I'm so sorry to hear that. It really is a unhealthy coping mechanism, but it is a coping mechanism. Us sensitive people have it hard sometimes. He did seem very troubled. I lost my mom as a child too and it is still with me 21 years later. I don't want to talk about his experience because he hated that but it must have been awful on his heart and soul, as evidenced by some of his letters about the subject. It is something that haunts you for life. Yeah, agreed, some more insight would have been cool. He is so mysterious. It is so interesting. I have learned most of the songs off grace (I can't quite get Grace for some reason) and most of the songs off the first disk of Sketches. Gary Lucas looks like a clown. Have you ever read Touched By Grace? I literally left that book by the dumpster of a Jimmy John's, swear to Gourd, because of how insulting he was towards Jeff. I know we all have our bad points, but Gary was making himself look like a perfect angel, and everything was Jeff's fault. He even called Mr Buckley a drug addict, then the next page he literally admits he couldn't stop smoking weed (what a manchild). Anyway. I digress. Grace is very beautiful and agree with what you said.