Jeff Buckley and me: the story of the singer’s 1992 Irish show

DCM Editorial Summary: This story has been independently rewritten and summarised for DCM readers to highlight key developments relevant to the region. Original reporting by RTE, click this post to read the original article.

Analysis: Buckley’s prep for the Trinity Ball, his first ever European show, involved drinking tea, eating Mikado biscuits and watching The Late Late Show

As the excellent Amy Berg documentary, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, illustrates, Buckley was a singular talent, and a complex human being. I remain a huge fan of his music. And I also have some indelible personal memories of my encounters with him.

In spring 1991 I was having the time of my life. I spent all of my time going to gigs, listening to music and talking about gigs and music. And I got paid for it. I was a talent scout, as normal people would say. But in fancy music industry parlance I was an A&R (artist and repertoire) manager.

Trailer for It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley

I was hired to find and develop new talent, and I had only been in New York for a couple of days when my boss, Kate Hyman, told me about a singer she thought had huge promise. We both went to see Jeff’s New York debut in St Anne’s Church in March 1991. The evening was a celebration of Jeff’s father, the brilliant Tim Buckley.

It was a strange and eclectic line-up. Richard Hell, part of the original punk movement, was performing and so were Syd Straw and Elliott Sharp. Jeff’s performance was moving and memorable, but, if I’m being honest, it wasn’t marvellous. Based on what I saw, I didn’t think Jeff was worth signing to a record deal. I felt the same when I saw him a year later play as part of Gods and Monsters to a small number of people in the hip Knitting Factory.

Jeff Buckley performs Tim Buckley’s Once I Was at St. Ann’s Church, New York, April 1991

But Kate maintained her faith in him. In my memory, Kate brought Jeff to the attention of her friend, Shane Doyle in Sin-é, and enthusiastically said he should book the unknown singer. I was there for Jeff’s first show in the coffee shop, but hardly anyone else showed up. To me, it felt like a rehearsal, a good rehearsal, but not a captivating performance for the public. Jeff used to visit us at our offices, and he was a lovely person to be around. Completely lacking in pretence; and an absolute scholar and lover of music of all forms.

I kept on going to see him play, generally to very small audiences, and he began to do something unexpected. Unlike most developing solo artists, Jeff began to experiment and stretch himself. It was wonderful to see this evolution. To those handfuls of people, he performed with a curious combination of absolute conviction and a sense of ‘I’m not sure this will work – but it’s worth a shot.’ He was learning how to present his music.

Jeff Buckley Live at Sin-é

By this stage, his shows were completely compelling and it was time to try to sign him. We did everything we could to persuade our record label owner to offer Jeff a record deal, but he wasn’t interested as he had plenty of other priorities. I had a clear sense that we were going to lose out on Jeff. I was right. But that happens, I’d be happy to just be a fan.

I thought that Jeff was, by now, the type of artist who could win an audience in in Europe. I asked him if he’d like to play in Ireland if I could get him a gig? He said he’d love to go. But where would be the right place for him to play?

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From RTÉ Radio 1’s Doc On One, journalist Steve Cummins explores Jeff Buckley’s connections to Ireland in Sin-é: Jeff Buckley’s Irish Odyssey (first broadcast 2016)

Here, I got lucky. The Entertainments Officer in Trinity College was Colm O’Dwyer and the Trinity Ball was just weeks away. I knew Colm a little bit, and I knew he loved music. I phoned him. I remember the gist of the conversation:

“Colm, is there any room on the bill for a really talented emerging singer.”

Colm’s replied “I’ll be happy to give him a listen. Can you send me or play me some of his music?”

I explained that Jeff hadn’t recorded anything.

For Jeff to play in Trinity, Colm would have to take an absolute leap of faith. Thankfully, for the people who got to see Jeff’s first ever European show in Trinity in May 1992, Colm made that leap of faith.

Jeff arrived wearing a Sex Pistols t-shirt and the type of red plaid suit jacket that a 1950s comedian would have worn. Along with his guitar, he also brought a pretty sizeable ghetto-blaster. That made an impression on me. I thought ‘here’s someone who cannot contemplate the idea of not being able to listen to music at any time.’

He stayed with me in my parent’s house in Deansgrange where we spent some time just hanging out and listening to records. My brother John took us to Newgrange and other Irish sites. Jeff soaked it all in and he even played a couple of songs for my mother in her kitchen while we were out at the shops.

On the night of the ball, we invited Jeff out for dinner. He asked if it would be OK to skip it. Instead, he sat drinking tea with mum and a neighbour, eating Mikado biscuits and watching The Late Late Show. That was his preparation: the most basic and unpretentious home comforts.

At Trinity, Jeff was excited, focused and deeply pensive. Not alone was this his European debut, it was probably the largest audience he ever played for. Before he walked onstage, Jeff asked me if there was anything in particular he should play. By this stage I trusted his instincts completely. Why would I give him advice?

He played an inspired set that included songs by Led Zeppelin, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and a very powerful rendition of Van Morrison’s Sweet Thing. Inbetween songs, he did a sweet impression of me asking him if he would like to come to Dublin. It was a very thoughtful gesture. One of many that I experienced from Jeff when we’d meet during his all too short career.

Every single time I bumped into him afterwards, his first question was the same: ‘how are your mum and dad?’ He was a class act.

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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ