Watch Elliott Smith cover John Lennon and The Kinks in this Paul Thomas Anderson–directed video

Because Thursday’s as good a day as any for crying at work, a old video of Elliott Smith finally made its way to YouTube. The footage comes from an unaired VH1 pilot for a music-session show starring Jon Brion and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, from right around the time the two were collaborating on the Magnolia soundtrack. Smith plays “Son Of Sam,” “Everything Means Nothing To Me,” and more of his classics, plus covers of The Kinks’  “Waterloo Sunset,” John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy,” Big Star’s “Nightime,” and Brion’s “Trouble.” It is lovely enough to understand why the network most associated with Flavor Flav never aired it. Just be warned, watching Smith amble around the studio, joke with Brion, and occasionally crack smiles will cause an ache in even the hardest of hearts. Provided those hearts really like sad indie rock. (h/t Spin)

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