Nick Drake: The Biography
by Patrick Humphries
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Book Summary Information
Author: Patrick HumphriesEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1998-10-15
ISBN: 1582340064
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Book Reviews of Nick Drake: The Biography
Book Review: No one seemed to know him very well
Summary: 5 Stars
When this came out in the late 90s there really wasn't much information out there about Nick. There was Jason Creed's excellent Pynk Moon fanzine in the UK, along with the occasional scrapbook published by David Housden (who published the excellent Love/Arthur Lee fanzine The Castle)
But there really wasn't much Nick. There was the odd bootleg like Tanworth in Arden, but not much more than that
I remember ordering this from the UK direct from Bloomsbury, just to have it rushed to me straight away. I even had it sent to care of a friend in Queens just so it would not be lost
Its a good book, I'm not gonna lie, but Humphries, an excellent writer (books on the Floyd, Beatles etc) was severely limited in that he wasn't granted permission to quote from the lyrics
Now, from what I understand about poor Nick, this is where he expressed himself so very well: in his songs. You listen to the songs on Pink Moon and I think you know pretty well what makes the fellow tick. "Place to be" is heartbreaking, "Which will" even more so.
Humphries is good at substantiating the facts. Turns out that Nick had a very happy time going to school and setting the record as a short distance runner (Arthur Lubow, who wrote the Fruit Tree essay, suggested it was a dark period of his life, before he started college at Cambridge)
Trouble is, Humphries is grasping at shadows. Everything is rather ambiguous.. For example, his drug use. Did Nick like a joint? Seems so, he named his first album after the warning in a rolling paper container: Five leaves left. But heroine? Dunno, doubtful
Or sex? Did Nick have a girlfriend? Dunno. He was well fancied, but noones come forward. And did Nick have a fiancee? Well, dunno. And how about that relationship with Francoise Hardy? Doesn't look like it
Its all incredibly vague
Perhaps the best way to understanding what makes Nick tick is by listening to the albums? Cos he didn't seem to exist very much in his own life
Whether it was cos of the drug use, or just laziness, being born with a silver spoon and accustomed to not having to, well, work..
Cos obviously Nick wasn't gonna be played on the radio unless he made the effort and did live gigs and the occasional radio gig
But he didn't seem to want to
Its a good biography, but Nick Drake fans are really gonna have to live with the fact that noone seemed to know the young man very well.
The best way is probably through the studio albums he recorded while still with us. Pick up Fruit Tree (2007)(that has the 3 cds & A Skin Too Few dvd)
The Fruit Tree vinyl from the same year has gonna bad reviews (lot of fingerprints on the pressings, scratched) so stick to the cds unless you have a Japanese pressing of the vinyl (which is said to have a very intimate sound to it)
Summary of Nick Drake: The Biography
Nick Drake was barely 26 years old when he died in 1974 following an accidental overdose of prescribed drugs. The British singer-songwriter made only three albums during his short life - Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter and Pink Moon. All are now recognized as classics. Since his death, Nick has been cited as a seminal influence by stars as diverse as REM, Elton John, and Paul Weller. While the lives of other musicians who died before their time, such as Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Gram Parsons, have been amply documented, there has never before been a biography of Nick Drake. Patrick Humphries' illuminating text includes exclusive interviews with friends, colleagues and musicians who knew and worked with Nick. It provides an unprecedented insight not only into the life and work of Nick Drake, but also into the music scene of the 1960s that formed his backdrop. If a week is a long time in politics, then the 23 years since Nick's death represents a lifetime in the transitory world of pop. But the music of Nick Drake has never lost its place in his fans affections, and still its haunting beauty reaches out of fresh generations. This book is for all of them.Rock Books
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