The singer and songwriter Nick Drake died in 1974. He was just 26, and he remains a bit of a mystery. He recorded three albums but played very few shows. There is no known film or video footage of him.

But his music is maybe more popular now than it’s ever been. It shows up on movie soundtracks, in TV shows, in commercials.

And then there’s Nick Drake’s mother, Molly Drake. It turns out she was an accomplished (and possibly ultimately important?) singer and songwriter, too. But she never released any music or performed publicly in her lifetime, as far as we know.

This hour, a look at the music (and mystery) of Nick (and Molly) Drake.

GUESTS:
Jim Chapdelaine: An Emmy-winning musician and a patient advocate for people with rare cancers
Howard Fishman: A musician and composer and the author of To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse
Will Hermes: Writes about music “and life’s other mysteries,” and he’s a longtime contributor to All Things Considered; he’s the author, most recently, of Lou Reed: The King of New York
Angie Martoccio: A senior music writer at Rolling Stone

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Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

The singer and songwriter Nick Drake died in 1974. He was just 26, and he remains a bit of a mystery. He recorded three albums but played very few shows. <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/nick-drake-pink-moon-anniversary-walking-video-1312361/">There is no known film or video footage of him.</a>
But his music is maybe more popular now than it&rsquo;s ever been. It shows up on movie soundtracks, in TV shows, in commercials.
And then there&rsquo;s Nick Drake&rsquo;s mother, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/obituaries/molly-drake-overlooked.html">Molly Drake</a>. It turns out she was an accomplished (and possibly ultimately important?) singer and songwriter, too. But she never released any music or performed publicly in her lifetime, as far as we know.
This hour, a look at the music (and mystery) of Nick (and Molly) Drake.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Jim Chapdelaine: An Emmy-winning musician and a patient advocate for people with rare cancers</li>
<li>Howard Fishman: A musician and composer and the author of To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse</li>
<li>Will Hermes: Writes about music &ldquo;and life&rsquo;s other mysteries,&rdquo; and he&rsquo;s a longtime contributor to All Things Considered; he&rsquo;s the author, most recently, of Lou Reed: The King of New York</li>
<li>Angie Martoccio: A senior music writer at Rolling Stone</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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