Nick Drake: The Biography by Patrick Humphries
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Book Reviews of Nick Drake: The Biography
Book Review: Just Around the Next Corner...
Summary: 4 Stars
I hadn't read any of the reviews before reading this bio by P. Humphries.The one I agree most with is "This will have to be the Definitive Bio until..."
Humphries has done an admirable job, given the dictates of the project. It is really heart breaking, and of course a huge disappointment to him, that Sister Gabrielle Drake, and J.Boyd, (producer), would not participate, placing legal constraints on him, and personal ones that this book cannot overcome despite his effort here.Coupled with the fact that both parents had died, writing this book must have been like working with a straightjacket on.
The book is somewhat repetitive, and keeps referring back to the culture of BritFolk Music in the 60's. Being new to Nick Drake-the man and his music, I eagerly read, searching for the stories, the anecdotes, the details, that would flesh out the outline of the man-however reclusive. The stories that are there come from fellow students (male) from Marlborough and Cambridge, along with some musicians. It is surprising, in today's world, that friends/professional colleaugues, would not have gotten more involved with him upon seeing him decline, with an aim to help, but from the book it seems that only Joe Boyd, after moving to L.A., spoke to him ONE time on the phone, at the request of Nick's parents, about him getting some help, therapy. Others have expressed hindsight in relaying his withdrawal, but the book fails to elaborate on any incidents other than Boyd's one call. It may be that the attempts were there but didn't make it into the book.
As I read, I also longed for details having nothing to do with music, personal details that would show a bit what kind of person he was-did he ever, for example, release the frogs in science class? There's a dog on one of his sleeve pictures-did he like/ever have a family dog "in real life?" Did he have a valentine when he was eight? What foods did he love/hate? Did he take milk in his tea or coffee? A Bio is about The Life Of, and I wondered all about the life of this man/musician.
These Qs have "nothing to do with the music" of course-but Boyd's non-involvement precluded Humphries from quoting any of the lyrics anyway-so even that part is skeletal and leaves the reader hungry. He is a capable author and with the involvement of the two key missing people this book would have had so much more flesh on it's bones, instead of the padding others have mentioned, though the bit about teak and Burma and his grandfather delivering Nick set a nice background-but then moving into the life of Nick was sparser, like Clothes of Sand-NOT because Nick was sparse, I suspect, but just because the sources used only cover so much ground.
Had he lived,and learned to overcome or manage the depression and terminal shyness, there is a good chance that Drake would have gone on to composing more elaborate music, perhaps even conducting, and finally reaching the point where he could compose without feeling he was going too commercial-perhaps doing soundtracks (Randy Newman was an early influence, and after all Northern Sky is the tour de force of Serendipity-and NO individualism has been compromised) One of the insights the book provides is how, according to his mother, he loved to conduct from an early age. Mozart, broke, was composing for vaudeville when he died too early at age 35(Magic Flute) having once had some fame, now ignored by the Court and many of his contemporaries-was buried in a common grave, with no marker. And Nick, at age 26-"We will Rise and We are Everywhere." And Humphries is able to illustrate Drake's realization with his finally assertive: If I'm so good, where's the money? and the resultant Hanging on a Star.
Nick Drake may have been on the verge of really breaking in with the works to follow Pink Moon. Certainly Humphries is successful in this- relaying Drake's final musical efforts as indicative of his survivor's instinct kicking in-his productivity, and the Lost Track. To me, this makes the case for accidental overdose more compelling. He drives home the message of a pointless death-and with today's available treatments, all we who remain can do is howl at the moon.
What would be tragic is to have this one biography be the only one. I hope there will be another one, with MORE-more photos, more involvement, and legal releases, from the people still here who knew/know Nick best. Unfortunately, the sands of time do run, and Keith Morris (primary photographer) is missing/presumed gone-due to a scuba diving accident. The biography could indeed be edited, but again, given the constraints, Humphries does an admirable job, that will leave you hungry for more...looking around that next corner for, just plain old MORE.
Book Review: The legend of Nick Drake
Summary: 4 Stars
This biography on Nick Drake by Patrick Humphries is one of the better biographies I have read. Not only is it loaded with just about as much info as probably exists on the short career and lifespan of Nick Drake (a great musician who died in his prime), but it's also a insightful look into the 60's, as well as the development of blues and rock in general. Mostly however, what we get is a fairly insightful look into the life and mental state of Nick. For anyone who might think this book is too biased in one direction or another, too dark, too etc., one has to remember, it is a biography after all, and Nick Drake was who he was. If Nick Drakes's being so introspective and whatnot makes for a darker biography with not as much information as we might like, I don't think that is Patrick Humphries fault here. Sure, I think there was some information not necessarily real important that could have been left out, but with so little info available on Nick, the book is a fine job. Humpries tries to paint a large picture, delving into the past before Nick, etc. If your not a fan of Nick's, you probably won't be too interested in this. As for a previous review that sated that "the author suggests that maybe Nick was gay, just because he had trouble communicating with people", I just finished reading the entire book cover to cover, and this does not seem to be too accurate a statement to me. In fact, Humpries, on pg. 159 of my edition says that "Though Nick's sexuality has increasingly become a focus of attention in the years since his death, there is no evidence that he was gay". Humpries goes on to even state that "Contemporaries from Cambridge even recall Nick's enthusiastic heterosexuality; one even remember 'getting laid at the same party'." According to Humpries, there is "no real evidence of any sustained relationship in Nicks life." But the whole point either way is beside the point, and has nothing to do with Nick's music. For those who know and understand more about the ups and downs of Nick's life, it may become apparent why he was a loner. Thanks Nick, thanks for everything. I wish things had worked out better for you, but maybe they worked out for your best and for our best after all in the long run...
Book Review: A solid biography of a shadowy life
Summary: 4 Stars
Patrick Humphries' greatest achievement in writing a biography of Nick Drake, one of the great singer songwriters of his (or any) generation, is that he was able to find enough material to fill a full-length book. Which is both a blessing and a curse: the last three years of his life must have been a nightmare for Nick Drake, a young man who along with his considerable talent also, it appears, crafted an image of himself as a loner artiste, an image which became the reality that eventually consumed him. Therefore, Humphries was faced with the daunting task of making interesting the interviews with friends and relatives, who, almost without exception, claimed that Drake was quiet, incommunicative, present but not really all there; in short, there wasn't much story to tell: three brilliant albums, a staggering mental breakdown and depression, and a death that may have been accidental, may have been suicide, but in any case was as tragic as it was inevitable. Humphries great achievement is to take the simple facts of Drake's life and put them in a context that makes them seem belong-able to a real human being, rather than part of the myth that Nick Drake has become. Most fascinating is his portrayal of the music scene that Drake became associated with via his manager, Joe Boyd, the legendary producer of many of the great British folk-rock groups of the late 60s; in fact, while Drake is the centerpiece of Humphries' book, Boyd's colorful presence in Nick Drake's life and his role in 60s rock often outshines the story of Nick Drake himself, simply because so much more is known of Boyd. Made most clear by this biography is that to know more about Nick Drake than we knew before would be virtually impossible, because, more so than even a man like Bob Dylan, Drake WAS his music. The story of the music and how it was developed, crafted, and recorded, is therefore the core of Nick Drake's life, and I found the details surrounding these to be the most insightful of the book.Book Review: Writing with your wrists tied
Summary: 2 Stars
Lack of personal information is a severe handicap for a biographer. In this case, family of Nick Drake couldn't or wouldn't talk, neither did Nick's producer.Nick's father and mother had passed on, and his sister Gabrielle, for reasons not given, was not forthcoming.Nick, it seems, had no close friends to whom he confided his personal thoughts.The author thus pads out the story to make it book-length.There is a frustrating lack of personal anecdotes and information which one desires in a biography.The author quotes various people who knew Nick in some way, but only on the surface.Part of the problem was Nick himself.With his mercurial Gemini nature, he kept slipping out of people's grasp.He withdrew more and more into himself.In his declining years he would visit friends, but barely talk to them.The author does not delve into Nick's psychology to any extent.It seems Nick may have been a narcissistic personality.He was very self absorbed and formed no close relationships.Reading this book I get the feeling he expected success to be handed to him on a plate. He did not put in the hard work necessary for success.Nick did not have an agent, and conflicting reports are given about his confidence as a live performer.I have the impression that Nick gave up trying, and sank into a depressed and passive state.For these reasons I don't see him as some misunderstood romantic figure.All in all, a depressing book about a depressing person.Book Review: A disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
It`s quite an achievement to write a book based on one fact: Nick Drake didn`t talk much. The author jumps from Titanic to World War 2 and back to Nick not wanting to talk to anyone. It`s no wonder that Nick`s relatives didn`t want to be a part of this thing, the man isn`t exactly the worlds best writer, and what annoys me the most is the way the author suggests that maybe Nick was gay, just because he had trouble communicating with people!
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