Question 1

True or false: Before his solo career, Elliott Smith was a member of the grunge band Mudhoney.

Accepted Answer

False. He fronted the indie rock band Heatmiser, not Mudhoney. Mudhoney was a separate Seattle grunge band.

Question 2

True or false: Elliott Smith taught himself to play guitar at age 10 after breaking his arm.

Accepted Answer

False. He started playing guitar at around 13 or 14, and no broken arm was involved. He was self-taught, though.

Question 3

True or false: Elliott Smith was nominated for an Oscar for the song 'Miss Misery' from the film Good Will Hunting.

Accepted Answer

True. He performed the song live at the 1998 Academy Awards, losing to Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On.'

Question 4

True or false: Elliott Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and moved to Portland as a teenager.

Accepted Answer

False. He was born in Omaha but his family moved to Duncanville, Texas, then to Portland, Oregon, when he was a teen.

Question 5

True or false: Elliott Smith's final album 'From a Basement on the Hill' was completed entirely by him before his death.

Accepted Answer

False. It was unfinished at his death; posthumous production was handled by Rob Schnapf and Joanna Bolme to complete it.

Question 6

True or false: He once recorded a cover of The Beatles' 'Revolution' for a tribute album that was never released.

Accepted Answer

True. His slow, haunting cover was recorded for a planned Beatles tribute album that was shelved indefinitely.

Question 7

True or false: Smith recorded the entire album 'Either/Or' using only a four-track cassette recorder in his basement.

Accepted Answer

True. The lo-fi classic was largely recorded on a TASCAM 4-track at home, giving it its intimate, raw sound.

Question 8

True or false: Smith's song 'Between the Bars' was written from the perspective of an alcoholic drink.

Accepted Answer

True. Smith said the lyrics personify alcohol as a seductive, destructive voice, making the drink itself the speaker.

Elliott Smith Trivia Questions