Book Reviews

In an era in which practically anyone who put out one record 20 years ago and later died is referred to as a "cult artist," late 60s/early 70s acoustic guitarist/singer/songwriter Nick Drake is the genuine article. Though he never had anything close to a hit in his lifetime, was notoriously shy about performing live, became a virtual recluse due to clinical depression, and died of an overdose of the very drugs that were supposed to help treat his depression, fascination with his life and songs grows every day. Because Drake was not very forthcoming to anyone during his life, however, he makes an elusive biographical subject. No matter how well Humphries does his research, insight is hard to come by, and he must be content to tie whatever limited threads he can uncover into a story.

As a result, Humphries is forced to rely largely on hearsay and conjecture. Starting with a personal coincidence (Humphries' uncle was the doctor that delivered Nick Drake), he is in turn personally reflective and purely speculative. Many close friends tell of their memories of Drake as a student at Cambridge, and their eyewitness accounts tell fascinating stories of Drake de-tuning the guitar and retuning it 'til he found the sound he was looking for, ending up with highly unusual tuning patterns that he became well known for. The very real possibility that he may have once played a song or two for at least one member of the Rolling Stones is explored, as is his penchant for late-night drives, an influence in one of his better songs, "Three Hours." Whether he's talented at telling a story or is simply taking advantage of the fact that the story he's telling is a fascinating one, Humphries held my interest.

It is for good reason that Drake's fans include the likes of Richard Thompson and John Cale (both of whom played with him), Peter Buck of REM, Paul Weller, and Clive Gregson. All of the above are interviewed in this book. Many of Drake's closest friends are also interviewed, as are his parents, and they all have one thing in common: Drake never told any of them what he was thinking or going through. As a result, even when the book is at its best, there is an undertow of frustration, a feeling that Drake's life is impenetrable. Nonetheless, in the end, this book increases the knowledge that we have of a very fascinating individual.
- Dave Beltane (Panorama City, CA)