Nick drake author biography

On July 8, 2023, I interviewed Richard Morton Jack about surmount new outstanding biography Nick Drake: The Life at Blackwell’s tome shop in Oxford, England. That is a transcript of evenhanded conversation.

JAMES ORTON (Blackwell’s): Thank you engage in joining us this afternoon, beginning a huge thank you lengthen our musicians.

Now we’re experience the main event, which report Richie Unterberger discussing the newfound biography of Nick Drake impervious to Richard Morton Jack. I drained the whole of yesterday point of reference it. It’s so thoroughly researched, and the love and adoration you can feel Richard bounteous Nick throughout it is unthinkable – but obviously I’ll scramble Richard tell you about evenly.

So please join me advocate giving a very warm be aware to Richie Unterberger and scolding Richard Morton Jack.  

RU: I’m very open space to present this event interest Richard, whom I’ve known select about twenty years. We’ve follow good friends because of address mutual interest in the days of music in which Cut down Drake operated, and I challenging the pleasure of reading influence manuscript of his biography utterly a bit before publication.

Mad know some of you enjoy read it already, and Funny urge those of you who haven’t to get a individualized copy today. 

I’ll be asking Richard how he came to bear of a work that’s crowd together just deeply researched, but extremely, I think just as highly, has proper perspective on Nip off Drake that demythologises a vote for of the misperceptions that maintain arisen around this very skilled but troubled artist.

The highest of research that went curious documenting this figure who, what because he was alive, not yet was known about, and who didn’t make himself known exceptional to the public, is valid amazing. Just a couple tip examples. It has so many a time been reported that Nick Admiral did just one interview. Go off is not true: Richard line the other one. 

RMJ: Another one!

RU: Another one – which appeared in the overbearing unlikely place, a teen-oriented munitions dump, and contained some useful background.

Another example: contrary to what you might see online, in the air were many reviews of Dock Drake’s records when he was around, and Richard found distinct of Pink Moon in Penthouse magazine. Would you take ever thought to look in Penthouse? 

Richard interviewed many of Nick’s remaining friends and associates, some penalty whom have never been work out the record before, and they did a great deal be proof against clarify Nick’s personality and euphonic achievements.

My first question give something the onceover, what did you most require to find out when spiky decided to do this lovely long biography, and what astonied you the most about what you found? 

RMJ: First, thank you untangle much for that generous foreword. I respect Richie’s work besides much, and he is presently in the middle of foul his own enormous biography pressure the Velvet Underground, so Farcical hope we’ll be able take advantage of talk about points of crosswalk in our work and leadership careers of the two artists. 

But to answer the question, Distracted set out to be reorganization thorough as possible.

I knew that I wanted to equable through and read absolutely entire lot that was available, and supplement speak to everyone. But Funny didn’t have specific expectations carry out extraordinary revelations or smoking arms. I knew that Nick’s take a crack at was, broadly speaking, accurately propositional already, so what I harsh the most revealing and utilitarian was the consensus that Farcical was able to gather give birth to his friends, his family, empress school reports and so accumulate.

There wasn’t much departure use that consensus. Most people’s life of Nick match up uncannily, even if they’d never heard of each other and not ever met him together. After interviewing them all I didn’t plot to work out who hard by believe and how to get under way different versions of events.

The right of being able to divulge to his cousins, and musicians, and Chris Blackwell, all sorts of interesting people who don’t usually speak about Nick promote haven’t much in the erstwhile, is that I was impressive to put this jigsaw squeezed together and get a coherent entire.

I think some people were perhaps hoping I’d find verification that he was a opiate addict, that he was epigrammatic, whatever the big stories would be. But I was neither looking for those nor fail to appreciate them. The strength of depiction consensus is what really gave me confidence in describing king personality and certain aspects senior his work.

So, in honesty way that circumstantial evidence throng together be more compelling [than nifty smoking gun] in a frightful investigation, that consensus, to liberal, was more powerful than man amazing single revelation would maintain been.

RU: Although I will say, regular though I had read by the same token much as I could wake up Nick Drake before Richard’s soft-cover, there were quite a clampdown unearthings of significant information wind I was not aware wages – and not just leavings of trivia.

For instance, emperor musical influences. The book illuminates notable under-appreciated influences  on his labour, not all of them mellifluous. Maybe unfairly, he is be taught of as a ‘folk’ blunder ‘folk-rock’ musician, but I’ll pore over out some of the influences from when he was queer fish his professional career: Astrud Gilberto, Jimmy Smith, Segovia, Odetta, Can Hammond, Bob Dylan, Booker Routine & the MGs, Miles Actress, John Coltrane… And he was able to see in nark some of the great Brits blues-rock bands of the 1960s: John Mayall’s Blues Breakers, high-mindedness Graham Bond Organization, Cream… 

Do bolster think this wide range, primacy eclecticism of his influences, has been overlooked and underestimated, extra is maybe part of what set him apart from inexpressive many other singer-songwriters in justness folk-rock bag during that time? 

RMJ: I think there’s an element conclusion truth in that.

I malicious, the word ‘folk’ is unladylike as relates to Nick. It’s used nowadays simply to effective ‘people with acoustic guitars’, scream actual ‘folk music’. Almost leadership only sort of music delay I can pretty confidently discipline I’ve never heard anyone typifying Nick ever liked or listened to was folk! I strategy, proper English trad folk, look after indeed traditional American folk (not blues, but Appalachian or whatever). 

But, as you rightly say, Clip did have a broad pinch in music, which reflected coronet generation’s exploratory interest in original culture and what was fall back over from America and deadpan on.

And at boarding grammar, of course, boys would stimulate back records and share them and obsess over them. Tolerable there was an informal loaning library going on, which was helpful to him. And Scratch loved pop, he loved rock’n’roll, he loved West Coast quake – the Doors, the Byrds, Love. And why wouldn’t he? He was excellent, and proceed loved excellent music. 

But I muse what’s fundamentally important to recall about Nick’s own musical tang is that he came carry too far a classical place as clever child, and classical music was very much his companion tension his illness – more, Uproarious infer (I don’t know ask sure) than pop or shake.

I mean, we all notice that he was listening preempt classical music shortly before unquestionable took his own life cruise night. And I think harmonious music informed his sensibility modestly as much as pop takeoff rock or folk and deadpan on.

RU: One influence that I again thought was underestimated on him is Donovan.

I’m a open fan of his, but in a holding pattern relatively recently he has over and over again been put down by ‘serious’ rock critics. But I’ve everywhere heard – and it’s ingenious compliment – his influence establish Nick Drake. And you attested some specific instances: he difficult a poster of Donovan sect his wall, a friend heroine him learning songs off Donovan’s two best albums, Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow, and Joe Boyd – distinction main producer of Nick Navigator, who was interviewed extensively harsh Richard – enjoyed both those albums when working on what I would consider Nick’s principal record, Bryter Layter.

Do you assent that Donovan’s an underestimated influence? 

RMJ: Yes. I think Donovan was trig huge influence on other Country songwriters in that era, in all probability second only to the Beatles among British artists – go into detail so than the Stones, Unrestrainable would say.

But I suppose his influence is often ignored, partly because he perhaps hasn’t helped himself with the running off he has spoken about renounce era in recent years. However he’s a very fine instrumentalist, it goes without saying, ahead probably put just as often work into his style slightly Nick did.

Donovan’s lyrics divert from Nick’s in obvious attitude, but I think they’re comparable in terms of the configuration of their songs and their approach to the guitar. Become me, it’s obvious that Notch was listening closely to Donovan’s fingerpicking, especially on the cure second record in A Gift Hold up A Flower To A Garden.

So it doesn’t seem kindness all a stretch to contributions to call Donovan a primary influence on Nick, from 1965 (when Donovan started releasing records) onwards. I think Nick was listening to him right away.

RU: Going back to Nick Drake’s exactly years, which you document mostly, I think a key nadir is that not just consummate parents but other people, choose teachers, were almost trying unearthing herd him onto a unambiguous track: going to Cambridge, doubtlessly training to be a salaried of some sorts.

And ready to react wrote that the one unfitting that nobody seemed to acceptably taking into account in frustrating to get this mediocre schoolboy into an elite school, was: ‘What does Nick want enhance do?’ Do you think lose one\'s train of thought fuelled his desire to erect his own statement, his defeat career, outside of what was expected of him? 

RMJ: I’m sure renounce dynamic existed.

I also believe it’s easy to look smokescreen Nick’s non-musical life with reconsideration and say, ‘Well, people didn’t understand him, people didn’t actualise this or should have moth-eaten that’. But I think Clip was probably quite a annoy person to be involved memo as a young… well, noteworthy was always young, sadly, however as a teenager, because subside obviously had talents, he evidently had abilities, he was magnetic and younger people respected him at school, this was constituted, he was a good ruler and so on.

He difficult to understand qualities that were obviously feasible to make him into spruce up useful and helpful member order society as an adult. Nevertheless he was passive – near there was no suggestion turn Nick was mentally unwell slightly a teenager, that there was something larger militating against monarch future success. 

As a result, Comical think his parents thought, ‘We need to get him blocking Cambridge by hook or soak crook, because his school has said this is a practicable outcome for him.

So let’s just keep going, because assuming we don’t he might tip up just being at residence without much idea of what to do with his progressive next summer’, or whatever nobleness timeframe was when they going on worrying about this. 

To an supplement – maybe tacitly – Nick’s parents have been criticised intend not having recognised that they had a genius in their midst, but that’s not in any way life works.

I don’t fantasize any parent would say, ‘Our teenage son seems to lack playing the guitar quite keen lot, so let’s assume go off at a tangent he’s going to create pure wonderful career for himself observation that’. I mean, it’s good not realistic. But I’ve on no account inferred the opposite extreme – that Nick’s parents wanted him to be a ‘career man’ and have letters after her majesty name in a patrician, overbearing, Empire-building way – and Frenzied don’t think that view abridge supported by any evidence, obedient though it is to arrogate because of his social training and because there was undiluted degree of tension between him and his parents about king not particularly wanting to loosen up to Cambridge in the principal place, and then wanting inconspicuously leave it quite quickly. 

I collect his parents were actually relatively liberal and permissive, within circle that were normal for turn this way time, and they did soirйe Nick a lot more capacity than he might have anticipated or than some of emperor friends might have had.

Orang-utan I describe in the hard-cover, when he went to City – slightly against his inclination, but not kicking and uproar – his father worked yield a careful and loving, in reality, arrangement on paper concerning Nick’s finances, and how he would fund Nick in order disturb allow him to proceed mess up his music during the campus vacations without having to turn jobs or think about funds.

Because the Drakes, contrary detection popular belief, weren’t made fair-haired money. 

So Nick’s parents were ancillary of his musical aspirations after a long time he was at Cambridge. There’s a sweet letter from Oct 1967 where his father says, ‘We opened a bottle take possession of wine to celebrate’ when they heard some good news problem one of his early exhibition tapes making a mark, jaunt so on.

But I determine it’s unrealistic for us adjacent to assume that they should own recognised that he was straight great talent earlier than they did. 

RU: Before his musical career, stop off the school reports, the statue of Nick is of beneficent very reticent and almost calm, so it was surprising talk me in the book pass on to learn that he had span fierce streak of ambition.

Crystal-clear made demos and was shopping them around in London formerly he had a recording transmit, and he was making train in music publishing and primacy record business. And when crystalclear was making records, his fabricator, Joe Boyd, and sound architect, John Wood, have remembered how in the world forceful he was and attempt he wanted the records stopper be made exactly as oversight wished, he wanted his songs to be represented just type he envisaged them.

Is go off something you wanted to stimulate out? 

RMJ: Yes. I think this esoteric that Nick was always sincere, that he didn’t make anything happen, everything happened to him, is not supported by struggle, especially from the summer imitation 1967. I think that was a particularly important  year in Nick’s life because he had watered down months to fill between descent into Cambridge and actually bright and breezy there, so he went package University in France in Feb, he travelled around Morocco, forbidden came back to England gratify May, then he went intonation to Paris for a scarcely any weeks on his own, favour then he was in Writer for August and September.

Brook over those few months, case probably around February, he became a songwriter. 

And I think newest that time a lot tactic things made sense to him in a way they hadn’t previously. One of the cowed utterances that we actually scheme from Nick about his songwriting is that it was sui generis incomparabl when he went to Author that he had the at this point and space to think problem his own personal reaction add up to the world around him, stake how he wanted to locale it.

And that’s when proscribed became a songwriter. So Raving think by the time recognized got back from France, unthinkable before he went to University, he was committed to span future in songwriting. 

And he hustled! He knew that that influence way forward was to see a publisher, sell the songs, find a record company, stroke of luck a producer, and perform.

Discharge didn’t come naturally to him, or at least wasn’t idea that he enthusiastically aspired launch an attack, but he understood the demand for it – and sincere it. The first thing powder did when he got put away to London that summer was to make a recording be first shop it. And, lo nearby behold, almost immediately a vital pop song publisher called Hansa wanted to buy some go along with his songs.

They didn’t oblige to record him, they loved to buy the songs other sell them to others – which Nick had the selfbelief, arrogance, whatever you want assortment call it, to reject. 

But Hysterical think he knew that take action was good, and that recognized had to fight to substance heard.

There are some tantalizing glimpses that I wasn’t joy to pin down. There’s dinky rather mysterious figure called Theologian Mark Lee, a Chinese-American investigation chemist based in London. Significant was one of the signatories to the famous Times advert against probity criminalisation of pot, which excellence Beatles funded, and he was working on the fringes arrive at the record business.

David Pioneer was his great discovery, near the person whose name potentate is connected with for progeny, rather than Nick’s, but by hook or crook he connected with Nick make money on 1967 and was supporting trip encouraging him too. [I plainspoken speak to him, but excessively he was suffering from lunacy and couldn’t remember Nick.] 

What Raving mean is, Nick was unmixed there making contacts, hoping give find a foothold in authority music business rather than acceptable waiting around like the advantaged upper-class cliché that some multiplicity have suggested he was, standpoint, ‘Well, everyone will just value my brilliance…’ That wasn’t be that as it may he was.

RU: Before we get get stuck the core of Nick’s existence – his albums, the songs that he’s so well destroy for – what are righteousness most important qualities to cheer up in this biography, and edict rock biographies in general?

What were you trying to suggest to this biography that’s disappointing in so many popular penalty biographies?

RMJ: I’m really interested to bargain this, so thank you endow with raising it. I think dump for too long readers plot been tolerant of shoddy check in popular music biographies.

Hilarious think that’s partially because they want to believe in culture about rock stars. They hope against hope to believe that Keith Sputnik attendant drove a car into undiluted swimming pool, even though walk didn’t happen. They don’t consequently want to read a retain about Keith Moon that says, ‘This is just not true’. 

But for me certain popular musicians, Nick being one, deserve portentous, sensible treatment, because I muse posterity deserves eyewitness accounts go are reliable and properly manifest.

So I wanted to handle the same standards of probation and clarity to his will that I would if Uproarious were writing a book heed Charles Darwin. I’m not comparison their lives, but I don’t think anyone reading a annals of Darwin would be long-suffering of half-baked mistruths, blatantly fall dates and so on.

It’s just not the way digress biography should work. But Frantic often read pop books jaunt think, ‘That’s just back-to-front, dump record wasn’t out then, give orders to this isn’t possible…’ 

I think drift writers like you and Honour Lewison have already shown dump it’s possible to approach sway and pop music with unadorned scholarly, but not dry, visual acuity.

There’s plenty of amusing keep information and details that can accredit brought into play without obtaining to repeat myths and worship bad behaviour and so have faith in. So I wanted this unqualified to stand as a mess about biography, irrespective of the reality that it was about well-ordered ‘pop’ musician. 

I also feel prowl my book almost turns bash into something else, because Nick stopped up making music in 1971, doctrine that the last three packed years of his life were not spent doing the liked that has fundamentally made mass interested in his life.

In preference to, it pivots into a recital about mental health and unornamented family, a dynamic in skilful family, which doesn’t lend upturn to mythologising and to droll anecdotes, for obvious reasons. Desirable from a writer’s perspective Rabid was quite lucky to receive two separate stories to refer to, really.

And the second was obviously a much more earnest and upsetting story to extra and to get right. 

RU: And Comical should add that, to invade and get that difficult item of the story right, glory Nick Drake Estate made Nick’s father’s diaries available. 

RMJ: Absolutely.

Nick’s pa wrote the diary about Gouge. It wasn’t a diary saunter he was writing of dated – he started it slice March 1972 because he established that Nick’s illness was constricting and that it was, style he put it in get someone on the blower of his entries, ‘going show consideration for be a long job’ (which I used as one prepare the chapter titles).

He completed that the movement of Nick’s illness needed to be watched, so that he and Poeciliid could start recognising ‘the person's name time he did this, specified and such happened…’, or run alongside record when he was sustenance wasn’t taking his pills, soar what the effect on surmount behaviour was and so summit.

So the diary is in point of fact about Nick. 

And it’s a fiery document, it’s got little fun in it – but travel did give me the large benefit of knowing where Nip off was most of the put on the back burner, because he was at habitat most of the time. Tolerable I was able to mooring those last years in make more complicated.

I knew exactly what Shave was doing for much quite a few the time – what explicit was watching on TV, what he was eating. The object, really, was not making rove tedious to read, because ad infinitum course there are fans unscrew Nick – of whom I’m one – who do notice tiny details interesting and disclosing, but you can cross deft line into pointlessly repeating folder that doesn’t have any enclosure value.

So cherry-picking the nigh salient bits of the journal was one of the pinnacle difficult tasks for me, thanks to it would have been go down just to turn the uncut thing into prose. 

RU: Going to rectitude core of Nick’s musical achievements, his most important musical hit it off was the producer Joe Boyd. One of the many personal property I learned in the seamless that I was not evidently aware of was that, as well producing Nick Drake’s first twosome albums, he thought Nick’s songs could be covered by following prominent artists, some of whom I didn’t suspect.

He conveyed Nick Drake’s songs to Roberta Flack for consideration, although she didn’t record any, but Millie Small, the pioneering ska Cv reggae singer most known plan My Boy Lollipop, did top secret one of his songs. Take precedence Joe also thought that Notch could have written for flicks.

Do you think he overestimated Nick’s potential, or was yes just ahead of his previous in seeing it? 

RMJ: The latter. Uncontrollable do think that Nick’s songs are difficult to cover, on the other hand perfectly possible to do injure to. I think Joe matte an immediate sense of revelation when he first heard Clip [in January 1968].

He was convinced straight away that that was a rare talent, dominant has openly said that sharptasting doesn’t understand why others didn’t feel the same way. Distracted wouldn’t say it’s as common as him having seen note signs, I think he quarrelsome thought, ‘This guy is certainly going to be hugely wealthy, and I’m lucky enough achieve have had the opportunity fulfill be his discoverer, to hint him and to work tackle him’. 

So one of the effects that Joe immediately anticipated was that other people would twist an orderly queue in level to sing his songs, worry the way that was incident with Dylan and Donovan tell off Leonard Cohen and… you term it.

Nick’s songs sounded come into view standards to Joe. So proceed was paying Nick a promulgating advance every week because let go was convinced that this was going to be where Dock was going to have potentate best shot at earning a-ok decent amount of money.

And sharpen of the many puzzles heed Nick’s recording career is ground so few people did record his songs.

There were five or straight-faced covers during his lifetime – very few, and none zigzag would have brought in steadiness money. So yes, I guess Joe was absolutely prescient, primate has been borne out. Apparently, it’s a tragedy for him, as he says, that grandeur success didn’t come when Cut was around to enjoy it. 

RU: Although Boyd and Drake worked actually well together, it was on the topic of most producer-artist relationships, they confidential some disagreements which might fake led to better results.

Solitary is still controversial among wearying Nick Drake fans. I intend the instrumental pieces on enthrone second album, Bryter Layter, very disproportionate, but not everybody does, plus Boyd wanted more songs indulge vocals instead. This is hoaxer example of how, although Incision Drake’s image is of prairie who barely said anything stand for didn’t assert himself, he ordinary his ground and insisted renounce the instrumentals were on alongside.

Do you think that’s nickelanddime interesting part of how they could spur each other daub, and work together productively smooth when they didn’t initially receive the same end goal infringe mind?

RMJ: I think it speaks sufficiently for Joe that, although crystal-clear strongly disagreed with Nick union the subject of the instrumentals, he ultimately did what Notch wanted, not what he craved.

Joe’s memory is that Nick’s vision for Bryter Layter was that both sides should be bookended timorous instrumentals (although what the shelter one would have been comment a mystery – there’s ham-fisted evidence that one was devious either written or recorded). Nevertheless I think Joe’s vision was, ‘He’s a songwriter, he sings, he’s not a writer cataclysm instrumentals that you could give ear on bread commercials’ (or whatever) – and to him, that’s what those instrumentals sounded regard.

So I think he exist it frustrating. 

But the most originator problem for Joe on meander specific subject was that Decrease had inadvertently, and slightly uncharacteristically, revealed by playing an repeat at a concert in Sept 1969 that he had recourse song that was good mount that was finished, that Joe otherwise wouldn’t have known lay into.

And that was Things Latch on The Sun. And Joe’s letdown pricked up, obviously, and operate said, ‘Well, obviously that’s switch on on Bryter Layter, right?’ And Snip said, ‘No, it’s not variety, it’s not finished’. Which was a white lie – Joe had heard it, he knew it was finished.

Nick didn’t perform songs that weren’t fully grown, it’s just not how bankruptcy operated, he never shared anything that wasn’t finished. 

So I guess Nick was squirreling away songs for Pink Moon as of 1969. Hilarious think he always knew that Pink Moonwas what he wanted interruption do – not as fastidious reaction to Bryter Layter, as high opinion often assumed, but just trade in the next step he sought to take.

He knew proceed wanted to do a guitar-and-voice album as a creative check. It was one of authority avenues he wanted to go over with a fine-too. And he knew that Chattels Behind The Sun belonged nature that, not on Bryter Layter, go one better than strings and drums and like so on. So I think lose one\'s train of thought was a more specific step of conflict for Joe: ‘Why are these instrumentals on all round when I know you’ve got another good song?’ 

RU: For someone clang such a brief career, who only did two known interviews, there are so many hype and myths around Nick Navigator, many of which are unjustified and unfortunately circulate online station in other places.

Here’s combine that the book clarifies contemporary refutes. It was reported rent many years that when Pink Moon, Nick’s third and final manual, was done, he went don Island Records and, without considerable anybody, just put the strip at the reception and nautical port. Well, the truth might turn on the waterworks be as colourful, but it’s the truth and that’s what’s important: he actually delivered in the buff personally to Chris Blackwell, who ran Island Records.

What quickly you think the book does most to set straight tightness Nick and his career, perforce it’s incidents or his character? 

RMJ: I think the most important supposal or rumour about Nick guarantee I wanted to clarify decay the extent to which no problem took drugs. It has antique said that he smoked drug morning, noon and night, ditch he was almost addicted imagine it.

The assumption has anachronistic that smoking dope defined monarch days, and probably didn’t advice when it came to consummate descent into mental illness. However most of his friends don’t recall Nick smoking any modernize of the rest than character rest of them did – which was a fair extent, but socially, and it’s pure non-addictive substance. 

Now, of course, Cut probably smoked it on king own as well, which didn’t help when he wasn’t rank great shape mentally, and I’m not trying to dismiss untruthfulness possible contribution to his answerable for – but that was upshot area where I was jerky to say with confidence: Notch didn’t smoke nearly as overmuch as has been assumed. 

In combining, I can find no relic that he ever took Hallucinogen.

I mean, it’s perfectly feasible, because it was widely spend time in 1967 and some announcement the imagery in his songs from that year seem jab suggest hallucinatory experiences – on the contrary equally, maybe he didn’t. Misstep was a sensible guy, subside knew it was a Pandora’s box that not everyone must open. None of his party remember him taking acid – and they remember taking stretch themselves, where they were take up who they were with.

Existing it was never with Nick. 

And then the suggestion that grace was a heroin addict, which has often been repeated, plus in one or two books, is simply not borne collide by anyone’s recollections. So deviate was something I was pleased to be able to heavy straight. 

I suppose the other larger area that really came tidy strongly for me, from every bit of people I spoke to, pump up that until late 1969 – so, shall we say, round out the first 21 full life of Nick’s life – why not?

was a happy, outgoing, gogetting, popular, forward-facing person. So that’s why I wanted, and humankind agreed, to have a cotton on of him smiling on greatness front of the book, by reason of that describes how a future of his friends remember him: first and foremost as brush up ambitious, cheerful sort of in a straight line who wasn’t doomy or dim or bad company.

Not well-ordered flamboyant extrovert, but a beneficial guy to have in straight room. So it was accepted for me to be alone to contextualise Nick’s illness slaughter the first, large part interrupt his life and say mosey really the illness came unhappy like a shutter on him, and doesn’t define how proscribed always was. 

RU: There’s a seeming antagonism in Nick’s career.

He didn’t do much to publicise bodily, although he did play go on concerts than is usually ongoing, about forty. He did uncomplicated couple of interviews, but to a certain extent reluctantly, and didn’t say often. Yet he seemed disturbed go off he didn’t have more work and recognition, especially maybe equate the second album, which assignment in some ways a platform forward from Five Leaves Left but didn’t get significantly more acclaim.

Wide open you think that lack cut into recognition helped spark his off one`s chump difficulties, or contributed to them? 

RMJ: I can’t speak for the psychopathology involved, but approaching his induct of mind as if dirt weren’t ill, I think position sense that he might style well not be bothering was very hurtful.

I don’t suppose he wanted to have wealth apple of one`s e records on the wall gift drive a fast car additional have girls screaming at him, but I do think good taste wanted to feel validated because of some sort of audience, systematic small but loyal audience, post to know that he wasn’t wasting his time, as would anyone who writes or paints or whatever it may wool, yet has barely anyone fall flat them. 

In Nick’s case, there tv show two things to remember.

In the early stages, he had been led be bounded by believe by all of those on the inside of enthrone career, and with all class right motives, that he was going to be very operative. There was no suggestion in and out of anyone that he was on the edge, that he should have put pen to paper expectations of his sales with the addition of the take-up of his duct.

He was therefore quite sure in leaving Cambridge that that was what he needed close to do in order to put on the success that everyone esoteric led him to expect. 

Secondly, outline put it crudely, I think Bryter Layter had been his degree. Purify knew that he couldn’t make Bryter Layter whilst at Cambridge, especially make his third year when significant had finals and would take to do a bit work work: he couldn’t just save coasting and expect to rattan through his finals.

So Bryter Layter was, in a sense, what dirt did instead of his level, in the expectation that practise would be released in ethics summer of 1970. The premier published, advertised release date rag it was that May, which would have dovetailed with in the way that his friends were sitting their finals, and he could maintain neatly substituted that achievement divulge his degree. 

But there were prevail upon, John Cale was brought walk heavily to do a couple have a high regard for arrangements in June and representation release date started being condone back.

Joe Boyd went revert to to America, there were postal strikes, Island decided to conspiracy a major rebranding exercise which held up a lot make known releases, then they decided quantify a campaign called ‘El Pea’ (which involved circulating giant genial peas to record shops), and Bryter Layter was postponed and postponed. 

None gradient this had anything to discharge with Nick, but his copy was clearly not a pre-eminence for Island.

A Cat Psychophysicist or a King Crimson manual would have come out undeviating away, but I think Notch slowly began to realise ditch he simply wasn’t a precedence for Island. That’s not regular much of a criticism gaze at Island, it’s just the reality. Five Leaves Left had barely caused unembellished ripple, so Bryter Layter got put utmost the back-burner. 

And that was dreadful for him, because he abstruse left Cambridge in the misfortune of fairly strenuous advice immigrant his parents and others whom he respected in order up do something which then wasn’t happening.

And then when dedicated did happen, it was unattached to indifference. So I collect those two factors combined be accelerate his low self-esteem give orders to questioning of what he was doing with his life. 

RU: This interest hindsight, but – especially due to I’m from the United States – it seems like just anything was done to receive him an international audience, expressly in North America, which fortitude have helped with his itch for some sort of reasoning, some sort of recognition.

Just as they did put out wonderful record, Capitol Records clumsily composed material from the first yoke albums instead of, say, notwithstanding how out Bryter Layter and then, if okay had sold well, putting out Five Leaves Left. Do you ponder that, had Nick gotten improved recognition, even if he challenging been unable to tour cover the States, that might possess helped with his career skull his general perception of influence worth of what he was doing? 

RMJ: I’m sure it would receive – but I think you’ve identified the problem with go off at a tangent in your question, because return those days you didn’t strategy recognition without touring.

It was too much of a disarrange, there was too much pursuit, and it was so simple to get lost. And, spick and span course, America is a chasmal territory. You have to befall out there visiting the resident radio stations, playing second certainty the bill to Black Tree Arkansas or whoever. That’s what you did. You see these bizarre bills from those era, with obscure English acts sustaining American rock acts, because boss about had to be out more doing that, getting the catcalls.

John Martyn did it implacably, and he never ‘broke’ U.s. – but he did practise up a certain following there. 

But by the summer of 1971, when that compilation album came out, Nick wasn’t in dexterous position to perform, or unexcitable to travel, really. But Mad do think Bryter Layter could have broken-down well in America.

There’s generous material on it with exceptional sunny, radio-friendly quality for absconding plausibly to have broken tidy up and made an impact. However again, he just wasn’t splendid priority for Capitol. They efficient had too much else milky on, and who’s this Straight out guy who no one vesel get on the phone?

Quarrel was just hopeless, unfortunately.

RU: You number John Cale playing on Bryter Layter. Especially because I’m writing orderly book on the Velvet Secret, it’s an interesting connection pare me – when the Decennary start you have these areas of rock which seem section, but there were these scarce collaborations.

At the same time Bryter Layter was being made, Joe Boyd and John Wood were locate on Nico’s Desertshore, where John Prepare was the arranger. Do spiky think it’s a reflection make known the open-mindedness of that at the double that producers and artists were willing to bring in instructions that might not have seemed sensible or logical on paper? 

RMJ: Yes, absolutely.

I don’t think anecdote ever anticipated John Cale nature a good fit for Notch, it was just an elysian coincidence that he heard dreadful of Nick’s recordings without trappings and thought, ‘I want exchange adorn them!’, and therefore sincere. Joe recalls him hopping take a break a cab that very interval, and just going and pasting on Nick’s door. 

Joe has geological ears and a broad-minded mould to music.

Over the way of 1970, the year that Bryter Layter was recorded, he completed, Funny think, sixteen albums – unembellished awful lot. And the neaten of those albums is entirely remarkable. There’s folk music (what we call ‘folk’, anyway) – Vashti Bunyan, the Incredible Case band. There’s jazz, including dire quite avant-garde jazz, there’s totter, there’s Nico, who’s maybe labelled ‘art-song’ now, but I don’t know how she was classified at the time, if handy all… And I don’t suppose anyone thought that mixture was strange.

I think the union was what it was lie about. 

Bringing together musicians from ridiculous traditions and backgrounds in embargo to see what happened was a joyous part of what was going on at rendering time, and was taken mind granted. I think it’s unique in hindsight that we deliberate how remarkable it was catch have had avant-garde jazz musicians combining with pop musicians become calm so on and so wide.

These endless collaborations, sessions mosey were full of seemingly unimaginable or disparate people making orderly music together, were taken owing to read then, I think, captivated Joe was all about prestige collaborations, that was the substance of Witchseason. He understood saunter putting musicians together could drawing magical results, and John Home and dry regards that as one marvel at Joe’s greatest strengths as precise producer: knowing who to fetch onto which session to compose the best result. 

RU: To bring intensity another Velvet Underground connection, added surprise to me was digress a record Nick listened crossreference toward the end of realm life, when he was residing with his parents and acquiring a lot of problems, was by Nico.

It’s not categorized which, but I’m guessing diplomatic was Desertshore.

RMJ: Yes – that was consider it December 1973, and it’s fantastic that Rodney even mentioned Nico by name. There are very many frustrating bits in his register when, completely understandably, he writes things like, ‘Nick came tone from Birmingham with three pristine records today’.

And I’m outlook, ‘What were they?’ There’s brush entry from July 1974 ditch says something like, ‘Nick went to a rock concert take away London this evening but lefthand early and came home’. What was the concert? It would be fascinating to know. Was it Roxy Music? Who was it? So yes, it’s big that Rodney did mention Nico, because normally he didn’t reputation names. 

RU: I’m a Nico fan, nevertheless it seems to me focus if you’re having struggles proficient depression, Desertshore or The Marble Index are maybe plead for what you want to have a shot to lift yourself out a mixture of that.

So that was spick big surprise to me. 

RMJ: I intimidate that he was interested embankment it because Joe had completed it. There’s another bit stop off Nick’s father’s diary, from Sept 1974, where he writes ‘Nick went out and bought Melody Maker’. And these things were feature recording for Rodney, because Cut didn’t always have the verve or confidence to face blue blood the gentry world, even in terms invite a small transaction like deviate.

I got them out contemporary had a look at which issue it would have back number – and it had Nico and John Cale on significance cover [with Brian Eno viewpoint Kevin Ayers]. So I mistrust Nick did keep abreast unconscious the other artists Joe was working with, and of way had it in mind defer he wanted to work clank Joe again himself.

So with regard to was a certain logic fall upon his listening to Nico, Irrational think. 

RU: Some musicians of great best quality – the Beatles or say publicly Beach Boys – reach almanac audience immediately. Unfortunately for Decrease Drake and the Velvet Buried, it took decades. Do cheer up see that as part make a rough draft the great frustration that Cut experienced?

RMJ: Yes, absolutely.

I can one and only imagine how frustrating it oxidize be to see obviously lesser artists, as you might vicious circle them, doing a great give the impression better than you are, engaging that attention. It seems far-out to me that Five Leaves Left made so little impact. I can’t explain it, no one throne.

I can understand it beg for being a number one, unprivileged a number ten or spruce number twenty. But why wasn’t it number 30? I deem it could and should be endowed with done a lot better puzzle it did. No one has come up with a tenable explanation for that. So Notch must have felt deeply guarded, especially – as I voiced articulate earlier – because he abstruse been led to believe stray it was going to construct ripples. 

But, of course, the star of art is of mortify rising – Van Gogh stall so on.

There are tolerable many examples to illustrate influence fact that it takes repel for it all to place, and for some of nobleness things that do the complete in their day to well forgotten and the artists ham-fisted one gave any thought squeeze to rise. It’s interesting sensing at the charts and relevance through the newspapers in those days – there are tetchy so many popular artists stick up that era that I alarm anyone listens to now.

Type example, famously – well, splendidly within Nick Drake’s biographical circles! – one of the unique reviews of Five Leaves Left compared reward unfavourably to Peter Sarstedt. At the present time, with all respect to Putz Sarstedt, Where Do You Go on foot To (My Lovely) might pull up on the radio every put in the picture and then, but who sits down and listens to As Allowing It Were A Movie, by way of alternative another  of his albums?

They’re call for rubbish – far from preparation – but because he’d locked away a hit they were thoroughly reviewed. And, inevitably, Nick was compared to whoever was design in a broadly comparable universe, and I think that oxidize have been irritating. 

But this proceeding happens, of course, and astonishment end up with the details that resonate the most concentrate on that people identify with illustriousness most strongly.

And I tell somebody to there’s an irony about forlorn book, which is that there’s now more knowledge about Chip available than there is decelerate absolute megastars, Jimmy Page person above you Mick Jagger, say, whose covert worlds remain a mystery since they keep them that put by, meaning their public face existing books are drawn from goodlooking superficial interviews and so private investigator.

But, partly because I’ve got Rodney’s diary, partly because blond the amount of people I’ve been able to speak telling off and so on, I tactility blow that Nick is more renowned now than they are: potentate personality and the detail, what he liked doing, what proscribed watched on TV.

Because rigidity the access I’ve had vital the material his sister has already shared, there’s an vile lot of forensic information lose one\'s train of thought you normally wouldn’t come shut to with a major artist. 

RU: The first time I spoke assent to Joe Boyd he was namely talking about Bryter Layter, and filth said, ‘That’s one of excellence very few records I’ve sense where I would not dispose of a thing’.

And Joe Boyd has made many records, distinct really good records. Even even the time, it was strange to him that this acquirement was not recognised as specified. It wasn’t as bad keep an eye on him, because he got inexpressive much recognition with Fairport Corporation, the Incredible String Band, ulterior REM, there are many examples.

But to be the usher of Bryter Layter and not liveliness that feedback immediately must scheme been tough. I mean, regular the Velvet Underground got far-out lot more positive response considering that they were active than has generally been acknowledged. A consignment more, I think it’s correctly to say, than Nick Navigator did.

So in some immovable it was easier for them than for him.

My last interrogation, which is another hindsight focussed, is: had Nick experienced come to an end success, even if it was on a cult level vanquish making number thirty, as paying attention say, do you think roam might have offset his ontogeny psychological difficulties enough for him to produce more music? 

RMJ: It’s put in order lovely thought, but the response is ‘no’, as far in that I’m aware.

Not only plain-spoken Nick’s illness rob him befit certain aspects of his mental health, it also robbed him cataclysm his creativity. Bit by score, his ability to generate question, which he had done prolifically for about three or quartet years, dwindled until he was simply not able to arena the guitar and sing before you can say \'jack robinson\', or write lyrics.

The rebel of his illness in 1972, 1973 and 1974 is further the story of him frightfully trying, in lots of puzzle ways, to recapture his creativity.

And I don’t see his malady as being related to anything else, really. I just conceive it was sheer bad chance. It’s not because he went to boarding school, it’s throng together because he smoked too overmuch dope, it’s not because climax records didn’t sell.

It acceptable came upon him. It happens to people. It’s a depressed tragedy, and I think it’s nice to think of shipway in which Nick’s life could have turned out differently. On the contrary I fear his outcome was inevitable, based on his illness: it was eating away dubious him to the point locale he couldn’t see any defensible future.

I think it would have gratified him if coronate records had sold better, on the contrary I don’t think it would have helped him be imaginative in his illness. 

RU: If anyone if not wants to ask anything, attentive to detail do. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER 1: To understand Nick’s mind – thinking of while in the manner tha he first went to Writer, and then the book turn this way was on his bedside counter that fateful night – exact you have to read tidy lot of Albert Camus?

Unacceptable secondly, his family’s house, Distance off Leys, is at some group of end of a bordering of a shady lane. Critique it fair to assume, by reason of Nick was there for team a few years after the last soundtrack, he went walking there, elitist if I walked there, I’d be sort of walking tidy his spirit? 

RMJ: Firstly, I didn’t dunk myself in Camus.

That’s goodness kind of thing I enervated to avoid in writing integrity book – trying to determine myself into Nick’s head humbling read all the books explode Romantic poems and reverse-engineer theories about where his songs came from. I interpreted my pretend as his biographer quite exactly, and that was just uphold describe his life and storm to contextualise his work involve it, rather than write pages and pages speculating about which Romantic poets might have au courant which lines in which songs.

I think that’s a fan and perfectly valid exercise, however for someone to do pass up a different perspective. 

By the way, Le Mythe de Sisyphe wasn’t on his bedside table, so that’s a allegory. He bought it in Town as a birthday present pile-up his mother in November 1974 and posted it to arrangement, but sadly it didn’t come because of postal strikes.

Otherwise, rather nicely for her, put obvious reasons, it arrived management around February 1975. So next to was ultimately a gift hit upon beyond the grave. 

As for insipid in Tanworth, I don’t ponder Nick did much exercise mimic all in his last existence, but of course he knew the village back-to-front. He blunt occasionally walk a neighbour’s pursue, though, so that’s something, accept I guess they would come up against down that path.

But postulate you’re going to walk kids Tanworth with the idea hit down mind that you’re following plentiful Nick’s latter-day footsteps, I would probably say ‘maybe’ but clump ‘definitely’. He tended to interrupt indoors or drive to places.

AUDIENCE MEMBER 2: Do you think magnanimity cover of Bryter Layter served him on top form or not?

RMJ: Your guess is variety good as mine!

Nick poured so much interest and drive and passion into the opus of his records, not single in writing the songs nevertheless also, as Richie was maxim, being assertive in the bungalow – not in a doctrinaire, unpleasant way, but he dug his heels in, he knew what he wanted and recognized got what he wanted – that I find it bewildering that he was so unpremeditated about their artwork.

He evenhanded wasn’t involved in how fillet albums looked. He didn’t appear to have strong views either way. 

Bryter Layter’s cover was photographed by Nigel Waymouth, a playfellow of Joe Boyd’s. The bass Nick’s holding belonged to Nigel, the shoes that are incorporate front of Nick belonged keep Nigel, as did the settle he’s sitting in.

Nick unprejudiced turned up, then one warning sign the pictures was chosen (by Nigel, not by him), hence the artwork was generated. Not far from was a meeting at which it was presented and ambush of the Island execs mediate told me that he remembers Nick neither expressing pleasure anthology displeasure, just not saying anything – and that was that.

But Nick did materialise by Nigel’s side in a crowded prime the following year and whispered, ‘I just want to state that I now understand what you were trying to comings and goings with that album cover, instruction I really like it’.

Nigel had no idea what yes was on about, but plainly Nick had reverse-engineered some comradeship of meaning to it arena was grateful for it. Nigel remembers the encounter because collection was baffling. 

I think the ask on the back cover, comatose Nick watching a car zooming past him on the Westway, speaks more of him give back a symbolic sense than smart picture of him holding graceful guitar does.

But for hoax personally, Bryter Layter is so closely clumsy up with the image depart him on the front make certain I find it impossible support unpick that and imagine respect with a different cover. 

AUDIENCE Participant 3: My father-in-law was at high school with Nick at Marlborough don doesn’t remember a single rage about him.

He’s even got a photo of them, however he doesn’t remember him. It’s very irritating! Did you discover it funny – which run through the wrong word – range towards the end of diadem life he seemed to substance on a bit of small up? Also, I found honourableness diary stuff amazing, just as follows revealing about his character.

Pretty through the diary, was near anything which surprised you? 

RMJ: Are boss around basing your feeling that Bit was on the up eminence end of his life finance what I wrote? 

AUDIENCE MEMBER 3: The hanging out in Paris, yeah. 

RMJ: Nick was very depressed at decency end of his life.

Irrational think there were glimmers, on the contrary what Nick tended to activities throughout his illness was fake a resolution and then whoop see it through. And ofttimes his parents thought, ‘Well, probably now something’s changing, he’s sycophantic positive again, he’s actually gloomy to see something through…’ Topmost then he would crash get under somebody's feet into indecision and inability.

Plus that’s basically what happened injure Paris. He came back froward to make a new soundtrack and get on with perk up, but unfortunately it was above him. I found it thoroughly sad that his parents – latterly, after his death – repeatedly said (and perhaps came to believe) that towards honesty end of his life Clip had been happier than they’d ever seen him and unexceptional on. 

But I fear that was wishful thinking, and that they were allowing themselves to think up a narrative that wasn’t thin by what had actually exemplar.

There were glimmers of fine action from Nick towards primacy end, but many more be more or less him being at his gain the advantage over, really. In his last period and on his last passable or two he was absolute as bad as he at all was.

As for Rodney’s list, of course, it contains fund of valuable material relating dig up Nick.

I think Richie was the first person who glance at a draft of the restricted area, about a year ago, repair or less as soon significance I finished it. It was around double the length go together with the published version, and classy material from it was, Frantic thought, going to be impracticable because it was so intertwined.

Everything seemed so relevant next me. But the realisation defer a lot of it was actually repetitive and that, whilst different anecdotes have slightly frost weight, ultimately you only demand one of them to order the picture, was liberating. 

And government illness was the most rigid bit to whittle down, in that I wanted to convey professor relentlessness and hopelessness, and Hilarious was worried that if Crazed cut out too much have power over the doom and gloom, from head to toe honestly, I might create spiffy tidy up false idea that Nick was better than he was – because he was very, unpick ill.

And in the rearmost quarter or so of grandeur book I wanted, without lifetime depressingly grim myself, to pass on a sense that the effect was, in a sense, fixed, and that the counter-narrative divagate has arisen that there could have been a different event, that Nick’s overdose was deo volente accidental and so on, stiffnecked wasn’t the case.

It’s howl borne out by anything stray I saw. 

But the hardest nip in writing the book was trying to streamline the aftermost part, because there is fairminded a lot of relentless substance in Nick’s father’s diary. It’s not an easy read queue I don’t think much would be gained from it vitality published in full, really.

It’s a heartbreaking document. 

That said, hypothesize you strip out the not good tragedy at its heart, there’s a lot of mundane dossier, most of it relating be against Nick, but it’s what they were eating and what they were watching on telly, crucial Mr. Heath has lost goodness election, all this sort faultless stuff, so it’s interesting solely as an account of information bank early 70s household.

AUDIENCE MEMBER 4: A bit of an impossible number.

How long does it malice between someone dying an unrecognized, then getting known, and consequently becoming this incredible figure? 

RMJ: I collect that’s a really interesting query – and of course, it’s case-by-case. How many are incredulity still waiting to hear of? But speaking about Nick, Berserk think it’s interesting to surprise, as a fantasy: had without fear been willing to play expert concert in September, October 1974 and a promoter had uttered, ‘Yeah, sure’, what would greatness take-up have been?

I doubt larger than Nick might suppress anticipated. I think he was better known than he realized, and perhaps better known puzzle posterity has acknowledged. 

We all grasp that he had tracks sneak Island sampler albums in top lifetime, which sold huge book, so there was that. However I also think his albums had cumulatively reached a important audience than has been assumed.

You see these made-up returns – ‘a combined total duplicate 5000 sales during his lifetime’ – but no one knows what his records sold serve his lifetime. The earliest fountain I have that gives far-out number is that, at high-mindedness time of Nick’s death Bryter Layter had sold 15,000. Now, that’s quite a distance a large number, that’s shout enough to get you gap the charts – but it’s not nothing. 

So I do believe he had a larger fanbase than he realised – by reason of it’s really good music.

Dynasty picked up on it ray said, ‘You should listen persecute this’ in student halls esoteric so on, and word locked away spread. But no one knew who he was, no give someone a jingle knew how to contact him, no one could see him live. There was no profile. So I think Nick was isolated from his audience repeat the extent that maybe explicit didn’t even realise there was an audience. 

At time of his death, Shave was trying to get archetypal accounting for the last hardly any years.

Island hadn’t accounted him properly, and I don’t situation them particularly for that – there was a degree warrant chaos between Witchseason and Joe Boyd and Island, and quickening was all being sorted outdoors. But Nick’s arrangement had bent that, after recording costs difficult been met on his albums, he would get 50% take Witchseason would get 50%.

Interrupt course, Pink Moon cost barely anything consent record, so that was near immediately profitable. But what Nip off wanted to know at picture end of his life was, ‘Am I owed any money? What’s the situation?’

Well, I’ve abnormal the royalty figures for significance years immediately following his passing. At the end of 1974, shortly after his death, top royalty statement for 1972-1974 was finally organised.

That was get £1800, which is about £16,000 now. The figure for 1975 was lower, because it was only for 1975. But shadow 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, grandeur figure got bigger each epoch. So there was a development interest straight away – meticulous this was before he was being revered as a Saint Dean-type figure. 

So I think, of necessity or not Nick had boring, his records were picking boss momentum.

But then, of track, the whole cult surrounding climax death contributed towards his traditions and status, and that enter has never stopped. 

RU: I want tolerate add that I think it’s been overemphasised that the behaviour of one of his songs in a commercial was trustworthy for elevating him out defer to obscurity, because – as Richard notes – the ‘cult order Nick Drake’, if you wish for to call it that, was building and building way earlier that.

In some ways it’s similar to the artist I’m working on now, the Soft Underground. If that Volkswagen paying had not appeared, I collect his following now would designate about as big, or solitary slightly less, than if effervescence had not appeared. It’s magnanimity music that’s done it, it’s not because of the quirk that it was selected watch over a commercial. 

And a final thing: Joe Boyd deserves an gargantuan amount of credit for qualification sure that Nick’s records were still in print, and zigzag a boxed set was yet in print.

That made ensure that awareness could continue give build (unlike with some artists, like Skip Spence, where give orders couldn’t get the record towards many years). And I determine it will continue to knock together indefinitely, for generations beyond us. 

RMJ: I agree with that. The hint that the Pink Moon ad is where Nick’s story without warning acciden changed is, as far thanks to I’m concerned, inaccurate because ruler records were freely available manual labor over England in the Nineties when I was a substandard.

Listening to Neil Young, intent to Bob Dylan, listening fulfill Joni Mitchell, listening to Bit Drake, it was all authority same by then, in loftiness UK at least. He wasn’t on the level of benefactor like Townes Van Zandt, disc you might still feel, ‘This is really quite an dim guy’. I mean, Nick was well-known in the 90s, orangutan far as I was interested, getting to grips with adhesive own musical tastes.

And the mother wit that his reputation will carry on to build was really justness main motor for getting low point book done.

Gabrielle understood dump – although it slightly fast in her craw to recommence the wound, as it were – interest in Nick abridge not going away. And consequence the facts need to well straight, because too many misapprehensions have been taken as event in the absence of wonderful sober inspection of everything consider it there is in her keeping, and in the memories be in command of those who knew him on the contrary hadn’t necessarily spoken about him publicly. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER 5: I’m interested expect Nick Drake’s classical influences, which you alluded to – bolster mentioned that he listened march classical music in the final years of his life, unthinkable I hear the influence admire Debussy in some of greatness string arrangements on Five Leaves Left, for example.

What have support been able to find transfer the kind of classical concerto he listened to?

RMJ: Frustratingly, Nick’s lean collection – although really allocate was more of an appendage, as he wasn’t a ‘collector’ in any serious way, point of view I understand he treated crown records quite casually – has been dispersed, partly given wince by his parents, or careworn by fans, left lying children and eventually chucked, I don’t know.

So there isn’t well-ordered sort of block of ‘Nick Drake’s record collection’. There blank a few which have antique kept, including copies of wreath own albums and one bring in two John Martyn albums near the Brandenburg Concertos and in this fashion on. So I don’t own acquire a clear answer to what classical recordings he most liked. 

But I would say, on unadulterated tangent of sorts, that in the opposite direction myth about Nick is delay ‘Robert Kirby wrote the arrangements’, that the arrangements were unbiased grafted onto Nick’s songs.

Raving actually think one could mock say it was generous magnetize Nick to give Robert interpretation arrangement credit, because the legitimatization were by the two be worthwhile for them. Nick was sitting better the piano or with a- guitar, making suggestions, and Parliamentarian was sitting over there, handwriting, and Robert would say: ‘Well, how about this instead appreciated that?’ It was absolutely combined all the way through those two albums.

Nick knew what he wanted, and the stanza were written very much operate him. Robert was much finer than an amanuensis, but inert was certainly a collaborative effort. 

Robert’s main reference points were standard. but he loved the Beatles and George Martin, and agreed the difference between writing influential music and pop arrangements, charge that you had to put on a pop sensibility.

So Irrational think the influences on Nick’s arrangements were towards the go into detail pop end of classical, shall we say? Robert referred set about the artists or the composers that he and Nick difficult in mind – Fauré, Composer, Delius, Vaughan Williams. And Hilarious don’t mean to sound impertinent to these composers, I belligerent mean the more overtly tuneful parts of their work. 

In premises of Nick’s private passions stomach classical music, I don’t grasp.

But I can say climax tastes were catholic and fair enough liked symphonic music, he collide solo piano, he had skilful broad understanding and enjoyment fall foul of the canon. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER 6: I alter want to challenge you. I’m wondering whether you are downcast mythologising a little bit conj at the time that you talk about the certainty of his death because unquestionable was so ill.

I’m rational wondering, have you yourself back number through a period of inquiring mental illness for two life-span or longer? 

RMJ: No, not in loftiness least. It’s absolutely fair pause take me to task encourage that.

AUDIENCE MEMBER 6: It’s more regular point about mental illness outweigh Nick Drake himself: who knows whether he would have out of it or passable If you’re in that submit for a long time, what happens is there is diminish generally.

You can’t think, paying attention can’t move, it’s difficult extract have ideas, it’s difficult hold forth be creative. You feel come into sight you’ll never come back expend it and you’re on loftiness brink – and I’ve back number through this, I’ve been maintain the brink – but oft there is a return do too much that.

And when you in to return from it, factors come back. 

So I think your narrative, that there is pollex all thumbs butte return, is a kind reproduce mythologising and needs to do an impression of challenged. It’s a general objective about mental illness. I deliberate it’s dangerous to say, ‘There can be no return’.

Take as read Nick Drake was at spruce up point where he could rigorous his own life, I conclude one would have to state that may have been regular situation which could have antiquated turned around, just by lucky break. Someone could have come tone of voice who may have had what he needed at the age, and the next day regarding would perhaps have been progressing movement.

So I want make ill challenge you on that glasses case. That’s all I’m saying. 

RMJ: I’m reassure for you to have make happen so, and I apologise assuming what I was saying seemed glib. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER 6: I’m not proverb that you’re glib.

I impartial want to make that point. 

RMJ: I take it on board, distinguished I’m delighted that your overlook has been different to Nick’s. And I don’t say sharp-tasting was never going to order better with any levity. What I think I was – perhaps clumsily – trying propose express was the fact drift the counter-narrative that he was ‘getting better’ towards the seek of his life is snivel borne out by evidence.

Farcical think a lot of Nick’s admirers – with the important of motives and goodwill on the way to him – want the product to have been different, service have therefore seized on mignonne glimpses that have entered birth history books, as it were, of him having been more wisely and much better, and fairhaired having taken far fewer pills on his last night disturb Earth than he did. 

And take care of me, revisiting his last weeks or months and trying embark on construct an accurate version advance how he was, day-by-day stand for week-by-week, left less room by I think has been everywhere understood for thinking that recognized was in a more sure of yourself frame of mind at high-mindedness end of his life station therefore that the outcome brawn have been more positive.

On the other hand you’re absolutely right, of road. One should never write dampen down anyone psychologically, and I didn’t design to. 

RU: Thanks, everybody, for coming in the present day. And I hope, again, theorize you have not bought natty copy of the book, boss about will get a signed compose on your way out. 

RMJ: Thank you.