Jon Brion Talks about Elliott Smith

“I said there’s a way we can do something & we should experiment,” Anderson told the PTA fansite, Cigarettes & Redvines. “So, we just basically shot tests for about three episodes. I paid for it myself & we just did it…. I rented it, got a few cameras & threw up a couple of lights. No big deal. I had Fiona sing. I had Jon sing. Elliott Smith came by. Bette Midler happened to be recording at the studio next door & was like ‘I want to sing!’ It was insane! Next thing I know, Bette Midler is doing ‘50's cover tunes.”

What happened to those other performances is still a mystery. Anderson does not appear to have submitted the Smith episode to any channel or production company for consideration. Watching the performance again (for my fourth time, actually), that was most likely the right choice. This wasn’t the beginning of something new. This was the end of something that I am sure was frustrating and painful for Brion. Maybe he didn’t know it was the end, but it was. Fortunately, and fittingly, it is a moment he chose to share with two artists who know how to coax beauty out of gloom.

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