Tim Buckley

Tim Buckley

My Fleeting House (MVD)

An odd clip sits in the middle of My Fleeting House, a new documentary on the late Tim Buckley (1947-1975). A garish Jayne Meadows asks Buckley who does his hair during an appearance on the Steve Allen Show. He's alternately uncomfortable and amused. In his brief career, Buckley felt mostly uncomfortable with commercial success. In House, we're given testimonials from longtime co-writer Larry Beckett, Dream Brother author David Browne, and guitarist Lee Underwood, but they only scratch the surface. So we rely on 14 live performances, from a folky 1967 spot on The Monkees to an inspired 1974 performance of Fred Neil's "The Dolphins." He's at his best, but ultimately most troubled, in his later free-jazz period, something the film detours around. An extra chronological assessment of Buckley's catalog is a great CliffsNotes for nonfans, though his swan song, 1974's Look at the Fool, adds to the Buckley legacy in title alone. (My Fleeting House screens at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Monday, May 14, with a live performance from the Lovely Sparrows.)