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Nick Drake: The Biography
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this ebook
'An exquisite portrait' MOJO
'A riveting account of the golden-boy genius' EVENING STANDARD
Nick Drake was barely twenty-six years old when he died in 1974, but in his short lifetime he recorded three albums that are now recognised as classics: Five Leaves Left, Bryter Later and Pink Moon.
Several decades after his death, he has amassed a huge following; his haunting songs cast a pervasive influence over the contemporary music scene, and many of today's most successful songwriters cite him as a major inspiration.
In this unrivalled biography, Patrick Humphries offers real insight into the man behind the legend, through extensive interviews with family, friends and the musicians who knew and worked alongside him. This portrait of Nick Drake is an essential and uniquely personal account of his life and career.
'A rich, moving account of a troubled spirit, a mature biography of a briefly flickering talent unable to come to terms with the adult world … The writing is zestful and intelligent and the text illuminating … A literary memorial fit to stand alongside the songs' UNCUT
Author
Patrick Humphries
Patrick Humphries has been a professional writer and journalist for over 40 years, with over 20 books to his credit, including Rolling Stones 69 (Omnibus, 2019). He was film editor at Vox magazine, which is when he began writing about and researching Cleopatra.
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Reviews for Nick Drake
Rating: 3.797872340425532 out of 5 stars
4/5
47 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Patrick Humphries' aim in this biography seems to be to complicate some of the myths and legends that have sprung up around Nick Drake in the years following his death; to turn him from a mythical, doomed creature into a human being. In this he is quite successful. Although, once he's torn down the myths he doesn't put very much in their place. This is quite understandable with the lack of information available and it isn't for want of trying; Humphries interviews every Tom, Dick and Harry who ever bumped into Drake for a brief few minutes. Standout interviewees include Linda Thompson who was clearly very motherly and affectionate towards Drake during his career and Joe Boyd who perhaps knew Drake better than anyone else other than his family.When he departs from these interviews, the book becomes weighed down by Humphries' long descriptions of the culture around Drake, clichéd descriptions of the impact of The Beatles or The Sex Pistols, which often end up stating the obvious and revealing little. They are delivered in a poetic style with which Humphries seems to be trying to imitate the mood of Drake's music, which I found quite tiresome. But when he stays on topic, describes the events of Nick's life and talks to the people who knew him best, the book is quite wonderful and left me feeling closer to Nick Drake the man.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Obviously 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.
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Nick Drake - Patrick Humphries
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