Mike Kowalski, a renowned Californian musican steeped in the jazz tradition, played drums and percussion for The Beach Boys touring band from1968 to 1973, then again from 1977 to 1978, and finally from 1981 to 2007.
During that time he also lent his talents to other big names, including Albert Collins and Etta James. In 1970, through Nick Drake’s producer Joe Boyd, Mike and longtime friend and associate, Ed Carter, were given the chance to record with the then-relatively unknown Englishman on his sophomore release, Brytar Layter.
Nick Drake: Something Special
“Joe Boyd produced an album for my partner, Ed Carter, who was the Beach Boys bassist for so many years,” remembers Mike on how the opportunity to work with the prodigal young guitarist came about. We had a trio with original material and we were signed to Whichseason Productions, which was Joe Boyd’s label.
"Joe put me in touch with Nick and John and Beverly Martyn and I did some sessions with them too, but Nick was special. My wife, Dawn, who is English, had actually met Nick on Sloane Street through a friend of a friend from college in 1967."
Nick Drake and the Black Eyed Dog
Nick Drake's tragic death of an overdose of prescription drugs at the age of 26, following years spent battling depression, cemented his legend as a doomed, romantic figure and led to rumours that he had intended to take his own life. But what was the man behind the myth really like?
Suite 101: Did Nick seem depressed to you?
“No, he was very introverted, but he had a fine sense of humour. He was quiet, bright, gifted, humble, gentle and a perfectionist.
"He was always writing something, whether it be some kind of poetry or on his guitar. He lived by himself, was extremely well-educated and a total gentleman - and a genius in his own right.”
Nick Drake: Gifted
Not many people really got to know the tall, long-haired figure, a shy and retiring sort who seemed to prefer his own company. During the recording of the record, however, Mike and Dawn, who were then living in England, were lucky enough to spend time with Nick away from the studio.
"We lived in Chilham right when our daughter was born," explains Mike. "We had our cottage that we were living in, and we invited Nick to come out one weekend. We just drank some wine, had some fun - we were all 23, 24 years old then.
"As I mentioned, he was quiet, but totally gifted. Even today, people know about him. You mention his name and people respect the hell out of him.”
Nick Drake: Posthumous Icon
Although the troubled soul enjoyed little commercial success during his lifetime, since his untimely death in November 1974, Drake's reputation as a strikingly innovative talent - he was also prolific on the piano and clarinet - has continued to win him a new legion of fans all over the world.
He has been cited as a major influence by artists such as Kate Bush and The Black Crowes, and was the subject of a BBC radio documentary entitled, "Lost Boy: In Search of Nick Drake" in 2004, which was narrated by Hollywood star and fan, Brad Pitt.
Suite 101: Mike, does it surprise you at just how loved he is today?
“Not really because I can remember playing his stuff. We were on the road, my wife and I, and we were in Boston. We were staying at the Four Seasons Hotel. This was probably 2006 and we went to see the movie, Garden State.
I was dozing a little, when suddenly I heard myself playing on a song called One of These Things First off Brytar Layter. I said 'Hey, that’s me!' It made me feel good. Those things happen when you least expect it."
Suite 101: At the time, did you think he had something special?
“Oh yeah, of all the other folk singers, he had a combination of jazz and folk, but it was more jazz, to tell you the truth. He let us play what we felt, rather that what he told us to play.
"He gave us ideas because he’d play the song on his acoustic guitar and then he'd say, 'Well, accompany me' and so I played what I thought would accompany his vocal and his rhythm and sure enough, it worked. Amazing cat. Too bad that he died so soon, really, really too bad.”
Nick Drake is Everywhere
Following his death, Nick Drake was cremated and his ashes buried under an old oak tree in the churchyard of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Tanworth-in-Arden, in Warwickshire, England.
The epitaph on his gravestone was the last line of the final song on his third and final album, Pink Moon, and reads: "Now we Rise/And we are Everywhere."
Suite 101: Were you surprised when you heard of Nick's passing?
“Well, I knew, as I mentioned before, that he was quiet and introverted and shy, and it’s shocking when you’re in your 20s and you hear of one of your friends passing away.”
Mike Kowalski's drumming can be heard on the following Brytar Layter tracks:
- At the Chime of a City Clock
- One of These Things First
- Poor Boy
- Northern Sky
Adrian Peel - Adrian is an English freelance writer and journalist currently living in Mexico. Over the past eight years, he has had articles, features ...
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