Nick Cave on joy, grief and the ‘treasured evenings’ he spent in L.A.
As a seasoned musician and songwriter myself, I can truly appreciate the artistry of Nick Cave. His journey through the Australian music scene is nothing short of remarkable, from his days with The Birthday Party to his current work with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
In essence, Nick Cave typically discourages tying a specific life story to the music an artist creates. After all, musicians are often storytellers, and few have shown as much fascination with ancient themes like justice, violence, love, deceit, and redemption as Cave has over nearly half a century in his career, starting from Australia with The Birthday Party and continuing on with The Bad Seeds.
66-year-old Nick Cave admits that his recent work, particularly “Skeleton Tree” (released in 2016) and “Ghosteen” (2019), mirrors almost exactly the events from his personal life. Specifically, these albums reflect his experiences following the tragic accidental death of his 15-year-old son Arthur, who fell from a cliff near their home in Brighton, England in 2015. Cave describes these albums as documenting a journey through grief, because that’s precisely what he went through. Tragically, in 2022, the singer suffered another loss when his 31-year-old son Jethro passed away from undisclosed causes.
Nick Cave, in reference to his latest album with The Bad Seeds titled “Wild God,” expresses that it encapsulates a deep grasp of the hardships humans endure. Yet, he emphasizes it’s not just a somber record; it’s filled with joy as well. This lively collection of powerful and poetic rock songs highlights the harmonious dynamics between Cave and his accomplished band members, among whom is Colin Greenwood from Radiohead.
In a personal reflection, I received a call from a New York-based filmmaker, Cave, delving into the intriguing topics of his fascination with the church and the enticing illusion surrounding his own charisma.
After the unfortunate passing of your son Arthur, you and your wife Susie chose to move from Brighton to Los Angeles for a while. I can understand the desire for a change in surroundings. However, I’ve always wondered why you selected Los Angeles over other places? It turns out that your affinity for America, the country you hold most dear, coupled with Susie’s enduring love for LA, led you to choose this vibrant and sunny city as an escape from the sadness in Brighton.
What part of town did you end up in? Specifically, it was an area near Outpost Drive, high up in the Hollywood Hills. For that stretch of time, Los Angeles felt quite unique for me because I had a large circle of creative friends eager to socialize and share ideas. The artist Thomas Houseago had a spacious studio in Frogtown, where I’d often go to chat and brainstorm. Additionally, there were some actors and filmmakers — I won’t name drop — whom we’d gather with on weekends at various homes for meals and conversations about all sorts of things. Those nights were something I truly cherished.
Has living here influenced your thoughts about wealth or success in any way? I’m originally from Australia, where ambition can be quite dangerous. Yet, I found something appealing about Los Angeles’ aspirational vibe. Perhaps it’s because I have already achieved success myself. [Laughs]
Did your search for joy in “Wild God” ever make you feel like you were betraying your son? I don’t think that’s a fair question at all. When something as devastating happens to us, I believe it’s essential to seek the happiness we can find. This is not only for our own healing but also to potentially impact the state of those who have passed away. Frankly, my biggest fear in this situation was the well-being of my son, wherever he might be – I feared that he might feel sad about the pain his death caused us and our family. Therefore, on some level, I felt that it’s for him that we should strive to find a way to cope with the world that brings meaning and joy.
× I had a conversation with Jack Antonoff not long ago, and he shared that the latest album from his band Bleachers is the first one that isn’t in some way connected to the loss of his younger sister when he was young. For years, he thought that any bad events in his life were somehow tied to this tragedy. Does that resonate with you?
Are you tougher than you ever thought you’d be?
I’d say toughened — slightly different than tough.
It’s evident that the loss of your children significantly impacted your professional life. Has parenthood, in turn, modified your work?
Apart from the Bad Seeds’ performance, you’ll notice a significant amount of choral singing on our new album. This was an intentional choice, as I have always found the beauty in church music, plainsong, and large choirs captivating. I wanted to incorporate some of that charm into this record.
Are you implying that the singers in the song “Frogs” could be described as a gospel choir by rock musicians? However, the choir I had in mind for that particular song was intended to sound as white and celestial as possible, even though there were approximately 20 Black people. The reason behind this was to create a high-church atmosphere, unlike the Black gospel style of “Conversion”. But I didn’t want to hire two separate choirs for each style. [Laughs] There’s often an awkward connection between gospel music and rock music that I don’t particularly enjoy, as it can easily become cheesy. So when we recorded “Conversion”, we opted for a chaotic call-and-response approach with intentional tuning issues to infuse a sense of frenzy into the track.
Does church music provide some sort of sustenance or nourishment for you?
In “Frogs,” the story concludes with a tale about meeting Kris Kristofferson on a Sunday morning, reminiscent of his hit song “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.” This iconic tune expresses feelings of spiritual desolation. The book “Frogs” seems to encompass themes of spiritual decay, as demonstrated by the initial story of Cain and Abel’s murder and the closing reference to Kristofferson’s song.
It’s safe to say that “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” has been a favorite tune of mine for many years now. As a child growing up in Australia, I was deeply immersed in country music. Remarkably, despite being isolated from the rest of the world, I used to eagerly watch “The Johnny Cash Show” every Saturday on Australian television. He was one of those musicians that I became incredibly fond of at a young age due to his rebellious image – he seemed almost sinister to me.
Cash delivered a fantastic rendition of “Sunday Mornin'”. Even Willie Nelson was impressed by it. Willie has this extraordinary voice, capable of making any song sound unique. One of his versions of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” is simply breathtakingly beautiful.
You ask if “O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)” from the new album was intentionally written about Anita Lane, the former Bad Seeds member who passed away in 2021. I don’t believe so; instead, I found myself stumbling upon some lines that had a certain charm to them, reminiscent of Anita. As I composed on the piano, my wife remarked, “What a beautiful song! Who is it about?” To which I replied, “Not you this time, dear.” In Melbourne’s art and music scene, Anita was like a radiant, flamboyant, laughing figure that we, the troubled men, seemed to orbit around. This vibrancy and joy was what I aimed to capture in some way: the delight of being within Anita’s sphere.
The initial lines imply, “She gets up before donning her undergarments / It is true, I can attest, that a supreme being truly exists.
Did Anita enjoy the imagery?
Well, you know how people often feel special when things are written specifically for them. I once wrote a song titled “Scum” about a journalist, delving deeply into his personal life. He still claims it’s his favorite song to this day. So, she might have felt the same way.
“How important is your appearance to your art? Could someone with a different look, say an overweight man in casual shorts, still excel at their craft?” To avoid any potential offense, let’s not name specific individuals – there are many talented people out there!
“So, what advantages does an attractive appearance bring for a performer?” This question could be interpreted as questioning if a certain physical attractiveness provides some type of advantage or privilege in the entertainment industry, which is not necessarily the speaker’s viewpoint. They may have their own insecurities and concerns about their looks.
Is that true?
Ask my wife about it.
Which among the amusing songs you’ve composed tickles you the most? This is quite a challenging inquiry since I have penned numerous comical tunes. It’s one of those peculiarities about composing songs – they often come across as melancholic, when in reality, many of them were written with humor in mind. I can’t definitively say that “No P— Blues” is the funniest song I’ve created, but it certainly has a good dose of humor.
Have you pondered over how deeply touched you were when Johnny Cash covered “The Mercy Seat”? Ever considered who else could sing your songs?
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2024-09-07 14:31