Elliott Smith And The Big Nothing [Hardcover]

Benjamin Nugent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 2004

It is rare these days for a recording artist to move his fans so deeply that news of his death sparks instant tribute concerts worldwide-from Dublin to Boston, and Nashville to Los Angeles.Elliott Smith was such an artist. On October 21, 2003, he was found dead in his apartment from two stab wounds to the chest. But before his tragic death, which is still under investigation, came the solitary beauty of Smith's music.Known best for his heartrending song "Miss Misery" from the Oscar-nominated Good Will Hunting soundtrack, Elliott Smith was catapulted to the status of indie icon after performing at the 1998 Oscars. Sandwiched between Celine Dion and Trisha Yearwood and wearing an unlikely white tuxedo, he looked out of place-but many who witnessed his surreally beautiful performance thought he put Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" to shame. His albums have since sold over half a million copies, with his melody-based rock inspiring successful artists from Belle & Sebastian to the Flaming Lips.Featuring never-before-published interviews with those that knew and loved Smith, this book takes us from his childhood in suburban Dallas, Texas, to his life-and eventual death-in Los Angeles. Focusing on the crucial interplay between Smith's life and music, and establishing his place in America's musical canon as one who helped to usher in today's rock revival, this is a groundbreaking biography on "an amazing singer and songwriter" (Moby).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This isn't the Hardy Boys–esque mystery starring tragic indie-rocker Elliott Smith that the title might suggest, but instead a rather skimpy bio timed to coincide with the first anniversary of his death. A prolific but troubled singer/songwriter, Smith inspired a legion of loyal fans and influenced a score of major artists, but for much of his career, he succeeded in flying under the mainstream radar. Then his song "Miss Misery" was featured in friend Gus Van Zandt's 1997 Good Will Hunting, and Smith, nominated for an Academy Award for best song, performed at the Oscars, clad in a white tux. But life didn't turn suddenly rosy; Smith struggled with drugs and depression, and in October 2003, he died of multiple stab wounds to the chest, an apparent suicide. In some respects, one has to feel for freelance writer Nugent, an avowed fan, for even attempting to write this book. Smith shied away from the media, leaving behind few interviews to draw on, and Smith's friends, family and acquaintances largely refuse to speak about him. While Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight. Candlelight vigils commemorating Smith's death might drive sales at publication, but Smith's fans, as loyal as any in music, will be disappointed by this short and shallow biography.
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Review

"Big Nothing does open a window of insight into our reluctant hero." -- Austin Chronicle 12/3/04

"A good read and an intriguing case study of the destructive power of fame." -- Frontwheeldrive.com 11/2/04

"Fascinating for its depth of reporting and detail." -- Willamette Week 10/23/04

"Nugent is able to reveal the man's charm, sense of humor and often-frustrated optimism throughout this well-written and researched book." -- Buffalo News 11/28/04

"Serves as a fitting tribute to a complex, much-missed entertainer." -- Gotham November 2004

"Smith's heartsick fans may be grateful for this effort." -- New York Times Book Review 12/5/04

"The life of Smith is laid out in striking detail...[the book] is worth reading." -- Curled Up With a Good Book 12/6/04

"[Nugent] breaks through the mystique behind Smith's songs." -- Paste February / March 2005

"[Nugent] understands the magnificently thick atmosphere of Smith's music intimately, and submerges us in it." -- Salon.com 11/23/04

[Nugent] did his research and left few stones unturned in telling Smith's relatively short and very sad story." -- Chicago Sun-Times 12/6/04

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (October 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306813939
• ISBN-13: 978-0306813931
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, and now I have an apartment in Brooklyn but I spend more time in Los Angeles. When I was a nerdy child I would think, 'how come there's not a history of this name people shout at me when they throw things at me?' I started out as a reporter at Time, and I've written for The New York Times Magazine, Time, New York, and n+1, among other places. My favorite part of writing American Nerd was tracking down my friends from junior high and interviewing them about their lives and how they remembered our clique.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Little More than Nothing, October 17, 2004

By 

Brian E. Hayes (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elliott Smith And The Big Nothing (Hardcover)

The first known (or at least well-publicized) biography of Elliott Smith is something of a curiosity in that it takes pains to demonstrate an appreciation for the artist's work while simultaneously embracing the sort of crass commercialism that, essentially, sells books. Author Benjamin Nugent clearly has a soft spot for his subject, going as far as to justify Smith's more erratic moments as the inevitable collision between genius and so-called "normal" behavior, but there remains a vast disparity between what may be construed as a demonstration of admiration as opposed to one of respect.

Make no mistake about it: "Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing" was meant to capitalize on the one-year anniversary of Smith's death. The book has all the hallmarks of a rush-job: brevity (at 230 pages - index included - it's no "War and Peace"), inexcusable grammatical errors (copy editor, anyone?) and an unwieldy use of interview excerpts (glacier-sized chunks, really) from a scant handful of Smith's friends and acquaintances. While Nugent does get a break on this last point due to the fact that Smith's family and closest collaborators declined to comment for the book, the narrative still suffers from what can only be described as a mind-numbing overreliance on "talking heads" to tell Smith's story. Anyone familiar with Smith's work or his public persona(s) will tell you that an Elliott Smith biography couldn't possibly be boring, but this one is. "Big Nothing" offers shockingly few "revelations" about Smith's life that can't already be found on the Internet.

It's hard to imagine what sort of audience "Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing" is shooting for. Die-hard Smith fans will likely bristle at the regurgitation of previously known "facts," and the disjointed quality of the narrative - that it fails to illustrate how truly great Smith's work is while repeatedly acknowledging his genius - hardly seems capable of turning newbies onto his music. It's one thing to be told how good something is, and a completely different thing to experience it and know firsthand.

That said, the best introduction to Elliott Smith will always be his music. "Elliott Smith," "Either/Or," "XO," "Figure 8" - all of these are classic albums that demonstrate an astonishing range of talent and musical growth over the five or six years in which they were produced. Smith was an artist whose innate sensibilities and seeming candor in dealing with life's difficulties - failed romances, abuse, addiction - allowed his work to transcend what we've come to know as popular music. It's no mistake that Elliott Smith is so often compared to The Beatles; this guy was the real deal.

All things considered, I can't honestly say that "Big Nothing" is a bad book, per se, just a bit underwhelming from a fan's perspective. This may not be entirely fair to Nugent, of course, but it is my contention that the Elliott Smith fans who gobble up "Big Nothing" first will take away little more insight than they brought to it. If nothing else, Nugent's book seems premature. If you're reading this, Ben, I hope you have an opportunity to speak with those closest to Smith somewhere down the line and make "Big Nothing" the great book everyone wants it to be.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About the Music, April 12, 2007

By 

Katherine Curry "yikesbikes" (Columbia, Mo) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing (Paperback)

Katherine Curry
Reviewing: Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing

With an apologetic afterward by the author of the book Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, Benjamin Nugent explains the reasons for the widely perceived shortcomings while retracing the life of songwriter Elliott Smith. He explains that although the things reported in his book are widely known by avid Smith fans, most of his closest friends and family refuse to talk about the deceased musician. Aside from this apparent "flaw" in this biography, Nugent poignantly captures the life, art and death of the academy award nominee Elliott Smith. Although this book seems to reek of "typical biography" when Nugent beings with, "Steven Paul Smith was born at 12:59 a.m..."(9) it quickly shatters any notion of a normal biography when the author delves into Smith's songwriting and lyrics. Each chapter is named after each album Smith put out during his career. And, not only does Nugent provide the reader with a chronological account of his life during the making of these albums, but he also intimately uncovers the importance of individual songs by providing context and possible meanings. Nugent's analysis of Smith's lyrics and instrumentals not only exemplify the purity of Smith's music that he was so known for, but it also approaches the art with a similar ear to that of the readers. Through Nugent's research and thoughtful analysis it is apparent that he did the best he or any other free-lance writer could do with such a reclusive person like Elliott Smith. Although, I can see why people may think that this book does not do the justice that Smith deserves on the one-year anniversary of his apparent suicide, but with an artist like Elliott Smith, what can?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Firsts are always subpar., January 24, 2005

By 

Alan Sutton (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elliott Smith And The Big Nothing (Hardcover)

The first biography is, of course, going to be weak. Who could resist the release of a bio. and a post-mortem album in the same season? Anyway, the book is, as has been said, rushed, fragmented, and contains nothing that most of Smith's fans who took it upon themselves to learn something about the artist didn't know already.

For me, it was just great to see Smith getting some form of real, lasting recognition. Hopefully this book is only the first of several.

It was helpful to me in the respect of tying together the fragments I'd read of Smith's life and putting them in something of an order.

For my friends who know his music only through my intervention and know very little about Smith himself, this book was very helpful. I just passed it to them and said "read." After all, not every music fan is obsessive enough (as I am) to go hunting for biographies and stories on the internet. So, to me, this book is for those people.