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

Being a fan of Jeff slightly more than Tim, I particularly enjoyed his chapters. Jeff, as most fans will know, rarely gave interviews to the UK music press, and those he did always appeared very 'general', because as I understand it he always approached UK journalists with deep rooted suspicion.

So as Browne follows the events in his life from his late teenage years, right up to the recording of "Sketches..." he provides an insight into his character I had not before seen.

Ultimately I admire Browne for his treatment of both characters. I disagree that his account is sentimental, I most admired the book because Browne always appears to be non-judgemental. No one I think can deny that having read it, it is clear Jeff, for all his talent, was an incredibly frustrating individual who never seemed to settle on whether he should become the album releasing "proper" musician his friends and record label thought he should be (and knew he could be), and the kid just playing in the corner of the coffee bar that perhaps he wanted to be.

Neither man was perfect they had dark sides to their personalities that the people closest to them found frustrating and upsetting, and Browne (thankfully) does not hide this fact.

If you're a fan of Tim, Jeff or both. Buy this book.

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.