Creativity Quote by Tim Buckley

In Tim Buckley’s hands, a line like “We try to recruit good players and good people” lands with a sly double vision: the language of auditions and the language of character, the bandstand and the backstage. “Recruit” is the tell. It’s not the dreamy myth of artists simply finding each other; it’s staffing, selection, the quiet power dynamic of who gets invited into the room and who doesn’t. Buckley frames music-making as a kind of team sport, but without the jock triumphalism. The point isn’t just competence. It’s chemistry, trust, and basic human survivability.

The subtext is protective. In a late-’60s/early-’70s scene where genius was often used as an alibi for chaos, Buckley is drawing a boundary: virtuosity alone won’t save you from the grind of touring vans, late-night sessions, money stress, substances, and ego collisions. “Good people” is a practical standard disguised as morality. It suggests he’s seen the cost of letting brilliance bulldoze decency, and he’s trying to build a little infrastructure against the era’s favorite romantic narrative: that great art requires great wreckage.

It also reads like an artist insisting on professionalism without selling out. Buckley’s music was exploratory and emotionally raw; this line argues that the experimentation works better when the social fabric is stable. The intent isn’t to sanctify the band. It’s to keep the work possible, night after night, with collaborators who can actually show up.