliott)
…I ain’t gonna work on maggie’s farm no more…’
Fans, aware of his problems, had put together a home made ‘tribute album’ and a book gathering letters of fans from all over the States (and may be the world), which ended in Elliott’s possession. The blether he was referring to was friend(s) he was staying with at that time, as he was still with Valerie Deerin, his girlfriend before he got with Jennifer Chiba.
He also posted this to explain his disastrous performance in Chicago in May 2002
‘i’m not a hero and you shouldn’t be hated, but yes, e. you’re completely wrong. sometimes i get TIRED. (no sarcasm implied) i slept on my f***ing arm wrong after 2 bad shows. should i have refused to try? apparently…to some…not in my opinion. i mean, if i’d cancelled with people already in the building…hmmm, same thread I guess…but i’d have felt like i let folks down without a try. performance minus risk equals BOREDOM for you and me. personally, i despise BORING PERFORMANCE. this tangled thread, however, makes me SMILE. it’s my birthday today, i feel OK, so please don’t infer any anger here, just a little clarification. perfection is not my ideal. it’s an insult to the gods. love to you (i mean it) yer friend,
(h)hhelliott
NOT FROM THE BLETHER, but courtesy of…them, from (h)hhelliott (elliott)
…i ain’t gonna work on maggie’s farm no more…’
Elliott never posted again on the message board to my knowledge, but starting 2003, he was playing more and more shows and he was rarely aborting songs. The last time I saw him in Los Angeles, he looked healthy, had gained weight, was playing electric with a full band. It was an homage to the Kinks organized by the Derby and it was only 2 months and half before he died.