#march 1995

Selena Quintanilla Recording Dreaming of You at Q-Productions Studio in Corpus Christi, Texas

Photographer: Paul S. Howell

By New Wave Editorial Team-May 23, 2022

On May 29, 1997, Jeff Buckley disappeared, swept away by the turbulent waters of the Mississippi. With his angelic face, celestial voice, and incandescent charisma, the American artist had burst onto the international scene just three years earlier, thanks to the magic of a powerful and deeply felt album, aptly titled "Grace." We were fortunate enough to follow him and meet him on his first French tour in 1995. On the 25th anniversary of his passing, here is the article we dedicated to the shooting star Jeff Buckley at the time.

Get Your Soul Out!

1994 revealed many new artists who, from their very first album, established themselves on the international music scene. Among them: Beck, Oasis, Portishead, and especially Jeff Buckley, who, in the space of six months, achieved near-mythical status through his luminous album, "Grace," and magical concerts. An encounter and description of this phenomenon on the occasion of his first French tour.

Scott Moorhead was born on November 17, 1966, in Los Angeles. His father abandoned him shortly after his birth, and he was raised by his mother, Mary Guibert. By his own admission, he had a fairly free childhood and adolescence. He was introduced to marijuana and, above all, to music at a very young age by his mother, a classical cellist, and his stepfather, a garage owner and a big rock fan. "When an adult asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always answered: I want to make music." At the age of eight, he briefly met his father, Tim Buckley, a legendary artist of the 1960s (a voice that seemed to reach for the angels, music that evolved from pop-rock to celestial jazz, a career that defied all logic of commercial success). He would never see him again, as Buckley died two months later, on June 15, 1975, of an overdose. He was barely 27 years old. Some time later, after his mother's divorce, he chose to take the name Jeffrey Scott Buckley, accepting the heavy legacy that this name represents and thus marking his attachment to this father whom he only knows through his records and what others say about him.

Having grown up under the Californian sun, he never truly felt at home in that idyllic setting, perfect for symbolizing a prosperous America but ill-suited to the blossoming of a young man with a vibrant and intense inner life. At twelve years old, he was already convinced that his future lay elsewhere, in that city, New York, where being takes precedence over appearances. Symbolically, it was during a concert in tribute to Tim Buckley, where he was invited to sing a song ("Once I Was"), that Jeff made this journey from West to East, a journey that for him symbolized a "new life." Having abandoned everything he owned and knew, he found himself alone but ready to embrace his destiny, driven by a self-belief that transcended him: "The rain is falling… And I know my time has come," from the song "Grace."

In his Lower East Side neighborhood, there's an incredible concentration of artists of all kinds. Jeff finally feels like he belongs, even though he sometimes has to confront loneliness and a dangerous attraction to heroin. He starts playing in cafés like the Fez, the Bang On, and especially the Sin-é, where he sometimes even washes dishes!

"I feel like I'm losing control of my life. I'm told when to get up, where to go, who to talk to, I'm given food I don't necessarily like... Sometimes I dream of being able to go to a store, buy a loaf of bread, and make my own sandwich."

Night after night, he attracted more and more admirers and gained stage experience that allowed him to captivate the demanding and discerning pub audiences. The memory of this formative period is captured on his first CD, Live at Sin-é, a four-track mini-LP released on the Big Cat label. It features two covers, "Je n'en connais pas la fin" by Edith Piaf and "The Way Young Lovers Do" by Van Morrison, as well as two original compositions, "Mojo Pin" and "Eternal Life." Jeff Buckley created personal music, imbued with passion. He did so simply with his pure, high-pitched voice and his guitar, from which he drew sounds and harmonies of great richness.

Following this magnificent and promising first album, things were about to accelerate for Buckley. Alerted by the buzz, Columbia Records offered him a contract giving him complete artistic freedom. Jeff immediately set about finding a band.

"All I can hope for from the audience is that they smile, that they cheer... So I say thank you, and I completely believe them."

« I wanted to find people who had an intuitive approach to music, who played with their soul and invested themselves emotionally. Otherwise, the music would be sterile… Michael Tighe (guitar) had been my friend for three years. He had attended almost all of my solo concerts. Mick Grondahl (bass) was the first to approach me and tell me he would like to work with me. He was so honest, frank, and sincere that I knew I had to call him back. Then I contacted Matt Johnson (drums), who had been recommended to me. The first night we played together, we clicked immediately. « Dream Brother ». All the ideas and arrangements came naturally, like in a dream…” After a few weeks of rehearsals, the band went into the studio with Andy Wallace (producer for, among others, Rage Against The Machine!) and recorded “Grace.” A major, timeless album. Of rare beauty, combining fragility and violence. The public and press reactions were unanimously enthusiastic, and the interest surrounding Jeff Buckley was skillfully cultivated by Columbia Records, who clearly recognized they had a truly exceptional artist on their hands. Jeff and his band then embarked on a world tour. They performed for the first time in Paris on September 22nd at the Passage du Nord-Ouest for a dazzling concert that confirmed all the rumors circulating about him. The band then toured the United States, England, and Japan before embarking on their first French tour, playing in medium-sized venues (500 to 1000 seats). Proof of France's enthusiasm for Jeff Buckley: all the dates were sold out even before the tour began!

Wednesday, February 8 – Toulouse

The first stop is on February 8th in Toulouse, the magnificent city on the banks of the Garonne River. It's an amazing city, both for the richness of its heritage (the countless pink brick buildings, the Capitole, etc.) and for the youth of its inhabitants (more than 110,000 students!). The Bikini, a beautiful venue located in the industrial suburbs of Toulouse, was completely sold out. The audience was young (apart from the older fans of his father), knew "Grace" by heart, and had high expectations for this concert. The opening act was provided rather unenthusiastically by the Dutch band Bettie Serveert, who, fortunately, would leave the tour without fanfare that very evening. The tension was palpable in the venue when suddenly the audience let out a cry of joy as Jeff and his musicians appeared. Arriving in the simplest way possible, he immediately captivated everyone's attention with his extraordinary charisma. With his disheveled hair, intense gaze, disarmingly natural smile, and effortless ease, there was a striking resemblance between him and the young Jim Morrison! From the outset, the audience was under his spell. Buckley picked up a bottleneck slide and launched into the intro of "Last Goodbye.".

Immediately afterward, "Dream Brother" establishes a mystical atmosphere with its Eastern-influenced melodies and rising tension. The lyrics, in thinly veiled terms, evoke the memory of Tim. Someone in the crowd shouts, "Get your soul out!" Yes, that's precisely what it's about. Buckley bares his soul, not out of self-indulgent exhibitionism, but rather to release an overwhelming surge of emotion and share it with others.Next comes "So Real." Then, Jeff launches into a long introduction that blends ethereal singing and delicate arpeggios before abruptly launching into "Mojo Pin." The song builds to a climax where her voice is on the verge of breaking. At the first notes of "Grace," the audience expresses its delight. This track, after repeated airplay on radio and television, proves to be an unexpected hit. The live version differs little from the studio version. "Lilac Wine" begins with a series of dissonant and tortured chords before settling into the weightless atmosphere of the album version. eff effortlessly makes this masterpiece by Jonas Shelton (a virtually unknown artist) his own, a song popularized by Nina Simone. "What Will You Say," a new track, is somewhat disappointing. The melody is simple, and the emotion feels a little forced on this song, making it less impressive than the rest of the album. "Eternal Life" appeared on Live at Sin-é in a stripped-down version and had already been given a more powerful arrangement on "Grace." On stage, it becomes downright wild, and the impressive "Hallelujah" is one of the most anticipated songs by the audience. On this deeply spiritual song by Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley's voice reaches heights of purity. An angel passes by... For the encore, we'll be treated to another unreleased track, a song that sounds quite similar to The Cure – from their Disintegration era. "We were playing in Vancouver and there was pressure for us to record a B-side. We worked on an idea of ​​Michael's. But the song doesn't have a definitive form yet; we're changing it every night." I don't really have time to write while I'm on tour. No... Just little snippets of melodies, riffs, and lyrics, when I manage to find a few moments to myself. However, traveling a lot does bring me unique ideas and renews my inspiration." The concert ends with the hypnotic "Kangaroo" by Alex Chilton, and Jeff Buckley leaves the stage to the cheers of the captivated audience. In the dressing room, two groupies try in vain to seduce him. He politely turns them down, remaining, in all circumstances, kind and attentive to everything happening around him. He tells me he's just turned down the opening slot for the Page/Plant tour. "I'll never play in stadiums... Can you imagine me singing 'Lilac Wine' in front of a bunch of hard rockers? No, it's impossible. But it's an honor and an incredible thing that they even offered it to me..." Clearly, he's struggling to come to terms with the phenomenal popularity he's experiencing, and he seems disoriented by the exhausting, rootless life he's currently leading."I feel like I've lost control of my life. I'm told when to get up, where to go, who to talk to, and I'm given food I don't necessarily like... Sometimes I dream of being able to go to a store, buy a loaf of bread, and make my own sandwich! To avoid getting depressed, I have to focus on the only thing that truly interests me: playing!" Exhausted, he takes his leave and heads towards the bus where a short night's sleep awaits him.

Thursday, February 9, 1995 – Montpellier

Montpellier, a city in southern France that is constantly evolving and generates a very vibrant cultural scene, particularly in the rock music genre. The concert took place at Victoire 2, a venue that isn't particularly inviting and lacks atmosphere. Yet, as soon as Jeff and the band took the stage, something powerful and inexplicable filled the air. The audience's attention was heightened, they reacted instantly and truly connected with the music. They were silent, their eyes fixed on Jeff during the quiet, introspective passages, or completely unleashed when caught up in the sonic whirlwind of "Eternal Life" or "Kangaroo." The order of the songs isn't the same as the night before: "Every night is different. There's no pre-established setlist. Likewise, each song is played differently depending on the atmosphere and the mood." The songs flow seamlessly into one another. There are breathtaking, intensely powerful versions of "So Real" and "Lover, You Should've Come Over." To counterbalance this intensity, Jeff interacts and jokes with the audience, responding quick-wittedly. To someone who shouts "Tim Buckley!", he retorts with a sharp "You're at the wrong concert, baby!"He still vehemently rejects any comparisons to his father. "I hope people will never forget Tim. Because they can't! But I don't listen to his records for inspiration. I have other heroes!" Then comes "Hallelujah," interspersed with a verse from "I Know It's Over" by The Smiths, one of his favorite bands. He frequently cites Johnny Marr among the guitarists who have influenced him the most. The concert ends, as it did the night before, with "Kangaroo." But as the roadie begins to turn off the amplifiers and the house lights come back on, the audience, still reeling from this magical performance, continues to cheer and applaud. So much so that Jeff returns to the stage.He thanks them again and again. He is genuinely touched by this show of affection. "All I can hope for from the audience is that they smile and cheer... So I say thank you, and I completely believe them." He indulges in a few antics, parodying a current dance hit or playing an intro by The Stooges. And then he launches into a wild version of "The Way Young Lovers Do." “I covered this song because one day Michael told me he had dreamed that we were playing it together. So, I did it! I realized afterwards that some people might find it presumptuous to tackle such a song. But ultimately, it’s just a song… It sounds a bit jazzy because at the time I was listening to jazz all the time.”

day." Cheers. Jeff smiles, calls out one last "Sweet dreams!" and leaves. We reluctantly let him go.

Friday, February 10, 1995 – Lyon

Friday, February 10th. Arrival in Lyon in the early afternoon. Through the traffic jams and the drizzle, in this city whose image is currently suffering from the media and legal troubles of its mayor. At precisely 3:00 PM, a mini-press conference takes place, to delve deeper into the subject and get to know this endearing artist better.

"I hope people will never forget Tim. Because they can't! But I don't listen to his records for inspiration. I have other heroes!"

What does grace mean to you?

It's not religious, nor mystical. It's very ordinary. It's this quality that makes people seem divine. It's a quality I appreciate enormously in a person, especially in a man, because it's very rare.

What do you think of the critics who say that "Grace" is overproduced?

There was a journalist in New York who loved me when I was performing solo at Sin-é. And suddenly, when "Grace" came out, he declared, "I was crazy to have liked Jeff Buckley! His album is totally overproduced. Blah, blah, blah." He thinks I betrayed him because I evolved. When I'm creating in the studio, I have the opportunity to experiment with all the ideas I have in my head. I can say, "I need this! I don't want that!" It's a fantastic feeling to be able to give life to sounds and emotions that you have inside yourself.

Most of the songs on the album express the difficulty of managing a romantic relationship and the heartbreak that comes with a separation. What did writing these songs bring you?

From my romantic experiences and what I expressed in "Grace," I learned not to rely entirely on someone and not to live through another person.

In Europe, the reviews are unanimously positive, while in the United States it seems to be different. How do you explain that?

In America, a very influential rock critic, who writes for numerous magazines and whose opinion carries a lot of weight, outright insulted me. He thinks I'm disturbed, that I don't know where I'm going, that I'm all over the place. He can't figure me out, can't categorize me, and therefore rejects me completely. I'm not disturbed. It's just that I feel different emotions and I express them in different ways, with different sounds. Because that's how it's supposed to sound! People have multiple personalities inside them. But they are still themselves. They can be naturally serene or tormented. Everyone has within themselves completely opposite states and feelings. And music reflects these paradoxes. All art does. But music probably more than anything else. There's something special about music that drives people "crazy" as soon as they hear it. They either hate it or love it, but it elicits more of a reaction than a film, a sculpture, or a painting. It's a strange art form... the one that comes closest to a dream. I can't explain or put a sound into words. I wish I could, but I can't.

Which artists do you feel have influenced you the most?

I think the artists who have influenced me the most are those I listened to as a child, like Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell, MC5, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Patti Smith, John Lennon, and then later, Siouxsie (I hear a lot of her in my voice), Nick Cave (especially when he was in The Birthday Party), The Smiths... I'm a fan of thousands of artists. Listening to them reminds me of all the possibilities of expression. That's what inspiration is all about! Currently, there's still a lot of great music out there, but it's more underground. The sense of competition and mutual influence is important. That's why the 60s and 70s were so fantastic. There were the Beatles, and everyone went, "Wow!", then Jimi Hendrix came along: "Whoa! We can do that!" and then James Brown, the Stones, the Beach Boys, the Doors, and so on.

The structures of your songs are quite different from the usual pop formats...

Yes, I've heard so many songs built on the same mold (verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-ending) that it no longer satisfies me. I prefer to have a more free approach to songwriting.

From this perspective, Bob Dylan is one of my main influences. I have nothing but praise for him. He made poetry vibrant and relevant again, when it had become something outdated. And he constantly redefined the rules of what a modern rock artist should be. I met him once. I was terrified, and he said something to me that I'll never forget: "Make a good album, man! Just make a good album!" And I made "Grace."

So, how do you envision your next album?

By becoming a better artist, I'd like to be more able to express joy and happiness. I don't want to be like Sisters of Mercy, always depressed. I like Sisters of Mercy, but I want my music to reflect every part of my life. All I have to do is express myself, be myself. I shouldn't get stuck on what I've already done. My success will be making the next album a success.

The interview could have gone on longer, but the manager abruptly intervened to end it. What a shame! That same evening, we returned to the B-52, a small club with a hushed atmosphere, the ideal setting for an intimate and warm concert. The start of the concert was disrupted by a minor wiring problem, which Buckley turned to his advantage by launching into an a cappella improvisation while the roadie worked to replace the faulty cable. The concert then proceeded without further incident, but Jeff's performance was slightly below his usual standard. He and his band seemed tired and a little distracted that evening.

It was as if there was something in the air that he couldn't quite grasp. From a "Mojo Pin" overflowing with electric intensity, he moved on to a rather shaky "Lilac Wine." But he didn't lose his remarkable ability to connect with the audience, to entertain them before delivering a devastating "Eternal Life."

Saturday, February 11, 1995 – Paris

Jeff is back in the French capital, a city he's particularly fond of, being a big fan of Edith Piaf. Around 6 PM, after the sacred soundcheck ritual, he spent nearly an hour with Michael Tighe perfecting the arrangements for "So Real." This proves that he hasn't grown tired of his songs and is constantly striving to improve them. As evening approached, a particular tension could be felt in Paris: France-Inter was recording the concert, a team from M6 had come to film a report, and the presence of numerous journalists, photographers, and other personalities was noticeable. The Bataclan is, of course, packed. The Parisian audience greets Jeff Buckley with a huge roar of applause. Photographers rush to their cameras ("Only during the first three songs, and above all, no flash!"). “Who was here last time?” he asks with a big smile. After an hour and a half of an intense performance, he delivers a long solo encore with a splendid version of "The Way Young Lovers Do," a medley of Piaf songs, and a long and solemn "Hallelujah" that rises in a cathedral-like silence.

You leave there shaken. Stronger, more vulnerable. Both alone and as if part of a shared thought. In any case, what Jeff Buckley and his music bring is a more intense feeling. No one knows how he will evolve, but the memory of these concerts and the magic of " Grace" will remain. He will be back in France in early July, at the Olympia, the Fourvière Festival in Lyon, and the Eurockéennes Festival in Belfort. As for the next album, we'll have to wait until spring 1996. In the meantime, Buckley will have to avoid being swept away by the spiral of success and resist the demons that took his father and so many others. The best thing we can say to him? " Make another good album, man! "

Philippe Perret

(Article "Get your soul out!" published in L'Indic magazine, March 1995.)

1 COMMENT

VasseurVasseur

November 4, 2025 at 2:32 AM

Johnny Depp, 27 years ago, on March 19, 1995 through the lens of Anton Corbijn, in Paris, France.

At that time, Johnny was few days apart from the beginning of the filming of “Nick of Time”, but first he had a photoshoot session with the famous photographer Anton Corbijn. Some photos were released 2 months later in the May 1995 edition of the French “Studio Magazine”. 12 years later, on October 2007, one the photos became one of the 50 covers of the special British “GQ Magazine - 50th Anniversary Edition”.

> Curiosity: This photoshoot marks the first time Johnny was photographed by Anton Corbijn. A second photoshoot happened 3 years later on March 14, 1998 for the “Icon Magazine” in Los Angeles, California, and a last time on January 7, 2000 also in Paris, France.

Selena with producer, Guy Roche at Q Productions in Corpus Christi, Texas for the recording of "Dreaming of You" in March of 1995.