Great little mini-documentary. Nick's story is a sad one - but the bright side is that he left us some incredible music. He'd be well pleased to know how much his music is loved today.
This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you Nick, anyone that has been down in the dumps knows exactly how Nick would have felt, i just think its amazing that that in the mindset he was in, depressed, bitter, withdrawn, lonely, and then comes up with some of the greatest music ever recorded? a peculiar genius indeed. Rip man
As a radio four listener, I am shamed to say that I was unawear of Kaleidescope's feature on Nick Drake, however RU-vid have given me the opportunity to hear it. With regard to the docuentary, it gives a layperson an overview of the Nicks musical/poetic endevoure without him reaping any recognition, thus his fall into depession and death. In the late 80s a friend of mine gave me a copy of Five Leaves Left, on hearing Fruit Tree I cried for him... as I could tell he was singing his Epitaph! what a wonderfull artist, what a wonderfull man, the Late, Great Nick Drake.
Gentle and genuine, you can truly feel Nick in his songs -so much more so than other artists. What he lacked in being able to communicate with others in his life he made up for in the way he communicates to the listeners of his music. He was brilliant.
There’s something so terribly frightening about “Black-eyed Dog” - it’s brilliant like all of Nick’s work but so haunting. He sings (howls) it in such a different way.
Wonderful. Thanks for posting. Visited Les Cousins folk club early seventies, even played there but alas missed seeing Nick Drake play. Such a sad story that recognition came too late for Nick to relise
Hi Saturdayson! Very nice of you to do this combined with the photos. I like to have visuals too and a very well done radio documentary! This is a great discovery! I had never heard of Nick until after I played guitar and sang for an open mic. After my original songs and a guy came up to me and said I'd reminded him of "Nick Drake". No way do I sound so great as him! It's intriguing to dealve into his music, and to learn about him. It's very sad too, yet inspiring with such intelligent people speaking about Nick's influence and music. Thanks!
So in the end its true, people do prefer authentic work over the fluff. if he would have lived could this all have the poignant sadness that make it so sublime and sad? I heard his music obscurely when i was very young and latched onto it as it resonated with my own conditions. if he lived or not the moments he recorded will forever send me into fits of melencolia. But I lived on, and got to here Nick Drake express it.
I really like the nick drake timeless intelligent subtle and introspective way. He is like to music what Thomas Hardy or Victor Hugo is to books. He came out in the time of the hippys but was cut from a different older cloth. The hippy fad faded away and nick was still around doing his own unique thing in an age that had turned into glamrock slade ,gary glitter, trex, bowie, the sweet, where nick drake must of felt invisible and even more of an outsider. In england on the whole (britain) music was a mad romper stomper party and revamped back to the 50s.rock and roll . We had nothing to feel sorry for ourselves for at that time unlike america that was losing the vietnam war and didnt take glamrock quite as far because of the national mood. America had neil young and james taylor ,britain had nick drake, they are not the same or equivalents exactly but there is some parallel in the melancholic. It wasnt nicks time yet.
Because I've heard this before about how cannabis can exacerbate mental issues such as schizophrenia and paranoia...I use it every day and it will always reveal me to myself - if I have anxiety or feel dissatisfied about myself or how I'm living it will always amplify that... I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing in all cases because it can bring us to change our situation instead of simply feeling comfortable and ignoring the problem.
I get tired of the pish trodden about Nick and his weed use, he never lived to see the days of powerful hydroponics/'superskunk' et al, all he would've smoked was resin or thaistick which are very mild to what we have now, both are a leveler or a 'lift' that would give temporary relief from the demons and stir his creativity, if anything got him it would've been the anti-depressants or whatever other quota-ticking imbalancing synthetic crap he was prescribed
