half my music library is radiohead..
half is elliott smith..
in fact when it comes to obsession.. he is it.
here are some different versions of a design i came up with for the sweet addy elliott smith forum t-shirt.. i did some other shopped versions.. black & silver or whatever.. but they like the original drawing best with the detail.. so..
actually i came up with half a dozen other designs until we narrowed it down to this one..
if you don't know elliott smith's songs you won't get it, but each and every charm has significance to the smith obsessed.. from his lyrics.. most symbols come up more than once in his songs..
the challenge was that they wanted no actual image of elliott smith, no copyright infringement with lyrics, etc.. no gradient color for ease/cost of printing..
it's called 'unlucky charm' like the title of one of his songs.. and it's on a 'silver chain.. broken easily'.. more smith lyrics..
there are 24 charms:
broken heart - 'nobody broke your heart.. you broke your own 'cause you can't finish what you start..'
ferdinand the bull - the tattoo elliott had on his forearm of the bull that wouldn't fight from the children's story..
x & o - one of his cd titles and 'xo, mom, it's ok, it's allright, nothing's wrong..'
lightbulb - 'high on amphetamines.. the moon is a lightbulb breaking.. it'll go around with anyone.. but it won't come down for anyone.. and i won't come down for anyone..'
snow angel - 'i'd say you make the perfect angel in the snow..'
butterfly - 'future butterfly.. gonna spend the day higher than high..'
musical note - 'i'm so glad that my memory's remote, 'cause i'm doing just fine.. hour to hour.. note to note..'
rose - 'true love is a rose behind glass that's locked and kept closed.. maybe just to me..'
broken arrow - 'pick me out, your broken arrow..'
question mark - 'you're a question mark coming after people you watch collide..'
balloon - 'i'm floating in a black balloon.. i must make it through this afternoon..'
haystack - from needle in the hay 'haystack charm around your neck.. strung out and thin..'
guitar - well.. that's elliott's guitar..
wishing well - 'i'm a ghostwriter for an ocean in a shell from a poison well..' thought about switching this to a figure 8/infinity symbol since he really means an ink well type well?
moon - 'i'm down here by the bay with my arm around the moon..'
star - 'drink up baby, look at the stars.. i'll kiss you again.. between the bars..'
domino (with 13 on it) - 'the king's crossing was the main attraction.. dominoes falling in a chain reaction..' (13 is another song title)
roman candle - elliott's first cd title 'i'm a roman candle.. my head is full of flames.. i'm hallucinating..'
puzzle piece - 'i'm not what's missing from your life now.. i could never be the puzzle pieces..'
45 - 'i got your picture on the back of a 45.. a placeholder to take up mine..'
stickman - song title 'i'm a stickman in frames that go one by one.. if i sped it up you'd see i'm on the run..'
blackbird - 'the devil's script sells you the heart of a blackbird.. shine on me, baby, 'cause it's raining in my heart..'
ghost - 'your smile is just a ghost'
and this is the way i signed the piece..
i am truly smith obsessed, i guess.. i've had requests to have it made into a real charm bracelet or sell posters of one of my other designs.. so keep your fingers crossed for me..
don't get me started!