Route 66 - Movie Music Show - April 18, 2019

Of all the movies I've seen and all the music I've heard, one stands out as a landmark moment. That's because it was the first significant time where I saw a movie and heard a song that I never heard before, then stayed to read the credits to find out who it was, and went on to become a devoted fan of that artist in all the years since.

It was January of 1998, and the movie was "Good Will Hunting." I remember seeing it at the San Marcos theater in Jacksonville, Florida with my friend John McConnell and his wife at the time. And I remember first hearing several songs in the movie that had an almost Simon & Garfunkel style similar to "The Graduate," but I knew it was somebody new and different. So I waited and read the credits and finally saw the name:  Elliott Smith. And of course I said, "Who is this Elliott Smith?" and made it a point to find out.

Well just a few weeks later, the Academy Award nominations were announced and sure enough this unknown singer-songwriter Elliott Smith was nominated for Best Original Song. And he would be performing the song live in front of millions of people. So I remember watching the show, as Elliott Smith took the stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion - a solitary young man dressed in a white suit, holding an acoustic guitar. And he sang his song entitled "Miss Misery" and it was beautiful. Now if you remember anything about movies from that year, you might remember there was a certain movie called "Titanic" which won a bunch of Oscars. That movie had a song by Celine Dion that was quite popular, and ultimately won the Oscar. "Good Will Hunting" did at least win a couple Oscars, including one for Robin Williams as Best Supporting Actor and the then unknown writing team of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck who wrote the screenplay.

But it was Elliott Smith who I remember most. I became a huge fan, and have listened to his music consistently for 20 years. His career, however, didn't take off after performing at the Oscars. He remained independent and respected, but never crossed over to mainstream success. Even today, people aren't very familiar with his music and would have a difficult time naming one of his songs. Very tragically, his career was cut short when he was found dead on October 21, 2003 at the age of 34. His death remains a mystery, but that's another story for a different day.

Elliott Smith was a gifted songwriter with a beautiful voice. He was a natural musician who could play every instrument. He left behind a legacy of poetic songs, many of which are deservedly called Beatles-esque.

Here now is the Oscar nominated song from the 1997 movie "Good Will Hunting" - "Miss Misery" by Elliott Smith.