Grammy’s 97

Buellton

Richard Buckner has me thinking of the nineties and living in Santa Barbara — and so I find myself buckling under deep waves of nostalgia this afternoon. I’m feeling something strong for those years when we were young and naive with our whole lives in front of us.

And this great band is special for many reasons, but I’ll only reflect on two of them. The first is that I knew them — and it was the first time in my short life that I realized actual friends of mine could be really stunning artists. Seriously, I was their friend first, then fanboy.

Before BUELLTON and their first incarnation BROWN — the idea of even attempting to make great art felt misguided for someone like me. Who was I to pick up a camera and make a film? How did I earn that right? But these four guys were young and talented and had great taste in music. And they pulled together to write and record their debut AVENUE OF THE FLAGS.

This was probably the most important record for me in the 90’s. It loomed large in my inspiration to become a filmmaker and not give up. I even directed two videos for them which I’d love to remaster some day.

And here’s the thing. The record is still great. Just listen to it. And this final track here even found it’s way onto David’s mix tape in my first short film WOW AND FLUTTER. What a song that laments the state of the Grammy’s and the music biz in ‘97 — a time capsule complete with Boyz II Men and Shania Twain references. But ironically, it morphs into this slow building beauty, escalating into a thunderous celebration of indie rock. And it doesn’t need any more lyrics for the last 3:20 to prove its point. ❤️