I am fortunate enough to be in possession of a copy of this superb-looking book on Nick Drake, published today by John Murray. I'm reviewing it for Caught By The River and have yet to finish reading it, but such is its sumptuous design and lay-out that I can't help periodically flicking through the pages, looking at the photos, scrapbook press cuttings and copious illustrations. One segment in particular though caught my attention. Extracts from Rodney Drake's diaries dated March 1972 to November 1974 are reprinted, and as a loving and concerned father seeing his son in such torment, they are unbearably poignant to read. What stopped me in my tracks though was the entry for Wed 26 June 1974 where Rodney relates how Nick gave him a copy of Zigzag magazine "which had a long and interesting article about himself". Rodney read the article to his wife Molly and later they both had what Rodney describes as "quite an animated talk" with Nick. "It seemed clear that the article had given him a boost and we talked about how he could get over his difficulty in talking to people". Also printed on the same page is the cover image of that copy of Zigzag - the first, and probably best, edition of that magazine that I edited. The article in question - In Search Of Nick Drake - was written by Connor McKinight, my predecessor at Zigzag and a fellow who didn't write as much as he should have. What he did write though was always worth reading. But the thought that, at the time, our humble mag helped brighten Nick Drake's day up is strangely heart-warming.
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