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En busca de Nick Drake: más oscuro que el profundo mar
When Nick Drake (1948-1974) died of a drug overdose at twenty-six, he left behind three modest-selling albums, including the stark Pink Moon and the lush Bryter Layter. Three decades later, he is recognized as one of the true geniuses of English acoustic music. Yet Nick Drake--whose music was as gentle and melancholy as the man himself-- has always maintained a spectral presence in popular music. This groundbreaking biography reconstructs a vanished life while perfectly capturing the bohemian scenes surrounding the music business in London in the late '60s and early '70s. Using many newly discovered documents and all-new interviews, Trevor Dann reveals more detail on Nick Drake than ever, from his upbringing in a quintessentially English village, through his hash-fueled school days at Cambridge University, to the missed opportunities and mismanagement that defined his career. Friends and colleagues describe the difficulties that he faced as each new album was released, only to fail, and the insidious despair that consumed him. Complete with discography and rare photos, Darker Than the Deepest Sea is essential reading for anyone who has been moved by Nick Drake's unforgettable blend of beauty and sadness.
272 pages
First published January 1, 2005
23 people are currently reading
469 people want to read
About the author
Trevor Dann
1 book2 followersTrevor Dann is a British writer and broadcaster who has been associated with some of the most influential UK radio and television pop music programmes and events of the last 30 years.
Early career
Dann was educated at Nottingham High School and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Dann’s radio career began at BBC Radio Nottingham in 1974. He was a producer at BBC Radio 1 from 1979 to 1983, working principally with Noel Edmonds, Tommy Vance, Dave Lee Travis and John Peel as well as developing the 25 Years of Rock series, which later transferred to TV as The Rock 'n' Roll Years.
In the 1980s he was a producer on BBC2’s Old Grey Whistle Test for four years and presented his own weekly show for BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. In 1988 he was the founding programme director of GLR, the station which launched the radio careers of Chris Evans, Chris Morris and Danny Baker among others.
Recent career
After a spell as an independent producer with his own company Confederate Broadcasting, Dann became Head of Radio 1 Production with responsibility for the revamping the network’s music policy in 1995. The Daily Star dubbed him 'Dann Dann the Hatchetman'. He became involved in a dispute with Status Quo after effectively banning their music from the station in a bid to improve its "youth" credentials. In 1996 he was appointed Head Of BBC Music Entertainment running all the BBC’s pop music production including Radio 1, Radio 2, Top of the Pops, Later and Glastonbury.
He left the BBC in 2000 to join EMAP as MD of Pop where he launched the Smash Hits Radio Show and the Smash Hits TV channel and was executive producer of the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party for Channel 4. Between 2002 and 2004 he presented BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's breakfast show.
Current projects
He was appointed director of the UK Radio Academy in September 2006. His first book, a biography of Nick Drake called Darker Than The Deepest Sea, was published in the UK in February 2006 by Portrait and in the USA by daCapo. He has written for The Times, The Guardian and The Independent as well as Word Magazine, Q magazine, Mojo and The Evening Standard.
Awards
He won a BAFTA for his work on Live Aid and has several Sony Radio Awards for production and presentation. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Radio Academy.
Early career
Dann was educated at Nottingham High School and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Dann’s radio career began at BBC Radio Nottingham in 1974. He was a producer at BBC Radio 1 from 1979 to 1983, working principally with Noel Edmonds, Tommy Vance, Dave Lee Travis and John Peel as well as developing the 25 Years of Rock series, which later transferred to TV as The Rock 'n' Roll Years.
In the 1980s he was a producer on BBC2’s Old Grey Whistle Test for four years and presented his own weekly show for BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. In 1988 he was the founding programme director of GLR, the station which launched the radio careers of Chris Evans, Chris Morris and Danny Baker among others.
Recent career
After a spell as an independent producer with his own company Confederate Broadcasting, Dann became Head of Radio 1 Production with responsibility for the revamping the network’s music policy in 1995. The Daily Star dubbed him 'Dann Dann the Hatchetman'. He became involved in a dispute with Status Quo after effectively banning their music from the station in a bid to improve its "youth" credentials. In 1996 he was appointed Head Of BBC Music Entertainment running all the BBC’s pop music production including Radio 1, Radio 2, Top of the Pops, Later and Glastonbury.
He left the BBC in 2000 to join EMAP as MD of Pop where he launched the Smash Hits Radio Show and the Smash Hits TV channel and was executive producer of the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party for Channel 4. Between 2002 and 2004 he presented BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's breakfast show.
Current projects
He was appointed director of the UK Radio Academy in September 2006. His first book, a biography of Nick Drake called Darker Than The Deepest Sea, was published in the UK in February 2006 by Portrait and in the USA by daCapo. He has written for The Times, The Guardian and The Independent as well as Word Magazine, Q magazine, Mojo and The Evening Standard.
Awards
He won a BAFTA for his work on Live Aid and has several Sony Radio Awards for production and presentation. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Radio Academy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
August 14, 2018
Well, You Didn’t Find Him
Nick Drake has become a cult figure among music lovers in the last 20 or so years. His music is some of the most beautiful that I have ever heard. Melancholy, but not depressing. Relaxing, yet never boring. Virtually every one of his songs is a work of genius, and if someone put a gun to my head and told me to name my favorite musician, it would be a tough choice between Nick and The Beatles. Despite his amazing talent for songwriting and guitar playing, which became well-known in the 1980s when many popular musicians began citing him as an influence, Drake only recorded three albums during his short lifetime, and none of them sold more than 5,000 copies upon original release. Nick soon plunged into a terrible depression and died at age 26 from an overdose of antidepressants. It has never been conclusively determined whether this was accidental or a suicide.
Trevor Dann’s book is the only book that the Cincinnati library owns dedicated to this melancholy master of music. For its title, it borrows a lyric from Drake’s song Place to Be - “Now I’m darker than the deepest sea/Just hand me down, give me a place to be.” As enthusiastic as I am about Nick’s records, I simply had to read it. Wow, was I disappointed!
Dann pays almost no attention to Drake’s musical career, dispatching his entire recording career in a mere five chapters. Instead, he decides to focus on Nick’s life before he began recording, paying particular attention to his school life. I don’t understand the point of that. Nick didn’t have an unusual childhood, nor does it seem to have had much effect on his later depression. To be short (a skill which Trevor Dann desperately needs to learn), Drake’s early life should have been dealt with in two or three short chapters, with the bulk of the book dealing with his music.
The other thing that Dann emphasizes in lieu of interesting information on Drake’s music is his own pet theory on what exactly happened to Nick. It is Dann’s theory, which he frequently reminds us of, that Nick committed suicide and that his depression was caused almost exclusively by his drug abuse. I say that he is wrong on both counts. Depression is far too complex of a thing to have one single cause, but if I had to hazard a guess at the primary cause of Nick’s depression, I'd say it was caused by Island Records’ neglect of his music. Island Records failed to properly advertise his music or get it played on the radio, resulting in the poor record sales. If you were in the same position, producing music that your coworkers always told you was wonderful, but which everyone else ignored, you would probably get pretty depressed about it too! And while his drug abuse almost certainly had a negative effect on his condition, there’s no way it was the sole cause. I also don’t believe his death was a suicide. Dann himself says how easy it was to accidentally overdose on Nick’s prescribed antidepressants, yet completely ignores this point and goes on with his pet theory. These are not the signs of a good writer!
However, there is one positive thing about Dann’s book, and that is that it includes a very detailed 60+ page discography, detailing nearly all of the alternate guitar tunings that Nick used for his songs. Drake’s musical genius becomes even more obvious when one attempts to play his songs. I’m a fair guitarist (beginning but coming along fast), and I still had trouble with some of Drake’s simplest songs!
Drake’s legacy deserves far better chronicling than Dann’s hackwork. I certainly hope there is a better book out there about this wonderful musician, because this one sure isn’t worth reading!
Nick Drake has become a cult figure among music lovers in the last 20 or so years. His music is some of the most beautiful that I have ever heard. Melancholy, but not depressing. Relaxing, yet never boring. Virtually every one of his songs is a work of genius, and if someone put a gun to my head and told me to name my favorite musician, it would be a tough choice between Nick and The Beatles. Despite his amazing talent for songwriting and guitar playing, which became well-known in the 1980s when many popular musicians began citing him as an influence, Drake only recorded three albums during his short lifetime, and none of them sold more than 5,000 copies upon original release. Nick soon plunged into a terrible depression and died at age 26 from an overdose of antidepressants. It has never been conclusively determined whether this was accidental or a suicide.
Trevor Dann’s book is the only book that the Cincinnati library owns dedicated to this melancholy master of music. For its title, it borrows a lyric from Drake’s song Place to Be - “Now I’m darker than the deepest sea/Just hand me down, give me a place to be.” As enthusiastic as I am about Nick’s records, I simply had to read it. Wow, was I disappointed!
Dann pays almost no attention to Drake’s musical career, dispatching his entire recording career in a mere five chapters. Instead, he decides to focus on Nick’s life before he began recording, paying particular attention to his school life. I don’t understand the point of that. Nick didn’t have an unusual childhood, nor does it seem to have had much effect on his later depression. To be short (a skill which Trevor Dann desperately needs to learn), Drake’s early life should have been dealt with in two or three short chapters, with the bulk of the book dealing with his music.
The other thing that Dann emphasizes in lieu of interesting information on Drake’s music is his own pet theory on what exactly happened to Nick. It is Dann’s theory, which he frequently reminds us of, that Nick committed suicide and that his depression was caused almost exclusively by his drug abuse. I say that he is wrong on both counts. Depression is far too complex of a thing to have one single cause, but if I had to hazard a guess at the primary cause of Nick’s depression, I'd say it was caused by Island Records’ neglect of his music. Island Records failed to properly advertise his music or get it played on the radio, resulting in the poor record sales. If you were in the same position, producing music that your coworkers always told you was wonderful, but which everyone else ignored, you would probably get pretty depressed about it too! And while his drug abuse almost certainly had a negative effect on his condition, there’s no way it was the sole cause. I also don’t believe his death was a suicide. Dann himself says how easy it was to accidentally overdose on Nick’s prescribed antidepressants, yet completely ignores this point and goes on with his pet theory. These are not the signs of a good writer!
However, there is one positive thing about Dann’s book, and that is that it includes a very detailed 60+ page discography, detailing nearly all of the alternate guitar tunings that Nick used for his songs. Drake’s musical genius becomes even more obvious when one attempts to play his songs. I’m a fair guitarist (beginning but coming along fast), and I still had trouble with some of Drake’s simplest songs!
Drake’s legacy deserves far better chronicling than Dann’s hackwork. I certainly hope there is a better book out there about this wonderful musician, because this one sure isn’t worth reading!
January 22, 2017
Overly-speculative for a biography. Only slightly more informative than a Wikipedia entry, but not as well vetted.
March 9, 2017
Oddly, this is a really difficult review for me to write, so I'll do my best.
You can take the road that takes you to the stars now
I can take the road that'll see me through
At my current job, we get to take turns picking records we sell within the store to play, which naturally results in a mosaic of musical choices and genres blaring through the speakers; everything from Coltrane to Britney Spears to the soundtrack of Le Planete Sauvage. We have a tiny Nick Drake selection which is usually bereft of any records or CDs because they're so popular. Once we finally got the familiar Pink Moon in with its memorable Dali-esque cover, I immediately started playing it, resulting in six customers making their way up to me and asking what it was that was playing. The feedback was universally positive and astounded. I couldn't help but wonder why this hadn't happened back in the late 60s when Drake was yearning for the same kind of attention as he picked at his guitar and mumbled sweet nothings between the chords.
Nick Drake is a hugely significant force in my life. Everyone has an icon, that alluring figure they deem worthy of worship due in part to their extraordinary talent and perhaps due to their tragic, all-too-soon end; Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison being just a few. Nick Drake was mine. Because of this, I was pretty reluctant to pick up a biography. This awkwardly charming, endlessly enigmatic figure was hardly going to be aptly fitted for a biography. No matter how hard anyone searches, the little he decided to show during his short time on this earth makes him a near impossible find.
Sadly, this reflects within the book. Dann includes some sweet tidbits I hadn't known before, like Tow The Line's drawn out recording to hear Nick putting down the guitar for the last time, or Mayfair's forgotten lines in the '68 October recording, but ultimately the content isn't conclusive enough to deem it a 'deep insight' into the Drake world. It isn't easy though, and I commend Dann for trying. The husky voice you hear buzzing from your headphones, speakers or the like was simply not meant to be defined, and I suppose that is the true magic of Nick Drake. If he were so easy to grasp, he mightn't have been, and continue to remain, so extraordinary.
Though I never met him, I miss him, like so many others.
Now I'm going to continue to listen to Five Leaves on the balcony and gaze at the stars.
*Edited note: It took me five hours to write this review, I put it down to debating whether or not to ramble about Nick Drake himself, or keep it short and to the point about Dann's book. I still don't know what I ended up doing.
You can take the road that takes you to the stars now
I can take the road that'll see me through
At my current job, we get to take turns picking records we sell within the store to play, which naturally results in a mosaic of musical choices and genres blaring through the speakers; everything from Coltrane to Britney Spears to the soundtrack of Le Planete Sauvage. We have a tiny Nick Drake selection which is usually bereft of any records or CDs because they're so popular. Once we finally got the familiar Pink Moon in with its memorable Dali-esque cover, I immediately started playing it, resulting in six customers making their way up to me and asking what it was that was playing. The feedback was universally positive and astounded. I couldn't help but wonder why this hadn't happened back in the late 60s when Drake was yearning for the same kind of attention as he picked at his guitar and mumbled sweet nothings between the chords.
Nick Drake is a hugely significant force in my life. Everyone has an icon, that alluring figure they deem worthy of worship due in part to their extraordinary talent and perhaps due to their tragic, all-too-soon end; Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison being just a few. Nick Drake was mine. Because of this, I was pretty reluctant to pick up a biography. This awkwardly charming, endlessly enigmatic figure was hardly going to be aptly fitted for a biography. No matter how hard anyone searches, the little he decided to show during his short time on this earth makes him a near impossible find.
Sadly, this reflects within the book. Dann includes some sweet tidbits I hadn't known before, like Tow The Line's drawn out recording to hear Nick putting down the guitar for the last time, or Mayfair's forgotten lines in the '68 October recording, but ultimately the content isn't conclusive enough to deem it a 'deep insight' into the Drake world. It isn't easy though, and I commend Dann for trying. The husky voice you hear buzzing from your headphones, speakers or the like was simply not meant to be defined, and I suppose that is the true magic of Nick Drake. If he were so easy to grasp, he mightn't have been, and continue to remain, so extraordinary.
Though I never met him, I miss him, like so many others.
Now I'm going to continue to listen to Five Leaves on the balcony and gaze at the stars.
*Edited note: It took me five hours to write this review, I put it down to debating whether or not to ramble about Nick Drake himself, or keep it short and to the point about Dann's book. I still don't know what I ended up doing.
June 8, 2021
Interesting content and lots of well-researched background material about Nick Drake's early life and schooling, but I take issue with a lot of the assertions the author makes without evidence - things from "Nick may be recalling the music he heard in Morocco," to " listeners find the backing vocals by PP Arnold and Doris Troy phoney" (I suspect that was just one "listener" - the author. I'm a huge fan of both Northern Soul singers, and the author admits that Nick himself loved the track). He implies twice, again without any supporting documentation, that the song "Hanging on a Star" was an attack on Joe Boyd, Drake's manager/producer - whose own book, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, is one of the most fascinating analyses of this era of music history.
In short, a lot of great detail but also a lot of speculation. Dann is clearly a fan of the music of his subject, and that's not a bad thing. I'm going to look for Patrick Humphries' book about Nick Drake's short but moving life to see if it's a little more authoritative and balanced. But this book, especially the anecdotes about Nick's family and the discography at the end, drew me back to the sad, haunting, beautiful songs once more. He was a true timeless original.
Of note for music fans: the book references Boyd's Warlock demos, a set of songs from Boyd's artist roster, including Drake, The Incredible String Band, and John and Beverley Martyn. These were demoed by the very young Elton John and Linda Peters, who later married folk-rock guitar hero Richard Thompson. Boyd had hoped to get other artists interested in some of his musicians' less-publicized work. I had heard of the demos and knew that an acetate copy of them was rare - Elton at one point owned one of seven known copies. A quick search on YouTube will give readers the chance to hear the pair demoing some of Nick's songs, including Elton's take on Way to Blue and an uptempo Day is Done with his trademark rollicking piano. Linda's voice is pure and lovely, and Elton's strong interpretations of Nick's songs are a real treat.
In short, a lot of great detail but also a lot of speculation. Dann is clearly a fan of the music of his subject, and that's not a bad thing. I'm going to look for Patrick Humphries' book about Nick Drake's short but moving life to see if it's a little more authoritative and balanced. But this book, especially the anecdotes about Nick's family and the discography at the end, drew me back to the sad, haunting, beautiful songs once more. He was a true timeless original.
Of note for music fans: the book references Boyd's Warlock demos, a set of songs from Boyd's artist roster, including Drake, The Incredible String Band, and John and Beverley Martyn. These were demoed by the very young Elton John and Linda Peters, who later married folk-rock guitar hero Richard Thompson. Boyd had hoped to get other artists interested in some of his musicians' less-publicized work. I had heard of the demos and knew that an acetate copy of them was rare - Elton at one point owned one of seven known copies. A quick search on YouTube will give readers the chance to hear the pair demoing some of Nick's songs, including Elton's take on Way to Blue and an uptempo Day is Done with his trademark rollicking piano. Linda's voice is pure and lovely, and Elton's strong interpretations of Nick's songs are a real treat.
August 1, 2010
Probably a little more balance/less sycophantic than Patrick Humphries' similar book
March 11, 2020
I don't quite understand the negative reviews for this book. The Nick Drake story will always be shrouded with a degree of mystery and speculation, and I feel that Trevor Dann succeeded in providing us with a sense of time and place in regards to Nick's sadly short life. No matter how many times I've heard the stories about his "idyllic childhood," (his sister's words,) his privileged upbringing, his awkward loneliness, or his unfortunate descent into drugs and depression, I am always taken with the tenderness in which Nick is remembered by the few friends he had, (although most of his friends were keen to admit that Nick was typically very frustrating due to the emotional distance he enforced upon others.)
This book also featured some great "rock mythology" stories that I had never heard before, such as Nick and his friends happening upon the Rolling Stones in a cafe during a road trip to Morocco, (wherein a teen aged Nick was coaxed by his friends to serenade Mick Jagger and Keith Richards!) I also never knew that Nick and the Velvet Underground's John Cale were "heroin friends." Linda Thompson also felt a strong romantic attachment to Nick, although they never officially became lovers. Nick's romantic life remains just as mysterious as the rest of his life.
And no matter how many times I've heard the Nick Drake story? I still find myself very, very sad imagining Nick in his self imposed exile, feeling like he was a failure at life, completely incapable of escaping the gloom that shadowed his mind with each passing year. I don't believe anyone is to fault for Nick's failing health and his sudden death. Not his family, his musical associates, nor the few friends he remained in contact with. I simply wish this young, sensitive artist, who gave us some of the most imaginative and well crafted music of his era, lived during a time when mental health was taken more seriously, and that the resources that are available now were there for him then. I think Nick Drake was a beautiful soul, and I wish he could have lived long enough to see the transcendent power of his music. It has certainly inspired me throughout my life and brought me much grace and healing.
This book also featured some great "rock mythology" stories that I had never heard before, such as Nick and his friends happening upon the Rolling Stones in a cafe during a road trip to Morocco, (wherein a teen aged Nick was coaxed by his friends to serenade Mick Jagger and Keith Richards!) I also never knew that Nick and the Velvet Underground's John Cale were "heroin friends." Linda Thompson also felt a strong romantic attachment to Nick, although they never officially became lovers. Nick's romantic life remains just as mysterious as the rest of his life.
And no matter how many times I've heard the Nick Drake story? I still find myself very, very sad imagining Nick in his self imposed exile, feeling like he was a failure at life, completely incapable of escaping the gloom that shadowed his mind with each passing year. I don't believe anyone is to fault for Nick's failing health and his sudden death. Not his family, his musical associates, nor the few friends he remained in contact with. I simply wish this young, sensitive artist, who gave us some of the most imaginative and well crafted music of his era, lived during a time when mental health was taken more seriously, and that the resources that are available now were there for him then. I think Nick Drake was a beautiful soul, and I wish he could have lived long enough to see the transcendent power of his music. It has certainly inspired me throughout my life and brought me much grace and healing.
October 19, 2014
Mostly enjoyable read, limited a little by the elusive nature of the subject matter. The focus is on the artist rather than the music or lyrics, but given the little lyrical analysis that does take place, this is probably a good thing.
The author (at least twice) pulls Drake up for his 'mis-spelling' of the title "Tow the Line", as well as other similar techniques which are actually an important part of any decent songwriter's toolkit. To suggest that someone who studied English at Cambridge and had a fascination for some of the language's great poets would repeatedly make a 'mistake' like this shows that the author clearly has little concept of the use of the language in poetry or lyrics. It comes across as rather smug and really took me out of the flow of the book, calling into question the other judgements of the author.
The author (at least twice) pulls Drake up for his 'mis-spelling' of the title "Tow the Line", as well as other similar techniques which are actually an important part of any decent songwriter's toolkit. To suggest that someone who studied English at Cambridge and had a fascination for some of the language's great poets would repeatedly make a 'mistake' like this shows that the author clearly has little concept of the use of the language in poetry or lyrics. It comes across as rather smug and really took me out of the flow of the book, calling into question the other judgements of the author.
July 10, 2022
I've been a fan of Nick Drake for more than forty years, but have only just got around to reading this. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about it and on another - less generous! - day, I might have given it a lower rating. It's one of those biographies that tries to avoid starting with the often less interesting early years by beginning with Nick at Uni and starting his short but fruitful career. We then veer backwards to his school days before waltzing ahead to his second album. It kinda works to a degree but is it really necessary?
It's a well-written book, with some interesting titbits I wasn't aware of. My main complaint though is all the surmising. OK, it's not amateur psychology because he seeks opinions from a trained specialist who knew Nick many years ago, but he didn't know him professionally. And some of the other so-called theories are based on...well nothing really and I won't bother repeating them here. Some of his opinions on certain ND tracks are a little surprising, too, but hey, we all have our own opinions about his best work. But my own issue with the book has already been outlined and spoils this book for me to some extent.
It's a well-written book, with some interesting titbits I wasn't aware of. My main complaint though is all the surmising. OK, it's not amateur psychology because he seeks opinions from a trained specialist who knew Nick many years ago, but he didn't know him professionally. And some of the other so-called theories are based on...well nothing really and I won't bother repeating them here. Some of his opinions on certain ND tracks are a little surprising, too, but hey, we all have our own opinions about his best work. But my own issue with the book has already been outlined and spoils this book for me to some extent.
October 19, 2025
The Nick Drake whose music I fell in love with was a hazey figure. To be fair, some of those who knew him during his short life may have had the same experience of being enraptured by something about him, even if they never truly knew him.
My appreciation for Nick and his music have been thoroughly textured and complicated by Trevor Dann’s biography. Nick no longer exists in as thick of a haze in my imagination, and the thinning of the fog has both heightened my appreciation for his music and removed the halo from above his head. There was perhaps no more jarring portion of the book for me than the chapters immediately preceding his death, because the bleakness of that reality hadn’t set in for me, even though I knew it was coming.
One particularity of the book that I found interesting was how needlessly detailed it was, and that’s merely an observation. Sometimes I flew by the details without much of a care, but occasionally they really struck me in unexpected ways.
My appreciation for Nick and his music have been thoroughly textured and complicated by Trevor Dann’s biography. Nick no longer exists in as thick of a haze in my imagination, and the thinning of the fog has both heightened my appreciation for his music and removed the halo from above his head. There was perhaps no more jarring portion of the book for me than the chapters immediately preceding his death, because the bleakness of that reality hadn’t set in for me, even though I knew it was coming.
One particularity of the book that I found interesting was how needlessly detailed it was, and that’s merely an observation. Sometimes I flew by the details without much of a care, but occasionally they really struck me in unexpected ways.
July 2, 2014
I was recently exposed to the music of Nick Drake and was mesmerized from the first note of his album, Bryter Layter. The music and the lyrics were so enigmatic and compelling, that I was led to read this biography.
Nick Drake, dead at 26, has had a cult following since the late 1960s and no wonder. His life was a life of someone trying to find his place...not someone else's place for him...and on his own terms.
Like the biography's of many creative geniuses, this one reveals the struggles of knowing you're different at a young age and not being able to see a path to validation, approval, success, happiness, and genuine belonging. There's so much confusion, searching, experimentation (in Drake's case, not surprisingly, with drugs), and missteps. There are relationships, personal and professional, that don't work or are damaging, tastes of success that turn sour, realizations about what we can tolerate in and with the public and those we can't, and ultimately a sense of despair, where caring about living or dying is insignificant.
Nick Drake was gifted and, fortunately, he's left behind the gift of his gorgeous music. This biography tells his story such as it can be told since he was a young man who didn't speak much, was/became antisocial, and carried a painful shyness. I've read better written biographies but this one does the job quite well.
Nick Drake, dead at 26, has had a cult following since the late 1960s and no wonder. His life was a life of someone trying to find his place...not someone else's place for him...and on his own terms.
Like the biography's of many creative geniuses, this one reveals the struggles of knowing you're different at a young age and not being able to see a path to validation, approval, success, happiness, and genuine belonging. There's so much confusion, searching, experimentation (in Drake's case, not surprisingly, with drugs), and missteps. There are relationships, personal and professional, that don't work or are damaging, tastes of success that turn sour, realizations about what we can tolerate in and with the public and those we can't, and ultimately a sense of despair, where caring about living or dying is insignificant.
Nick Drake was gifted and, fortunately, he's left behind the gift of his gorgeous music. This biography tells his story such as it can be told since he was a young man who didn't speak much, was/became antisocial, and carried a painful shyness. I've read better written biographies but this one does the job quite well.
March 20, 2008
I don't think most people would like this. Unless you are a Nick Drake fan. Some of the view points in this seem to conflict with Nick's family a bit. I am a big fan of Drake and his music and legacy is a huge influence. I can't help but think that maybe this isn't the best source of his life but still a good read. I have seen some documentaries with family quotes and I felt a little more informed from the blood relative. If you are Nick Drake fan give it a go.
August 29, 2024
Despite the dubious life decisions and habits Nick had, I feel like his story is brought on by a sheer amount of bad luck and false promises from the music industry. Blaming his downfall on no one but him is a betrayal on Nick.
This book really makes you feel like you lived his life despite being decades apart, also makes you perceive his emotions in a completely different way through his music and photographs.
This book really makes you feel like you lived his life despite being decades apart, also makes you perceive his emotions in a completely different way through his music and photographs.
January 3, 2024
overall a pretty good book especially on the enigma that was nick drake. unequal effort put into different parts of his life but it was entertaining but i would read a sixty year old rancid napkin if it had nick's residue on it, anything for my pookie
April 23, 2019
Trevor Dann's biography of the elusive Mr Drake is an infinitely more polished entry than the threadbare "Complete Guide" that I reviewed not long ago. Dann can indeed lay claim to being one of the main promoters in the rebirth of interest in Nick Drake and a champion who has acted as a gumshoe in ferreting out facts regarding this character who can be as pivotal or peripheral as you want him to be. And so goes the book, fleshing contradictory eyewitness reports with teacher and family recollections, along with - as you would expect - the odd piece of wild speculation. It's quite a story, after all, twisting and turning away, almost half a century after the troubled young man's demise, and the ebb and flow has been enhanced by the fact that Nick Drake speaks immediately to a particular kind of music listener, many of whom are themselves musicians. His is a voice that is not actually diffident or shy or awkward or any of the other adjectives that were used to describe the man himself: it's direct, knowingly off-kilter, otherworldly, gossamer thin and sharp as tacks. It is full of contradictions and stands outside of its time, poetic and simple. It is difficult - if not well-nigh impossible - to replicate, and if you try to do so, you will invariably end up going too heavy or too mannered. It is a Goldilocks delivery which is atemporal and anti-faddish.
If you've been captivated by the music as a listener and want to learn more about the rather sad, although also fairly uplifting, story, there are a number of books around. This one and the Patrick Humphreys book from a few years back are solid and insightful, although there is always something missing from this story, because no one seems to have really known the true Nick Drake while he was around. However, enough glimpsed what he was doing for him to be able to get to do it sufficiently for it to live on now. So we settle on fading memories and speculation and we try to fill in the gaps ourselves. The truth is that we don't want or need to fill them in completely, because that would rather kill the thing Nick Drake unwittingly created, which is a humming, shining space that can be filled with whatever we want to fill it with. Nick himself knew well enough to step aside and let it be what it was going to be.
If you've been captivated by the music as a listener and want to learn more about the rather sad, although also fairly uplifting, story, there are a number of books around. This one and the Patrick Humphreys book from a few years back are solid and insightful, although there is always something missing from this story, because no one seems to have really known the true Nick Drake while he was around. However, enough glimpsed what he was doing for him to be able to get to do it sufficiently for it to live on now. So we settle on fading memories and speculation and we try to fill in the gaps ourselves. The truth is that we don't want or need to fill them in completely, because that would rather kill the thing Nick Drake unwittingly created, which is a humming, shining space that can be filled with whatever we want to fill it with. Nick himself knew well enough to step aside and let it be what it was going to be.
August 2, 2018
An almost entirely anecdotal telling of Nick Drake's short life, made up of original interviews and snippets from prior publications, that actually does a pretty good job of putting you in the place and time. It doesn't dispel all the mysteries, but it provides a great context for interpreting the seemingly arbitrary and scattershot elements that motivated Drake. It's an atypical showbiz tale, in that Drake didn't flame out after experiencing overnight success; he was never successful in his lifetime, as much a result of his own decisions as it was bad management. Instead it's a slow spiral down for a guy who expected life to be easier, and could never comprehend why it wasn't. Depressing? Maybe. But if you're a fan of Drake's music, then it won't be a surprise.
October 8, 2024
I quite enjoyed reading this biography of Nick Drake. Lots of bonus points for the track-by-track discography at the end.
So, who is Nick Drake? If you’re a relative neophyte this book is an invaluable introduction, a way to get some idea of the man. Otherwise it may not be as attractive. I discovered and listened to Nick Drake's music intensely about a decade ago and many of those ephemeral, disquieting tracks really stuck with me. Still, I knew nothing about his story with the exception that it ended poorly, so this was revelatory for me.
Early autumn and midwinter are peak Nick Drake Seasons to me, so the timing of this reading is perfect and makes the book seem better—regardless its shortcomings—along with the novelty of learning about the person behind the music.
So, who is Nick Drake? If you’re a relative neophyte this book is an invaluable introduction, a way to get some idea of the man. Otherwise it may not be as attractive. I discovered and listened to Nick Drake's music intensely about a decade ago and many of those ephemeral, disquieting tracks really stuck with me. Still, I knew nothing about his story with the exception that it ended poorly, so this was revelatory for me.
Early autumn and midwinter are peak Nick Drake Seasons to me, so the timing of this reading is perfect and makes the book seem better—regardless its shortcomings—along with the novelty of learning about the person behind the music.
June 4, 2023
Although the subject is fascinating, I found the author's views on the relatively mild marijuana available in the 70's as a cause of schizophrenia to be a hilariously outdated version of arm chair psychoanalysis, and his insistence that there is no truth to rumors that Nick Drake was gay to be offensively homophobic. The author is also much more interested in the music business and where old buildings in Cambridge used to be than Drake's tortured interior life. While his "search" is superficial and flawed, though, it does shed some light on the irony of Nick Drake's posthumous popularity.
November 27, 2017
A thoughtful biography of Drake by the former head of BBC Music Entertainment, this is only sullied somewhat by the Afterword where Nunn attempts a rather naive "could it have been avoided" exercise. From the picture he builds up of Drake the end seems inevitable even if the journey may have been different.
Having said that, lots of good sources from each stage of Nick's life put together sensitively makes this a worthwhile read.
Having said that, lots of good sources from each stage of Nick's life put together sensitively makes this a worthwhile read.
November 11, 2020
“Through the influence of William Blake and Sylvia Plath there’s more than a hint of waving and drowning in his work. A style that is taken from despair, not in the expectation that this will solve anything, rather that it will beautify and express estrangement and alienation. It’s a gentle doom that envelops the listener. There’s a resignation at the bottom of it all. His songs are like butterflies attached to anchors.”
July 3, 2021
I’m glad I stuck with this one. Music biographies can be tricky as the reader can be defensive if the beloved artist is portrayed in an unflattering light. I found it slow in the beginning with all the names of every childhood friend he ever had but they make appearances throughout and I see how some of the mentions of what I initially thought was unnecessary was actually relevant to paint a full picture of this complex man.
August 7, 2024
Not the book I hoped it would be. Much is speculation, probably because Nick Drake was relatively unknown when he died aged 26 - his music has become increasingly appreciated in the years following his death.
I may try to get “Nick Drake: Remembered for a While” because it was co-written by Nick’s sister, the actress Gabrielle Drake. Hopefully, that book would have more verifiable detail based on Gabriel’s first hand knowledge of Nick.
I may try to get “Nick Drake: Remembered for a While” because it was co-written by Nick’s sister, the actress Gabrielle Drake. Hopefully, that book would have more verifiable detail based on Gabriel’s first hand knowledge of Nick.
April 24, 2022
It is a good for the insight it gave me for a video I'm working on, but it does have issues with pacing. I don't know if I'd recommend it to people who are looking for a primer on Drake. It's a bit all over the place with the time it spends on certain pieces of his life. Some are covered too thoroughly; some are grazed over and it's not for lack of information
March 31, 2024
nick drake is one of my favorite artists but this book was horrendous 😭 over-speculative and totally accusatory towards his friends & family which i found icky :/ enjoyed learning about his musical inspirations though! discovered a couple really great artists
December 6, 2017
It’s excellent, it’s sad, it’s full of mystery.
May 25, 2019
a deeply reverent and loving look at the life of one of music's greatest enigmas. nickie we miss you so, so much ♡
June 6, 2023
Well-written and informative insight into the life & music of Nick Drake.
January 22, 2012
Overcome by his struggles with mental illness, folk singer-songwriter Nick Drake committed suicide after just three albums released with only small to modest success. It wasn’t until after his death, highlighted by the use of his song “Pink Moon” in a 2000 Volkswagen commercial, when Drake started getting the praise and popularity he deserved.
As one of many Nick Drake biographies out there today, Trevor Dann presents another take on Drake’s short life in, Darker Than The Deepest Sea: The Search For Nick Drake. Even though you know how the book will end, Dann presents his book, although extremely informative, in a scattered way. I feel that if I wrote an essay like how this book is laid out, I would get a B. “Good points but needs more organization.” Jumping from Drake’s college years, to his childhood, to his last few years, considering how short Drake’s life was, Dann could have done more to focus on his childhood. With that being said though, I did read about two pages about Drake’s father’s business which was a little uncalled for.
Extremely factual, Dann’s writing style also falls shorts at times, switching to first person very randomly. On the positive side, Dann’s praises of Drake’s poetic lyrics are both thoughtful and true. Dann is also able to give a small insight to the intense fandom surrounding Drake which continues to grow today. Finally, the footnotes and discography given at the back of the book are extremely helpful and will keep me busy for a while.
Overall, it certainly doesn’t have a universal readability but Darker Than The Deepest Sea: The Search For Nick Drake is a great read for any Nick Drake fans.
“And now we rise
And we are everywhere."
As one of many Nick Drake biographies out there today, Trevor Dann presents another take on Drake’s short life in, Darker Than The Deepest Sea: The Search For Nick Drake. Even though you know how the book will end, Dann presents his book, although extremely informative, in a scattered way. I feel that if I wrote an essay like how this book is laid out, I would get a B. “Good points but needs more organization.” Jumping from Drake’s college years, to his childhood, to his last few years, considering how short Drake’s life was, Dann could have done more to focus on his childhood. With that being said though, I did read about two pages about Drake’s father’s business which was a little uncalled for.
Extremely factual, Dann’s writing style also falls shorts at times, switching to first person very randomly. On the positive side, Dann’s praises of Drake’s poetic lyrics are both thoughtful and true. Dann is also able to give a small insight to the intense fandom surrounding Drake which continues to grow today. Finally, the footnotes and discography given at the back of the book are extremely helpful and will keep me busy for a while.
Overall, it certainly doesn’t have a universal readability but Darker Than The Deepest Sea: The Search For Nick Drake is a great read for any Nick Drake fans.
“And now we rise
And we are everywhere."
December 12, 2018
still searching for Nick Drake
I advise anyone to read this book with extreme scepticism.
Trevor Dann uses his book to espouse his own theories about Nick's death, which was never conclusively determined to be accidental or suicide.
I don't believe his death was caused by depression brought on by Island record's neglect, as I have had several conversations with Joe Boyd, who states that nobody tried harder than Island to help promote Nick's music and secure him the best deal they could, however, low record sales of all three of his albums must have contributed to Nick's depressed mood, combined with drug use and overly large doses of medication which were too potent, all of which contributed to his decline in condition and sadly led to his death in 1974, aged 26.
Worth it for the discography, and the details about Nick's life in London and time spent at Cambridge, but otherwise this is a journalist writing about someone they knew briefly at college, little more than sensationalist hackwork, and far too speculative for a biography which does little to focus on Nick's music or to write about him with any sincerity based on facts.
Read Patrick Humphries' book instead. Gorm Hendrik Rassmussen's book may as well be a work of fiction, apart from the information gleaned from interviews with Nick's parents, the rest of his book is fantasy and riddled with inaccuracies and a liberal dose of artistic licence
I advise anyone to read this book with extreme scepticism.
Trevor Dann uses his book to espouse his own theories about Nick's death, which was never conclusively determined to be accidental or suicide.
I don't believe his death was caused by depression brought on by Island record's neglect, as I have had several conversations with Joe Boyd, who states that nobody tried harder than Island to help promote Nick's music and secure him the best deal they could, however, low record sales of all three of his albums must have contributed to Nick's depressed mood, combined with drug use and overly large doses of medication which were too potent, all of which contributed to his decline in condition and sadly led to his death in 1974, aged 26.
Worth it for the discography, and the details about Nick's life in London and time spent at Cambridge, but otherwise this is a journalist writing about someone they knew briefly at college, little more than sensationalist hackwork, and far too speculative for a biography which does little to focus on Nick's music or to write about him with any sincerity based on facts.
Read Patrick Humphries' book instead. Gorm Hendrik Rassmussen's book may as well be a work of fiction, apart from the information gleaned from interviews with Nick's parents, the rest of his book is fantasy and riddled with inaccuracies and a liberal dose of artistic licence
April 21, 2013
I remember an old friend in 1991 hearing something I was listening to and saying offhandedly, "You'd go nuts for Nick Drake." I tucked that comment away for when I actually had some cash to spend. A few months later I found "Time of No Reply" in a used bin at a street fair, so I picked it up. Like a lot of people who stumbled on Nick Drake in the years between his death and the Volkswagen commercial "Pink Moon" massive exposure/resurgence, the discovery felt intensely personal, revelatory and precious. The recent release of "Family Tree" has some work by his mother which is also intriguing and I wanted to know more than I'd learned about his family than I'd learned online back in the early days of fan sites on the internet in the mid to late 90s. The options seemed to come down to this book or one by Patrick Humphries. I chose this one because I've had great experiences with all of Da Capo's music writing anthologies and they published this.
I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. I learned a lot of details and background I hadn't known but it was incredibly hard to know where facts ended and speculation began. I'm sure that imposing lively narrative was challenging given Nick's personality and brief, increasingly reclusive and ill adult life. I'm left unsure whether a better job could be done but wishing that it would be.
I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. I learned a lot of details and background I hadn't known but it was incredibly hard to know where facts ended and speculation began. I'm sure that imposing lively narrative was challenging given Nick's personality and brief, increasingly reclusive and ill adult life. I'm left unsure whether a better job could be done but wishing that it would be.
July 23, 2010
In 2001 my best friend put a Nick Drake song on a mix CD for me before leaving the country for a couple years. In 2004 he sang (and played) one of his songs at our wedding. In 2007 I ended up sitting in on a music festival panel discussing Nick Drake. Each of the panelists had prepared a cover of one of his songs. It ended up being the richest memory of that Bumbershoot for me (besides the $hi$hkaberrie$, 'course).
I'm interested in Nick Drake.
I can't imagine this book appealing to people who aren't -- except perhaps for people who are interested in name-dropping obscura for musical circles in 1960s and 70s Britain (it spun my head). That's not (just) because of the writing. There's just too little material to create something to bring people in to Nick's story cold.
I wish this had had
• a bootleggers' discography!
• more talk about technical musical elements of his pieces, first but not least the tunings for each piece (with so much of the book devoted to the non-biographical, it surely wouldn't be out of place)
R prompted me to try the Pink Moon piano riff on the harp (it sounds great) and I discovered it's in e♭Major. No wonder I love it. R guessed that Northern Sky is e♭M too. It is. I <3 e♭M. It's my key of destiny.
I'm interested in Nick Drake.
I can't imagine this book appealing to people who aren't -- except perhaps for people who are interested in name-dropping obscura for musical circles in 1960s and 70s Britain (it spun my head). That's not (just) because of the writing. There's just too little material to create something to bring people in to Nick's story cold.
I wish this had had
• a bootleggers' discography!
• more talk about technical musical elements of his pieces, first but not least the tunings for each piece (with so much of the book devoted to the non-biographical, it surely wouldn't be out of place)
R prompted me to try the Pink Moon piano riff on the harp (it sounds great) and I discovered it's in e♭Major. No wonder I love it. R guessed that Northern Sky is e♭M too. It is. I <3 e♭M. It's my key of destiny.
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