The Success Diva is feeling impetuous today, and this means she’s capable of nearly anything! I’ve featured two very ‘traditional’ creative geniuses thus far in my Inspirational People category. So, it’s time to shake things up a bit. . .and I promise you, you’re going to love the fact that I’m feeling completely and utterly unpredictable. In general, I am a diva who leans heavily towards classical music, in terms of the music I like to listen to most. I begin every day with Mozart, and I find myself listening to Bach, Chopin, and other similar composers while I’m writing and editing my blog updates, dashing missives off to friends, and networking. I do opt for John Lennon and/or “The Beatles” at times, and there are other specific non-classical singers/groups that are favorites of mine.
But this was one man I didn’t know about until one of my closest friends shared his music with me. His name is Nick Drake, and, if you haven’t ever heard his music before, I almost envy you. To hear Nick sing and play for the first time is to experience something magical, haunting, and extraordinary. Nick Drake was born in England on June 19, 1948. He was highly skilled at playing the guitar, in addition to the clarinet, piano, and saxophone. When he was 20-years-old, Nick released his first album, Five Leaves Left with Island Records. He was ambivalent about performing before live audiences, and none of his albums, including Pink Moon and Bryter Layter sold more than 5,000 copies when they were initially released.
Those who knew Drake describe a man who seems to have been enigmatic and complicated. Robert Kirby, a Cambridge friend of Drake’s who orchestrated his first two albums said, “Nick was in a strange way out of time. When you were with him, you always had the sad feeling of him having been born in the wrong century. If he would have lived in the 17th Century Elizabethan Court, together with composers like Dowland and William Byrd, he would have been alright. Nick was elegant, honest, a lost romantic—and at the same time so cool. In brief: the perfect Elizabethan.”
Regrettably, like so many of those who are creatively gifted, Nick suffered from deep depression. Indeed, he had manic-depressive disorder (now also called bi-polar disorder) and also battled insomnia. He completed his third album, the unforgettable Pink Moon in 1972, and, after that he ceased performing and recording. He moved back into his parents’ home in Warwickshire, and, on November 25, 1974, he was found dead from an overdose of amitriptyline, a prescribed anti-depressant. Nick Drake was just 26-years old.
Nick Drake has not been forgotten, though I’ve been unable to find very many sites paying tribute to him on the web. You can find out a little more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Drake
However, I think that you might be even more enlightened in regard to Nick, his life, and his music from watching a clip from a documentary that was made about him, “A Skin Too Few”. It is an amazing documentary, in four parts, featuring rare interviews with those who knew Drake (including his sister), in addition to clips from some of his most memorable songs. This is a link to Part One:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R7vzeEVoV0
Nick Drake’s song, “Pink Moon,” has been a favorite of mine ever since I first heard it. Don’t miss hearing it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE0ODrmaiFE
This page and all written material at The Success Diva pages is written by Alexis Wingate. All rights are reserved. (C) Copyright by Alexis Wingate. The Success Diva
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