Jeff Buckley’s powerful, affecting songs and haunting voice won him a loyal fanbase (as evidenced by the recent series of tribute concerts held around the world to mark the 10th anniversary of his death), as well as numerous admirers among rock’s A-list, including U2, Radiohead, Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed.
An undoubted highlight of Buckley’s output was his magnificent cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, a spine-tingling rendition which had a near spiritual quality.
“It’s a very special performance,” acknowledges Buckley’s mother, Mary Guibert. “Jeff loved the song, loved Leonard, and I think it would be a source of great pleasure to him to know that the song is becoming very well known. He’s doing a little something for Leonard in his golden years (laughs).”
Has Mary met Cohen?
“I did briefly,” she reflects. “As it turns out, his daughter owns an antique shop on Melrose Avenue, and I went in there one day looking for some art deco furniture for my house. I walked into the store and there was Leonard and his daughter, Lorca, having tea. I knew that Lorca owned the shop, but I didn’t ever expect to see her dad in there. But there they were, so we had tea together and it was really nice.”
After resisting previous attempts to get her involved in a film about Jeff’s life, Mary has finally acquiesced to the idea and is overseeing the development of the planned biopic Mystery White Boy. It's being written by indie filmmaker Brian Jun and produced by Michelle Sy, whose previous credits include Finding Neverland.
“To be honest, I was tired of other people thinking they could write a screenplay about my life without consulting me first,” explains Mary. “I wanted to find someone who would remain faithful to the real truth of Jeff’s life, which takes a great deal of insight, I think. I made the choice to go with someone younger, who might be a little edgier and less inclined to repeat something he’d done before. So he’s writing, and I’m butting out (laughs). That writing process will probably continue for several more months, and then once we have a script, we’ll begin to think about who should play Jeff.”
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Buckley’s short career was that he achieved such legendary status on the back of only one album.
“Truly,” replies Mary. “Do you know of any other artist who ever accomplished that? It’s heartening to see that so many people still enjoy and appreciate Jeff’s music. I’m glad to have been right, first of all, in the approach I’ve taken to preserve Jeff’s legacy. I was always adamant that his records should be released over a period of time, and not just as some kind of immediate cash-in.
“My name has been mentioned as someone who has done it right, though not in comparison to anybody else, because it’s difficult to do no matter what. But to have done it in a respectful way, which reflects Jeff’s own sensitivities and aesthetics, makes me extremely proud.”