New Jeff Buckley doc unearths the late rock star’s unsung Latino roots

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Mamá … you got some f—ing cojones, baby.

The recording on Jeff Buckley‘s answering machine contained some of his final words, spoken just prior to his unfortunate drowning in the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee, during the spring of 1997 – a time when he was still a celebrated musician.

Three years ago, Buckley, known for his presence in New York’s downtown coffeehouse circuit, unveiled his first album titled “Grace”. This album was a mix of introspective guitar pieces and cover songs, with its unique four-octave vocal range showcasing an androgynous elasticity. The orchestral rock sophistication of “Grace” stood out distinctly against the grunge music that dominated the radio waves in the early ’90s.

It would also be the only full-length album he released while alive.

Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg, the recently released documentary titled “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” delves into the life and tragic demise of Jeff Buckley, focusing predominantly on the personal accounts of the women who knew him best – his ex-partners, artists Rebecca Moore and Joan Wassen, as well as his mother, Mary Guibert.

Review

Gone too soon, an unsettled life finds focus in ‘It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley’

In the portrait directed by Amy Berg, it was revealed that the musician was brimming with potential and intricate layers, a fact underscored by accounts from friends and relatives. This portrayal stands out for its authenticity and unvarnished honesty.

Born on November 17, 1966, Buckley was the son of Guibert and her sweetheart, Tim Buckley, a well-known antiwar folk singer. However, before the launch of “It’s Never Over,” Buckley’s Latin heritage often took a backseat in media coverage due to the fame of his distant father.

Guibert emphasizes the importance given to the Buckley aspect, but she points out that Tim was merely a figure traversing the night,” says Guibert, speaking from her residence in Northern California.

Guibert and her family relocated to Anaheim from the Panama Canal Zone, a region that was disputed by both the United States and Panama until 1999. A pupil at Loara High School, Guibert excelled in playing the cello, piano, and dance. In 1964, she began dating Tim, who was then a quarterback and a member of the French Club. The couple got married the following year, after Guibert found herself pregnant at the age of 17.

In high school, as a film enthusiast filled with dreams, I found myself juggling multiple roles – I sat first chair in the Youth Symphony Orchestra, graced the stage in a play, and danced through ballet, tap, and modern jazz classes. My ultimate goal was to shine on Broadway as an actress. However, amidst all these pursuits, there was one aspect that made me uniquely me – I was the one endowed with the ability to bear children.

During her fifth month of pregnancy, Tim chose to leave Guibert to focus on his music ambitions, which led him to align with cultural icons of the 1960s like Andy Warhol and Janis Joplin. This meant embracing their “tune in, drop out” philosophy.

The divorce between the couple took place in 1966, a month prior to Jeff’s birth. Strikingly, the documentary contrasts Tim’s passionate speeches about the Vietnam War and social disparity with moments of Guibert and their son marking life milestones while Guibert was away.

In 1970, Tim got married again but passed away five years later due to an overdose of drugs. Interestingly, Jeff was not mentioned in the obituary and did not attend the funeral. Later on, Jeff felt resentment towards comparisons made by music journalists to his father, who he had spent very little time with during his childhood.

In the year 1994, during an interview, Jeff expressed deep admiration for Tim and his accomplishments, but there were certain actions of his that left Jeff feeling deeply ashamed. However, it’s important to note that this admiration is rooted in a sense of respect for another artist. To clarify, he wasn’t biologically related to Tim, as they were not father and son.

Guibert takes pride when I ask her about growing up a rock legend in a Latino household; she and her mother used to sing nursery rhymes to young Jeff in Spanish. Family members often called him “The Old Man” (El Viejito) due to his long face and emotional maturity that surpassed his years.

Guibert acknowledges that their home life wasn’t filled with laughter like a typical family TV show. Instead, she and her siblings frequently experienced violence from their father. She reflects, “I loved my dad deeply, but I was also terrified of him.” Escaping the situation seemed to be through marriage and leaving home. However, after her divorce from Tim, she struggled to open a checking account for her paycheck as it required her father’s signature in those days.

Despite the prevailing machismo, she shares that at 19, she departed her home with Jeff and embarked on a new journey in North Hollywood. Jeff was her savior, the catalyst for her decision to move, as she wanted to ensure her son wouldn’t follow in her father’s footsteps and grow up to be like him.

Guibert frequently switched residences with Jeff. Later, she married Ron Moorhead, Jeff’s stepfather, changed Jeff’s name unsuccessfully to “Scott,” and had a child with him, who became Corey, her half-brother. Despite this, she persisted in smoking marijuana and socializing with her peers, yearning for the carefree lifestyle that other young women in California seemed to enjoy.

Jeff spoke to his mother in a serious, paternal manner, as depicted in the documentary through the messages he left on her answering machine. Despite any strained or overly interdependent aspects of their relationship, according to Guibert, it remained resilient until its conclusion.

She remembers him saying, ‘Mom, you had the option to give me away, terminate the pregnancy, or any number of other choices, but instead, you decided to keep me.’ This sentiment, she believes, forged a connection that remained unbreakable.

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In the documentary, people close to Jeff highlighted his boundless empathy, a trait particularly evident in his music. This empathy seemed to stem from what he called his “rootless” personality, allowing him to comfortably interpret songs from various cultures and musical genres, ranging from Nina Simone to Edith Piaf and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He would infuse these tracks with his own poignant, sorrowful tones. Jeff often referred to himself as a “human jukebox,” captivating millions with his rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” However, it was his original songs like “Grace” and “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” that really drew fans in.

In 2007, Berg initially proposed a film to Guibert, yet it wasn’t until 2019 that she was comfortable enough to provide her vast collection of archival resources. According to Guibert, her cautious, maternal instinct held her back initially, and she found the concept of a scripted movie more appealing; interestingly, Brad Pitt had first considered a biopic in the ’90s, but that project didn’t materialize. However, he eventually took on the role of executive producer for “It’s Never Over.

According to Guibert, both documentarians and filmmakers deserve our respect, as it requires a considerable amount of time to truly grasp the inner workings of things.

As a die-hard fan, I’ve had the privilege of overseeing the creation of every posthumous album belonging to the legendary Jeff, such as the 1998 compilation “Sketches for My Sweetheart, the Drunk” and the 2000 live album titled “Mystery White Boy.” In addition, I struck a deal with Don Ienner, then president of Columbia Records, ensuring my presence during the studio mixing process.

However, Guibert continues to be reluctant to disclose all of her musical creations, which are securely stored in a temperature-controlled vault in Seattle. She likens the idea of making public certain recordings to displaying one’s personal laundry. “That’s what caused him so much distress – that once you record something, it remains forever,” she explains.

Over time, Guibert expresses her desire to delve back into the concept of a biopic about her son, who has maintained a devoted fanbase since his passing. Interestingly, “Grace” reappeared on the Billboard 200 in July and made its debut on both the Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums charts.

If someone had told you that you’d be the curator for an extraordinary artist, I would have responded with ‘that’s cool – who is it?’ Guibert replies. However, if they said, ‘It’s your son, but he has to pass away first…’, I’d say, ‘Oh dear, I’ll continue working as a secretary.’ I’ll keep doing my job and selling whatever I can until I’m exhausted and have to retire to a nursing home.

“But that’s not my fate,” she says, “and that was not his.”

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2025-08-15 16:31