Customer Reviews

Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley

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I have been a Tim Buckley fan for over 30 years, and never knew much about him. After 300+ pages, I knew the facts, the families, the flaws and failings of this incredible artist whose work has been overlooked for so long. And I learned the sad consequences of his frailities on the life of his son Jeff, another unique talent. Their story, when it's all said and done, is the same sad saga that has been played out in so many families since time began. What made Tim Buckley so incredible, and important enough to warrant a book about him, was the music. If you want to know about Tim Buckley or Jeff Buckely, read Dream Brother. If you want to know them, listen to their music.

I have to admit I was wary of this book at first. Having known Jeff Buckley a bit from 'round the neighborhood during that magic Sin-e summer of '93, I knew that a dual-bio with his father Tim would have been among his worst nightmares. But Browne has artfully woven their stories together with an admirable degree of distance and sympathy. Though Browne is very even-handed in his treatment of the elder Buckley, Tim's actions speak for themselves: often a fearless and innovative musician, he was also horribly self-centered, indulgent, and selfish. Jeff comes off as the sweet one, which (mostly) he was. His loss was immense and breaks my heart to this day, and I'm glad that Browne has avoided the bottom-feeder approach of his contemporaries (like Victor Bockris) and written a book that is caring, accurate, and moving. If you like either or both Buckleys, this is a bracing read that will enrich the experience of listening to their music.

After reading David Browne's book, I was left with the impression that all these people who surrounded Jeff Buckley had no idea who he was or how sick he was. He needed help, serious help and everyone -- from people who were friends with him to the record company and management, had no clue how to deal with this person who had a lot of pain and never really dealt with it. The book doesn't mention whether Jeff actually had some therapy done, if anyone pushed for Jeff to get some help, and the book doesn't seem to go into much depth as to who this Jeff Buckley was. There are no indepth readings of his journal, just bits and pieces, fragments.

It's mentioned he reflected everything and everyone around him -- which would happen when one has a loss of self. The book is amiss of what happened to him in Los Angeles -- it's sketchier than Tim Buckley's bio part, which is a surprise, knowing that Jeff's history is more recent than Tim's. I was left with the impression that Jeff was having a nervous breakdown, a serious one, and that no one was equipped or aware enough or cared enough to commit Jeff or do what needed to be done to help him and have him confront his inner demons.

It is said Jeff joked about tortured souls yet the one light this book shed showed that Jeff seemed to follow his father's steps in every chapter. And that his tortured good looks brought about his downfall -- everyone seemed so charmed by him in the book that no one helped him. His physical appearance during the final months screamed help yet no one seemed to be really listening -- not even his lovers, apparently. All we see are people being or getting uncomfortable with him and walking away towards the end, like they could smell death coming and they were too alive to get sucked in. What I also found interesting is that despite Jeff's claim that he did not want to be compared to Tim his father, he was drawn to anyone or anything that was related in some way shape or form to Tim. Jeff would go after it. Jeff never fully grieved for his father and his one outlet, music, was his release. When his music became "work", he started to dry up and his one outlet, his one lifeline, started to choke him.

The picture of his life with his mother was dramatically toned down. Although some of it was written up, there is the fact his mother had some say in this book, which makes me wonder how much was left out. We will never really know. All we have are his own references from various interviews of stuff that happened that he would sort of mention. His childhood, one of constant uprooting (clothes literally thrown into a paper bag for god's sakes!) and shuffling around with various father figures that came and went with a mercurial immature mother was something that would certainly have a lot to do with why Jeff turned out the way he did. Jeff was basically left to raise himself with the knowledge he was basically abandoned by his father who didn't love his mother enough and had deep emotional wounds from both parents that were left unattended and left to fester for years.

I grieve that Jeff never got a chance to have some peace on this earth -- and I'm angry too! This world will miss the talent he had. I don't think Jeff committed suicide out in the Mississippi waters but I can't help but think that if the tide sucked him under, he wasn't going to fight it.

This book taught me some very valuable lessons -- get therapy, grieve til you pass out, and find yourself. Get strong enough to get rid of people or distance yourself from those who only hurt you even if they are your own parents. Make a binding will so that the estate doesn't fall into the wrong hands. And thank your lucky stars if you have people around you who TRULY care. It made me grateful that I was able to forgive my parents for their f-kups. Otherwise, I would've destroyed myself.

This book also brings to mind the mystery of how some manage to triumph over their childhood traumas while others do not. You got old before your time. Rest in peace, Jeff.

Having been intrigued by the music and aura of the late Jeff Buckley, I had contemplated purchasing and reading 'Dream Brother' for close to a year. My trepidation and reservations were mostly surrounding the notion that it would perhaps change my enigmatic vision of Jeff and his brief, but amazing, body of work. Regardless, I wanted to know him more, and I wanted to understand him. So, I finally decided to give it a shot...

Not very familiar with Tim's music or his life, I found his half of the story to be somewhat overly critical and less than forgiving at times. The description and overview of his body of work, methods of recording, and approach to his craft was given a good amount of attention, detail, and objection. However, the story of his life outside of the studio sometimes came off as overly subjective and sometimes leaning towards the prejudged. I felt that he may not have been given the same treatment in being covered as Jeff had been, which in all fairness, may very well be justified given the lack of contacts and accurate resources when compared to the younger Buckley. Whatever the intentions or purposes behind his actions, Tim Buckley's life is strikingly paralleled to his son's, and that alone made for a very intriguing read. I enjoyed the simplicity of the story's structure and the layout that Browne used. It is, by no means, a difficult or overly captivating read. It simply lets the story speak mostly for itself, which was neccesary, in my opinion, to keep you focused on the two subjects rather than any opinions that the author may be swaying to.

If I did have to make one complaint, though, it would have to be that at several points in the book, I simply wanted to know more. That is of no fault to Browne, assuming no facts were consciously omitted. It simply goes to prove how enamoring Tim and Jeff's lives and stories were to anyone who found themselves immersed in their tragic and brief time with us. It is, without a doubt, a great introduction to the Buckley story and a greatly intriguing, consuming read. Hopefully, it will also not be the last opportunity we get as fans and friends of their music to learn more about who they were and the haunting passion they both shared. Instead, may this book be an introduction into breaking down and coming to terms with the Buckley enigma. I doubt, though, that we will ever truly feel completely satisfied. With both no longer with us, and such a limited body of work to satiate us, it seems that we may always be left wanting more.

Less a journalistic triumph or a literary masterpice, this book is, instead, merely accomplishing what it seems to have set out to do: Celebrate the lives and legacies of two of the most mysterious and talented musicians we may ever know. For that, it is a must read.

david browne had a daunting task when preparing to write "dream brother"--taking the life of jeff buckley, who came to fiercy guard his privacy, and make sense of it for the general public. much of buckley's life--and death--has remained shrouded in mystery in the four years since he disappeared into the wolf river, and browne ferociously attacks his research. jeff was always determined to separate his life and career from his father, 60's folk/jazz singer tim buckley, so one could imagine the reaction jeff might have had had such a book been in existance while he was still living. however, browne clearly illustrates why both buckley's lives need examining, showing similarities between the two throughout the years. any buckley fan will be interested in reading "dream brother" and discovering aspects of jeff's (or tim's) life he or she was unaware of. just as jeff's music forces the listener to pay complete attention, reading "dream brother" requires full concentration; the names and roles of people involved form a complex web that can get confusing. the book destroys some of the mystery surrounding jeff buckley, but fans will enjoy being able to learn more about the buckleys and their incredible talent--both taken away too soon.

What David Browne lacks in insight he somewhat makes up for with a story distinguished by his prodigious efforts at researching his subjects in "Dream Brother". Browne's bias towards Jeff Buckley and against Tim Buckley is evident even on the cover, which features Jeff front and center with Tim like a ghost in the background. Browne tells us early in the book that originally he wanted to write about Jeff and then found himself obliged to add Tim to get the "full story". With this slant, readers who identify themselves primarily as Jeff fans will feel more satisfied with what Browne delivers than those more interested in Tim. On the other hand, isn't it a shame to create an artificial and unnecessary division? Poetic justice prevails, and here they are, together - but awkwardly so, as Browne's unfortunate prejudice undermines his story rather charmlessly.

Jeff and Tim Buckley were both extraordinary musicians. For their incredible talent, passion and courage they are the subject of a biography - not for their lifestyles, personal choices, or relationship to each other, but for their passionate love affairs with song. Tantalizing as it may seem, getting overly involved in the psychological particulars of their lives and life choices is a mistake. To do so is to lose sight of what made them great: their spectacular voices, brazen experimentation, and exquisite passion in song.

While Browne offers a myriad of their personal niceties, he fails to adequately address the fundamentally more interesting implications of the musical choices each made - especially in Tim's case. The elder Buckley produced nine studio albums in as many years, each of which is often vocally stunning - ripe with a voice that stuns and astounds you before you even realize it's stopped you in your tracks. What came out of Tim's explorations literally redefined what voice could be in American music. Browne hardly gives a nod to this. It's blindness and it's a shame: a book that is ostensibly about two vocal musicians gives music the cold shoulder for the sake of poking more deeply into minutiae of their personal lives - sometimes with a judgmental righteousness that rings hollow and foolish.

In "Dream Letter", a song Tim wrote when Jeff was still just a few years old, the tormented father sang to his forsaken wife about his longing to be with the family he abandoned: "all I need to know tonight are you and my child, oh what I'd give to hold him..." Throughout his career, Tim alluded in songs to his anguish at his lost family. In "Dream Brother", Jeff's song which Browne borrows for his title, Jeff pleads with a friend tempted to leave his pregnant girlfriend not to abandon her: "don't be like the one who made me so old, don't be like the one who left behind his name, 'cause they're waiting for you like I waited for mine, and nobody ever came." By his title, Jeff also evokes a response to his father's longing: you wanted me, but you left me with nothing.... Both men were preoccupied with the other's existence, by turns awed and deeply moved, by turns furious and resentful. Their uncannily similar expressions of their calling in life - to explore singing at all costs - unite them as equals and equally glorious.

Betrayal is the deadliest sin - but in a fundamental sense, this father did not betray this son. Tim was not a father to Jeff, but he left him with far from nothing: an exquisite voice, a famous name, and enough money to pay for music school. Tim Buckley was undyingly faithful to music, to his creative passion, and to his need to break free of the pressures to make a "hit" by redeeming his own vision and express his unique voice. Tim Buckley's courage in singing his heart out shattered the preconceived notions about what song "should" be and encouraged other singers, including his very gifted son, to similarly explore their vocal potential. This kind of faith, and the courage to redeem it, makes grace possible.

Browne's book gives us fine points but misses the big picture. While its shortcomings are frustrating, the book is worthwhile for its portrayal of the contexts in which the Buckleys created their music - and ultimately, Browne's ignorance doesn't matter. If we are truly inspired by such examples as we hear in the Buckleys' music, we'll find the courage to truly hear their songs - and in turn the courage to chase our own visions, and to try to make them beautiful and real.

I'm a huge fan and I did devour and enjoy the book but I must admit that I felt a bit of a sour taste in my mouth as I did. I think that because the author was not a friend of his, facts were gathered and given (he did a good job of that for sure), but, it seems like the soul, the heart, the magic was missing out of a person that I know was magical. (just listen to his music to know that!) The ending was especially a bit lurid, kind of painting Jeff out to be mentally disturbed and doing weird things. Not that I knew him any better than the author, but I'm guessing that Jeff was always doing funny, weird things, it was his personality, not some personality disorder that made him wander into a river and get lost forever. I'm glad the book was written from the standpoint that it is an amazing story and the connections between him and his father absolutely uncanny.
I too, as some other reviewer said, feel very haunted now that I have read this. Though he is long gone and I never knew him personally, who he was haunts me now. It's an incredible story with a tragic ending but leaving a lot of beauty behind.
Please read A Wished for Song by Merri Cyr which is only available online right now. That book for sure eulogizes Jeff in a much more beautiful way than this one does, but then again, this was not written by a friend. I do appreciate the author's attempts at not sensationalising and rumorizing Jeff's tragic end and tribulations. He was human, like us all, but his magic made him seem divine.

You'd think that after several years, I'd have finally gotten over Jeff Buckley's death. But no. Here I am (still) listening to his music and mourning his passing. It is just so damn unfair that someone who's talent was beyond words to describe should be taken from the world at such a young age. And now I'm immersed in this book Dream Brother about the lives of Jeff and his father Tim. Having an absentee biological father myself, this story hits very close to home. If I thought I loved Jeff's music before, it means even more to me now. His words always had such depth and soul to them for me, but now having had the briefest glimpse into his life, they touch me more than I could have thought possible. Dream Brother is such a haunting and moving story. I would highly recommend this book to any Jeff or Tim Buckley fans, though one is left with the feeling that there is much more to this story than is told in this book. But I believe that is due to the enigmatic nature of the subjects. I don't think anyone will ever really know everything there is to tell about Jeff or Tim. But all I'll ever really need is right there in the music.

Being a huge JB fan, I mourned his passing and the loss of any future gifts he had to give. Now reading the book nearly 6 years later, I mourn him all over again. But this time not just as a voice, but as a relentlessly creative, humorous, mooody, beautiful person as well. Although you do get the sense that a lot of pieces are missing about Jeff's erratic behavior and scattered personality, you are able to connect with his music in a much more profound way, knowing from which place this art emerged.

I have waited a long time for a book such as this one, but was worried about the integrity of the author of a topic so dear to my heart. My reservations were, as it turns out, unfounded, particularly when I discovered that Jeff's mother, Mary Guibert had been consulted and had given the author numerous interviews and access to her most private life, and her most precious son's memory.

David Browne approaches the life stories of Tim and Jeff Buckley with the utmost respect and reverence. I am so grateful for this insight into Jeff's life in particular, although reading the book just brings home all over again how much of a thorough tragedy his loss has brought - both to the music world, and the world at large.

I get the distinct inpression that Jeff Buckley was always IN this world, but not OF this world. I just thank the higher powers that he left behind his most precious gift to us - his music.