How do cults begin? Trevor Dann concludes his very readable biography of Nick Drake, Darker than the Deepest Sea, with a chapter outlining the growth of the ‘Drake cult’ in the 1990s. If you have the misfortune to be dead, you’re going to need four ingredients, at least, for a posthumous lift-off. First, you’ve got to be admiringly namechecked by an artist of a younger generation whose every pronouncement is seized on as Holy Writ by his fans – Paul Weller, in Drake’s case. Second, your music needs to be used in a car commercial (think Volkswagen – ‘Pink Moon’). Third, you must find – or be found by – a Hollywood A-lister interested enough in your music to narrate a documentary about you (yes, Brad Pitt). And fourth, there should be a critical mass of fans placed high enough in the media industry to ensure that, eventually, the articles about you go to press and the documentaries go to air. Oh, and fifth, it helps if you were a bloke: teenage boys, that crucial demographic – even the ones who grew up on JK Rowling – notoriously won’t consume art made by girls.
On this reading, Sandy Denny is not well placed for transfiguration – unless Angelina Jolie nurtures a secret love of English folk-rock. All the more reason why the upcoming thirtieth anniversary of Denny’s death in April 2008 should be used as an opportunity to promote her work. A recent thread on the TalkAwhile forum (www.talkawhile.co.uk) explored some of the possibilities: a tribute CD, a concert at a London venue. Also to be hoped for, and agitated for by licence-payers, is a BBC4 documentary. Big projects require a generous lead-time, so it is not premature to start thinking now.
In trying to kick-start such events myself, I hesitate slightly (am I being wimpish?) to approach the musicians who were closest to her, being unsure whether they want a lot of ballyhoo around what for them must be a sad anniversary. On the other hand, the purpose would be to celebrate Denny’s work and legacy...Joy... Humour... Good stuff... The qualities caught in this wonderful photo by Steve Caraway, taken at the Greek Theatre, Berkeley, California in 1975:
(Photo courtesy of: www.stevecarawayimages.com. Used with permission. Thanks to Jamie Taylor for tracking it down)
To quote Thompson’s Foreword once again, ‘perhaps it will take a concerted campaign to put Sandy on the map where she deserves to be’.
4 comments:
So we get all this fame, and then what? We die.
Jesus said it best: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
"And he spake a parable unto them, saying, 'The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, "What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?"
"'And he said, "This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry!'"
"'But God said unto him, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.'"
www.needgod.com
Philip, I have added Sandy Denny to my Links at Chris Kay Blog. She was the best!
Dear Philip, I discover your blog through talkawhile website I visit as a registered member. Good idea for all Sandy's friends (a friend is more than a fan, isn't it?). There are eventually rockstar that could support Sandy memory, i. e. Elton John, Plant & Page, Pete Townsend (ok, no Robbie Williams nor David Beckham), quite famous novelist like Ian Rankin, a well known folk rock addict. Anyway I live in Italy and I don't know how to get them involved in such a project. For me it's a wonderful thing to find friendship though Sandy ...
all the best
Paolo
For an insight into how the VW commercial in 2000 transformed Nick Drake’s fortunes (in every sense) a quarter of a century after his death, have a look at this: www.33third.blogspot.com. It quotes from a forthcoming book about the Pink Moon album in Continuum’s 33 1/3 series. Advertising copywriter Shane Hutton, who masterminded this bit of product placement, recalls how sales of Pink Moon ‘went from zero to a shitload’ in a matter of weeks.
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