Nick Drake appreciation thread (A Cobainesque artist)

[Grace&Constanza]

Nick Drake was a folk artist back in the late sixties, early seventies who, (basically) was a lot like Kurt Cobain. He suffered from severe depression,was withdrawn and extremely shy--even refusing to do interviews and live concerts--which caused him to not sell many records. Like Van Gogh he became well known and "wealthy" posthumously. He committed suicide in 1974 from overdosing on antidepressants. He was a lot like many depressed people, insomniac, and spent all night listening or playing music and sleeping late into the day at his parent's house. He was so poor that he couldn't afford to live on his own. I think his music speaks to many people who feel the same way he did about life. His music is very dark, somber, ethereal, ambient and expresses the alienation and misery that millions feel. His music is universal, and it's a shame that he never experienced the recognition he deserved in life as he has in death. There has recently been a resurgence of sorts with bands like Badly Drawn Boy, Surfjan Stevens etc. citing Nick Drake as an influence, and in 2004 his single "River Man" (released in the sixties) reached the UK charts for the first time ever.

Here is a youtube of "River Man"--which basically sums up his musical style nicely. Oh, and did I mention that he was cute ?(he reminds me a lot of Beck) In fact, there are no moving videos of him that we know of (although there are rumors of one recorded live performance floating aroung out there). He was a truly enigmatic artist.

He only released a few albums during his short lifetime, and I suggest buying all of them, especially the first one "Five Leaves Left," but for a starter, I suggest buying "Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake":

Nick Drake listing on amazon

Songs I would download would be:

River Man
One of these Things
Black Eyed Dog
Way to Blue
Things Behind the Sun
Which Will
Pink Moon
From the Morning
Fruit Tree (in which he talks about his bitterness about fame)

I've attached a rare picture of him smiling.

[dirtyplotte]

i would suggest pink moon. thats my favorite.

[bort]

Cobainesque? In the same way that Dorothy Dandridge, Ernest Hemingway and Cleopatra were?
I like his music but.

[dirtyplotte]

Originally Posted by bort

Cobainesque? In the same way that Dorothy Dandridge, Ernest Hemingway and Cleopatra were?
I like his music but.

i wasnt gonna argue bc it seemed rude, but now that youve brought it up...

i mean yeah, this guy was an introvert, and was super depressed, but so is elliott smith and alot of other singer songwriters.... doesnt mean they are alike? i guess the biggest commonality is they were both rather fragile in appearance.

and pink moon is, by far, his best stuff

now that we've sufficiently mucked this up, bort, how about getting a drink with me down at the pub?

[bort]

Originally Posted by dirtyplotte

i wasnt gonna argue bc it seemed rude, but now that youve brought it up...

i mean yeah, this guy was an introvert, and was super depressed, but so is elliott smith and alot of other singer songwriters.... doesnt mean they are alike? i guess the biggest commonality is they were both rather fragile in appearance.

and pink moon is, by far, his best stuff

now that we've sufficiently mucked this up, bort, how about getting a drink with me down at the pub?

Oh, I would. I so would. What are you having? We should go and put Nick Drake on the jukebox. Bundle'o'laughs!