Tuesday, April 28, 2020

John Doyle writes


Worth 

Millions

moving through solid air, solid air  
John Martyn

swinging light-bulb from a cracked ceiling scenario,
crooked-stringed acoustic guitar, 
caffeine, 
old man’s tobacco,
tapes rolling;
milkmen prowl streets shrouded in the end of days.
There were no overdubs, except that piano,
that commercial aeons later,
that moon changing tones, somewhat red, 
somewhat white,
a difficult choice, it seemed.

The kid didn't see a penny back in ‘72,
spare change for bus conductors with little to share,
a smile on a country road, 
out of petrol, 
waiting for parents to come, 
collect,
polite smiles, 
turbulent skies,

out of leaves, 
begs cigarettes
from the postman. 
He looks at the river, the sun is rising



NickDrakePinkMoon.jpgPink Moon -- Michael Trevithick

2 comments:

  1. my wifes browsing this now duanne...nice site m8!
    well done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Early in 1972, Nick Drake had a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized for 5 weeks. Guitarist John Martyn (who wrote "Solid Air" Air about Drake in 1973) called him the most withdrawn person he had ever met. His 3 albums sold poorly, as did the posthumous 1974 box set "Fruit Tree." But Robert Smith was a fan and named his band, the Cure, from the line "a troubled cure for a troubled mind" from Drake's song "Time Has Told Me." The Dream academy's single "Life in a Northern Town" (1985) was dedicated to Drake. Volkswagen used "Pink Moon" in its commercials in 1999, and the US sales of his albums shot up from 6,000 copies to 74,000. At 1st, Island Records wanted to use a photo of Drake as the cover of his final album, but his rapidly deteriorating appearance, hunched figure, and blank expression were not considered good selling points, so the firm chose a picture painted by his sister's friend Michael Trevithick.

    ReplyDelete

Join the conversation! What is your reaction to the post?