All photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
The artistic and biographical narratives of musician Jeff Buckley (1966–1997) are inextricably linked to a brief but incandescent period of profound influence, a phenomenon now thoughtfully revisited by director/producer Amy Berg in the documentary, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (Magnolia Pictures, HBO Documentary Films). “It’s difficult to imagine a time when I wasn’t attempting to make the Jeff Buckley doc,” Amy begins. “It’s been on my bucket list since I made my first film in 2006 (‘Deliver Us From Evil’ – the film explores the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal focusing on Father Oliver O’Grady. – JB), and maybe since I first heard ‘Grace’ in 1994, which literally became the tear that hangs inside my soul forever.”
The idea of a documentary became a long road towards achievement as Amy reveals, “I first approached Jeff’s mom, Mary Guibert, in 2007, but she initially opted out, wanting a scripted film. However, after exploring the incredible archive, I knew this had to be a documentary.” Persistence drove Berg’s quest to document Buckley’s life properly. “I couldn’t get Jeff’s final voicemail to his mother out of my mind for years—it made me cry on many occasions as it probably does for you. I reached out to Mary every time I finished a film, and she ‘politely’ declined. Until the summer of 2019. My timing was finally right! I can honestly say the euphoria still hasn’t settled.”
Born in California’s Orange County on November 17, 1966, Buckley emerged from the avant-garde New York club scene of the 1990s as one of the most singular voices of his generation. His artistry—a synthesis of expansive vocal range, virtuosic guitar work, and a profound emotional vulnerability—was quickly acclaimed by peers, critics, and audiences.
“This film has been a labor of love; it feels as close as one could get to Jeff without knowing him. His story really comes alive when you sit with the three main women in his life (Mary, Joan Wasser & Rebecca Moore – JB), and hear their stories and feel their pain. The film starts and ends with them because you get to know him through his music and these defining relationships. The romantic partners we featured gave mostly positive feedback on their portrayal as respectable artists in their own right, which was important to me.” Building relationships with those who knew Buckley at his most intimate and vulnerable became as equally important as the documentary. Amy confirms, “Building the trust necessary to get these deeply personal and candid accounts from his mother, former partners, and bandmates took time and patience! It took 10 years for Mary to sign off! The insights from musicians like Ben Harper and Aimee Mann helped contextualize his impact because their stories were some that stayed with me in the process of researching and making this film. They felt very resonant and indicative of the metaphors in Jeff’s life.”
Jeff Buckley and mother Mary Guibert
The formative years of Buckley’s life were characterized by a peripatetic and geographically transient existence within the confines of Southern California. He was primarily raised by his mother and his stepfather, Ron Moorhead, a period during which he was formally known as Scott “Scottie” Moorhead, adopting his middle name and his stepfather’s patronymic. His constant relocation across and within Orange County instilled a profound sense of discontinuity in his youth, which he later encapsulated with the stark and self-deprecating descriptor, “rootless trailer trash.”
Amy describes, “I heard of the complexities of Jeff’s family relations from artists in his community. I really understood what Mary went through as a flawed single mom; she was trying to be the best mom and also find her own path, and Jeff really loved her.”
A key biographical and genetic factor in his development was the legacy of his biological father, Tim Buckley, a musician recognized for a distinctive body of work spanning the folk and jazz genres during the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, this paternal connection was largely abstract, as Jeff reported only a singular, brief encounter with his father at the age of eight as captured in the documentary. “Jeff’s life has so many rich stories with as much relevance now as they had 30 years ago.” Berg relays, “The challenges he had to overcome explain his depth as well as his pain. He was born of, but not raised by, a beautiful singer who was a cult hero. Jeff’s main challenge in life was his gift—his talent was too powerful for him to ignore but it was inseparable from the ghost of his father.”
Following the elder Buckley’s untimely demise in 1975, a significant act of self-definition occurred. The future artist consciously shed the name associated with his stepfather and adopted the given name on his birth certificate, Jeff, alongside his biological surname, Buckley. This deliberate choice marked a clear pivot toward reclaiming his heritage and establishing an autonomous identity distinct from his transient childhood. When weaving together Jeff’s story using never-before-seen footage and such revealing accounts, Amy admits, “Editing is always a challenge, specifically finding the right balance between Jeff’s point of view (POV) and others. I wanted the audience to really get deep inside his POV in the first act so we could open the conversation up.” Amy continues, “I hope viewers will learn everything about Jeff Buckley they couldn’t find in existing biographies. There really hasn’t been an official and comprehensive biography about Jeff thus far. More specifically, I’d like people to see how crucial art was to Jeff and how raw and vulnerable he was in that quest to share his music.”
Buckley’s first commercial recording, the four-song EP ‘Live At Sin-é’ (Columbia Records, 1993), served as a vital document of his initial phase, capturing the raw, improvisational energy of his solo performances in a small East Village coffeehouse. Equally thrilling and just as intimate was the discovery of a solo performance at the Middle East in 1994 tacked onto the end of the documentary. Amy admits, “(The) footage was a dream that left me speechless. It was shot by the legend of Ernie Fritz and is visually breathtaking. It represented a time in Jeff’s life when he was blossoming most and enjoying his path. It just felt so incredibly right!”
Amy Berg, director of IT’S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY, a Magnolia Pictures release
The 26 minutes of footage had been previously unreleased. Berg’s distribution partner Magnolia, recommended its inclusion in the documentary. “It enhanced the experience greatly. I was a little nervous about the idea at first and then realized it was incredible!” Berg confesses before continuing, “We decided to share this specific performance with a live, in-person audience because this film feels so different in the theatre with proper sound and visuals. And it’s a communal experience to see a concert so it just had to be like this!” Amy adds, “That particular solo performance from six months before the release of ‘Grace’ is so significant because it’s a moment in his career unlike any others. It was the closest we could get to his live performance—the venue and lighting and candor was just “so real” (cliché)!”
The foundation of his enduring legacy, of course, is Buckley’s lone studio album, ‘Grace’, released on August 23, 1994. Collaborating with his core band; Mick Grondahl (bass) and Matt Johnson (drums) along with producer Andy Wallace, Buckley crafted a work that seamlessly fused original compositions such as “Lover, You Should Have Come Over” and “Last Goodbye” along with ambitious covers, including an iconic rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Benjamin Britten’s “Corpus Christi Carol.” The addition of guitarist Michael Tighe completed the ensemble and introduced the original track “So Real.” The album’s critical resonance was swift and international, evidenced by the 1995 award of France’s prestigious Gran Prix International Du Disque — Academie Charles CROS,” an honor previously bestowed upon a pantheon of musical luminaries.
Following an intensive, two-year global tour, Buckley shifted his focus to his second album, provisionally titled ‘My Sweetheart, The Drunk.’ His later sessions were marked by creative experimentation, including recordings with producer Tom Verlaine and a subsequent period of solo composition in Memphis. His death on May 29, 1997, in a tragic drowning accident, cut short this creative evolution. The subsequent posthumous release, ‘Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk’ (_Columbia_,1998), compiled the Verlaine-produced sessions and his final four-track demos, cementing his status as an enigmatic figure whose potential was tragically unfulfilled. Decades later, with a dedicated and expanding global fanbase, the music of ‘Grace’ and the subsequent archival releases continue to resonate with a timeless quality. Amy states, “The reason Jeff Buckley’s music and story continue to resonate so strongly with younger audiences is simple: It’s timeless! The music is a language of its own! Regarding his iconic ‘Hallelujah’ cover potentially overshadowing his original work, we acknowledge the fact that he was known to the masses by that one song, but he has a body of work that overshadows it in my opinion. I think ‘Hallelujah’ sounds so much better adjacent to the rest of ‘Grace.’” Berg finishes, “After spending the last 5 years making this film, I can’t even imagine it not being such a giant chapter in my own life. It was as much a journey for me as I hope it will be for its audience.”
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley is available for purchase or rental on most streaming platforms and wherever DVDs are sold. Thanks to Daniel Gill at Force Field PR for the coordination.
