Jeff Buckley May Have Said His Last Goodbye but His Life is Eternal

This afternoon I ventured down to the Kendall Square Cinema to take in a screening of the documentary It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley directed by Amy Berg and produced by Brad Pitt.

Buckley would only record one completed studio album in his all-too-brief lifetime. Grace, released in 1994, would prove both a blessing and a burden. Amid recording his sophomore effort in Memphis (which would be posthumously released as Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk in 1999), Buckley would accidentally drown in the Wolf River. Gone at the age of 30.

Complicating matters was the fact that his father Tim Buckley, who recorded 9 albums between 1966 and 1974 but was almost completely absent from his life, had also died young of an accidental drug overdose in 1975 at the age of 28. The younger Buckley, while grudgingly admiring his father's music, did not take kindly to those comparisons. In an interview during the film, Buckley is asked what he inherited from Tim Buckley to which he curtly replies, "People who remember my father. Next question." Indeed, I remember watching the DVD of Jeff Buckley: Live in Chicago. At one point several members of the audience shout "Get on Top of Me Woman" which was one of his father's songs. This would provoke another sharp retort, "Get on top of my coffin!!!"

It's Never Over. Jeff Buckley focuses primarily on the thoughts of three women in his life - his mother Mary Guibert and two of his girlfriends - Rebecca Moore and Joan Wasser (a.k.a. Joan as Police Woman). For them, the mark Jeff Buckley left on their lives will never be over even if was difficult to discuss for them more than a quarter century after his passing.

Jeff Buckley was a musical savant who could not only appreciate but could interpret everyone between Judy Garland and Led Zeppelin, Nina Simone and MC5, Edith Piaf and Bad Brains, Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan and Soundgarden. For Buckley, it only scratched the surface. 

At the outset of the film Buckley utters, " I want to do things I've never heard of." But as Wasser once told him, 'I have to tell you something about me. I'm not gonna last that long.' When asked in an undated interview where he saw himself in 10 years, Buckley paused and replied, "I'll be a void."

In that sense, perhaps it was fitting that Buckley called the people who meant the most to him in the final weeks of his life. His mother still tears up when she plays his last voicemail to her.

Following the film, the audience was treated to video of Buckley performing solo at the Middle East here in Cambridge on February 19, 1994, shortly before the release of Grace. The set included "Eternal Life", "Last Goodbye", the folk standard "Dink's Song" and "Lover, You Should Have Come Over".

The final song was shot from the point of view of the largely white, male crowd which might have been more accustomed to Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots or Pearl Jam. But it was clear this audience was moved by Buckley's voice and guitar playing. They found their way to be in tune with Buckley's grace.

Jeff Buckley may have said his last goodbye nearly 30 years ago, but the life he sang about is eternal.

The Global Intifada Comes to a St. Louis Suburb

 

The global intifada reared its ugly head in Clayton, Missouri - a suburb of St. Louis, early on Tuesday morning when three cars were torched at a single household. 

In front of the house there was anti-Semitic graffiti: Death to the IDF.

The vandalism and graffiti targeted a specific individual who served in the IDF.

While no one was injured in the incident anti-Semitic attacks in this country and the world over are growing more and more brazen with each passing day. I fear this is but the tip of the iceberg.

Indeed, this is yet another chapter of globalizing the intifada of which New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks so proudly. As Jordan Kadosh, the Heartland Regional Director for the ADL stated:

When you hear somebody say 'globalize the intifada' this is what it looks like. It looks like burned out cars on suburban streets on America. This is not confined. When somebody says they want to take this fight to Jews around the world they mean everywhere. 

It is now a question of when, not if. It is also a question of where this will happen next and what form it will take.

Whites Only Segregation is Tolerated in Arkansas Once More

In recent weeks, a whites-only "Return to the Land" community has sprouted up in Ozarks region of Arkansas and may soon expand into neighboring Missouri. 

A few days ago, Arkansas Attorney General Todd Griffin made it clear this community would be tolerated stating, “Racism has no place in a free society, but from a legal perspective, we have not seen anything that would indicate any state or federal laws have been broken.”

Mr. Griffin cannot have it both ways. He cannot say there is no place for racism in a free society and then say he won't prevent racism from flourishing in his jurisdiction. I would say that establishing a community where Jews, persons of color and the LGBTQ community are forbidden from setting foot inside breaks several federal and state laws. However, I would not count on the Trump Administration to do anything about it. After all, the people living in these whites-only communities are part of their core constituency. 

If this sort of community is tolerated in Arkansas, it will surely spread elsewhere in Arkansas and throughout the country. In which case, how long will it be before we have segregated restaurants, bathrooms, waiting areas, drinking fountains and other public facilities polluting our land? How long will it be before figures like Orval Faubus, who tried to prevent the integration of public schools, are celebrated once more?

This country seems determined towards self-destruction.

Marlins Sweep Yankees to Reach .500 Mark

Baseball fans might want to keep an eye on the Miami Marlins.

This afternoon the Marlins bested the New York Yankees 7-3 to complete a three-game sweep.

With this triumph, the Marlins have reached the .500 mark with a 55-55 record on the season.

One might not consider this to be impressive at first glance. But consider where the Marlins were on June 11th. Following a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Marlins had a record of 25-41. They were in last place in the NL East, 18 games back of the New York Mets, 12½ games back of the 3rd NL Wild Card spot and had lost 8 of their last 10 games. 

Since June 11th, the Marlins have gone 31-14. As of now, they are 7 games back in the NL East behind both the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies (who are in a first-place tie atop the division), are 5½ games back of the 3rd NL Wild Card spot and have won 8 of their last 10 games including 5 straight wins.

Of course, there is plenty of baseball left to be played. They will host the Houston Astros starting tomorrow for a 3-game series. But who knows? During the last week of September, the Marlins play both the Phillies and the Mets. If the Marlins play their cards right, there might not only be a NL Wild Card spot in their future but possibly their first ever NL East title.

Even if the Marlins don't make the post-season, first year skipper Clayton McCullough has to be a serious contender for NL Manager of the Year. The Marlins are doing this with a team largely under 30. Sandy Alcantara, who won the 2022 NL Cy Young Award, currently has an ERA of 6.36. Their lone member of the NL All-Star Team is outfielder Kyle Stowers who is their only player with more than 20 HR. And yet the somehow the Marlins have now begun to put MLB on notice. 

Hamas Releases Video of Starving Hostage Evyatar David Digging His Own Grave

Of the 50 hostages still being held by Hamas, only 20 are estimated to still be alive.

However, Hamas is making it clear that number will soon dwindle with the release of a horrifying video of hostage Evyatar David digging his own grave while documenting the number of days he goes without food. The video, dated July 27th, concludes with a disturbing graphic of an hourglass with blood dripping.

So, let's be clear.

It is Hamas who kidnapped David from the Nova Music Festival along with 43 other people.

It is Hamas who brought him along with his best friend Guy Gilboa-Dalal to watch the release of three other hostages (Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert) back in February.

It is Hamas who withholds food from David.

It is Hamas who forces David to dig his grave.

It is Hamas who threatens to take David's life and may already have done so.

Yet the world demands Israel provide humanitarian aid to Hamas to kill the hostages and reward it with Palestinian statehood.

To add insult to injury, French President Emmanuel Macron equates innocent hostages like Evyatar David to Hamas terrorists being held by Israel.

If Macron and other world leaders honestly believe Israel and Hamas are morally equivalent actors, then they are themselves without morals.

The Chicago White Sox Win Their 42nd Game of 2025; One More Win Than They Had in All of 2024

On Saturday night, the Chicago White Sox bested the Los Angeles Angels 1-0 on a combined one-hit shutout by Aaron Civale, Brandon Eisert and Jordan Leasure. The only hit the Angels recorded was a Zach Neto single in the fourth inning. The Chisox earned their lone run on a single by Kyle Teel in the second inning.

The victory was the White Sox's 42nd of the 2025 season - exactly one more win than they had in all of 2024 when they lost a modern MLB record 121 games. 

A year ago today, the Chisox were 27-85 amid what would represent their 18th consecutive loss after being drubbed 10-2 by the Minnesota Twins. They would eventually tie the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for an AL record of 21 consecutive losses. The team would fire manager Pedro Grifol days later replacing him with Grady Sizemore. 

At 42-69, the White Sox still have the worst record in the AL. They will very likely finish in last place in the AL Central and almost certainly will lose more than 100 games. But under new manager Will Venable, they are taking a step in the right direction and have surpassed the ignominy of the 2024 Chicago White Sox. 

The Naked Gun is Refreshed but Not Original

On Saturday night, I took in a screening of The Naked Gun starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson at the Kendall Square Cinema.

It is, of course, a continuation of the 1980 & 1990s movie franchise starring the late Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley albeit without the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker seal of approval. Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker first brought Frank Drebin to life in the all too short-lived TV series Police Squad which also starred Nielsen with whom they struck comedy gold in Airplane!

Neeson was going to have some larger shoes to fill even if he probably had bigger feet than Nielsen. The deadpan serious style of comedy which Nielsen perfected has appealed and resonated across generations. In an early scene in the film there is Neeson as Frank Drebin, Jr. kneeling before a picture of his deceased fictional father says, "Hi, Dad. It's me, Frank Jr. I just want to be like you, but refreshed and original. So, if you hear me, give me a sign. Make me see an owl, or... something."

The 2025 edition of The Naked Gun is refreshed, but not particularly original perhaps with the exception of the owl. Who knew? For his part David Zucker does not have kind words for the film stating, "It's not a fresh idea." But original or not, the refreshed version of The Naked Gun offers plenty of laughs. What perhaps distinguishes the new Naked Gun from the original is that it is more of an action-oriented movie in keeping with Neeson's recent action film roles most notably in the Taken movie franchise from the 2000s and 2010s. Does it measure up to the original series? No, but there is a good time to be had just the same.

Neeson does an admirable job of playing it straight saying and doing absurd things. As with all Naked Gun movies, there are the sight gags and a Weird Al Yankovic cameo. Yet the best thing about the new Naked Gun film is Pamela Anderson. She is a worthy successor to Priscilla Presley and is even more deadpan in her humor than Neeson - except when she is scat singing. Neeson and Anderson have an undeniable chemistry - one which has led an unlikely romance. It will be interesting to see if sequels will follow. Given that Neeson and Anderson in particular are both enjoying third chapters of their lives it would seem fitting, if not downright refreshing.