Nick Cave has reflected on the death of his two sons, and explained how the grief he felt allowed him to feel “more connected” to those around him.
The Bad Seeds frontman opened up about his experience of grief during a new interview with ABC Australia, which was recorded in May on the anniversary of his son Jethro’s death, and broadcast last night (August 12).
The theme of grief has been an underlying motif in Cave’s work and personal life for many years now, and came to a head following the unexpected death of his 15-year-old son Arthur in July 2015. He was one of the twin sons Cave shares with his wife, Susie, and died following a fall from a cliff near Brighton.
In 2022, the artist confirmed that his eldest son, Jethro Lazenby, had died at the age of 31. His passing came after he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Now, in the new career-spanning interview, Cave opened up about how the experiences have shaped him in both his personal and professional life, and led to him placing his art on less of a pedestal.
“That idea that art trounces everything, it just doesn’t apply to me anymore,” he said. “Rather than making me bitter, it did the opposite in some way. It made me much more connected to people in general.”
“There is the initial cataclysmic event [where] we eventually rearrange ourselves so that we become creatures of loss as we get older, [and] this is part of our fundamental fabric of what we are as human beings. We are things of loss. This is not a tragic element to our lives but rather a deepening that brings incredible meaning.”
He continued: “For most of my life I was just sort of in awe of my own genius, you know, and I had an office and would sit there and write every day and whatever else happened in my life was peripheral. This just collapsed completely and I just saw the folly of that, the kind of disgraceful self-indulgence of the whole thing.”
Later in the discussion, Cave went on to explain how his relationship with the public expanded thanks to his website, The Red Hand Files – which still receives “hundreds and hundreds” of letters from fans each week.
“It was also a kind of lifeline for me that reached out and collected up these people. It’s something that’s just allowed me to remain open to the world rather than shut down,” he said.
“There’s a great beauty in The Red Hand Files that, you know, it’s an extreme privilege to be receiving these letters from people. It’s this bizarre opportunity for people to indulge to some degree in their grief.”
The comments made during the interview align with those that Cave shared with NME back in May, as he was promoting his new book Faith, Hope & Carnage. Released in June, the project was made from his unfiltered musings on love, life, religion, grief and more.
Discussing how the loss he has experienced played into the project, he said: “These days I feel a more urgent need to connect with people. That there’s a kind of duty in that, that maybe I didn’t feel before. That I have at my disposal something that’s very valuable – to make music and I don’t want to squander that opportunity in phoning in gigs or doing half-hearted attempts. Everyone is as important as each other.”
He continued, recalling how creativity allows a sense of “goodness” to prevail in an artist. “You’re doing something, and art is in its essence good – it’s morally good. It doesn’t matter where it’s coming from, if you’re putting this particular force out into the world then it is for its betterment.
“It’s some distance travelled to get from these extremely flawed people to this extraordinarily beautiful stuff. We need to bear that in mind. It’s a personal thing too.”
The discussion around grief with ABC Australia was published shortly after Cave and The Bad Seeds shared ‘Long Dark Night’ – the third single from their upcoming album ‘Wild God‘.
Set for release on August 30, the album will comprise 10 songs and see the band move between themes of convention and experimentation – introducing left-turns that heighten the rich imagery and emotive narratives created by the frontman.
Alongside Cave himself, Warren Ellis co-produced the album, and it was mixed by David Fridmann. You can pre-order it here.
Later this autumn, the band are set to embark on a UK and EU tour. Visit here to purchase tickets and check out a full list of tour dates below.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ 2024 tour dates are:
SEPTEMBER
24 – Oberhausen, Germany – Rudolf Weber ARENA
26 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
29 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena
OCTOBER
2 – Oslo, Norway – Oslo Spektrum
3 – Stockholm, Sweden – Hovet
5 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
8 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena
10 – Lodz, Poland – Atlas Arena
11 – Krakow, Poland – TAURON Arena
13 – Budapest, Hungary – Papp László Sportaréna
15 – Zagreb, Croatia – Arena Zagreb
17 – Prague, Czechia – O2 arena
18 – Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle
20 – Milan, Italy – Milan Forum
22 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion
24 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi
25 – Madrid, Spain – WiZink Center
27 – Lisbon, Portugal – MEO Arena
30 – Antwerp, Belgium Sportpaleis
NOVEMBER
2 – Leeds, UK – first direct arena
3 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
5 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
6 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
8 – London, UK – The O2
12 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
15 – Birmingham, UK – Resorts World Arena
17 – Paris, France – Accor Arena