Synopsis

How does one young man survive the deaths of his entire family and manage to make something worthwhile of his life? In Things The Grandchildren Should Know Mark Oliver Everett tells the story of what it's like to grow up the insecure son of a genius in a wacky Virginia Ice Storm-like family. Left to run wild with his sister, his father off in some parallel universe of his own invention, Everett's upbringing was 'ridiculous, sometimes tragic and always unsteady'. But somehow he manages to not only survive his crazy upbringing and ensuing tragedies; he makes something of his life, striking out on a journey to find himself by channelling his experiences into his, eventually, critically acclaimed music with the Eels. But it's not an easy path. Told with surprising candour, Things The Grandchildren Should Know is an inspiring and remarkable story, full of hope, humour and wry wisdom.

Biography

Mark Oliver Everett is the son of physicist Hugh Everett III, originator of the many-worlds theory of quantum physics and of the use of Lagrange multipliers for general engineering optimizations. As a child, Everett developed a love of toy instruments; this fondness would continue into adulthood and provide an integral part of his idiosyncratic sound.

At the age of 19 E found his father dead lying in his bed. In the eighties E (or Mark E. as he then called himself) was in several bands ("The Toasters" for instance ), recorded numerous promo tapes and even produced his first record ("Bad Dude In Love"), which was limited to 500 copies. In 1987 Everett moved from his family home in Virginia and resettled in California. Here, Everett began his musical career with two independently released albums: A Man Called E and Broken Toy Shop. The pseudonym "E" was used for both of these early recordings. While it may have caused some confusion in record stores and radio stations, the single-letter name gave the press a playful handle. One review began: "Excellent eponymous effort, energizingly eclectic. Early enthusiasm effectively ensures E's eminence."[1]. A Billboard magazine review of his second album was similarly positive.

Everett's sister, Elizabeth, long troubled by schizophrenia, committed suicide in 1996, and in 1998 his mother, Nancy Everett née Gore, died of lung cancer. Rather than surrender to these existential crises or continue his work with no mention of their deaths' effect on his life, Everett instead turned tragedy into the impetus for recording what is widely considered the Eels' magnum opus, Electro-Shock Blues. This release--the sound of which alternated between furious indefatigability, black humor, and strikingly authentic desperation--gained almost unanimous critical praise. Blues was followed by 2000's Daisies of the Galaxy, a gentler-in-tone addition to The Eels' oeuvre that hinted that perhaps Everett's recovery had begun.

In 2000, E participated in a spiritual retreat, during which time he was forbidden to write or speak. Finding himself inspired, though, Everett broke the rules of the retreat and penned the lyrics for The Eels' Souljacker album. There, Everett also met his wife-to-be, a Russian dentist. Still, death continued to hound Everett--his cousin, Jennifer Lewis née Gore, was a flight attendant on the plane that struck the Pentagon during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

From Wikipedia