Original subtitles

Hi, I'm trying to reach Jeff Buckley.

My name is Janine Nichols.

I work at Saint Ann's Arts Project in New York City.

And um...

We're putting together a concert, celebrating your father's music.

If you get this message, can you please call me...

- Hello. - Oh, hi.

Um... Hi.

Is this Jeff? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, great. I am Janine Nichols at the Saint Ann's Arts Project in Brooklyn.

Hi. Hi!

Listen, Hal Willner and I are putting on a concert tribute

celebrating your father's music.

And we'd love for you to come.

Yeah, you know, I don't really know my father so...

Oh... Um...

Okay, I think it's going to be great.

We have Richard Hell coming. Does that mean you want me to play?

Well, Hal really is the one to say about that.

I'm sure he'd love to take a listen to you though when you get here.

Well, you know what? Why don't I give you my number, and

you can think about it.

Because who is better than you to be here?

I mean it'd really be something... Well, I don't...

I don't really play my father's music.

What are you saying, is that like a church church?

Oh, yeah, it is. But we just use their space It's not like we're praying...

Hi. Excuse me. Do you know where Saint Ann's church is?

* Someday I'll be all right

How many times do we have to go through this?

It's two measures ahead.

I can't sing it two measures ahead. Nobody's fucking listening.

Okay, can we try it again?

No, no, no, no, no.

That's where I hear... I want the church organ to come in.

If we use that church organ, we'll have to put five mics up there.

Really? That seems crazy.

Where's Hal?

Come on, lets... Anybody know where Hal is?

I don't know what he's saying. Can you just use the Fender?

Fender, Yamaha. I don't... It might be a Yamaha.

I don't...

It's not a 700-pipe organ, you understand?

You're here. Yeah.

Hi. I'm Janine. It's great to meet you.

Hi, I'm Jeff. Nice to meet you.

This is Jeff. This is Tim's son.

Wow. This is Richard.

Nice to meet you. You know what, it's a synthesizer.

It can do whatever you need it to... I got it.

Hi. I'm Jeff. I'm Jen.

Trust me, beautiful. Nice to meet you.

You might want to come on back. Let's meet Hal.

Bach had 18 children. Listen...

You get to meet Hal.

You look just like him.

They're gonna be here on Friday.

They said they would be here on Friday. That is what they're telling me.

Yeah.

What about, um...

What about Friday morning? Can you come in and rehearse on Friday morning?

No, no. Tech is Thursday.

Come in on Friday morning. That's fine.

Okay. Bye. I'll see you then.

Hey. Wow!

That is spooky.

You're like a ghost. Who me?

Yeah. You look just like him.

Your dad's guy is coming too. Um,

Lee? You know Lee Underwood? Lee, yeah, yeah.

Yeah. We're going to get you guys together, and uh...

Well, I actually have some stuff prepared... Yeah.

Who was the conga player from...

The guy who played the congas for Art Blakey.

No. We have someone. Yeah. Get him here on Thursday.

Tech in here.

You know the cool thing about Art Blakey?

That's it.

That's it.

Right. Right. The cool thing about Art Blakey,

Art Blakey said,

"It takes more courage

"to write a happy song."

We can tech on Friday.

There is a noon mass, Hal. Who cares about mass.

We're giving them the father the son and the holy ghost.

So, are we using...

Yeah. Get him together with Gary.

Just get him together with the house band.

Hi. Hi.

I'm Jeff. I'm Carol.

Um, I didn't actually know Tim had a son.

Neither did he. So that makes two of you.

Oh. Well, I'm sorry about that.

No. Um...

So...

What songs do you wanna play?

Uh, I don't know.

I don't even play my father's music. I know it.

You know, but I don't...

I don't play it. I get that.

And yet I'm here. Okay.

Hey, this is your uh,

schedule.

Contact details. That's where you're staying. That's your per diem.

That's a lot of money.

Not in this town. Shit. I think we could have a lot of fun with this money.

Not in this town.

Tim?

I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?

I just needed to get my other guitar.

How are you feeling?

You okay?

I didn't get much sleep.

I'll um... I'll call you when I get there.

Okay.

I'll call you in a couple of days.

I'm gonna throw my stuff in the back.

Okay. I got the map.

I have the schedule.

Tim!

Janie.

Where are we?

We're in the desert.

But...

You have a gig on Friday.

I want to see it.

Come find me.

We can't have any unscheduled stops today though.

Unscheduled stops cannot be scheduled.

Tim!

Tim?

My wife, she just...

She hates my music.

I don't get it.

She hates my music.

No.

Why?

She just hates my music.

That's okay.

Do that again.

Will you dance with me?

Come on. Dance with me.

* You've got the untortured mind of a woman

Okay, let's go back to the first chorus. No, it's good.

Are we gonna do the two verses?

I would like to. Um... I don't know.

Let's, let's try it again from the top.

Well, now that the son is here,

I think we should ask the son what he thinks.

Let's play and see what happens.

Hey, Lee. Hey hey.

What you been up to, partner?

Shit, I've just been

herding some cattle, man.

Polishing my spurs.

Good to see you again.

Start the verse now.

Wait a second.

I don't know... That's when you should come in with the lyrics.

Right there.

Hey, just a second, guys.

So, uh... What's up with California?

What's up... Sun and surf guy.

I was born there. His love of water.

LA?

Anaheim. He's up north.

I don't know. I love LA.

But no one will fuck me in LA.

I'm serious.

I don't think you're trying hard enough. No, no, no.

I try very hard. And, this is how I know.

There are people in New York. Who will fuck me in New York.

Who will not fuck me in LA.

I will fuck you in LA.

Okay, guys.

All right, guys. Let's take it from the intro, you can try your verse.

From the top.

Hit it.

Uh-huh. Walk away, walk away, walk away.

Everyone, walk away for a minute.

Where did you learn to play that thumb piano?

Berklee, man. Undergrad.

You know,

you got to put all that shit behind you.

What shit? You know, all that stuff about your dad?

What the fuck, Lee...

Look, I get it. He wasn't around.

It's not like he beat the shit out of me every day.

When I was with him,

there were these nights

after the shows

when he would have me drive him to your house.

He would have me wait in the car.

What he was doing was sneaking into your room,

to sit there, and watch you sleeping in your crib.

Okay. That's weird. I don't know... I swear to God.

I don't know why you wanna tell me that, man.

All right. What do we have? Hey, Allie.

What's next? Song of the Siren?

Song of the Siren.

All right. Bring in the scrim. Oh, no.

I don't know about the scrim, Janine. I really don't.

It's too big. It's so big, man.

It's like it's a drive-in movie theater right here in the church.

It blocks Jesus, I can't...

I want a red sound... Yeah, where's the violinist?

We haven't got her yet, so...

Let's go ahead and rehearse Siren

and tell the guys to bring in the scrim anyway.

Okay.

Not the fucking scrim, man.

I think it's gonna be great. Let's just have a look at it.

If we don't like it, we don't do it.

All right. Will you go hunt her down because we have to move this along.

Mmm-hmm. Okay.

- I'll be just a sec. - I'm starving.

Bring me some licorice and beef jerky.

So,

California boy.

Joni Mitchell masturbating on a rock.

Laurel Canyon, orange juice.

That's it. That's my life story. How'd you know?

Oh, my God. I totally wrote the program notes.

So, I, like, know everything about you.

How did you get to be the slave, here?

I'm not the slave. I love working here.

Like these people are incredible. So, you know.

Also I have a huge, huge crush on your father.

Huge, huge?

Huge, huge? You sure it isn't just huge? Huge.

No, I neverexaggerate my hyperboles, ever.

No?

He would have liked you too.

You always walk, like that?

You know, you waste a lot of time that way.

You're like an alligator. Really?

Yeah, alligators can run like 30 miles an hour, but, only in a straight line,

and they can't turn and you're...

Like. Yes, you. Really?

Hey.

The '60s were bullshit.

What? Dylan?

Mingus?

Boom.

That's '50s.

Let me tell you, one more thing.

And the '70s, were almost big, big bullshit.

Except for one thing, and I don't need to tell you what that is,

The '80s, I don't even need to tell you.

Except for The Smiths.

That's the '70s.

* is it you?

Jeff?

No, no, no no, no.

Oh!

This is it. I found it. This is...

To where to now?

I have to get back. Oh, what?

I have to get back.

I have to go. But we're going forth.

No, Hal is under the gun. We are going forth, not back. Come on.

They need me, Jeff.

We have to go forth. Where?

Anywhere. One of your slave haunts. Anywhere.

I have to get back! No. We have to go forth.

Wait.

Don't worry,

I'm the alligator.

I'm the alligator.

Wait.

No.

Hey, no. You're the alligator.

You're the alligator.

I knew it was you. Hey, baby.

Did you call before? I was so afraid I missed your call.

No, listen. It's so packed here, you know, everybody is asking about you.

How are you?

I'm okay. I love you. You, too.

Where are you? Are you in the little room with the bougainvilleas?

You look so beautiful in that house, baby?

Hey, listen. Listen to me.

We are about to start, so I have to go, but I love you.

Tim. I love you.

I'll talk to you soon.

Were they... Were they musical shows?

Acrobatic shows?

Do you have stage fright?

What? Are you not gonna tell me?

Dog shows?

What?

This is a cemetery.

Really?

Mmm-hmm.

All of the names are listed on the wall and then...

I was like, there are dead people...

Everywhere.

Isn't it cool?

Horse shows?

What shows? What kind of shows?

Okay.

Uh...

I wrote these plays,

and one of them was good.

I...

Played a boat,

and I sang naked.

And my mother brought all of her friends,

and there was a lot of nervous laughter

my aunt laughed. I thought, it really had something.

I did.

That led to a great stint on public service television

for bulimia.

You're a beautiful girl.

Don't put me down.

You're beautiful throat.

So, sing me one of your songs then?

No.

Sing me one of your naked songs.

No. Why don't you, tell me a story?

I don't hear you singing.

Tell me a story.

What? What kind of story?

I don't know, it can be about anything,

but I'm gonna keep my face completely expressionless.

Yeah?

Okay.

Uh... Well, this is a story about a boy who had

windshield wipers,

on his eyes.

The only person in the world

with windshield wipers on his eyes.

One day, it started to rain

and rain and rain and rain,

oceans of rain.

Nobody could see anything, but the boy,

and so, the boy had to see

everything for everybody.

He got so tired of seeing so much.

So, he went home and stuck his head

in the oven.

And then,

they melted off down,

and then,

they became chin swords.

And then someone asked him to open a can.

And then, and then soon, everyone was asking him to open cans

and he had to go around

opening cans all the time. He got really tired of that.

So, then he went home and stuck his head in the freezer,

and broke them off,

and put them in his pocket and went to school.

That's it. How was that?

It was great.

Hey.

Where are you going?

Let's get something to eat.

I can't. I gotta go.

No, no, no, no. I'm starving, I gotta...

Come on. We gotta... I...

I can't.

You're meeting someone?

I'll see you tomorrow at rehearsal.

You're meeting someone.

Bye.

For America right now it's important to be in Vietnam.

Because you never know what's gonna happen.

What about the Vietnamese?

I support the Vietnamese people...

What the hell are you talking about?

You care? You care so much you want to kill them?

You don't understand, I'm from a communist...

Are you tilling me?

Telling you what?

No, are you tilling me? Are you tilling my head?

Are you planting something in my head?

So you support murder?

This guy supports murder. You don't even know what a party is in this country.

I know what a party is. Oh! What is it?

Yeah, it is... Listen, listen, listen.

Listen, do you know where this guy is from?

He's from Yugoslavia.

They've got Tito over there, he's fucking living this shit. Yugoslavia...

This Tito dude, you know, he's torturing people, there's mass graves.

It's not like Vietnam, man.

- Fucking right, man. - Fucking right.

He knows what he's talking about. Yeah. Yeah.

Drink up. Yeah.

Cheers, comrades.

No, we're not actually really a band.

- We're a fake band. - Okay, stop it.

- No, I am... No! - I saw you sing.

I, that wasn't actually singing. I'm a chauffeur to an Irish nobleman.

Yeah, and Lee is his stonemason.

And

Carter cleans the horses' hooves.

Fuck you. Oh, yeah, man.

Niggers love cleaning.

No. Don't I know it.

That's a real rhythm.

Come on.

It's Gary.

I got you a cup of coffee.

Now I am drinking it.

Okay, now I am really drinking it.

Hey. Hey.

Church is a madhouse.

Schisms, heresies...

Look, you got fortune cookies.

This hotel stinks, Gary.

"Everything in life is somewhere else,

"and you get there in a car."

I need reading glasses.

Thanks.

Have a fortune cookie. It's good with coffee.

Times is coming. Oh. The Times.

Want anything to drink?

Uh...

Water, water is fine.

Want ice?

Huh?

You want ice?

Gary?

Where did you find all this stuff? It's like Hong Kong in here.

It kind of finds me.

What is that? A little punk, a little reggae?

I thought you were doing metal in LA.

I thought, uh...

No?

How are things going out there?

Oh, yeah!

That's right!

That's cool.

You should use that for one of your father's songs.

Hey, I got something here, try this.

It's a little raw.

This thing is sort of like a waltz, all right, it's in drop D.

There's a groove, right?

I got a section that's sort of like church bells.

Go on.

Here's a little arpeggio. I'm not sure if it will fit in here, but...

You should join my band.

Thought I just did.

So what are we doing? Phantasmagoria?

What are we gonna do? Nobody has a clue!

Thanks for coming, guys. Everything's dandy.

Can we have a song list from you?

Were you ever there? Yeah.

Cafe Wha? Go there? I play there.

Gary,

Jeff, I need you to see... Hey, Allie, can you just put this in there for me?

You gotta see this, it's Tim live, at the Folklore Center.

Are you adding a song? We can do this.

I have to get away.

Um...

Doing Once I Was... You think we could...

Yeah? Could he do it?

This kid could do anything. Rose Bowl's

like 100,000 people.

You want that, though!

I want the Night Owl,

30 people, they're so close you can smell them.

You're off by an undertone, and you're dead.

And Tim was never dead.

Fuck the room.

Fuck it, it's not about the room.

Fuck the room, see, that I like.

No, listen. Nusrat...

Nusrat used to play

in a Sheraton business center.

I mean this gross, little place, there's a shopping mall.

I know that shit, that shit is fucking real.

It's a shopping mall. He made it sacred. What?

I didn't say anything.

It was just him and a rug.

A rug.

Yeah. There's always a rug.

- Fuck the rug. - It was unbelievable.

His voice shook the planet.

And people floated money onto the stage.

They crumpled the bills up. Throwing down the capitalists out there.

Your dad was into the qawwali music

Hey, guys, here's the tape.

Do I stand over there, or will it just pick up?

Uh, I think it will just pick up.

These guys always have faith.

Hey, watch this.

Can we get rid of the fuckin' bubbles?

Call somebody at VH1.

Train number 267, making stops at Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff,

Hudson, Albany, Troy, Amsterdam, Utica, Buffalo and Niagara Falls.

There's a train at 9:00 that we could get.

I'm not too worried about getting back.

You're just gonna stay in Amsterdam?

You know, frankly, and I don't mean this in a bad way,

but this, this whole thing,

this whole concert is fuckin' ridiculous.

Like all these people paying tribute to Tim.

They don't even know him. They never knew him.

Lee played with him, Lee doesn't know him, Lee is...

How does anyone know anybody?

We're all a million things.

It's a...

It's my father there and that's his father.

He used to beat the shit outta that boy.

Every day.

I don't know...

I mean, he spent his entire life abandoning the people he loves.

Writing love songs.

Fuck, I mean I get that, I do, I get that, but you know...

He made six albums by the time he was my age.

So like what the fuck? What am I doing here.

I don't... Why am I here?

And then all these people like, "You look like him.

"You look like him, you look like him." You do.

You do, you look like him.

So?

Where you going?

One for you, one for me.

No, thanks, I don't...

I don't want that.

I went to see this, uh,

Kabuki

performance the other day, it's like, Japanese theater.

Yeah, I know what Kabuki is.

This, uh,

one actor was like 70 years old.

And his performance was, like, exquisite.

Like the way he moved an eyebrow

just affected you, it was so weird.

And I knew that I needed to get something from him.

You know what I mean?

And the next day I went along to the theater, and

after the curtain he appeared,

and I sauntered up to him,

and I asked him,

I was like, "How did you do this one magical thing?"

I was like, "How did you do it?

"How did you prepare for it?"

And he was like, "Prepare?"

And I was like, "Yeah, for the performance."

And he said,

"Well, every moment, of every day is this."

The performance is no different.

Yeah, I like that.

You do that.

No, hardly, that's...

You do that. No, that's bullshit.

I haven't done anything. You are able to do that.

Your father did it too.

My father was a total phony.

You can't say that. I can't say... Why not?

My father was a total phony. Did you know him?

Yes.

Did you know him? Yes, I knew him.

No, did you actually, like, meet him?

Met him twice actually, once when I was one year old,

he dropped by my birthday to give me a rattle.

How's that? And then

second time I was eight years old,

he invited me to come see him perform at the Troubadour.

It was his wife actually who invited me to

come stay at their house for three weeks.

Which I did, and I never saw him.

I didn't see him once. Why?

Because he was at the studio every day,

to make this album, and he didn't invite me to come along?

No. Why?

Maybe because he knew

I could fuckin' out-sing him then.

And as for his music,

my theory is that he just found some hippy's notebook on an acid trip.

When he ran out of pages, that's when he OD'd.

I'm serious, I'm serious.

I'm totally fuckin' serious.

All I want to do...

We got a couple of hours.

You wanna sample the local Dr Pepper?

Hey, how you doing?

All right.

May I help you folks?

Can I get a shot of Dewar's and a beer.

All right.

And a Dr Pepper.

Ha! We've only got Pepsi.

That's all right, thanks.

So where do you come from?

I come from the '70s.

From the time of big, big, bullshit,

apart from one thing.

What?

I don't know, I don't know. Say it.

I have a mother, I have a father, um...

They fight over the dishwasher.

How long have you had this place here?

Oh, 43 years.

43 years? Oh, my God.

My uncle left it to my brother and me.

I'll be outside.

We used to have food in here.

Now, it's all microwave. That's a shame.

We should go.

Jeff.

Where are you going, Jeff?

Hey, guys, do you know where 237 Mechanic Street is?

Yeah, it's down there? Thank you.

Hey!

My father used to live down there.

Okay?

Can I have your lighter? Yeah.

719.

Thanks.

Pick it up.

No, no! Mmm-mmm.

Tim? Hello.

Tim?

Hey, Mom.

Mary had the baby.

Have you talked to her?

Do you want me to tell her anything?

Uh, um, yeah.

You have a son, Tim.

What're you doing?

I'm fine. Everything here is great.

So, listen. You can tell her that I'll call her?

I don't know what you were thinking,

having ice in your whiskey.

Where are we going now?

I think you should get some sleep.

Well, am I never gonna see you again?

Here you go.

Allie.

Are we wild yet or what?

I mean, was Tim wild or what?

Uh.

Gosh, it's very clear. Ain't it?

Praise God!

You remember Tim, huh?

Fallin' off like flies.

We've got a problem of business, you see.

Okay, so, we got oil in Los Angeles,

spouting out of the ocean.

And it's killing all sorts of sea life and everything like that.

But it's a problem

'cause we need oil, it supplies a lot of jobs.

And, like, the ocean, you just look at it.

Well, those were accidents that happened.

They're not accidents. They just passed a bunch of bills...

Ready? Yeah.

Hey, I added a second verse.

Thank you.

When, uh...

A long time ago... A long time ago, when I was a little kid

my mom sat me on a bed

and she put a record on,

and it was, like, the first time I heard

anything that had my father's voice.

I must have been like six, I think.

And I was bored. I was bored. What can I say, I mean...

What can you expect from somebody's who was into Sesame Street at the time, you know?

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm Jeff Buckley.

He was trying to show me that, you are too fast.

Bye!

Hello.

Hey!

Hal insisted no limousines, so

you gotta...

Where did you go?

I got you this to read on the plane.

What is this? What are you talking about?

I don't know. I think it's your time, you know?

What are you talking about? This is it.

You got it.

You should get in. You're gonna miss your plane.

Listen to me, I never want to spend a night like that alone, again. Okay?

I want to write songs with you.

Okay.