Thanks for posting! Funny that John refers to Nick being pre-Raphaelite where I'd say young John had more of that going on than Nick did (as adorable as he was). And can't imagine how it felt talking about Nick being this hidden gem being rediscovered when John never reached similar status of a wider public adoration in his lifetime, or afterwards (I don't recall any JM tunes on VW adverts or anything), and probably being asked about Drake on too many occasions (what about me??? I'm still here!!!), though I don't know if he ever showed any irritation regarding this or not. John seemed to always remain a singer's singer and a guitar player's guitar player (and I guess a songwriter's songwriter as well). Solid Air is the most beautiful, haunting song about a friend lost due to suicide that's ever existed. John must have loved Nick very much. Miss them both, and both gone too soon. ❤☮🌎
"what about me??? I'm still here!!!" Hi Suzanne, thanks for your comments! In my ignorance, I suppose I might have more to say (or rather, ask) about John's influence than Nick's, but I'm intrigued by your perspective (I was/am still more of a Bridget fan than of Nick as far as John's most direct influence on guitar went (although I'm recently working my way through Nic Jones's legacy of material and John's influence on him is much newer to me)
Never heard of Brigit St. John before, but just checked out her version of Nice and a new piece, plus an interview with her done 8 years ago on UK Rock History, both on RU-vid, and will have to listen to more and get Ask Me No Questions on CD/lp. ❤☮🌎 @@peterfriedman2830
John is known for quite a few things in his life, one was taking Bridget St. John under his wing and quickly upgrading her hitherto rudimentary guitar prowess, another was his notorious personal volatility, another the distressing on-stage gig-by-gig spiralling breakdown of his relationship with Beverly, then there's the iconically influential stylistic inventiveness and eclecticism of his many and astonishingly varied guitar techniques, his extraordinarily visceral vocal improvisation (which is very ironic in the context of what he says about Nick's Britishness in this interview) which was at its peak when John's singing was at its most 'American' in terms of soulful bluesiness, a sublimely unique signature laconic drawl that had more in common with the crooning of Leon Redbone and Jelly Roll Morton (and occasionally perhaps even Stevie Nicks in her notoriously mumblier moments when John's vocals rose momentarily from the depths of those sonorously bottomless lower registers) but his connection to Nick sounds from this interview as if it might just possibly have been as big a milestone in John's life as any of these. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-O8Blccc0PM0.html
Thanks for this. At 49 years old just getting into John's stuff properly but aware he was a pal of Nick Drake who I think is awesome. Someone who's pal's with Paul Kossoff too, and Scottish is a true friend and proper talent.
I think he was stuck between 2 times. He was a public schoolboy brought up during the end of the Empire.... Born in the colonies. His father was a diplomat and he went to Cambridge. I think he struggled with modern times and how to relate
@@ariel_z_ Wow! Please do tell us more, if it turns out that you can! Did you also discover who the interviewer happened to be? I imagine that this interview was broadcast?
He was complicated a man of many layers like his music. I actually think it was a survival strategy growing up he lived in two places. Kids adopt mannerisms and tones to fit in. He will have been conscious of this as he had to change radically between Glasgow and Surrey where he regularly lived back and forth as a kid. I don’t think it was aspirational with John it was just part of what he learned.
Is it a sin now to be upper middle class? Nick Drake was of a different class but it was sad how quickly his health deteriorated. He was definitely a talented musician. I grew up 3 miles away from Nick and often went mushroom picking in ‘Tanworth in Arden’ area. No I didn’t see him there sadly. IBut I think I nearly did see him at Birmingham Town Hall. He wasn’t billed at all, but after the 1st band had finished their set, a single wooden chair was bought out to the stage plus an acoustic guitar. However sadly, no-one came out!! It fascinated me as to why the single chair got taken away though after minutes of waiting. Headliners were a major folk group, I wish I could still remember who now, but I’ve often wondered if Nick Drake could have been there too.
@@paolosuti-dray We all think of Bowie as being 'the great self-reinventor', but in Bowie's case the very act of self-reinvention was intended as an explicit statement, a newly minted on-stage identity, a label for his latest creation and creative efforts. But with John, I get the feeling, wrong or right, that these different accents were a sign of something far more private and far less well-appreciated by those who haven't had extensive access to a much more intimate and detailed set of shared personal experiences. You're making me think that an interview with Bridget on this topic might shed some fresh light on what he was like when they were both in their teens while he was her guitar mentor, but it's possible that the 'accent change thing' only becomes apparent when people have known him 'across different phases of his life/career'. He certainly 'sang with different accents' at different times. (his wife Beverley being someone else to ask). I'll check with my friend Dave (who was occasionally playing on the same bill at John's gigs) to see if he can remember anything about accents (I normally ask Dave about guitar stuff in John's context, Dave being a fellow guitarist of John's, but he says John was always his own worst enemy down at the bar, winding people up and ostensibly even trying to get people bigger than him to beat him up). He was ultimately quite a unique breed of chameleon.
@Peter Friedman he certainly was! Of course he was raised in Glasgow, but he had a mother who lived in the south, so probably he picked up both accents from when he was a child. Now as far as Nick is concerned, it's also remarkable that such a sensitive soul, with a very different upbringing from JM, seemed to find himself at ease at JM's place. Of course there was also Beverley who took care of Nick as I read somewhere.
@@paolosuti-dray Yes, you are definitely onto a few interesting possibilities there. John indisputably 'had an ear for accents', but to do what he did and go for long periods of time in a different accent seems like more of a conscious choice arising from a deeper predisposition than the 'imitatory tick' that most of us succumb to in moments of mockery or good humour. Yes, the 'abrasive' side of John doesn't seem to have made its presence felt in the context of Nick, maybe Nick's self-evident emotional fragility and vulnerability 'brought out John's protective side'. I didn't know until I started looking into this, but it turns out that Bridget recorded a cover of a song by Nick. All three of them constituted a close-knit trio of the most unique and creative songwriters I have ever heard. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-n6b3sb_ZKwo.html
Ok, so it turns out that it looks as if the answer to this is already out there: www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/15/nick-drake-john-martyn-complex-friendship-small-hours-extract
thanks for posting👍🏻I was a little shocked about the relationship John and Nick and the row they had at the end. Was it the last push for Nick to commit suïcide??
