Nick Cave: Grief, Ritual & Defiance – A New Chapter for the ‘Restless Prince of Gloom’
Nick Cave is preparing for a busy spring, balancing the anticipation of the Oscars with a European tour and the ongoing process of living with grief. The Australian-born singer-songwriter, 68, spoke to the world-today-news.com from his London home while recovering from the flu, a condition he described with a sigh as “infecting the whole of London.”
Despite his illness, Cave insisted he was maintaining his routine. “Yes. More or less,” he said when asked if he was adhering to his customary attire. “Well, I’m indoors. I don’t have my jacket on. I’m sick but not bed-sick. I’m not sitting up in bed in my suit with a thermometer sticking out of my mouth.” This adherence to structure, he explained, is central to his creative process. “I get up in the morning, put on my suit, kiss my wife goodbye and go to the office for the day. I literally don’t have a creative idea outside office hours.”
Cave’s career, spanning decades from The Birthday Party to The Bad Seeds, has been marked by a blend of unpredictability and formal structure, a devotion to scripture and a willingness to challenge artistic norms. This path, however, was irrevocably altered by personal tragedy. In 2015, his son Arthur, 15, died after falling from a cliff near Brighton, following the use of LSD. The loss was compounded in 2022 with the death of his son Jethro, a model in his early 30s, in Melbourne.
Grief, Cave acknowledged, is now an intrinsic part of his life. He explores these themes publicly through “The Red Hand Files,” an online column where he responds to questions, often concerning bereavement and navigating life after loss. He and his wife, Susie Cave, the designer behind The Vampire’s Wife, have found strength in their shared experience. “I was alert to that at the beginning,” Cave said, reflecting on the potential for grief to strain relationships. “I saw a moment where Susie was just unreachable… I made a concerted effort for that not to happen, and Susie made a concerted effort for that not to happen. That we remain close. That we never blamed each other for it.”
Cave described a unique connection between himself and his wife regarding their son Arthur. While Susie often experiences dreams in which Arthur appears, offering a sense of visitation – “He comes and he sits with her, and she talks to him or brushes his hair” – Cave does not share the same experience. “I don’t dream very much anyway, but I feel I have my dreams through Susie. She says, ‘I dreamed about Arthur last night.’ And she’ll tell me. It’s something we share together.”
The family sold their Brighton home after Arthur’s death, finding solace in a “small, pink” house in London. This move echoed a previous relocation, from rural Victoria, Australia, to London in 1980 following the death of his father in a car crash. He recalled a happy childhood, with a father who was a teacher and a mother who was a librarian. He acknowledged a pattern of turbulence, admitting to being “well into drugs” even before his father’s death, a struggle that required six stints in rehab to overcome.
Cave similarly reflected on a period spent in west Co Cork, Ireland, in the late 1990s, where he found respite and inspiration. He recalled performing in local pubs and composing songs like “Love Letter” at Liss Ard Estate near Skibbereen. He also attended the funeral of his friend, Shane MacGowan of The Pogues, in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, in 2023, where he performed. “I had a deep relationship with The Pogues over the years… I feel full of so much debt” to MacGowan and The Pogues, he said, for revealing to him the “transcendent experience” that music can offer.
Cave’s live performances have evolved, becoming increasingly cathartic and emotional. He described his songwriting as driven by emotion, prioritizing the interplay of lines and the search for an “internal shimmering.” He continues to find inspiration in the Bible, reading it daily and recognizing its “creative fruit and depth.”
He is now a grandfather, with his son Luke and his wife Sasha welcoming Roman in 2024. He joked about his nappy-changing skills, stating he hadn’t yet “had the privilege.”
Cave’s song “Train Dreams,” co-written with Bryce Dessner, was nominated for an Academy Award but ultimately lost to “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters. He approached the event with a degree of stoicism, preparing to “practice that stoic humility that actors practice when they don’t win.”
Looking ahead, Cave expressed his reservations about musicians policing each other’s political views, describing it as “fundamentally weird” and “intensely creepy.” He defended his position against the cultural boycott of Israel, stating his unwillingness to “further punish my fans” for the actions of their government. He maintained that his role as an artist is not inherently political, and he prefers to follow his own intuition. “I follow my path intuitively and emotionally and do what I feel and think is right. And, you know, f**k it if people don’t agree.”
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds are scheduled to begin their European tour in Dublin in June.