Still, Britain's Mojo magazine genuflects to Elliott's every release, and a hard-core fan base scours the Internet for word of an Elliott appearance. The larger-than-life character, who once braced Jimi Hendrix's amps to keep them from tumbling over, makes records for next to nothing in his living room, and he doesn't clean them up with ProTools or do a billion takes to correct the occasional misstep.
Elliott is like the people he sings about in one of his best tunes ("I only wanna be with the ones who burn, burn, burn / Ones who light up the night like a cigarette"), so there's little doubt this rare Houston appearance will mark the first time anyone has ever heard the real history of "The Twist" at Anderson Fair. That venerable folk joint may never be the same after Elliott, who claims to have "a copy of Lolita just in case I need it / monkey on my back, tryin' not to feed it."
