Nick Drake’s manager on the singer’s final days: “I was horrified by the state he was in”
The former manager of the cult musician Nick Drake has described the musician’s final days, stating: “I was horrified by the state he was in”.
In preparation for the release of the book Nick Drake: The Life by Richard Morton Jack, the writer sat down with The Telegraph to discuss the legacy of the iconic name alongside his ex-manager, Joe Boyd. Indeed, the phone call about the tragic death of Drake, at the age of just 23, didn’t come as a surprise to Boyd.
For Boyd, the “moment of tragic shock was when Nick came to see me in London in the winter of 1973,” he recalls, adding: “I had rented this flat in Notting Hill – and I was just horrified by the state he was in. He had deteriorated, his hair was dirty, he was sort of shaking almost, and had trouble articulating himself. He was always hesitant and shy, but this was different. Everything that happened after was almost a playing out”.
Drake was never loved when he released his first album back in 1969, with only one publication reviewing it, but Boyd found great success posthumously.
The 1970 album Bryter Layter and his final album, Pink Moon from 1972, have since seen major success with fans across the world, with Boyd stating about his eventual popularity, “I didn’t feel surprised…I was like, f—ing hell… took you long enough”.
Take a listen to Nick Drake’s ‘At the Chime of a City Clock’ below.
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