An Interview with David Browne

www.david-browne.com

View the images from the book

Jack: Greetings David and welcome to our forum. Where were you born and raised?

David: I am from sundry parts of New Jersey: born in Sayreville, raised in the shore town of Hazlet, went to high school further north in Clifton, where I saw numerous rock shows at the late, lamented Capitol Theater in Passaic. (That Warren Zevon/Mink DeVille double bill in the late ’70s is a particularly vivid memory. Zevon was a wildman back then.)

Jack: Where did you attend college and what was your major?

David: I went to New York University where I received a BA in journalism. I minored in music so that, should my dreams of being a music writer pan out, I would at least have some technical background in theory and composition.

Jack: When did you first become a writer? Can you fill us in on your professional background ?

David: I suppose I officially started when I began writing record reviews for my high school newspaper in 1977. Not all of my classmates agreed with my pan of Rod Stewart’s “Footloose & Fancy Free,” but I caught the bug nonetheless. After college graduation in 1982, I worked as an editor and writer at two now-defunct national music magazines: Music & Sound Output and High Fidelity. During this time I also freelanced for, among others, Rolling Stone, Musician, Record, and the New York Daily News; my articles for the latter resulted in a full-time gig as music critic and reporter at the News in 1988. I worked there for a year and a half, at which time the founding editor of a new magazine called Entertainment Weekly called and asked if I wanted to come aboard. I did, and have been there ever since. I also freelance from time to time for the New York Times; one of those assignments, back in ’93, was an interview with Jeff Buckley.

Jack: So, being a rock journalist was what you always wanted to do?

David: Yes, strangely enough. As a teenager I found the idea of chronicling rock & roll to be the coolest gig in the world. In many ways, I still feel that way. I consider myself very fortunate to have made a career out of my love of music.

Jack: Who are some of your favorite writers, and what sort of books interest you the most?

David: Like many my age, I grew up reading the greats of rock writing--Lester Bangs, Peter Guralnick, and so forth. In the non-music realm, though, I tend toward nonfiction and history. In high school and college I was introduced (figuratively, not literally) to the likes of Gay Talese, Joan Didion, Bob Greene, and John McPhee. Their work--the depth of their research, the passion of their writing, their strong narrative voices--made a huge impact on me.

Jack: Did you see the movie entitled "ALMOST FAMOUS" (the semi-autobiographical story of Cameron Crowe’s rock journalism debut)? If so, what did you think of it? Did it hit home or take you back to your teen years in any way?

David: That film spoke to me in a big way. Crowe is a few years older than me, but I was roughly that age at that time, and, like him/his character, was reading Rolling Stone and Creem and Crawdaddy and buying LPs and attempting (with mediocre results) to look as cool as I could in a denim jacket. And, like him, I dreamed of being a “rock writer” (although it would take me another 15 years to break into Rolling Stone!). Like Crowe and his counterpart, William, I loved all that Allman Brothers/Bad Company music at the time; in retrospect it seems like such an innocent time. Some people felt Crowe romanticized his profession and the era in the movie, and they’re right to some degree, but I didn’t care. When one of my sisters left home, she left me a bunch of her unwanted LPs (“Led Zeppelin II”, “John B. Sebastian”, etc.), so the similar scene at the beginning of the film really touched me.

Jack: What is your favorite genre of music?

David: Hard to say. I grew up absorbing AM radio in the ’60s, FM rock (now called “classic rock”--yes, kids, I was there when “Hotel California” was premiered on the radio) in the ’70s, then graduated to indie rock in the ’80s. But I like or love everything from folk to techno to hip hop to dance music. Hence my gig at Entertainment Weekly is perfect, since I can hopscotch from the new Wu-Tang Clan to Eliza Carthy (great British folk-rock singer) within the same month and love ’em both.

Jack: At Entertainment Weekly, how many cds a year do you have to listen to and how many do you actually review each year?

David: It’s almost impossible to say how many I receive. Industry estimates put the number of annual releases between 20,000-30,000. I’m not sure I get that many, but sometimes it seems that way. I would say I review 200-ish a year, assuming two to three a week.

Jack: The life of a rock critic can’t always be an easy one. There are times when you have an obligation to give a negative review. How do you deal with the artist or publicist’s complaints or backlash that must follow an unfavorable critique?

David: In my mind, a music critic has to be fair and open-minded yet tough--not attack for attack’s sake. Even if I’m reviewing an album in a genre I don’t absolutely love--gangsta rap, for instance, or death metal--it’s my job to determine whether the album satisfies the criteria of its genre. As a result, I give my share of positive, mixed, and negative reviews in a year. To be honest, I don’t think about backlashes from publicists or record companies. My obligation is to my reader; if a record sucks, then he or she should know, especially since CDs continue to be so damn expensive. I’ve been punished here and there by record companies who drop me from their mailing lists for periods of time, but if all I were to do was hype stuff, I’d go to work directly for the label (*not* a dream job for me).

Jack: I’m sure you are aware that there are those who will be critical of your book. Being a critic yourself, how well do YOU accept criticism?

David: Let’s just say it’s a learning experience. It’s actually quite educational to be on the other side of the fence, to see what it’s like to “be” reviewed. The good reviews are exciting, the mixed ones depressing, but as my editor told me, “Don’t take any of them seriously--good OR bad. Be proud that you wrote a great book.” I just keep telling myself that.

Jack: How do feel about the escalated cost of concert tickets that have become prohibitive to young concert-goers?

David: As someone who paid between $5 and $10 a ticket back in the Capitol Theater days, I think it’s outrageous that any music fan has to pay $100 and up *per* ticket for a show, as seems to be increasingly the case. Unfortunately, people will pay these prices if they really want to see a band (thank *you*, Eagles 1994 reunion tour!), and the industry is more than happy to take the money.

Jack: Was it Jeff’s mysterious death or your attraction to the Grace CD that inspired you to research and start the book?

David: Probably a little bit of both. I had the good fortune of seeing Jeff perform at Sin-e on the Lower East Side in 1993 and then interviewing him for the New York Times--one of his very first interviews, I believe. His potential during those Sin-e shows was more than apparent, and about nine months later I received an advance tape of Grace that, after a few plays, became one of my favorite albums of 1994. Something about him--a combination of his story, voice, eclectic music, and aura--was fascinating. Immediately after he was reported missing, I was assigned to write an article on the incident (it wasn’t an obituary yet, since his body hadn’t been found) for EW. After I finished it, it dawned on me that there could be a book in all this. I wasn’t sure what it would be, but all the ingredients for a good story--including, tragically, the fact of Tim’s equally early death--were there.

Jack: Was Tim Buckley’s story always a part of your story line, or did your research into Jeff’s life story motivate you to learn more about Tim’s life?

David: My initial idea, back in the summer of 1997, was for a book on Jeff. I also knew I would have to lay out Tim’s story in full, especially since the two of them reunited shortly before Tim’s death and readers would want to know what happened to Tim during those preceding eight and a half years. With all that in mind, I simply threw myself into the research, tracking down anyone and everyone I could and accumulating documents, statistics, session logs, and whatever else I could find. I already knew the basics of Tim’s life and career, but the deeper I was drawn into his story, the more fascinated I became. Coming across the never-filmed script for “Fully Air Conditioned Inside” and seeing an extremely rare print of the movie “Why?” (starring Tim and OJ Simpson) only clinched my fascination. My research also took me deeper than I had initially expected into the family histories, back to the 19th century. It also became increasingly apparent that Jeff may not have known Tim, and that Tim had his deficiencies as a parent, but that Jeff’s knowledge of Tim’s career, music, and mistakes informed a good chunk of Jeff’s views on the music business. When I began writing the book in the summer of 1999, I was confronted with nearly three file cabinets full of information. It was then that I sketched out a more complete outline, with the idea of alternating chapters between them. I showed the outline to my agents and publishers, and asked for their input; all thought it could work, and I began writing. It was nerve-wracking in a way: I wouldn’t know for certain if the book would coalesce in this manner until I actually finished it. So I just started plowing away, and luckily it all worked out.

Jack: How in the world did you get a copy of the movie "WHY"? Tell us, who has that print in their possession?

David: With surprising ease, I tracked down a number for the director, Victor Stoloff, who lives in the New York area. I left him a phone message, hoping it was the same person. The next day, the phone rang, and a man with a Russian accent said he was returning my call. I told him about the book,and he said, “Ya! Tim Buckley! I made a MOVIE with him! In fact, I have a copy of it here!” I just about fell out of my chair, since no one I interviewed seems to have ever seen it. Victor then visited me at my office at Entertainment Weekly, bringing two copies of the movie, one on VHS and one on 3/4-inch tape. We popped in the latter first, since it was better quality--and the tape promptly broke! It had been THAT long since Victor had watched it. Fortunately, the VHS was in good condition, and Victor and I sat down and watched ittogether. He hadn’t seen it in over 20 years and seemed as engrossed as I was, and he reminisced throughout the screening. Afterward, I asked if I could have a copy and he said no--not because he didn’t trust me, but because he was embarrassed! Although he felt Tim was very good, he felt the film overall was so mediocre that he didn’t want the public to see it again!

Jack: How much of your research fell by the wayside due to space constraints and manuscript editing?

David: None of it. The manuscript ran way over---50,000 words, to be exact--and no one at either Harper Collins (U.S.) or Fourth Estate (the U.K.) batted an eye. The copyeditors did an excellent job combing through the manuscript for grammatical and spelling errors, not to mention things I wouldn’t have thought of: One of them, for instance, suggested I specifically explain what a “barre chord” is. As a music writer, I assumed everyone would know what that was, and she made a good call.

Jack: You mention in your book that you are/were a fan of Jeff Buckley when you began. Are you now also a fan of Tim’s work as well?

David: Funny story, in retrospect: I was 15 when Tim died, and I read about his death in music magazines. The descriptions of his work made me want to check out some of his records, but back in the mid to late ’70s, Tim LPs were impossible to find. Finally, I found one-- “Look at the Fool,” in the 99-cent cut-out bin of my local Sam Goody record store (in Wayne, NJ). I thought, “Cool--that Tim Buckley guy I heard about!” and bought it. Thinking it would be in the folk-jazz-singer/songwriter mode I’d read about, I put it on--and heard some sort of weird R&B. Only then did I read up on his discography and realize that “Look at the Fool” was not considered one of his best and that I should start with “Goodbye & Hello,” “Happy Sad,” etc. By the time I met Jeff, I had most of Tim’s records, thanks to the wonders of CDs and reissues. Some I liked; some I didn’t. I’m more of a fan these days, having immersed myself in all his music. “Happy Sad,” “Dream Letter,” and “Blue Afternoon” in particular are my favorites.

Jack: David, you are a serious and conscientious professional writer and a well-respected music critic for the popular Entertainment Weekly magazine. Given the wealth of Internet information on Tim and the numerous cds in circulation (9 studio albums, 5 live albums , the posthumous "Works In Progress" cd and the Evan Cohen Tim Buckley Tribute cd entitled "Sing A Song For You"), where do you feel that Tim Buckley the singer/songwriter belongs in the annals of music history?

David: Tim clearly should be acknowledged as a quote unquote singer-songwriter who pushed the boundaries of that description in every way. Like Nick Drake, Tim Hardin, David Ackles, and other peers, he may not have sold many records in his lifetime, but his impact--on contemporary solo acts and bands like Elliott Smith, Badly Drawn Boy, This Mortal Coil, Duncan Sheik, and on and on--is inestimable.

Jack: Did you learn any of what you needed to know from searching the Internet?

David: To some degree. The Tim Buckley Archives had some great old articles I didn’t find anywhere else, and I was able to track down a few of my interview subjects via the Net.

Jack: While weaving your way through all the geographical moves and all the people involved in Jeff’s life were you at times shocked and upset by what you uncovered?

David: “Shocked” and “upset” are probably too strong; more like “riveted” and “constantly fascinated.” Jeff didn’t like to talk about himself and his background much to interviewers, so piecing together his story--whether it was his mysterious seven years in Los Angeles or his final days--was constantly illuminating, filled with surprises and information I never expected to find. Some of the news was amusing, some was enlightening, some disturbing or foreboding, but that’s probably par for the course in terms of writing a biography.

Jack: Did you spend a lot of sleepless nights agonizing over how you should interpret the conflicting and at times confusing spins that you were getting from different people in both Jeff and Tim’s lives?

David: Yes, to put it mildly. One of the biggest challenges of this project was simply getting at the truth, or some semblance of it. Jeff in particular had many different circles of friend with many differing opinions of him: Was he weak, powerful, in control, out of control? And as Tim fans probably know, Tim didn’t mind talking about his life to the press, but he wasn’t always, shall we say, truthful. During our first conversation, Larry Beckett warned me about this, and that I shouldn’t use information in old interviews and rock encyclopedias--and boy, was he right. So the book tries to dispel some myths and correct some misinformation. (Sorry, folks!) Also, the passage of time didn’t help. Never before have I heard the phrase “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember that period--I was doing too many drugs” more than when I interviewed old acquaintances of Tim’s. During my waking hours, I did my best to double- and triple-check sources.

Jack: Were you as surprised, as most readers will be, by the way Jeff’s life took that incredible turn during his final days?

David: Jeff’s hectic, mysterious, and manic-depressive final days were indeed a surprise to me. But was his state of mind a nervous breakdown, or an extreme manifestation of his tendency to overthink events of his life? Was he simply freaking out that he finally had to start making his long, long-overdue second album? What was he thinking when he waded into the river and started swimming in his clothes and boots? Was he worried about what could happen? Was he thinking about fate or destiny? Was he aware that he was risking his life, or was he just being reckless, as he could be from time to time? I wish I could have answered all those questions with finality, but I wasn’t always able to do so. We may never know all the answers. In life and death, he remains something of an enigma.

Jack: When Mary Guibert gave you access to Jeff”s journals, how many pages were there and how many years did they encompass?

David: She lent me several spiral-bound notebooks dating from between 1993 and 1996. Can’t say the exact number of pages, but as many as you’d expect to find in such notebooks.

Jack: Did Mary edit the journals before she handed them over to you?

David: No, nor did she ask to see beforehand what I was excerpting. It was uncommonly generous of her, and I will always appreciate it.

Jack: Would you describe their overall content?

David: Quite varied: early versions of song lyrics; diary entries about events of the time and the past; lists of things to do; drawings and cartoons. The moods ranged from upbeat and positive to troubled and distracted.

Jack: Were there a lot more of Jeff’s personal revelations that your conscience (or better judgment shall we say) would not allow you to disclose in public?

David: Of course. As I was reading the journals, I was very aware that these were private and not meant for publication, and I did my best to be sensitive in terms of what I extracted and what I didn’t. It was a sometimes difficult and conflicting position to be in, but I felt it was ultimately important for the reader to read how Jeff felt about certain situations and people, rather than have others put words in his mouth. Plus, he was a *very* good writer--vivid and emotional.

Jack: Many people considered Jeff to be a brilliant individual. Were all of his journal entries written in a "stream of consciousness" format? Or, were there sections or paragraphs in the journals that were brilliantly coherent and concise?

David: Both. The sections on Tim, for instance, were very together, as people will see when they read those excerpts in the book. The stream-of-consciousness parts were clearly part of Jeff’s creative process--to just splatter himself across the page and, in doing so, spark a lyric or a thought. It was fascinating (and a rare treat) to see song lyrics, particularly those that wound up on the “Sketches” album, take shape with each passing page. He was clearly very smart-- well-read, intelligent, perceptive.

Jack: Was there any one person in particular (other than Mary Guibert) that helped you with Jeff’s story a lot more than others?

David: Jeff’s life had many different periods, and different people helped with each. During his years in New York (1992-97), close friends Michael Tighe, Joan Wasser, and Rebecca Moore were hugely helpful, along with Columbia’s Steve Berkowitz, co-manager George Stein, and others. It’s hard to pin it down to just one or two other people; Jeff had many friends from many sectors.

Jack: Were you able to find out much about Jeff’s last stay in Memphis by visiting "BARRISTERS", where he performed on a regular basis? How helpful were Jeff’s friends and neighbors in Memphis?

David: I did visit Barrister’s (saw a really bad rap-metal band that 1998 night, in fact), but most of the information about Jeff’s nearly four month stay in Memphis came from his friends and neighbors, who were by and large extremely welcoming and helpful to me. Dave and Tammy Shouse, on my second trip (1999), graciously let me into their home for an extended interview; Jeff’s landlady offered to cook me ribs. Most remarkably Keith Foti, who was with Jeff the night he drowned, recreated the route he and Jeff took that evening. Using my rental car, we drove from Barrister’s over to the Welcome Center, parked in the same spot they did, climbed over the railing, walked down to the riverbank to the same spot, everything. It was incredibly magnanimous for Foti to do that; Iým sure it was not an easy trip for him, and I’m grateful to him as well.

Jack: Do you know what personal affects Jeff left behind in his house?

David: It was all long gone by the time I was there. Clothing, guitars, tape recorder--those were the basics I heard about. The house was sparcely furnished during his time there.

Jack: Did you get to see any of the other photos on the roll of film taken by Keith Foti during Jeff’s last day in Memphis? If so, were there any pictures that might have had a particular story behind them?

David: Foti gave me a copy of the photo of the orange diner chair he and Jeff hoisted into the van before they headed for the river, but that was it.

Jack: One of our forum members (Julie) thought it was interesting that you brought up "Borderline Personality Disorder" in relation to Tim. She looked up the DSM IV diagnostic criteria for borderline personality and sent the whole document to me. She says that basically it’s a "pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships and self image that begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts. It is often associated with substance abuse, suicidal behavior, and chronic feelings of emptiness." My question to you David is, "how did you ascertain that this might be Tim’s problem"?

David: To try to understand these two men as much a I could, I spoke at length with a psychologist as part of my research. During our meeting, went into great length about their family histories and life patterns, and after a while, she mentioned “Borderline Personality Disorder”, pulled out her big reference book, and rattled off a list of symptoms. It seemed to match, and we talked about it further. I can’t say for sure that Tim suffered from that, and the book doesn’t state this as fact, but as a biographer, I felt part of my job was to at least make a few educated guesses about my subject’s mental state. Judging from Tim’s actions over the years, and his own upbringing, I determined that that diagnosis was fairly accurate.

Jack: It was nice to read quotes from Carter C.C. Collins in your book. What’s he up to these days?

David: Carter’s a sweet guy. It was genuinely exciting when I received a return email from him saying he would gladly speak with me, since no one from Tim’s crowd has seen him in years and I’ve never seen Carter interviewed anywhere before. He’s living in northern California and working on a plan for an arts awards program. Unfortunately, he suffered from glaucoma and lost his eyesight a number of years ago, and hasn’t played percussion professionally in years. But despite that, he seems in good spirits.

Jack: Have you heard from any of Tim’s family, friends, or associates who have read your book?

David: Just a few so far. His girlfriend Jane Goldstein and Lee Underwood’s ex, Jennifer Stace, have both written me very positive letters telling me how much they enjoyed it, and that they felt I got it right. Needless to say, I felt very good about that.

Jack: After all you did to bring this marvelous manuscript to fruition, do you have any regrets to speak of?

David: I had so much research that I wish the book could’ve been longer!

Jack: As an objective biographer, you left it up to the readers to draw their own conclusions as to what made the Buckleys tick. Now that your book is out there, would you like to capsulize your own astute and sufficiently qualified opinion of the whole father/son situation that existed for both men?

David: It seems absurdly obvious to say, but the book was just another reminder to me on the impacts of parenting (or lack of it). Tim’s father abused him verbally and physically, leaving Tim with diminished self-worth and a gnawing sense that he might not be a good father himself. Jeff was clearly resentful of and hurt by Tim’s abandonment of him, which also left Jeff feeling at times unworthy of love. It was sad and tragic to see how certain traits are passed down from generation to generation, which, I think, adds a human-interest element to this book I hadn’t counted on at the beginning. Jeff resisted any comparisons with Tim, but he also clearly was aware of his father’s music and career arc--of the highs and lows, the record company interference, the walls Tim hit when he was experimenting, the compromises Tim made. (It’s revealing, for instance, that “Starsailor” and “Lorca” were Jeff’s two favorite Tim albums.) And those perceptions and that knowledge informed Jeff’s view of the music business, managers, record companies and so forth. Tim became, in essence, a teacher by default. And talk about “nature vs. nurture”! Both men had similar strong, willful stubborn streaks when it came to their music--and yet they never ever sat down and talked about it, and Tim never passed anything on other than by example. Wherever they are, maybe they’re sharing those tales now--and, with any luck, having a few laughs. Let’s hope so, right?

Jack: I couldn't agree more.Thanks again David for your time and for sharing your thoughts with us. I personally wish you the best of luck with DREAM BROTHER.