“I found it hard to put my finger on why the Bad Seeds have become so much more potent and popular in recent years.”
For me personally, it’s because he’s a highly intelligent, articulate, and empathetic person who doesn’t take any woke schidt.
CP Pienaar
1 year ago
Started to listen to Cave when I watched Peaky Blinders. I could never understand my connection and love for his music, till today after I have read this article. My daughter died 13 years ago in a car accident. The experience left me to redefine myself, deeply faithful with no fear of talking the truth about the truth… I am also 65. Son of a teacher. Would like to have a cup of coffee with Nick Cave.
Mark Knight
1 year ago
He is simply awesome. Nuff said.
Karlo Tasler
1 year ago
Amazing. The fact that this kind of story has found a place on Unherd makes me joyful. Well done Unherd for this one.
Karlo Tasler
1 year ago
Amazing. The fact that this kind of story has found a place on Unherd makes me joyful. Well done Unherd for this one.
Christine Hankinson
1 year ago
He’s the son of a preacher man..
I’ve been a fond follower and buyer for decades from ‘birthday party’ wow.. to the Berlin days. His music has seen me through some great losses Especially in the 90’sand now …? .. his tortured days behind him in the last few years since he lost his young son, he administers balm. I get the ‘red hand files’ posted to me, he never puts a foot wrong or raises the difficult always complex and wise. I miss his uncompromising self, I wish sometimes he would rip off the plaster and say something controversial. I used to find his bald expressions of rage cathartic. I think he’s going for utter worship which is a bit troubling. I miss the angst.
Nope. Cave’s father was a teacher and then adult education lecturer. You may be confusing him with ex-Bad Seed Mick Harvey who was the son of an Anglican vicar.
I read it…probably by him.. in his Gospel of Mark…somewhere but I can’t check too busy this is distracting enough..and I’m sure you’re right. so edited above…to an extent. I can always listen to EN for Blixa fix.
I’ve got over it. He’s become a National Treasure. And so he should. I hear he’s selling up I wonder if he will stay here? Be interesting to see.
Stephen Magee
1 year ago
“the author of countless spectacular lyrics, two novels, an epic poem and an unproduced screenplay”.
What about “The Proposition”, which starred Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone?
0 0
1 year ago
All that and more
Alex Tickell
1 year ago
Music for people who are much too “into themselves” Sixties babies know very little about contribution or how relatively little their self- indulgent thoughts mean in the real world
Paul Reynolds
1 year ago
Good artist of fortune. A good, old soul – the success and fortune has not corrupted him too much. He’s not one destined to rage at the dying of the light when his actual death approaches or happens.
Nick Cave is not my very favorite one, but as a singer/writer myself I have some good interest in people like him. I actually know Chris Difford via Zoom Workshops – what a lovely man, and also a man of fortune ever since Squeeze blasted up in his youth. Grace and kindness, and it is entirely real. I just don’t encounter people of middle age like him around, generally.
The Nick Cave of this time in his life is a lot like Difford. A negative comp, an artist of fortune without that soul, without God, just too corrupted – I see a Woody Allen.
Aaron James
1 year ago
He sounds like the voice and soul of the times….god help us.
But true. Cave’s Q&A e-mails – the Read Hand Files – are excellent. Been a fan since c 1982. Remember like yesterday buying their first LP, “From Her to Eternity” (the one with Blixa Bargeld), in 1984. That much intelligence and self-awareness may be at a premium in the general rock / pop / hip hop world, but it was far from uncommon in the indie music of the golden period from late ‘70s British punk to the early ‘80s. Joy Division wore their literary influences on their sleeve, as did Japan, Prefab Sprout, Scritti Politti, Psychedelic Furs, Talking Heads, Stump, The Jam, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Marine Girls, Billy Bragg, Latin Quarter, Tom Waits, Microdisney, etc. And one of the greatest new wave bands which sprang from that era, The Fall, were named after a Camus novel, and started out as a drunken working-class poetry reading group in Manchester. And two eccentric poets, John Cooper-Clarke and Ivor Cutler, were perennial favourite support acts on both the John Peel Show and on the punk and new wave gig scene. Different times …
I saw Joy Division live a few weeks before Ian Curtis’s suicide. It was at the Rainbow in Finsbury Park at a Rock Against Racism gig headlined by the Stranglers – minus Hugh Cornwell, who was in prison.
Peter Hook said that JJ Burnel was his fav musician .As regards the Stones live their records went downhill after Wood joined but he improved them visually on stage.Taylor never moved and Wyman always seemed bored.Despite saying that their 1969 live lp Get ya yas out is fantastic.Their concerts with Jones were ruined by the screaming teenyboppers
I will always cherish the scene in Wings of Desire wherein the angels wander around the stage of a Bad Seeds (or was it Birthday Party) concert in berlin – priceless and maybe prescient ??
Nick Cave is a really good artist – there are many – more than anyone could time to listen to seriously. Jarvis Cocker, PJ Harvey, the guy who is the Eels, Genevieve Artadi, etc etc. I love this guy named Daniel Boxx..he sounds like Lennon sometimes, but he isn’t really in the industry or much known.
There really isn’t a voice or soul of the times. But it isn’t good when crap like Drake floats to the top. Taylor Swift and Sheeran are massive. Some people believe Swift speaks for them and the believe that is how it should be and there should be classes with her lyrics being presented for study. But I’d not want her to be considered a voice of any times, I don’t really like her too much – she’s very self-oriented (to be polite about it). But don’t be like Damon Albarn and actually say you really don’t think she’s so great.
Many people over 50 will never have heard of Nick Cave.They will have heard of George Michael , Madonna and Michael Jackson.
Music in the 80’s became about the quality of the video.
“Many people over 50 will never have heard of Nick Cave.” Thats a pretty weird statement. Nick Cave is 65. In the early years I imagine his fans being the same age. And they’re still around.
“I found it hard to put my finger on why the Bad Seeds have become so much more potent and popular in recent years.”
For me personally, it’s because he’s a highly intelligent, articulate, and empathetic person who doesn’t take any woke schidt.
Started to listen to Cave when I watched Peaky Blinders. I could never understand my connection and love for his music, till today after I have read this article. My daughter died 13 years ago in a car accident. The experience left me to redefine myself, deeply faithful with no fear of talking the truth about the truth… I am also 65. Son of a teacher. Would like to have a cup of coffee with Nick Cave.
He is simply awesome. Nuff said.
Amazing. The fact that this kind of story has found a place on Unherd makes me joyful. Well done Unherd for this one.
Amazing. The fact that this kind of story has found a place on Unherd makes me joyful. Well done Unherd for this one.
He’s the son of a preacher man..
I’ve been a fond follower and buyer for decades from ‘birthday party’ wow.. to the Berlin days. His music has seen me through some great losses Especially in the 90’sand now …? .. his tortured days behind him in the last few years since he lost his young son, he administers balm. I get the ‘red hand files’ posted to me, he never puts a foot wrong or raises the difficult always complex and wise. I miss his uncompromising self, I wish sometimes he would rip off the plaster and say something controversial. I used to find his bald expressions of rage cathartic. I think he’s going for utter worship which is a bit troubling. I miss the angst.
Nope. Cave’s father was a teacher and then adult education lecturer. You may be confusing him with ex-Bad Seed Mick Harvey who was the son of an Anglican vicar.
I read it…probably by him.. in his Gospel of Mark…somewhere but I can’t check too busy this is distracting enough..and I’m sure you’re right. so edited above…to an extent. I can always listen to EN for Blixa fix.
I think he said his father was a lay preacher
I’ve got over it. He’s become a National Treasure. And so he should. I hear he’s selling up I wonder if he will stay here? Be interesting to see.
“the author of countless spectacular lyrics, two novels, an epic poem and an unproduced screenplay”.
What about “The Proposition”, which starred Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone?
All that and more
Music for people who are much too “into themselves” Sixties babies know very little about contribution or how relatively little their self- indulgent thoughts mean in the real world
Good artist of fortune. A good, old soul – the success and fortune has not corrupted him too much. He’s not one destined to rage at the dying of the light when his actual death approaches or happens.
Nick Cave is not my very favorite one, but as a singer/writer myself I have some good interest in people like him. I actually know Chris Difford via Zoom Workshops – what a lovely man, and also a man of fortune ever since Squeeze blasted up in his youth. Grace and kindness, and it is entirely real. I just don’t encounter people of middle age like him around, generally.
The Nick Cave of this time in his life is a lot like Difford. A negative comp, an artist of fortune without that soul, without God, just too corrupted – I see a Woody Allen.
He sounds like the voice and soul of the times….god help us.
He has too much insight and plain common sense for woke morons like you.
Harsh
I’ve stopped being polite to woketards.
But true. Cave’s Q&A e-mails – the Read Hand Files – are excellent. Been a fan since c 1982. Remember like yesterday buying their first LP, “From Her to Eternity” (the one with Blixa Bargeld), in 1984. That much intelligence and self-awareness may be at a premium in the general rock / pop / hip hop world, but it was far from uncommon in the indie music of the golden period from late ‘70s British punk to the early ‘80s. Joy Division wore their literary influences on their sleeve, as did Japan, Prefab Sprout, Scritti Politti, Psychedelic Furs, Talking Heads, Stump, The Jam, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Marine Girls, Billy Bragg, Latin Quarter, Tom Waits, Microdisney, etc. And one of the greatest new wave bands which sprang from that era, The Fall, were named after a Camus novel, and started out as a drunken working-class poetry reading group in Manchester. And two eccentric poets, John Cooper-Clarke and Ivor Cutler, were perennial favourite support acts on both the John Peel Show and on the punk and new wave gig scene. Different times …
I saw Joy Division live a few weeks before Ian Curtis’s suicide. It was at the Rainbow in Finsbury Park at a Rock Against Racism gig headlined by the Stranglers – minus Hugh Cornwell, who was in prison.
Peter Hook said that JJ Burnel was his fav musician .As regards the Stones live their records went downhill after Wood joined but he improved them visually on stage.Taylor never moved and Wyman always seemed bored.Despite saying that their 1969 live lp Get ya yas out is fantastic.Their concerts with Jones were ruined by the screaming teenyboppers
I will always cherish the scene in Wings of Desire wherein the angels wander around the stage of a Bad Seeds (or was it Birthday Party) concert in berlin – priceless and maybe prescient ??
I’m a JSB man personally
Aaron/Sandford/Galeti woke??
Nick Cave is a really good artist – there are many – more than anyone could time to listen to seriously. Jarvis Cocker, PJ Harvey, the guy who is the Eels, Genevieve Artadi, etc etc. I love this guy named Daniel Boxx..he sounds like Lennon sometimes, but he isn’t really in the industry or much known.
There really isn’t a voice or soul of the times. But it isn’t good when crap like Drake floats to the top. Taylor Swift and Sheeran are massive. Some people believe Swift speaks for them and the believe that is how it should be and there should be classes with her lyrics being presented for study. But I’d not want her to be considered a voice of any times, I don’t really like her too much – she’s very self-oriented (to be polite about it). But don’t be like Damon Albarn and actually say you really don’t think she’s so great.
never heard of the bloke
Uh – you heard of Mozart, Bob Dylan, the Pope?
Yes, and people who quote the great Greek philosopher Testiclese…
Many people over 50 will never have heard of Nick Cave.They will have heard of George Michael , Madonna and Michael Jackson.
Music in the 80’s became about the quality of the video.
“Many people over 50 will never have heard of Nick Cave.”
Thats a pretty weird statement. Nick Cave is 65. In the early years I imagine his fans being the same age. And they’re still around.
He might mean under 50.
This guy wasn’t ever in the Beano, was he?