Nick Drake: A Skin Too Few

"I always said that Nick was born with a skin too few", says actress Gabrielle about her brother, the English singer-songwriter Nick Drake (1948-1974). This documentary approaches the silent landscapes, locations, people and music in the life of this unorthodox loner. Nick Drake is one of rock’s most tragically romantic figures. He died when he was 26: an age that for many would be far too young to develop a talent, or realise an ambition or dream. It took 20 posthumous years for his music to gain recognition. One autumn morning in 1974, Nick’s parents were unable to wake him. Nick Drake died silently and unobtrusively, and to this day it's not clear whether his death was self-determined. The significance of his three albums was only discovered two decades later. Now his music is more popular than ever and appears in big film productions and television commercials. This late success is surprising and tragic, considering Nick Drake's tortured existence. Except for boarding school and university (Cambridge) he seldom left his parents' home. Contact with others became a tremendous effort. His sensitivity was the basis for this talent but at the same time made him unable to face an audience. Caught in this spiral, he became increasingly embittered by his lack of success and gradually isolated himself.