Elliott Smith reading a poem in 1997 Point A

[Angelia2041]

Point A and Point B.

In consoling ourselves about the fact that point B

Had begun to look increasingly like a permanent home for us

So there were a few ladies around, dreamer types

Who refused to cop to point B

And suddenly insisted on this possibility

"If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she's gonna call me Point B ... " began spoken word poet Sarah Kay,

[darkhorsegirl]

Tomatoe.

[codemonkeybrains]

People used to throw tomatoes at performers for fun: Artists have traditionally not been respected. Crowds also used to throw tomatoes and such at prisoners who were on their way to be executed. He's drawing a comparison between being an artist and being executed, ie. put to death. He says aexactly that in "Memory Lane".

[PpPayton379]

this made me think of his song alphabet town

[spencerkicksass]

good poem, bad sound quality

[fetchglove]

I love how his words clash with his calm demeanor. Wish I could have met the guy.

[iamemocore]

2:18

[sonicboom]

I think it's about how it's hard to be a writer, or a musician, or a painter, an artist or any kind of off beat person in a world where you're sposed to follow a regiment.

[PpPayton379]

@sonicboom (sorry this is kinda long and its just me rambling so don't feel obligated to read it...) but yea i agree i was just thinking about it and thought maybe hes just talking about how the world runs today and how ridiculous it is. and i was always confused of why he spelled out tomatoe at the end but then i thought maybe he was just kind of making a point of how nothing really even makes sense. but i dunno.

[nomoonorstars]

i completely disagree that point b is depression. he talks about point b like it's "the real world" and i think that's what it is. in the real world there are a mix of people; people who live in the real world and are annoyed by considering other possibilities because it makes them feel like they are somehow failing, and the artists who dream about other possibilities, but can't achieve them, so develop addictions and die off. then there are the people who supposedly made it to point A, like

[nomoonorstars]

maybe the beatniks or people like that who don't live the way that people are "supposed" to. but then even they eventually stop believing in point A and come back to the real world (kerouac got married, settled down in florida, and drank himself to death. etc.) and the fact that this happens, makes everyone believe that there is only one way to live/exist. and you can't possible be a beatnik or whatever other alternative you find forever because "to live in a sandcastle there has to be an

[nomoonorstars]

*a sand bank that dispenses actual paper currency." so yeah. that was my take on it.

[LogInAnders]

I understood it this way. People came from Point A (europe) to point B (the states, point C-Z is other places than the us). He says that it was hard to accommodate the ones who didn't pledge allegiance (american expression). The dreamers are artists/outcasts who couldn't fit into that society and therefore they become rejected.

Point B as being the real world is wrong since he says that those dreamers understood the posibility and existence of A, C-Z.

But I like your views, very interesting

[MagicalJanji]

To me it's about his interpretation of the world. Point B, I agree, is depression and point A happiness etc... The 'usefuls' who 'made a bit' sound like the more successful musicians of the early 90s, Kurt Cobain and so on who became successful in being from point B but died off with addiction and such... You can't fully explain Point B to people who aren't from there but you know when you're there. It doesn't matter where you're from; we all see the same things, just in different ways... x

[wtf290]

At first, all the "Point A, Point B, Point C" stuff made me think of the Hitchhiker's Guide.

[TripNDazy]

i just love how elliott interacts with the crowd.

genius!

[aprellix0o]

fucking brilliant.

[tzohfeld]

Whenever I'm in Geometry class it always makes me think of this poem

amazing

[sucramnormark]

I can´t hear what he´s saying.

[mymayapapaya]

The poem starts at 2:18 on the video and I also wrote the words out (click more info - at the right).

[Barca87]

any interpretations of what it's about? Point B etc. I'll wait for a few ideas then i'll put mine down ( - chicken-shit, I know!)

[amplifierism]

think about time, I'd say

[wowandrew5243]

i think it is about point B being the life he lived being a slacker and playing music for a living and being addicted to drugs and everything he did

and point A was working hard and living the "American dream"

and point C and so on were just all the other paths you could take

i doubt that is right but that is what makes sense to me

[SAsej]

I'd say it's more about life and dealing with depression. Happy at A, depressed at B, the longer you go on being depressed you start to doubt you were ever really happy (A). People talk about moving on and being happy again at C, but you're depressed so it's easier to just blow them off and continue on as you are. Ultimately, whether you're happy or not, it doesn't matter because everything is the same, just seen in a different way - tomatoe.

[wowandrew5243]

wow your right

[onoringo]

False Dilemma

[mymayapapaya]

@Barca87 could it have something to do with the book Either/Or by Kierkegaard?

[thendofthend27]

shit.

he's really good.

[sk8tolive123]

He plays "Say Yes" after this.

[sk8tolive123]

Wait... Sorry... That is for the other one.

[SenoritaDiabla]

God I love this guy. Seems like all of my favorite people end up killing themselves.

[theradical13]

So, how on earth did you find this?

Also, any idea for the date?

[mymayapapaya]

September 7, 1997 - internet archive at the Knitting factory