Heath Ledger's Nick Drake Video Hits The Web (Warning: Depressing)
One of the last things Heath Ledger left us with is a video for Nick Drake's "Black Eyed Dog." An admitted obsession of the actor, Drake was a British folk music prodigy in the '70s who suffered from debilitating depression, eventually O.D.ing on an antidepressant at age 26. Until now, the video managed to avoid getting leaked on the web, and was screened only twice: "Labor Day weekend at the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle and a second time in October at 'A Place to Be,' an event honoring Drake held in L.A." Last night, Australian A Current Affair broadcast parts of the video.
Try, if you can, to tune out the grating commentators speculating as to Ledger's state of mind when he made this, and instead focus of the gorgeous "Dog" melody (so named for Winston Churchill's famous description of depression), and Heath's haunting, black and white visual accompaniment. The final scene, which they deem "too graphic for us to broadcast," reportedly depicts Ledger drowning himself in a baththub. Once you're done watching, we then suggest you hang out with these furry BFFs for a little while.