Speaking exclusively in the new issue of MOJO, Nick Cave has spoken in depth about his new album, Wild God. In stark contrast with recent Bad Seeds records – steeped in the grief that followed the death of his son Arthur in 2015 – the album reflects a more positive mindset and contains more telling contributions from his Bad Seeds bandmates.
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“There’s a deep anxiety that runs through it, like all my records,” he tells Dorian Lynskey, “but in spite of that it keeps leaping out into these very joyful moments. Regardless of our essential brokenness we – as human beings and the world – remain systemically beautiful. Regardless of how bad it seems, we just keep doing beautiful things. And that’s what the record feels like to me.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Cave discusses his grief following the death of his son Arthur in 2015, having previously described it as “a shattering, or a series of shatterings” that altered his personality: “You become a different person.”
Cave’s Bad Seed bandmate Warren Ellis, however, tells MOJO that the loss served to foreground a more caring, empathetic side to the singer which was always present.
“The seeds were there – they’ve just kind of grown,” says Ellis. “He was really caring and considerate. For me there was always Nick and then there was Nick Cave and it’s like Nick took over. The guy I’d have dinner with suddenly became the main feature.”
Cave and Ellis discuss the making of 2019's Ghosteen, written and recorded in the wake of Arthur's loss, a record Ellis thought might have marked the end of the pair's three decade long collaboration.
“I’m happy that it exists but it was a painful thing to make, says Cave. “I fucking hate hearing bands talk about the pain of making a record, because I don’t believe them. But Ghosteen had its attendant agonies for sure, and not something I’d want to repeat.”
“There was a feeling that I’d never felt before – of stepping into a kind of outpouring of love...” MOJO’s exclusive cover interview with Nick Cave is available in UK shops from Tuesday, July 16, and available to order for delivery now. More info and to order a copy, go HERE!
Picture: Ian Allen