Last year I bought a Nick Drake album called "Family Tree", which is described as an album of "home recordings". Essentially, it's Drake playing guitar and singing in his room, while taping the result. It's not high quality but it's Nick Drake. Since his death in the 70s, his popularity has grown and there's a real hunger to hear this man's voice and music.
As I listened to the songs, I was struck by a parallel: songs are to a singer, as a scene is to a fiction writer. Each is a discrete, distinct entity, part of a whole (the album, the book) yet capable of standing on its own. A scene, I thought, is a writer's song. This had never occurred to me before and it seemed profound.
Now, as I find myself outlining the initial scenes for my new novel, "The Worlds", I'm reminded of that perception. I can push it further: the initial scenes of a book are like the choice of songs to lead off an album. They set the tone, establish the style and (hopefully) wake the reader up. They say "stay tuned, more like this (or better) ahead".
I'm finally happy with the progression of initial scenes for the book. I haven't written them all yet; I've done some and have headers that represent the others. The logical order is established. Now I have to make music with this.
Someone -- I'm not sure who -- did a nice job with this Nick Drake video. There's not much to work with since there are few pictures of Drake but the photos in this video are evocative and presented in a pleasing way. This is my favorite of his songs (though Pink Moon is up there too). I've posted the song before but the new video gives me an excuse to re-post. Here it is.
The TV weatherman tells me that tonight is the Pink Moon. I didn't know there was such a thing. Apparently it's a Native American name referring to the pink flowers that bloom at this time of year.
Of course, Nick Drake's song of the same name is familiar to me. I always assumed he made the title up. Guess not, huh? Anyway, tonight's official Pink Moon gives me license to post the song again, and that's a good thing. If you haven't heard it, and even if you have, give a listen.
Do you know this song? It's by Robyn Hitchcock, whom I find occasionally brilliant. I like his minimalist approach to music. The song is about another British performer/songwriter -- the "enigmatic" Nick Drake. It's some kind of wonderful. Below Robyn's video you'll find one by the man himself, Nick Drake. Consider this a parable for your Sunday morning.
Nick Drake died in 1974 at 26 years old. It was an overdose of amytriptylene, of all things -- an anti-depressant. Here are the lyrics to the Drake song:
Place to be
When I was young, younger than before
I never saw the truth hanging from the door
And now I’m older see it face to face
And now I’m older gotta get up, clean the place
And I was green, greener than the hill
Where flowers grew and sun shone still
Now I’m darker than the deepest sea
Just hand me down, give me a place to be
And I was strong, strong in the sun
I thought I’d see when day was done
Now I’m weaker than the palest blue
Oh, so weak in this need for you
For more Nick Drake, try this link to Pink Moon. I had never heard his music before encountering Hitchcock's song but I've since bought an album (Pink Moon remastered) and am now an official fan. Magical guy -- a minimalist like Hitchcock but as I say, I like that. Their lyrics suggest rather than state. Suggestion is so large, I always think.
This has been your sparsely-told Sunday music story. And though it seems like a parable I'm not sure what the message is. If he'd OD'd on heroin it would be a different story. But an anti-depressant?
By the way, there's an incorrect word in one of the lines in the video of the Hitchcock song. It's not "We'll lay you low" it's "will lay you low". Connected to the previous line, it's "The habits of a lifetime will lay you low." (Again: anti-depressants?)
In case you want to see the lyrics to "I Saw Nick Drake" in a readable format, here they are:
I saw Nick Drake
At the corner of time and motion
I caught his eye
And he caught mine
I said "You're tall."
He said "No taller than tomorrow's ocean."
I saw Nick Drake
And he was fine
I saw Nick Drake
As we were carrying the ice together
I saw his face
Beneath the glass
The net was gone
And all the strawberries of English weather
I saw him pass
Right through this place
I saw Nick Drake
The habits of a lifetime
Will lay you low
Into your grave
And when you're gone
You take the whole world with you
I saw Nick Drake
I saw him wave
And we're in bloom.
And now -- in fact, as you read this very sentence -- control of your computer is being returned to you. Carry on as before.
