Relationship of Michael and Nico

[JJC]

What was the relationship between Michael and Nico? Were they close? Judging by some of Barrie?s writing, it seems like the typical story of the older brother enjoying tormenting the younger brother. Anytime there?s an account of Michael talking to Nico, it?s always talking down to him, insulting, etc., such as when Michael calls Nico a ?bloody fool? for buying records of music he liked but Michael didn?t. And there?s the admittedly fictional account of their discussion over first meeting Jack?s future wife Gerrie, where Michael keeps telling Nico to shut up, no one cares what you think, etc. Yes, it?s fiction, but it would reflect the real life attitude of Michael toward Nico.

[Dani1923]

Nico says in the audio talking to Ian Holm that all the brothers got along well.
As for Michael in particular, in the letter to Mary Hodgson on December 10, 1916, he wrote:
?My tutor told me he wished I was like Nico; he says he?s the heart and soul of the house, so you can see Nico?s firmly settled in that quarter.
The point is that he?s far far heartier than I ever was or shall be.?

And this was Michael?s last letter to Nico sometime in 1921, probably very shortly before Michael died:

Dear Nico,
Never mind about the O. Wall. You may pull it off yet; and if you don?t?what matter? Next year at least; and you?ll get your fives choices, which is a far better form. Play well, and be mild.
Au revoir
Michael.

Yes, Michael and Nico teased each other. In a letter from Medina Lewis to Andrew, she wrote this story about Michael and Nico:

?Once when leaving as, without JMB to return to London Nico was demanding money to buy comics for the journey and Michael refused. Persisted Nico, ?Uncle Jim always buys them for me.? ?My dear fellow,? replied Michael, ?my name is not Sir James Barrie.? My father solved it by producing the necessary coppers.?

And I believe Michael?s comment to Nico about the Jazz record was also just playful teasing, not tormenting or bullying. But also yes they fought, as most brothers/siblings do from time to time. According to Nico, he and Michael did have fights or ?rows? as the British say (I?m American), and that in fact their last face-to-face interaction with each other was a row, but when they did have these fights, they soon got over it, and that they got along most of the time. Nico said this in a letter to either Andrew or Sharon Goode, but I can?t remember which and I don?t feel like searching for it at this moment, but he did say it!
If you look at the pictures on the database, there are a lot of photos of Michael and Nico together from their very early childhood up to 1920. Though I?m sure they also had fun times together up until shortly before Michael?s death in May 1921 that were never photographed.
For my last example, here is an excerpt from a letter from Barrie to Michael?s tutor at Oxford Robin Dundas in 1922, a year after Michael?s death. He is writing about Nico as Nico had just started attending Oxford that year. This letter can be found in Andrew?s Lost Boys book on page 298:

?He has not read greatly but has good taste in poetry especially and likes to hear it talked of by those who care for it. Most of his reticence is owing to his passionate regard for Michael. He has a sort of childish fear of breaking down when that name is mentioned.
Nevertheless the more it is mentioned to him the better I am pleased.
He is very emotional and frightened thereat.?

All this to say that although Michael teased Nico and him and Nico sometimes fought, they were just acting like how most brothers and siblings in general act, and yes, they were very close and the fact that Nico was very torn up about Michael?s death is a clear indication, at least to me, about how great of an older brother Michael was to Nico and that they loved each other and had many fun memories together that Nico still remembered even over 55 years later!

P.S. I listened to both Whispering by Paul Whiteman and some of Sheherezade by Rimsky-Korsakov (the video I watched was 52 minutes long!) and I have to agree with Nico that his song was the better option! The classical music was fine and pretty, but the Jazz song was way more fun to listen to and much shorter! One of the things I love about Nico is his love of music and Jazz!