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Nick Drake: The Biography
Nick Drake was barely 26 years old when he died in 1974 following an accidental overdose of prescribed drugs. The British singer-songwriter made only three albums during his short life - Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter and Pink Moon. All are now recognized as classics.
Since his death, Nick has been cited as a seminal influence by stars as diverse as REM, Elton John, and Paul Weller. While the lives of other musicians who died before their time, such as Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Gram Parsons, have been amply documented, there has never before been a biography of Nick Drake. Patrick Humphries' illuminating text includes exclusive interviews with friends, colleagues and musicians who knew and worked with Nick. It provides an unprecedented insight not only into the life and work of Nick Drake, but also into the music scene of the 1960s that formed his backdrop.
If a week is a long time in politics, then the 23 years since Nick's death represents a lifetime in the transitory world of pop. But the music of Nick Drake has never lost its place in his fans affections, and still its haunting beauty reaches out of fresh generations. This book is for all of them.
Since his death, Nick has been cited as a seminal influence by stars as diverse as REM, Elton John, and Paul Weller. While the lives of other musicians who died before their time, such as Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Gram Parsons, have been amply documented, there has never before been a biography of Nick Drake. Patrick Humphries' illuminating text includes exclusive interviews with friends, colleagues and musicians who knew and worked with Nick. It provides an unprecedented insight not only into the life and work of Nick Drake, but also into the music scene of the 1960s that formed his backdrop.
If a week is a long time in politics, then the 23 years since Nick's death represents a lifetime in the transitory world of pop. But the music of Nick Drake has never lost its place in his fans affections, and still its haunting beauty reaches out of fresh generations. This book is for all of them.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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941 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Humphries
44 books9 followersWriter and journalist Patrick Humphries is the author of acclaimed biographies of Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and Richard Thompson. He lives in London, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
August 4, 2025
Some further thoughts 4 August 2025
Nick Drake’s River Man from his first album Five Leaves Left is one of my all-time favourites, a hypnotic, haunting and simple ballad highlighting Drake’s clean acoustic guitar and his voice like warm fog. In 1975 my mate John introduced me to Drake’s evocative second album, Bryter Layter.
Young Nick was musical from an early age, sporty as a school student, bright enough to study English literature at Cambridge but troubled and subject to depression.
He became absorbed by his music, released three albums, withdrew from public performance after the third, Pink Moon (1972), then retreated further into himself and died at 26 from an overdose of the antidepressant amitriptyline. Thus there is little of him on record, literally and metaphorically, beyond achingly poignant footage of him as a little boy playing at the beach and some photos of him as an adult, still beautiful. Don McLean’s Vincent could readily be adapted to him: ‘this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you’.
Nick Drake would barely be remembered but for this tragically romantic biography, the simplicity and beauty of his music and the influence he has had on a large number of songwriters and performers who discovered him after he died. Many acknowledge his influence: among them The Cure, R.E.M., The Dream Academy, Kate Bush, and Aimee Mann.
Given all this and the limited material and people available to Patrick Humphries this is inevitably an insubstantial book on a short reclusive life. It must have been difficult to write because Nick Drake’s legacy is of far longer duration than his time with us. A standout piano version of River Man comes from the American jazz master Brad Mehldau. I commend it too you, and Nick Drake as well, if you haven’t heard him yet.
Nick Drake’s River Man from his first album Five Leaves Left is one of my all-time favourites, a hypnotic, haunting and simple ballad highlighting Drake’s clean acoustic guitar and his voice like warm fog. In 1975 my mate John introduced me to Drake’s evocative second album, Bryter Layter.
Young Nick was musical from an early age, sporty as a school student, bright enough to study English literature at Cambridge but troubled and subject to depression.
He became absorbed by his music, released three albums, withdrew from public performance after the third, Pink Moon (1972), then retreated further into himself and died at 26 from an overdose of the antidepressant amitriptyline. Thus there is little of him on record, literally and metaphorically, beyond achingly poignant footage of him as a little boy playing at the beach and some photos of him as an adult, still beautiful. Don McLean’s Vincent could readily be adapted to him: ‘this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you’.
Nick Drake would barely be remembered but for this tragically romantic biography, the simplicity and beauty of his music and the influence he has had on a large number of songwriters and performers who discovered him after he died. Many acknowledge his influence: among them The Cure, R.E.M., The Dream Academy, Kate Bush, and Aimee Mann.
Given all this and the limited material and people available to Patrick Humphries this is inevitably an insubstantial book on a short reclusive life. It must have been difficult to write because Nick Drake’s legacy is of far longer duration than his time with us. A standout piano version of River Man comes from the American jazz master Brad Mehldau. I commend it too you, and Nick Drake as well, if you haven’t heard him yet.
July 12, 2015
Nick Drake is in the top 10 of my all time favorite singer-songwriters. One of his gifts, I think, was the innate soulfulness of not just the lyrics and of his voice, but also of his chord changes. You can take a song like "Saturday Sun" and play it in a blues and contemporary gospel vein (as I do) and not have to do much in the way of chord substitution. The blue notes and the funk are already built into the chord changes of the song. I love him for that. I adore his use of really flavorful diminished and half diminished chords in many of his compositions. He always seemed to know the exact perfect moment to use them. The folk-sters claim Drake big time, but so do we funk-sters. This is book is well-researched. I appreciated reading about his university days, hearing about the germination of songs I love so much, and getting the perspective of his long suffering parents, but the book's subject still proves fairly elusive by the end. Each time I re-read this, I'm always sad all over again that the mental health resources that are so ubiquitous and considerably less tinged with stigma today were not really available to him.
November 25, 2012
This book was such a romanticized piece of garbage playing on the (unfairly) romanticized mythos of Drake's untimely death. Since he seems to have been a fairly private guy, all the book really provides is contradictory conjecture about the man's life, and by the end one finds that the book hasn't really taught you anything about Drake, what he did with his life, or what kind of person he was. All you get really is a lot of other people's guesses as to what Drake was like. This was a real piece of hackwork.
March 9, 2007
I thought I would learn something about his life..apparently he didn't talk much. Fans only.
September 17, 2020
I went into this book as a lover of Nick Drake's music. I wasn't overly obsessed, but I was familiar with the genius within his discography, and obviously a fan enough to read an entire book about him. Journeying through his life story was both revealing yet not, in that his life was exactly what you would expect of a middle class English boy born in 1948. And I guess that was part of the tragedy of Nick's life for me - nothing really went all that wrong, yet somehow he still fell apart. There was a reserve and sadness about him that should be hard to explain even in a 300 page biography, yet somehow Patrick Humphries does it beautifully. All the interviews and input from those who knew him did this book a world of good. I feel like now I know who he is, and I can listen and decipher the emotion of his music in a much more personal light. I entered the book as a fan, and have left as a friend. A helpless, sad and distant friend, but a friend nevertheless.
"... even the brief life of Nick Drake abounds with contradictions: the boy who seemed to personify the corrosive effects of loneliness, though he never really left his parents' home; who found communication such an effort, but reached out so fluently, to so many, through his work."
"... even the brief life of Nick Drake abounds with contradictions: the boy who seemed to personify the corrosive effects of loneliness, though he never really left his parents' home; who found communication such an effort, but reached out so fluently, to so many, through his work."
July 26, 2023
This is what you get when an upper middle-class public schoolboy writer does a biography of an upper middle-class public schoolboy musician and only interviews other privately educated upper-middle class people. You end up with quotes from people saying stuff like "Nick Drake would have had a much easier time in the music business if he were working class, because working class people aren't sensitive like him" about a guy who grew up in a massive house with musical parents and musical instruments, went on to a posh elite school, got into Cambridge despite fairly average grades at A-level and spent most of his youth holidaying in the south of France at the villas of his posho friends. Nothing against Nick Drake who wrote some beautiful music. But the guy had every advantage possible and to suggest that people who have nothing, no support network, no wealthy parents and friends, no music lessons or instruments, no industry connections etc have an easier time breaking into the music world is both absurd and incredibly insulting. The people interviewed in this book mostly seem to exist in a bubble of privilege and obliviousness.
August 14, 2011
I didn't pick up this book as a Nick Drake fan. Although Nick Drake's name faintly rang a bell, I hadn't known anything about him really and a quick look at Wikipedia told me, he was this depressed guy, who died when he was only 26.
But fortunately Patrick Humphries doesn't concentrate only on those dark days in the last years of his short life, which were undeniably there. No, he found school mates from the public school Nick went to and also friends from his time at Cambridge, who draw the picture of a shy but happy person. An anecdote about Nick Drake, which warmed my heart, was when he was at Cambridge at a friend's place, where he found and lit a candle and put it on the surface of a book and then the friend saw him "teetering off on his bicycle across the college, balancing that huge book on his handlebars. He was shielding the flame, and with the candle still flickering, cycled off."
A bit unclear is how he knew all these people in London and how he got into contact with them. What kind of irritated me was the talk about "myth" and "cult" about Nick Drake and the question why his music is still so popular. In my opinion that is a question which every person, who listens to Nick Drake's music, has to answer for him- or herself. For my taste Patrick Humphries uses the words cult and myth too often, even if he tries to downplay that part.
All in all a good read about a normal guy, who wasn't so normal after all.
But fortunately Patrick Humphries doesn't concentrate only on those dark days in the last years of his short life, which were undeniably there. No, he found school mates from the public school Nick went to and also friends from his time at Cambridge, who draw the picture of a shy but happy person. An anecdote about Nick Drake, which warmed my heart, was when he was at Cambridge at a friend's place, where he found and lit a candle and put it on the surface of a book and then the friend saw him "teetering off on his bicycle across the college, balancing that huge book on his handlebars. He was shielding the flame, and with the candle still flickering, cycled off."
A bit unclear is how he knew all these people in London and how he got into contact with them. What kind of irritated me was the talk about "myth" and "cult" about Nick Drake and the question why his music is still so popular. In my opinion that is a question which every person, who listens to Nick Drake's music, has to answer for him- or herself. For my taste Patrick Humphries uses the words cult and myth too often, even if he tries to downplay that part.
All in all a good read about a normal guy, who wasn't so normal after all.
July 4, 2017
For serious fans only, and maybe not even them. And I consider myself one.
This book wasn't so much bad as Nick Drake's life was so wildly unspectacular that there was hardly any story to tell/worth telling. The author painstakingly interviewed everyone who knew ND and each one confirmed: "I had no idea what was going on with him. He seemed messed up. He never talked."
I found some of the information about how the music business worked at the time and about the recording and arranging of Nick's music rather interesting, though, and I'm glad I read it for the biographical overview, but I felt the book could have been shortened substantially.
This book wasn't so much bad as Nick Drake's life was so wildly unspectacular that there was hardly any story to tell/worth telling. The author painstakingly interviewed everyone who knew ND and each one confirmed: "I had no idea what was going on with him. He seemed messed up. He never talked."
I found some of the information about how the music business worked at the time and about the recording and arranging of Nick's music rather interesting, though, and I'm glad I read it for the biographical overview, but I felt the book could have been shortened substantially.
August 31, 2014
Obviously quite a sad story since the chronically depressed Drake died, either accidentally or deliberately by overdose, at age twenty-six. This biography is unlikely to interest readers who are not already Drake fans. He released only three albums in his short lifetime, and it's his last, Pink Moon, I've always been enamored of. I've never heard a collection of songs that so beautifully and perfectly capture the infinite sadness and utter desolation of profound melancholy.
July 16, 2023
Het moet niet eenvoudig geweest zijn om dit portret te schrijven: Nick Drake heeft buiten zijn muziek haast niets achtergelaten, geen echte interviews afgelegd, meer een handjevol optredens gegeven en vanaf een bepaalde tijd nauwelijks meer een woord gezegd. Door alles op Nick Drake heen uitvoerig te beschrijven, blijft een veelzeggend 'gat' over, dat meer zegt dan in woorden gevat kan worden.
Door de uitvoerige beschrijvingen soms ietwat langdradig, maar voornamelijk een heel erg goed en ontroerend portret.
Door de uitvoerige beschrijvingen soms ietwat langdradig, maar voornamelijk een heel erg goed en ontroerend portret.
March 26, 2012
The Biography Nick Drake By Patrick Humphries
This is a great Biography on Nick Drake one of
the more misunderstood and mysterious characters
to come out of the 60's music scene this book
delves deep into Nicks short life from a young
and gifted athlete at Marlborough College where
his sprinting records lasted for over 20 years!!
To seeing the Rolling Stones in Marrakesh where
he even found them and busked for them at there
hotel!! Not bad for someone always described as
shy and withdrawn!
To going to Cambridge University and dropping out
when his first album came out after he managed to
sign a deal with Island records that guaranteed
his records would never be deleted!!
There are great stories about his live shows the
few that they were in comparison to most artists
of the time, but he did shows with among others
John Martyn, Fairport Convention, Atomic Rooster,
Genesis (Pre-Phil Collins).
Loads of detail on the recording of all his
albums and how he slowly withdrew into himself
and regularly turned up at peoples houses and
stayed for 2 or three days without speaking!!
Good explanations of what makes his music special
and the special tunings he had for all his songs
that make them so hard to play and almost
impossible to get the sound right.
There is a good deal on the events leading up to
his overdosing on Tryptazine that he had been
prescribed as an anti-depressant after waking up
in the middle of the night and eating a bowl of
Cornflakes. Apparently the pills were very easy
to OD on and were not a good drug to be on.
The book also has stuff on how his fame and sales
have grown steadily since his death and the
additions to the 3 albums he put out in his
lifetime including the Bedroom Tapes bootleg and
Time of No Reply, but as the book came out in
1997 it misses the heights of his popularity in
the new Millenium with the use of his music on
Young Americans and the finding of some lost
tapes that meant the official release of Made To
Love Magic with it's rare treasures and the high
quality boot that is Second Grace that contains
most of the unreleased songs Patrick talks about.
A great book about a very talented and deep guy.
This is a great Biography on Nick Drake one of
the more misunderstood and mysterious characters
to come out of the 60's music scene this book
delves deep into Nicks short life from a young
and gifted athlete at Marlborough College where
his sprinting records lasted for over 20 years!!
To seeing the Rolling Stones in Marrakesh where
he even found them and busked for them at there
hotel!! Not bad for someone always described as
shy and withdrawn!
To going to Cambridge University and dropping out
when his first album came out after he managed to
sign a deal with Island records that guaranteed
his records would never be deleted!!
There are great stories about his live shows the
few that they were in comparison to most artists
of the time, but he did shows with among others
John Martyn, Fairport Convention, Atomic Rooster,
Genesis (Pre-Phil Collins).
Loads of detail on the recording of all his
albums and how he slowly withdrew into himself
and regularly turned up at peoples houses and
stayed for 2 or three days without speaking!!
Good explanations of what makes his music special
and the special tunings he had for all his songs
that make them so hard to play and almost
impossible to get the sound right.
There is a good deal on the events leading up to
his overdosing on Tryptazine that he had been
prescribed as an anti-depressant after waking up
in the middle of the night and eating a bowl of
Cornflakes. Apparently the pills were very easy
to OD on and were not a good drug to be on.
The book also has stuff on how his fame and sales
have grown steadily since his death and the
additions to the 3 albums he put out in his
lifetime including the Bedroom Tapes bootleg and
Time of No Reply, but as the book came out in
1997 it misses the heights of his popularity in
the new Millenium with the use of his music on
Young Americans and the finding of some lost
tapes that meant the official release of Made To
Love Magic with it's rare treasures and the high
quality boot that is Second Grace that contains
most of the unreleased songs Patrick talks about.
A great book about a very talented and deep guy.
September 1, 2008
this book covers the life and works of one of my all-time favorite composers and musicians, nick drake. patrick humphries wrote this book quite nicely -- somehow he manages to tie in the emotional obsession with nick along with all the factual data about how/where/when he grew up.
there's also quite a bit of interesting information about the cultural/social/environmental climate surrounding nick's life - the political goings-on as well as a bit of history of rock for those interested. for instance, i knew little to nothing about island records before i read this book, and now i feel like i have a better knowledge of not only the record company, but also the people and musicians involved with it.
i found this book to be a tad annoying at times, especially when patrick would go into one of his speculative tirades based on a question like, "why was nick's music so influential and loved?" but you gotta give him some points for the ways he sort of leads these discussions. who else would ask?
above all, i find that this book answers some of the mysteriousness surrounding nick's life, death, and music. if nothing else, patrick humphries taught me that it's better to listen to his music rather than to obsess over his life (as many do). after all, what's the use in trying to figure out what went wrong when we can simply praise what nick wanted us to praise? (that being his most precious gift - music).
<3
there's also quite a bit of interesting information about the cultural/social/environmental climate surrounding nick's life - the political goings-on as well as a bit of history of rock for those interested. for instance, i knew little to nothing about island records before i read this book, and now i feel like i have a better knowledge of not only the record company, but also the people and musicians involved with it.
i found this book to be a tad annoying at times, especially when patrick would go into one of his speculative tirades based on a question like, "why was nick's music so influential and loved?" but you gotta give him some points for the ways he sort of leads these discussions. who else would ask?
above all, i find that this book answers some of the mysteriousness surrounding nick's life, death, and music. if nothing else, patrick humphries taught me that it's better to listen to his music rather than to obsess over his life (as many do). after all, what's the use in trying to figure out what went wrong when we can simply praise what nick wanted us to praise? (that being his most precious gift - music).
<3
January 1, 2019
Saat googling dengan keyword "music like kings of convenience", di music-map.com keluar nama Nick Drake. Momen yg pas untuk mulai mendengarkannya, sambil mengambil sebuah terjemahan biografinya yg sudah ngantri di daftar bacaan. Membaca buku ini adalah membaca sebuah kisah tragis, depresif. Karena musisi ini langka omong, maka hampir seluruh yg diceritakan di buku ini adalah dari pandangan orang sekitarnya. Membaca biografi ini juga sekaligus bisa menjelajah skena musik era 60an sampai 70an awal.
December 26, 2023
I was excited to read this book, but it very quickly felt padded out, going into unnecessary detail about tangential things, which makes me think that, despite all the mystique around Nick Drake, there isn't much of a story to tell.
June 14, 2007
As interested as I was the writing, was really uninteresting.
Want to read
July 20, 2009His story breaks my heart; what a wonderful talent. Reading this as soon as I can get my hands on it.
January 26, 2020
This biography started off well, but gets bogged down in retelling the mental state/personality decline of Drake through the middle of this telling of Drake tragic short life.
February 22, 2025
I have three books on Nick Drake to read, this was the first one to arrive.
Thankfully, I started reading it before looking at the reviews, if I had I am uncertain if I would have started, given some of the comments on this book. I disagree that it is a hack job, which is one particular comment that jumped out at me.
The author provides a lot of context to the times and music scene of the late 60s and early 70s, this in itself explains a considerable amount for those of us who missed Nick Drake’s work when he was alive.
I started reading these more detailed examinations of Nick Drake after wondering if I had accidentally encoded him playing in a pub in Cambridge in 1973. Through this and the Pink Moon files I realise that I couldn’t have seen him play at that time as he had already retired to his parents home by then.
The author provides plenty of confirmation from friends and family, while I understand that the other two books I have invested in are more sanctioned by the family than this book. There are snippets and quotes throughout the book that provide a thread for the author’s story, which rolls along in an interesting way. There is a good deal of repetition where the author reminds you of particular quotes, context or opinions to assert his perspective which doesn’t pass judgement but does walk a fine line in explaining a life. The early sections of the book are very informative about Nick Drake’s family and education. The section on specific reissues of Nick Drake’s work was really helpful.
I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to comparing the two other books on Nick Drake’s life.
Thankfully, I started reading it before looking at the reviews, if I had I am uncertain if I would have started, given some of the comments on this book. I disagree that it is a hack job, which is one particular comment that jumped out at me.
The author provides a lot of context to the times and music scene of the late 60s and early 70s, this in itself explains a considerable amount for those of us who missed Nick Drake’s work when he was alive.
I started reading these more detailed examinations of Nick Drake after wondering if I had accidentally encoded him playing in a pub in Cambridge in 1973. Through this and the Pink Moon files I realise that I couldn’t have seen him play at that time as he had already retired to his parents home by then.
The author provides plenty of confirmation from friends and family, while I understand that the other two books I have invested in are more sanctioned by the family than this book. There are snippets and quotes throughout the book that provide a thread for the author’s story, which rolls along in an interesting way. There is a good deal of repetition where the author reminds you of particular quotes, context or opinions to assert his perspective which doesn’t pass judgement but does walk a fine line in explaining a life. The early sections of the book are very informative about Nick Drake’s family and education. The section on specific reissues of Nick Drake’s work was really helpful.
I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to comparing the two other books on Nick Drake’s life.
March 30, 2019
Since his untimely death at the age of twenty-six in late 1974, the cult surrounding Nick Drake and his brief yet exquisitely beautiful discography continues to grow. Patrick Humphries' articulate and respectable chronicle of Drake's life, pieced together from recollections of the enigmatic musician's friends and family, is an undoubtedly sombre read. As many others have stated, Drake's life was far from uplifting. He has become an archetypal Romantic figure; a musical incarnate of the poets who inspired him - Shelley, Byron and Keats. Lost souls who were far too beautiful for this world, and only found recognition upon death.
In Nick Drake: The Biography , Humphries' is able to deconstruct the mythos of Nick Drake by revealing incongruous images of his idyllic childhood and years spent as an athletic college student, before depression turned Drake into a shell of his former self. Humphries' dismisses the notion that Drake's decline was due solely to his lack of commercial success, and instead draws a more balanced conclusion lacking in both the speculation and romanticism prevalent among Drake's fanbase.
Humphries does a brilliant job at constructing a moving account of Nick Drake. However, perhaps the greatest aspect of his wonderfully crafted portrait is not found in his deconstruction of Drake's image. More so, Nick Drake: The Biography serves as an explanation of how a seemingly unremarkable life laid the foundations for such a potent cloud of myth and legend.
In Nick Drake: The Biography , Humphries' is able to deconstruct the mythos of Nick Drake by revealing incongruous images of his idyllic childhood and years spent as an athletic college student, before depression turned Drake into a shell of his former self. Humphries' dismisses the notion that Drake's decline was due solely to his lack of commercial success, and instead draws a more balanced conclusion lacking in both the speculation and romanticism prevalent among Drake's fanbase.
Humphries does a brilliant job at constructing a moving account of Nick Drake. However, perhaps the greatest aspect of his wonderfully crafted portrait is not found in his deconstruction of Drake's image. More so, Nick Drake: The Biography serves as an explanation of how a seemingly unremarkable life laid the foundations for such a potent cloud of myth and legend.
May 31, 2023
I first heard Five Leaves Left over 20 years ago, on the recommendation of a friend, but knew little about Nick Drake other than that he was an exceptional guitar player and died very young, not achieving any great recognition in his lifetime.
This book filled in lots of gaps although I now understand how many questions have remained unanswered. I liked the approach of the author in avoiding more myth building and attempting to recognise the human achievements of this exceptional musician. That may have upset some worshippers but I think it was a fair and balanced approach.
I have ended up favouring Pink Moon over the earlier albums as the influence of other musicians is less apparent. That stripped back approach of just acoustic guitar and vocals. It was fascinating to read about the construction of each album though, and very sad to bear witness to this young man's mental decline and eventual death.
There is a new biography being published very soon that has the cooperation of Drake's family and record label so it will be interesting to contrast the books.
This book filled in lots of gaps although I now understand how many questions have remained unanswered. I liked the approach of the author in avoiding more myth building and attempting to recognise the human achievements of this exceptional musician. That may have upset some worshippers but I think it was a fair and balanced approach.
I have ended up favouring Pink Moon over the earlier albums as the influence of other musicians is less apparent. That stripped back approach of just acoustic guitar and vocals. It was fascinating to read about the construction of each album though, and very sad to bear witness to this young man's mental decline and eventual death.
There is a new biography being published very soon that has the cooperation of Drake's family and record label so it will be interesting to contrast the books.
March 31, 2025
The story of the life, death and legend of Nick Drake. He had everything going for him, and when he left school (he was a Marlborough man), popular and successful, to go to Cambridge University, he looked set to enjoy the privileged life his parents had intended for him. But his music, though highly rated by music industry peers, was not commercially successful, and this, among other things -- some say drugs -- led him to withdraw from the world, eventually leading to his death from an overdose of an anti-depressant.
The image of the increasingly zombie-like Drake is driven home by countless comments of friends describing his spending hours with them without saying a word, or turning up unannounced at their home, spending the evening without speaking, and then disappearing by morning. His friends must have been very fond of him indeed to tolerate such antisocial behaviour, but apart from his parents, no-one intervened to help him.
A well-written, detailed, sympathetic biography.
The image of the increasingly zombie-like Drake is driven home by countless comments of friends describing his spending hours with them without saying a word, or turning up unannounced at their home, spending the evening without speaking, and then disappearing by morning. His friends must have been very fond of him indeed to tolerate such antisocial behaviour, but apart from his parents, no-one intervened to help him.
A well-written, detailed, sympathetic biography.
March 14, 2020
Wonderful insight into a man who I knew absolutely nothing about at the start. An enigmatic figure who has been recognised more since his death, at the age of 26 in 1974, than before. A man who was a very able athlete at school, with much potential in sprinting in particular, but also featured as a rugby player too. However, it was his music for which he has become posthumously famous. It seems that he hated doing live gigs, it would seem due to a dislike of raucous behaviour, that stopped people from properly listening, and also to an apparent shyness. At times, he expressed himself to feel like a total failure at everything he tried, and his sensitive nature appears to have been unable to bear that pain. He died of an overdose of anti-depressants that had been medically prescribed. A verdict of suicide was given. Various people think that it was a tragic accident, caused by taking extra tablets in order to aid sleep.
February 5, 2024
‘Take care of your memories, said Nick, for you cannot relive them…’
A very interesting, yet saddening story which delves into the life of Nick Drake. A man who was seemingly troubled with how he was perceived among other things, the book tries to form an image of who Nick Drake was.
It was very touching to read about memoirs from people her knew Drake personally, and to actually read about who he was, as a person.
Despite this, at times the book brought up certain irreverent details and strayed away from the actual purpose of the book. Moreover, many portions of the book did solely speak about how those who were around Drake did not truly know who he was. Besides this, I did enjoy reading this book.
A very interesting, yet saddening story which delves into the life of Nick Drake. A man who was seemingly troubled with how he was perceived among other things, the book tries to form an image of who Nick Drake was.
It was very touching to read about memoirs from people her knew Drake personally, and to actually read about who he was, as a person.
Despite this, at times the book brought up certain irreverent details and strayed away from the actual purpose of the book. Moreover, many portions of the book did solely speak about how those who were around Drake did not truly know who he was. Besides this, I did enjoy reading this book.
October 31, 2022
Very thorough and interesting telling of Nick's life, music, and some of the factors which have contributed to his cult following. It was a bit inconvenient to have to Google song lyrics to see what was being referred to at times, but I know that's not the author's fault as it was a legal issue. I also didn't entirely agree with the author's assessment that sadistic abuse endured from authority figures at school had little-to-no effect on Nick's mental state, given what science has discovered about the long-term effects of trauma on the brain. But overall this was a very informative book, packed with amusing and enlightening anecdotes about this little-understood genius and his life's work.
November 25, 2020
7/10
Pretty bloated in places (3 pages on the history of the Burmese timber trade?) but I guess that’s to be expected from a nearly 300 page book about an artist who only recorded 3 albums, played a handful of gigs, did one interview and died at 26.
I did enjoy the detail and specifics that Humphries goes into about Drake’s songwriting and guitar playing though. Weirdly this is something I often find is left out of music biogs.
I’d be interested in reading an updated version with 25 more years of hindsight and revisionist analysis of Drake’s oeuvre.
Pretty bloated in places (3 pages on the history of the Burmese timber trade?) but I guess that’s to be expected from a nearly 300 page book about an artist who only recorded 3 albums, played a handful of gigs, did one interview and died at 26.
I did enjoy the detail and specifics that Humphries goes into about Drake’s songwriting and guitar playing though. Weirdly this is something I often find is left out of music biogs.
I’d be interested in reading an updated version with 25 more years of hindsight and revisionist analysis of Drake’s oeuvre.
January 17, 2019
Actually I've read the Indonesian translation version. Read this book as an attempt to understand the interplay between musicians and depression: why are musicians prone to depression? And what is the best strategy to fight it.
The tragic story of Nick Drake in this biography can explain these problem and become a valuable learning for all of us. So, why are musicians vulnerable to depression? Please read this book yourself to know the answer.
The tragic story of Nick Drake in this biography can explain these problem and become a valuable learning for all of us. So, why are musicians vulnerable to depression? Please read this book yourself to know the answer.
June 1, 2021
I like nick drake. But i never thought that his biography was going to be this sad and depressingly mysterious. If i can travel through times, i will go to the time where nick was still alive and be friends with him. This biography is still well written and makes me wonder how a great artist can live once a happy live but falls apart when trying to make a living out of his music. I'm sad because he has to go through that. RIP Nick Drake.
November 24, 2023
“From this distance, Nick does appear, in his sister Gabrielle’s words, to have been with ‘a skin too few’, too sensitive for his own good, too acutely aware of his failings, too willing to find fault with himself. But these things alone are not enough to explain away the illness which drove him, literally, to despair.”
November 9, 2025
Was this book even edited? Woefully woefully repetitive, no doubt due to a lack of primary sources (ie ND's family). Far too much dwelling on the imponderables and way too much leveraging in of a very dubious personal connection to the subject. Could've/ should've/ would've been a fascinating magazine article but somehow was padded out to a book length biography.
April 25, 2021
Superbly well written. De-mythologizes the untimely end of Nick Drake. Some dedicated journalism in evidence here given the lack of material provided by Drake himself. Fascinating insight into the man, and to what was, as well as what could have been.
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