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Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley
 
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Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley (Hardcover)

~ David Browne (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A rich and moving portrait of two damaged, gifted people." -- --Esquire

"A vibrantly detailed portrait...as poetic and probing as its subjects." -- --People

"An engaging chronicle...will rivet even cursory music fans. Highly recommended." -- --Library Journal

"Essential and engrossing...a remarkable job." -- --The Onion

"Expertly reported...engrossing detail...captures how two lives intersected and ended in the same tragic place." -- --Rolling Stone

"Gripping...an incisive portrait of the ill-fated father and son." -- --Karen Burns, B&n.com

"Haunting, plaintive...a provocative picture of father and son." -- --E! Online

"The first book to draw a clear picture of these soulful cult icons." -- --Hear/Say magazine

"[A] meticulously researched dual biography." -- --Chicago Tribune

"[An] ambitious dual biography...uses a wealth of reportage to depict convincingly two generations of pop music turmoil." -- --The Washington Post

Product Description

Jeff Buckley drowned in a branch of the Mississippi River on May 29,1997 -- the same day his band was to join him in Memphis to begin recording his eagerly anticipated second album. With his death, a rock legend died stillborn, leaving behind scattered musical works in progress, a reputation for electrifying performances, and memories of a voice that flowed effortlessly up and down five octaves in a style that made even other musicians' lyrics and melodies uniquely his own. He also left behind Grace, a recorded collection of ten songs whose power, range, and haunting beauty were equal to anything that had been put on vinyl or CD in decades. Jeff Buckley was thirty years old on that final, tragic day -- just two years older than was the errant father whom Jeff rejected for rejecting him, whose heart was stopped by heroin more than twenty years before: the brilliant, troubled troubadour of the sixties Tim Buckley.

Based on interviews, many exclusive, with more than a hundred associates of both men, and letters, journals, and unreleased recordings, Dream Brother is a true story of twisting roads and bizarre parallel destinies. A double portrait of the musical life, it offers a fascinating and illuminating look at two eras of popular sound -- and explores the alluring starmaker machinery that aged Jeff and betrayed Tim. It is the story of the music, capturing in words the aural magic, the virtuosic experimentation, the wild,exhilarating rush. But first and foremost, it is the intimate, heartbreaking, and unforgettable story of two musicians blessed with consummate ability, each poised on the brink of stardom when the maelstrom dragged him down-a son searching for his father, a father searching for his soul, each pursuing the same demanding and dangerously seductive muse. Alternately sad and elating, riveting and revelatory, Dream Brother offers a stunning new understanding of the Buckley tragedies and legacies while brilliantly humanizing the Buckley myth. And it stands as a clear-eyed yet loving and compassionate memorial to the conflicted, self-effacing genius of Jeff and his wild rebel father, Tim, both of whom, for the briefest of moments, blazed brighter than all the other stars in the rock heavens.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: HarperEntertainment; 1st edition (January 23, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061076082
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061076084
  • Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,140,675 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

David Browne
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Customer Reviews

39 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (39 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Listen, February 9, 2001
By A Customer
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.
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read...but not enough., February 5, 2001
By "nycybergal" (New York City, New York) - See all my reviews
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.

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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars very well done, February 19, 2001
By A Customer
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars My review on the 1st book of Jeff Buckley
I find out that there was one simlar in the Dream Brother of Jeff Buckley that we adopted and change our last names ! Read more
Published 16 months ago

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Biographies I've Read in 15 years
I read this book because I love Jeff Buckley's music. I knew very little about Tim Buckley before I picked up the book to read. Read more
Published 19 months ago by T. B. Vick

5.0 out of 5 stars True story told well
Clearly, Jeff Buckley was a troubled young man when he drowned just as his father od'd, at about the same age. Bipolar, at least. Possibly other unmedicated illnesses. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Bradley F. Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything You Need to Know
As a Tim Buckley devotee from his first LP, having followed him as a great fan, attended many of his appearances, (even bought, with my high school best friend, the identical kind... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Lydia F. Bosley

5.0 out of 5 stars Best insight to Jeff Buckley
David Browne made it easier for a Jeff Buckley fan to understand the inner workings of Jeff's mind. This book was expertly reported. Read more
Published on April 9, 2007 by Franzine C. Artista

5.0 out of 5 stars Double-Wammy
This book was very impressive. Browne does a great job of elucidating the similarities (and differences) between Jeff and his father. Read more
Published on January 31, 2007 by Hock

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read....
Very interesting biography of two fantastic musicians. I kept wondering though how Jeff would feel with the references to the similarities between father and son--inevitable by... Read more
Published on January 9, 2007 by greeneyedlass

5.0 out of 5 stars A Chilling Tale....
I loved Tim Buckley music. As a record collector I found it hard to find his LP's though, but I kept trying, I have nearly all of them in my collection now. Read more
Published on October 25, 2006 by Brett A. Simpson

4.0 out of 5 stars A somewhat Satisfied Mind
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. Read more
Published on December 12, 2004 by NeverWillCome

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Accomplishment
This book is so amazing. I read it on a whim because it was the summertime and I had a deep interest in Jeff Buckley but did not know much about him. Read more
Published on September 28, 2004 by Samantha Kelley

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