Nick Drake and Music of Seasonal Depression

          

Nick Drake was a British folk singer who passed away when he was twenty-six after releasing three albums in the early 70’s. I hadn’t known of him until this year but was intrigued by his life story. I had even looked into getting “Fruit Tree”, a box set of those three albums with a fourth of demos. It was going for at least $60 on eBay so I thought I had better listen to him on YouTube before I committed myself, no pun intended. I listened to a selection of songs and was sure I wanted to hear him in my Walkman on the bicycle. I checked Amazon and saw the set for $36, shipping included, and got it.

Afterwards, I went on Facebook and saw a friend had posted “Rivers”, the Joni Mitchell song, covered recently by Judy Collins, sounding great. it. After I read the depressing lyrics, I messaged her saying I hoped she didn’t feel the need for a river to skate away on. .

 Depression is prevalent during the holiday season. There are many things to be depressed about but many more to be thankful for. If we put one foot in front of the other and appreciate every step, we will be fine, with some blues and down time. It is the time of year to let all our friends know we love them, even grant clemency to a friend that  has drifted away and get over being disappointed. Last year I did that to John, to no avail. He thanked me for wishing him a happy new year and didn’t respond any further. I don’t think I will “grant clemency” this year. If it doesn’t bother me what happened and I'd gotten over it, what we had was in the past and it was time to move on. I love the friendships I don’t have to rekindle.

Have you heard of a folk singer named Nick Drake? I bought a used collection of his only three albums before he overdosed on anti-depressants at 26. After knowing of him for years but never having listened until YouTube last week, I realized  he is perfect to listen to when things are quiet. Late one evening, I had enough rum on the rocks and found myself  jealous of people that get depressed because of the winter holiday. I have my winter rituals to fend the darkness off.

 First of all, I usually light the menorah weeks before  gentile's depression sets in; I wonder what's the fuss; it's their fault for believing in the cult of death, as my Taiwan rabbi called Christianity.  Two songs, masterpieces of pain, come up this time of year; "River" by Joni Mitchell and "It must have been Love (but it’s over now)” by Roxette whose singer, Marie Fredriksson, passed away recently after seventeen years of pain from a stroke. I wrote a poem while up the river yesterday after my path was stopped by construction on a highway there. Instead of stopping and pining, I turned back and found a suitable bench to write from.

Read "No Skating Away on River Han" here.

          My friend on e-mail, for some reason, couldn't read the poem I posted  "I'm sorry if you can't read the white words on a black background; better than 'purple words on a gray background,' as Neil Young wrote,"  He might like to hear the versions; Joni and Roxette's superior lyrics. 
          The point of the poem is that there is nothing to get hung about in life. As Janis said: "There is no tomorrow; it's all just one fucking day", and so it's true about the weeks, months, years, and millenniums. We light the candles on Dec. 22 in the evening so it will coincide with the virgin-birthday boy. Know that all aware of the travesty of Christ interpreted by bigots and anti-Semites, inquisitors, conquistadors and colonial slave masters would not renounce their trite belief.

          I was in a chartreuse fog all day but it didn't inhibit me from doing my thing. Mom would have been 94 years old; it was ten years since she passed away. I had selected to scan a few photos with her and post them but Facebook beat me to it and resent the photos I posted two years ago. My son sent a message that he wanted to talk; I called him and listened. A package I got in the mail would have to wait. 

          When I opened the package and saw the used Nick Drake box set my second-hand melancholy was complete. I lit the candles, sang the prayers, and went over two more pages of Chinese vocabulary from Unit 13 and listened to "Five Leaves Left".