Françoise Discussing Nick Drake in Mojo Magazine, 1997

Françoise Hardy on Nick Drake:

"For me, he didn't belong to a particularly British tradition: his style was quite different from that of The Beatles, the Stones and other groups that I was listening to a lot around this time. It is the *soul* which comes out of his songs that touched me deeply - romantic, poetic...but also the refined... melodies. As well as the very individual timbre of his voice, which added to the melancholy of the whole thing.

Nick seemed - and was no doubt - so shy, so wrapped up in himself that in retrospect, I'm astonished that he managed to come and see me two or three times, even knowing that I appreciated his enormous talent. Communication between us was never great, but I had the impression that to know himself appreciated, loved, gave him confidence; and that to feel that his silent presence was accepted was good enough for him."

As told to Patrick Humphries.

This was, according to Humphries, the first time Françoise had spoken about her friendship with Nick Drake. I wish there was more information regarding the rumored collaboration that was to have taken place. If only, if only....

Je pense que la plupart des fans regrettent qu'il n'y ait pas eu de collaboration artistique entre ces 2 monstres sacrés !!! Je suis le 1er à le regretter amèrement car j'adore toujours l'univers de Nick DRAKE qu'il m'arrive d'écouter de temps à autre ... A mes yeux, N.DRAKE incarne ou incarnait (mieux vaut parler au présent ...) "La beauté du diable", pour reprendre le titre d'une chanson de FH ... Il était un écorché-vif, toujours très inquiet , avec des maux à l'âme et au corps ...


____________________
"...m'effacer et me fondre
dans la nuit
fuir d'ici
sans faire de bruit..."

Nick suffered from very serious depression. I believe he accidentally overdosed on his antidepressants rather than committing suicide as that is what his family believes. According to his family, Françoise's love of Nick's music made him very happy in the early part of 1974. He was not one to abuse drugs or anything of that nature, just a sad, lonely, misunderstood young man.