posted October 24, 2001 01:54 AM            

contrary to popular beliefs, i think jeff buckley and duncan sheik are very different. i honestly cant see their similarity. i mean, duncan is quiet,calm, soothing and ...he's like clean, clear cool water. jeff on the other hand was loud,expressive, passionate and full of fire. totally different.
admittedly, both are very-very-very talented.maybe musical instruments?

posted October 24, 2001 03:23 AM            

Duncan has said he was (is) a big fan of Buckley's music. Of course we all know Jeff died in 1997 and Duncan wrote a song about that on Humming, and then recruited Jeff's drummer, Matt Johnson - after Jeff's passing.

Duncan has been compared musically to Nick Drake. I read that Duncan didn't really hear the similarity, but said that "it is a nice comparison, though." That's probably not an exact quote. But close.

Who is saying they are alike musically? Because I've only heard that Duncan is a fan of Jeff's music; I'd be interested to see where you got this information because I don't hear any similarity either.
Shari
*in thinking about it for a second - they are both extremely passionate about their musical art. But like you, I see that passion expressed very differently.*

posted October 26, 2001 12:37 PM            

People are quick to compare Duncan and Nick bc Duncan is a fan of Nicks and isnt afraid to bare his influences. And since Nick is a bit of a mystic name, it creates an air of mystery around duncan which might make a reader interested. but as far as music style, sorta/not really.

Duncan is far more subtle about his references, both lyrically and musically. Its one thing to imitate and artist for the sake of your education. its another to understand it so completely, that you can change it without breaking its bones, its foundation. We are all familiar with Duncan's little escapade with Pink Moon before Phantom Moon came out. I think that was an important step for him. He had to prove to himself he knew Drake's art well enough to copy it. But with Phantom Moon, i believe he wanted to stand in the same room, same atmosphere as Drake. He didnt want his creation to be blatently related or even create a facimile, but i think he just wanted a hint of Drake's musky simplicity around his fingers as he struck the chords. Which i believe he accomplished and did so with grace and reverence.

posted October 26, 2001 02:55 PM            

And the main similarity between Drake And Duncan is that their music is relatively quiet, that's about it, really...

posted October 26, 2001 06:01 PM            

Just kidding.

I have to buy Nick D' and Jeff B's stuff 'cause I haven't heard it before. But due to the fact that so many duncan fans listen to them - I'll need to check 'em out.

Shari, thanks for that e-mail you sent me a while ago. You enlightened me about a certain "fruitcake", you know who. Much appreciated!

posted October 27, 2001 02:54 PM            

With that email Fred, I was just wanting to explain something. I wouldn't label it as being a "fruitcake" situation, but it's cool.

posted November 02, 2001 08:46 AM            

Did you take your name from the Buckley song? I was just listening to "Sketches" recently...

I bought a copy of "Grace" a few years ago at the recommendation of some fellow Donuts and was blown away. Jeff was intensity in the flesh, tapping into something primal coursing below the visible surface, expressing his passion in a different way than Duncan does. These two men are easily on my list of favorite musicians of all time, for their depth of soul and the beauty of their music.

As I've explained them to others, Duncan and Jeff are part of the same storm, the low roll of thunder representing Duncan and his themes of peace, the piercing flashes of lightning standing for Jeff. That's what Buckley truly was for me - musical lightning. Something brilliant, but all too fast and fleeting for this world. Jeff and Duncan both draw from the same pool of sonic joy, but they just express that love of music differently.

posted November 02, 2001 09:15 PM            

Better hurry up and buy some stuff by Nick and Jeff. I pretty much listen to Jeff more than Duncan now adays. His music, you never tire of. (Just like Duncan's) Two very different styles all together, but coming from the same place and with equal passion, true genius and grace.

Definitely get "Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk" and "Grace."

**I really wish I could have seen Jeff and met him. Ken....tell us what it was like??

posted November 04, 2001 01:35 AM            

When I hear Duncan anywhere, I smile automatically I feel that his music brings me serenity. His music brings comfort.

Jeff's music leaves me in awe it, always sounds new. His music brings awareness to me.

posted November 10, 2001 09:51 AM            

yeah courtney, you're right.jewel box is from sketches. the song is too beautiful and the what it represents is really pretty. another song that i absolutely love is vancouver.

'i'm a failed husband contender..'
very funny yet very sad.

posted November 10, 2001 11:30 AM            

I liked Courtney's analogy as well. I can see Jeff and Duncan as being part of the same storm - with Duncan being an admirerer of Jeff. I see a hurricane. Jeff is the storm. Duncan is the eye, calm and peaceful, looking around him and saying "isn't this storm amazing? But for a moment, while it is calm, have a good look at the beauty of Jeff's spirit. And the passion he expressed in peace. Look at the house over there that the storm has left alone. Though everything surrounding it affected by the storm's fury has been leveled, that house untouched is also part of Jeff's storm. Now here comes the hurricane again - in reverse. Look at Buckley's music from all angles; the whole storm - the extremes of the storm - the expression of passionate fury mixed with pure elements of grace."
Shari.

posted November 10, 2001 01:07 PM            

dont you love that picture of jeff jumping? Taken by a great photographer Merri Cyr. After Jeff died, she wrote a book and put all the pictures and her story on the internet.
http://www.merricyr.com/wfs/song_frame.html

posted November 10, 2001 02:24 PM            

oh, by the way, I have that promotional videotape that that line comes from, Spring...it's about 15 minutes long or so...

posted November 10, 2001 02:43 PM            

The EPK is really good. Ive seen the RealAudio version. In fact...
http://www.geocities.com/linda_jb_2000/vid.ram

Here you can see 5 Jeff videos and the 6th and last video is the epk.

posted November 10, 2001 06:22 PM            

This is the perfect Birthday gift for Denise.
Is this just online? or is there a book. I would like to buy it.

posted November 11, 2001 03:34 PM            

Question. Where was this place the "Sin-e"? You put a live version of Mojo Pin from this place. Actually, alot of the songs you sent are live. Is this from the "Live in Chicago" DVD that I just got? They sound similar, but I've only had a chance to watch the DVD one time through as a whole. It's something I want to want to watch without interruption - which is a rare moment around here. Uh, EXTREMELY rare. It's weird though - my kid likes Jeff Buckley! A five year old! But I told you I came out to find him playing keyboard to "Everybody Here Wants You" - and confirmed what I've suspected for a while - my son is a budding musician. He appears to have perfect pitch. Wow. Now my job is share what I know, and pave the way for him to travel....

I also wanted to thank you for the link you provided...some of those pictures must have been from a long time ago - where he has the short hair. But the artistry of the photography is really amazing.
Wishing all a great day!
Shari
Listening to "Opened Once" for the first time has left me in awe of its beauty. Now I'm on a live version of "Last Goodbye." Is this all from the Chicago concert? Now I'm thinking I should have just emailed you instead of posting on the board. Sorry if I'm way off topic or offending anyone. But for anyone wondering what did Duncan Sheik see in Jeff Buckley, or hear that was so special about his music, I just want to suggest that you have to let it soak in over time. I really didn't "get" Buckley till the fifth time or so that I REALLY listened to Grace. There is "passive" listening and "active" listening. Now when I listen to Jeff, I am sure to be "actively" listening. Truly a man so uniquely blessed with the gift of music - and such a short time to express it all. Now I really get what Duncan was saying in "A Body Goes Down" - "Of course there is grace in those halos of pain. Maybe he sang - what he came here, to sing." Maybe. But it also makes me feel cheated that his life was cut so short. I agree with Duncan. "And tell me one more time - what is just, and what is right."
I don't mean to turn this into a "Tribute to Jeff Buckley" thread. It's just that when your spirit gets touched like that - it's both magical and painful at the same time. And you can't help but REALLY feel it. Like the song. "Oh that was SO REAL."
Some music makes you feel numb. Or you have the choice of how you want to feel listening to it. With Jeff - there is no such choice. He delivers - you can either choose to absorb it or reject it. I'm starting to sound like I'm on psychedelics now, so I'll stop. bye!

posted November 11, 2001 05:17 PM            

Live @ Sin-e. (Sin-e [accent on e] is gaelic for something. Any irish around? My best stab at it is Shen-A)

This was something he put out before Grace. A little EP. Sin-e was a club in NYC. I say "was" because it no longer exists. I have no idea what is in its place. I cant remember if someone told me its now a Magazine/Newspaper store or another cafe. It was a very intimate setting. You can see it in Cyr's photos of it. This was before Jeff had a band. So Sin-e is just Jeff and his guitar.

All other live songs come from the Mystery White Boy cd. MWB was a compilation of his tour of mostly Europe and Australia during '95-'96. There is one other live cd that i dont have. It is called Live at L'Olympia. It has been release in Europe for a while. I dont know if it is here in the US yet.

All the other songs (non-live) come from Sketches of My Sweetheart the Drunk, double cd that Jeff's mom put out after his death.

The art of listening:

A Body goes Down makes more sense since I know who Jeff is. Before I knew who he was talking about, the song seemed over my head. It was fairly recently that i noticed the line "Of course there is Grace in those halos of pain..." I was driving and when Duncan said the line, it was like a 16-wheeler hit me. (not literally). It caused me to try to define Grace. What does it mean to live in a state of Grace? why did Jeff name that song Grace?

The great thing about my favorite artists (Duncan, Jeff, Rufus, Jude etc.) is that i could be exausted with their cds. Even my cd player gets sick of playing their stuff. But then Ill get my hands on something cool, like a 20 version of Jeff's Kanga roo (did i send you that song wolfie? not the 20 min version, but the regular 5 minuteish version. if not its on the next one, soon to be heading your way). Even thought the audio quality isnt that fantastic (in fact, its downright horrid) you can still hear jeff. Just incredible raw emotion. Every ounce of anger Jeff had was put into that moment, that song. Whatever chick pissed him off that week was emptied into that performance. Its scary the capacity of anger human beings can hold.

It makes you jump up and down and scream and point at the cd player "see!! thats why i love you jeff. thats it!! that...UGHHHHH that you have. fucking fantastic." Duncan's got it too. You go to a live show or hear a new song. Most people call it falling in love all over again. I call it learning to listen all over again. It makes you want to listen to music forever. Makes you wanna be in that state of Grace til the devil comes to claim you.

posted November 11, 2001 06:23 PM            

and for my money, I could listen to Everybody here wants you for hours on end..I wish that song was 20 times longer...

posted November 11, 2001 10:14 PM            

Surprisingly enough, the video is very soothing for me... even though they only show a clip of Jeff on a small television, I still feel like his presence is radiated thru the girl. It's almost surreal. The fist time I went to an airport after I saw the video (that's where the video takes place) I felt this sudden sense of harmony and happiness. It was so beautiful. I don't know... Jeff just has that way over me. I've never been touched by a musician like I have with Jeff. It's almost... indescribible I guess. Perhaps that's why I carry a picture of him in my wallet.

Haha... you guys probably think I'm so lame now...

OK-well, I hope everyone had a splendid weekend. God bless those Veterans... I got the day off! No classes for yours truly

posted November 13, 2001 01:20 PM            

I just wanted to say that I really love Jeff Buckley too. He was a well kept secret from me until I was watching VH1's top 100 Albums of all time and they mentioned "Grace". They interviewed Duncan Sheik and Aretha Franklin (I think it was Aretha- someone please correct me if I'm wrong) and I just remember them saying such lovely things about Jeff Buckley as an artist. Aretha Franklin called him "an artist's artist" and I was blown away by that statement. Curiosity got the best of me and I went to the record store and bought "Grace". I was pleasantly surprised and since then, it is my most listened to cd. From start to finish, it is a beautiful piece of art. Buckley's voice is so amazing, hypnotic and dream like. My favorite's on the cd being "So Real", "Mojo Pin", "Lover You Should Have Come Over" & "Last Goodbye" but it's hard to pick any of the songs as a favorite because they are all addicting. Since then, I've been a Jeff Buckley junkie (lol). I can't get enough of him. I bought and read the book "Dream Brother" and the DVD "Live In Chicago" and the cd's "Mystery White Boy" and "Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk". This is really cool: I watch MTV2 every morning while getting dressed for work and yesterday morning they played the video for "Last Goodbye". I was totally elated!!! What a way to start your day, huh? Did anyone else happen to catch that video yesterday? I'm wondering... It just sucks that I didn't know he existed when he was alive. Where in the hell was I??? I must have been living under a rock. I truly missed out on what had to have been a spiritual live show. I'm glad there is a live DVD to capture what I missed out on. He is so awesome to watch, he looks like he goes into some sort of trance when he sings, he's absolutely amazing. I highly recommend anything you can get your hand on from him. There's nothing else like it- it's food for the soul

Hey Springroz- thank you so much for providing a link to Jeff's videos- I've never seen any before yesterday morning. I'm going to check them out on my lunch break today. Oh I can't wait <sqealing w/glee>!!!

Oh and one more thing- has anyone heard that song "I Want Someone Badly" & "Striptease"? They are both really great songs. The first one is a collaberation with Shudder to Think and appeared on a movie soundtrack and "Striptease" is a collaberation with a group called Hawksley Workman. I downloaded them both from www.audiogalaxy.com. Be sure to check them out if you haven't already

posted November 13, 2001 05:17 PM            

Jeff Buckley and a guitar, that's all a girl really needs in life !!! Enough said, I'm getting ready to order one from amazon.com as we speak! Ooh, I can't wait until I get my hands on that little package Thanks for the suggestion

posted November 14, 2001 07:13 AM            

My link didnt work for some reason. Does this help? This address works...im watching them now.

in edit - Ok. It doesnt. It is from a Jeff website. Not the official one. She must had fixed it to where you cant link. Copy the address and then paste it in your browser. That should work!

posted November 17, 2001 07:46 AM            

I was catching up on all the Jeff news last night and found out that Ms. Cyr might have a publishing deal with the book. So, it looks like it will be published soon.

posted August 24, 2002 06:29 AM            

Both are passionate... but Jeff (bless him) never wrote from a pop perspective..verse, chorus, vs... he had beautiful bridges all over his songs..

and Duncan likes the simplicity of a good pop song, with the occasional bridge here and there..

both are amazing artists!