The tragedy of Nick Drake

Redlester · June 2023

Looks like being a really good book.

There were a lot of things going on with ND, and from a mental health perspective I have no doubt that he presented in a very complex way.

My sense- from having read previous biographies- is that his social/ emotional/ MH difficulties would have been picked up a lot earlier these days. I do think that his schooling and background would not have helped, i.e. it sounds like a fundamentally loving family, but also rather 'proper' and buttoned up in a real sense. So lots of ND's behaviours would have been masked until early adulthood, when things became very difficult.

richman6100 · June 2023

Redlester said:

Looks like being a really good book.

There were a lot of things going on with ND, and from a mental health perspective I have no doubt that he presented in a very complex way.

My sense- from having read previous biographies- is that his social/ emotional/ MH difficulties would have been picked up a lot earlier these days. I do think that his schooling and background would not have helped, i.e. it sounds like a fundamentally loving family, but also rather 'proper' and buttoned up in a real sense. So lots of ND's behaviours would have been masked until early adulthood, when things became very difficult.

Eloquently put and very accurate from what I've read about him. A loving, but rather 'stiff upper lipped' family. Good people, but of their time and class.

Drake's heavy cannabis use probably didn't help - the effects on mental health (for some people) weren't as well established back then. Others who knew him well, said that his use was excessive and it definitely affected him at university. I don't think his overdose has been conclusively proved to be suicide either, although he was in a dark place at the time of his death. Amitriptyline is used as an antidepressant much less these days because of the high dose required and its potential dangers at that level. It's much more commonly used these days as a pain killer in smaller doses.

What's truly sad, apart from his death (obviously), is that his musicianship on Pink Moon was pretty impaired. He struggled to sing and play at the same time on some of the tracks, despite their stripped back nature. A clear deterioration from his two prior albums, even though many regard Pink Moon as his most creative work.

jonnyburgo · June 2023

He was brilliant, a very minor artist in his day. The fact that there is virtually no video of him, interviews etc only adds to the legend. He was very special. It takes me to a time and place place I never knew but still feel wistful for.

Redlester · June 2023

@richman6100 Good point about the cannabis use. I recall from previous books that people around him felt it did change him in some way. I don't think excessive consumption helps.

Looked at another way, though, and his fate was/ is that of so many other middle/ upper middle class young englishmen: boarding prep school, boarding school, followed by academically challenging university.

Boarding school syndrome is well known, but one of the things that characterises boarding school life is its regimentation, emotional stultification, and insistence of discipline (personal and institutional).

Once a lot of these kids get to uni and the real world, they can't hack it and either fall aprt, drop out, or get a real shock that they overcome.

Drake's sister Molly said that he was born with 'one skin too few', i.e. he was a sensitive soul. But if you add on top of that the need to make one's own way in the world post 18, not necessarily having the personal skills and resilience to do this, and then going into the cut and thrust of the music business- and then all the other possible aspects of his neurotype, MH issues, drug use, medication etc- then you have a really tough situation.

I love the bloke's music, and I have nothing but sympathy for all concerned. I am sure that his family did everything that they could. I just find it all very sad.

Last point: for all the usual same old same old from people interview about ND- e.g. "we didn't know that much about depression in those days"- I think we kid ourselves if we think that the NDs of this world have much of an easier time of it today.

richman6100 · June 2023

@Redlester ;Good point about boarding school syndrome. Never went to one myself, but I know a few people who did. Those who coped well are naturally resilient types and somewhat insensitive too if I'm honest. The two people I know who had a really tough time are much more sensitive, even today as middle aged adults. They're kinda, more thoughtful people, but also more prone to emotional challenges.

Jfingers · June 2023

Boarding school has a lot to answer for across the board. For me it feels a little like a lockdown dog being left with a stranger, if you want a dog/kid then love and look after it.

I've had most of Nick's recorded output since the early 90's. It's all beautiful.

SPECTRUM001 · June 2023

I went to Rough Trade last night for an event hosted by the author along with Joe Boyd and three personal friends of Nick - from school, travels and university.

Interestingly, they had never met before last night, which given how close they all were to Nick demonstrates how much he compartmentalised and kept his life quite secret from those close to him.

Which I guess rings some alarm bells (easy to say now of course).

I love his music - have done since the first time I heard it in 1987 - there's certainly enough beauty in the first two LPs to avoid classifying in the doom section.

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The tragedy of Nick Drake

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