Jeff Buckley - Interview in Paris - 1995
So many great songs,
and drowning featured in most.
Damn you, Wolf River!
Cori MacNaughton
Sorry for the late post. I was gone much of yesterday, returned at an ungodly hour, and really didn't have a chance to work on my post until now.
One of the things that has struck me the most about Buckley, which I have found to be true about the majority of really world class musicians, is how humble and down to earth he was as a person. He was far from a typical rock star.
Following the release of "Grace," he spent most of the next two years touring most of the time, and traveled all over the world in the process. Although he was gaining popularity in the U.S. and abroad, he still played at mostly smaller venues, until he arrived in France.
He was blown away by his reception in Paris, which embraced him from the start, and played to sold out concerts first at the Bataclan, and later at l'Olympia, both of which were recorded and later released.
France awarded him with both a certified gold record, and with the prestigious "Gran Prix Internationale du Disque," for 1995, an accomplishment seldom afforded to American artists, and even then, generally after decades of achievement. It was almost unthinkable to even consider that a new artist would receive it for a first album.
Jeff Buckley - Dream Brother - Live a L'Olympia
For his part, Buckley responded well to the French audiences, speaking some French at each concert, thus endearing himself still further. He also teased with them, such as at the beginning of "Dream Brother," on the "Live at L'Olympia" album, when he did an impromptu impersonation of French chanteuse Edith Piaf, much to the delight of the audience.
Buckley was often quite funny, enjoyed light banter with the audience, and excelled at "working the room," as noted by Moby, in the interview I included in a previous post.
My personal favorite funny moment, also from "L'Olympia," was his spirited rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir," which is both hilarious and astounding. As Buckley puts it, as a kid, he used to play the 33 RPM vinyl at 45 RPM, and sing to it, giving an almost Chipmunks-sounding example to the audience.
What is less obvious is that, if his recording is slowed to the proper speed, it is an accurate rendition of the original song, with every syllable clearly enunciated. That took some doing, and a whole lot of practice. A clever and persistent man was Mr. Buckley.
Jeff Buckley singing 'Kashmir', FUNNY!
As much as I love many of Buckley's covers of other musicians' work, it has been his own compositions that have moved me the most, and have solidified his place among my favorite musicians.
And, once I started delving deeply into his work, it took only a few songs to notice a disturbing trend. The vast majority of the songs he wrote and recorded include the subject of drowning, as part of the song, either directly, or implied.
And those that don't deal specifically with drowning, generally deal with death on some level, typically pretty directly.
From the song "Grace":
It reminds me of the pain I might leave
Leave behind
And I feel them drown my name
So easy to know and forget with this kiss
I'm not afraid to go but it goes so slow, ohh
From the song "Dream Brother":
Ah do you meet the one I love
and smell the one who loves you
Dream brother, dream brother, dream, dream
dream asleep in the sand with the ocean washing over
From the song "Lover, You Should've Come Over"
Looking out the door I see the rain
Fall upon the funeral mourners
Parading in a wake of sad relations
As their shoes fill up with water
From the song "Eternal Life":
Eternal life is now on my trail
Got my red glitter coffin, man
Just need one last nail
Jeff Buckley - Funny Moments and More
This is just a sampling, all from the album "Grace," and merely scratches the surface, as there are far more examples from which to choose. In fact, Buckley's songs that do not deal with death and drowning are the exceptions.
So was his death no accident? Was it actually a suicide?
Those closest to him do not believe so, as they agree that he was in high spirits, was excited about the new album, was thrilled that his band was arriving that very night to begin three weeks of rehearsals, and that they would be going back into the studio to start recording soon.
He had gone car shopping earlier that day with his manager, was interested in purchasing the small house he was renting in Memphis, and gave every indication that he had everything to live for and more.
So was it more a foreshadowing, a feeling on some level of how he might die, or did he simply tempt fate? Or was it simply an obsession with death and dying, brought on by his experiences, surrounding the abandonment by and early death of his father?
There is some evidence for the latter, as Buckley maintained vehemently through the years that he would never be like his father, and expressed pride once he had outlived his father. Which, ironically, would have been roughly a year before he himself died.
In truth, as with Nick Drake, we will never really know. Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert, is adamant that his death was not a suicide, that no drugs were found in his system, and that it was a simple tragic accident.
As for myself, I didn't know the man, and so can't hazard a guess. But the frequent theme of death and dying does make me more curious than had he been writing on other subject matter.
Jeff Buckley - Live at the Sony Studios - 1995
To be continued.
And I would love to hear your take in the comments.
Jeff Buckley's Music - Day 129 - Daily Haiku - Grace for Drowning, Part 2
Jeff Buckley's Music - Day 128 - Daily Haiku - Grace for Drowning, Part 1
Laughter is the Best - Day 127 - Daily Haiku - and even more Comic Gems
Lovely Hummingbirds - Day 126 - Daily Haiku
Most Charitable Poetry Contest #1 - Speaking My Truth - Original Poetry
Nashville at Nighttime - Day 125 - Daily Haiku
Comic recordings - Day 124 - Daily Haiku - More Comic Genius
Music is My Joy - Day 123 - Daily Haiku - and a Tribute to Tom Lehrer's Comic Genius
Fireflies Are Active - Day 122 - Daily Haiku
A Date with Marek - Day 121 - Daily Haiku
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