I was a massive fan of Jeff Buckley when his album Grace came out. Obssesive. I remember much about the day I bought the album, which is unusual for me. I had picked it up mostly on a feeling, based on just one song I had heard, the title track, on a Rock Video Monthly tape (who remembers those?). I was hooked immediately and listened to the album repeatedly (“Lilac Wine” via headphones, do it). I was able to see Jeff play live once, at the Agora in Cleveland, and met him briefly after his set. My lingering impression was that he was small, quiet, and had a heavy sadness about him. I remember when the news first came across that he had gone missing in the Mississippi River, and how I was glued to the computer for days, waiting for him to be found.
I learned of this BBC documentary today via Open Culture (if you haven’t heard of the site before, you’ll want to bookmark it now – they share tons of fantastic free content from around the internet), and wanted to share it here.
Like any portrait of Jeff, the documentary leaves out a lot. Here, Glen Hansard shares his own experience with Jeff.
Here’s a a little live Jeff to play you out.
“So Real” – Jeff Buckley
