The cemetery itself was rather small. It’s adjacent to the church. And yes, the stone was a bit weathered. One small anecdote - In the cemetery, a local resident, quite elderly, slowly walked by and she looked at us all and paused. It was my wife and I and two adult daughters and all she said was “Nicky was very special” and slowly nodded her head and then went on her way.
Sounds a bit like Breath- Pink Floyd. Aside .. wonder if poor boy Nick ever got stoned listening to DSOTM?
I’ve read some question Nick’s six forum lyrics, though I always felt they contemplated his music very well.
As usual with rock bands, conflicting stories abound. Lol Tolhurst claims he named the band "Easy Cure". Which of course got shortened. I always thought the name was inspired by Camus, because that fit with the song "Killing An Arab", which of course draws from his existentialist novel "The Stranger".
Nick Drake & The Luminaries / Preface I feel there is something within most of Nick Drakes’ oeuvre which allude to the Luminaries, with one being at the forefront throughout. This I consider to be a very important exploration and I invite you to join me in the coming parts that will appear in good time. I will also examine the possibility of Nick having read key works of illumination from the 19th century. My investigation led me to two writings which made me feel as though Nick had read them himself, and the hairs on my arms stood on end at such a feeling. It is well known that Drake considered William Blake the most essential English poet, and it is clear to me now why that is so. However, the key works I allude to are not those of Blakes, nor are they poetical. Whatever the case may be, Nick Drake profoundly considered the truth within all things. Please treat this preface for something upcoming that I truly need to share and not something exclusive. I wish to make this inclusive for everyone to read. What will follow may be fascinating to some, and utter tripe to others… This is important too, for Nick’s music speaks to the part of you in need of healing and experiencing, thus your ears and your heart will hear exactly what you need to hear, and likewise feel that which your heart yearns to feel. Thus, if you disagree with my coming findings, this is perfectly understandable. I hope I follow through and deliver some of these findings for you to think about. In closing, may I leave you with a poignant quote from Nick Drake’s mother, Molly Drake, from the documentary 'A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake' (1.05mins); “I don’t think he wanted to be a star but, I think he had this feeling the he’d something to say to the people of his own generation; he had a feeling that he could make them happier, and he didn’t feel that he did that”
I've been to TIA many times over the past twenty odd years - it's always a lovely and personal moment to visit Nick's grave. I had a conversation with the vicar of the church back in the 90s who mentioned that the current owners of Far Leys had pulled the front of the house forward a little to extend it as well build outbuildings on the side. I first visited in 97 and the developments had been done by that point. Would like to have seen it in its original state but even if they did pull the front forwards they did it sensitively as it looks pretty much how it did in Nick's time.