Here are some experiences to which Nick Cave gives voice and song: the "universal condition" of yearning, and of loss; a "spirituality of rigor"; and the transcendent and moral dimensions of what music is about. This Australian musician, writer, and actor first made a name in the wild world of ’80s post-punk and later with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He also underwent public struggles with addiction and rehab.
Since the accidental death of his 15-year-old son Arthur in 2015, and a few years later, the death of his eldest child Jethro, he has entered yet another transfigured era, co-created an exquisite book called Faith, Hope and Carnage, and become a frank and eloquent interlocutor on grief. As a human and a songwriter, Nick Cave is an embodiment of a life examined and evolved. He sat with Krista in the On Being studio in Minneapolis, and the gorgeous conversation that followed is woven in this episode with his gorgeous music.
Nick Cave is the songwriter and lead singer of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Their albums include Ghosteen, Skeleton Tree, and Push the Sky Away. Nick's recent albums with frequent collaborator Warren Ellis include Seven Psalms and Carnage. His book, which takes the form of an electric conversation with journalist Seán O’Hagan, is Faith, Hope and Carnage. He frequently writes, and answers questions from his fans, on the website The Red Hand Files.
Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.
______
Sign up for The Pause — a Saturday morning companion newsletter to the On Being podcast season, and news and invitations all year round.
Nick Offerman — Working with Wood, and the Meaning of Life
Ada Limón — “To Be Made Whole”
“The Quiet Machine” by Ada Limón
“Dead Stars” by Ada Limón
“A New National Anthem” by Ada Limón
Amanda Ripley — Stepping out of "the zombie dance" we're in, and into "good conflict" that is, in fact, life-giving
Dacher Keltner — The Thrilling New Science of Awe
Emergence: On Being Is Back!
Foundations 4: Calling and Wholeness
Foundations 3: Taking a Long View of Time, and Becoming “Critical Yeast”
Foundations 2: Living the Questions
Foundations 1: Seeing the Generative Story of Our Time
A Listening Ritual for this Fall: Poetry Unbound
A Season of Emergence with Krista
BONUS: An On Being Listening Party — Celebrating 20 Years
Ocean Vuong – A Life Worthy of Our Breath
[Unedited] Ocean Vuong with Krista Tippett
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson — What If We Get This Right?
[Unedited] Ayana Elizabeth Johnson with Krista Tippett
Rachel Naomi Remen – How We Live With Loss
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney
Selected Shorts
This American Life
Sunday Supplement - Sky Sports
The Frank Skinner Show