The Heath Ledger / Nick Drake Connection
1.28.2008
Last Tuesday, Hollywood endured a heavy blow. Overwhelming at first, the news that Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment at the young age of 28, took everybody by surprise. Nobody saw even hints of seeing it coming. Although the latest toxicology reports suggest that he may have died from "natural causes" (a heart attack to be precise) and not via an allotment of drugs, the bizarre and curious connection between him and the late folk-singer Nick Drake still leaves the case wide open with astonishment. Was Heath Ledger's obsession of the depressed singer self-medicating for him? Was it, in fact, depression that induced his shy and reserved personal attributes that led to his eventual death?
During interviews of his latest film I'm Not There - where he portrays Bob Dylan, Ledger revealed his "obsession" with Nick Drake. For those unfamiliar, Nick Drake was a singer-songwriter, whom was heavily burdened with depression throughout his career. Drake overdosed on anti-depressants at the young age of 26.
Similar to Ledger, Drake had a lengthy and prosperous career ahead of him. Having only put out a few albums and slowly gaining a reputable audience, Drake unfortunately never achieved a commercial following until very recently. It wasn't until Volkswagen scored a commercial with his recording of "Pink Moon" in 2002 that Drake began selling records.
Ledger's admittance of his attraction to Drake's story definitely leaves one with questions. Was his curiosity and admiration merely coincidence? It's a strong possibility that it was, but first let's delve a little deeper into their ties.
The strongest case that glorifies Ledger and Drake's similarities is Ledger's recently created music video for Drake's song "Black Eyed Dog." The video, which was produced completely by Ledger, depicts Ledger as the sole subject. At the video's close, Ledger turns the hand-held camera on himself and slowly drowns himself in a bathtub. The most bewildering and hair-raising aspect of this is that "Black Eyed Dog" is known as Drake's very last recording - allegedly recorded right before his death. The song is also known as being about dealing with depression.
Before you run to YouTube in hopes of finding this video, one must be aware that it has only been screened twice. The video received much praise and a few awards after being shown at two European film festivals. The video has yet to (and may never) leak onto the internet.
During the I'm Not There interviews, Ledger also revealed his intentions of eventually releasing a biopic of Drake's life and story. Although we may never see his version of the singer' s life, we are bound to see someone's attempt at reviving Ledger's dream in the future. We can also expect a piece about Ledger himself at some point down the road, for his life and death has impacted far more than one would think.
Ledger's career may have been brief and limited, but his future in film was looked upon as the most anticipated. Having accomplished what he did at such a young age in his first ten years in the business is miraculous. He was on track toward becoming one of the best actors in history. He will always be most remembered for his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in the Academy Award winning Brokeback Mountain. After this summer, however, he will also be remembered for his upcoming role as the new Joker in the next installment of the Batman films - The Dark Knight - due out in July.
Posted byLogan Lenz at 08:40
Labels: Black Eyed Dog, Heath Ledger, Nick Drake
Recently watched Heath Ledger's Joker Act in the Dark Knight. Simply Awesome. Agreed! Heath Ledger ha s left a void. Miss You Joker:(
absolutly love nick drake and heath ledger. two truly amazing men. atleast heath ledger was appreciated. nick was unfortunatly underrated.