Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have just wrapped up their Australian tour in support of Cave’s moving, mournful and beautiful 2016 album Skeleton Tree. The record is his sixteenth with the Bad Seeds, but only makes up for a percentage of his immense creative output. He has arranged dozens of scores (many with the help of Warren Ellis), contributed to countless soundtracks, collaborated with, and covered music by other artists extensively, written prose, penned scripts, acted, and to top it all off, has also written seven books.
We were lucky to catch his utterly incredible live show in Melbourne this weekend (you can find our review here). For the serious Nick Cave collectors out there, we’re excited to be giving away six Nick Cave book packages containing:
- The Sick Bag Song, a chronicle of notes jotted down on aeroplane sick bags during Cave’s 2014 US tour.
- The Death of Bunny Munro, Cave’s critically acclaimed second novel, released in 2009 – two decades after his first.
- The Death of Bunny Munro – An audiobook version narrated by Nick Cave himself.
The entire package is worth more than $90 and we’re giving out SIX of them for free!
It’s really easy to enter:
- Follow Howl & Echoes on Facebook
- Email info@howlandechoes.com with “Nick Cave” in the title and a sentence or two about the Nick Cave song that means the most to you and why.
Note: You must be in Australia to enter
Entries will be selected on Friday February 10, so get in quick!
Also, a massive, massive thank you to TextPublishing for supplying the books!
Image: Drafthouse Films
Last month, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released a stunning, devastating new album, Skeleton Tree. The release was briefly preceded by One More Time With Feeling, a documentary detailing the album’s creation. The documentary aired for one night only, but is now returning to select cinemas around the world in December.
The feature-length documentary marries live footage of Cave recording and performing songs from his new album, and interview footage with himself, band members including Warren Ellis, and his wife, Susie Bick.
Shot in black and white and 3D, One More Time With Feeling was directed by Andrew Dominik, and was aired to audiences totalling more than 125,000 people, across 950 cinemas and 30 countries, in a single day. It was originally intended to be a filmed performance, but evolved into something a lot bigger and more powerful as it happened.
The album is Cave’s first release since the death of his son Arthur. The film was in part created to delve into his processes and emotional journey, without having to liaise with press, answer interview questions, etc. The end result is incredibly heartbreaking, a sorrowful, beautiful, intensely intimate presentation of one man’s grieving process, and how it’s affected both his life and his creative processes.
Tickets are on sale now for screenings across the globe – session times, tickets and more can be found right here.
Read our review of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Skeleton Tree
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKq39e7SBOE&feature=youtu.be
Image: Somerset House
Back in July, the music world was shaken by the the devastating news that the son of revered musician Nick Cave had passed way, having fallen off a cliff in Brighton, England. Arthur Cave was 15 years old.
At Brighton Coroner’s Court, an inquest has now revealed that Arthur was intoxicated with LSD (acid) at the time of his death – although it must be noted that coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley reports that no trace of the drug was found in Arthur’s body.
According to Dr Simi George, Cave died of “multiple head injuries” following his fall beneath the Ovingdean Gap on 14 July. The Guardian reports that witnesses saw the student “staggering on a grassy area” before he fell, and a friend of Arthur also gave testimony that the pair had taken LSD together on the day. He explained that they researched the drug before taking it, and had experienced “good spirits” and “vivid hallucinations”.
But after a short period, Cave’s trip took a turn. Detective Vicky Loft read out Cave’s friend (who cannot be named)’s testimony: “[The boy] became paranoid and felt like people were staring at him in cars. He couldn’t tell what was real and what was not real.” Arthur then walked away on his own. He was later found dead at the bottom of a cliff by a passing jogger.
Nick Cave and wife Susie Bick at Brighton Coroner’s Court
A driver who spotted Arthur staggering close to the cliff edge became worried about him after seeing him slump on to the grass. Veronica Langford, who was with her 11-year-old daughter, parked and tried to check on the boy. She asked a passing jogger for help and the pair began peering over the side. It was the runner who saw Arthur lying at the bottom of the cliff.
“In Arthur’s case, sadly, and I think mercifully, it was clear that he was not aware of what was going on,” said Dr Paul Ransom, who treated Cave in hospital that evening. “The point of impact was the point of death.”
Coroner Hamilton-Deeley said, “It was taken by lads who were inquiring and experimenting and it’s what kids do all the time, and most of the time … they get away with it, except on sad occasions like this.”
“In his own family’s words … ‘he was a bright, shiny, funny, complex boy and we loved him deeply’”.
Nick Cave was nominated for Best Male Artist at MTV’s Video Music Awards back in 1996. Rather than accept the nomination gracefully or even hope for a win, Cave took it upon himself to write a now infamous letter to the program requesting to withdraw from the awards ceremony. “My muse is not a horse,” he wrote, “and I am in no horse race.”
Fast forward to 2015, and Australian pop royalty Kylie Minogue has read the letter as part of a video series put together by Letters Live, the live show spinoff from literary correspondence website Letters of Note. Minogue and Cave famously dated, and the song he was nominated for was their duet – Where The Wild Roses grow, from the 1996 album Murder Ballads.
Watching Minogue try not to smirk as she reads Cave’s deepest quotes is a joy in itself. “I have always been of the opinion that my music is unique and individual, and exists beyond the realms inhabited by those reduce things to mere measuring. I am in competition with no one.”
Coming from Minogue the letter reads as comical, but it makes more sense if you imagine Cave sitting down and writing it in irreverent rage that MTV would even consider bestowing him with such an embarrassing title like best male artist. It kind of makes you wonder what would have happened if Cave was nominated today… I can imagine Nick Cave reading Miley for filth Minaj-style.
Check out the video below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-2SElzoZeI&w=560&h=315]
In his long career, Nick Cave has written many incredible film scores.
Now he is proud to present his latest project. He and Warren Ellis scored the soundtrack to the upcoming film Loin Des Hommes (Far From Men) starring Viggo Mortensen and Reda Kateb.
Cave had this to say in a press release:
“Very often a tension can happen between music and picture that is about chance and a kind of unknowingness that can be really amazing. Just by putting together two things that were created in isolation, music and film, suddenly something quite magical can happen.”
In the trailer for the soundtrack, which you can see below, we are hear one of the tracks from the soundtrack. Cave and Ellis have composed a simple, yet beautiful piece of music. The combination of the piano, strings and electronics convey the aching sense of emotion of the film’s subject matter. The track is slow and soft in the beginning, but continues to build up before sinking back down again. It’s amazing how a two and a half minute instrumental can hold so much power.
The French film, directed by David Oelhoffen, is based on a short story by Albert Camus. It follows a school teacher who goes on a journey to escort an alleged murderer to his trial. Taking place during Algeria’s war of independence, it tackles themes such as morality, violence and friendship. Obviously, the soundtrack would need to be full of power to match that of this story. Luckily, from what we have heard, it certainly does it justice.
The soundtrack will be released on May 15th via iTunes.
Ever have an interesting tidbit or musing on the plane that you simply had to write down? Nick Cave did. He had a few actually. Enough to warrant compiling them all into a published work, which you can actually purchase.
That’s right. On the flights of the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds North American tour in 2014, ol’ Nick scribbled down a bunch of notes that soon “grew into a restless, full-length, epic poem, seeking out the roots of inspiration, love and meaning.” Is anyone else not surprised by this classic example of all that is Nick Cave?
Here it is!
Apparently lying “somewhere between The Wasteland and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” aptly titled The Sick Bag Song will be available in two different packages: the Unlimited Edition and the Limited Edition. The Unlimited Edition, published on April 8th, gets you the boxed hardback edition of The Sick Bag Song, an audio download of Nick Cave reading the book (the perfect soundtrack to fall asleep to in my opinion) and the eBook, all for £30.00 (roughly around $AU58.00). The Limited Edition however, is published on June 4th, and gets you a sick bag signed and personally customised with notes and drawings by the man himself, as well as a signed and numbered special edition of the book, and a limited pressing of Nick Cave reading it on a white vinyl double LP. That option costs a casual £750.00, or $AU1,443.00.
Seriously, this is a real thing. You can preorder your copy here, or if you need anymore persuasion you can watch the trailer below. This has just left me scratching my head.
Nick Cave, the man with the most inscrutable mind in music, has just made another useful addition to his CV. The man behind classics such as No Pussy Blues and Red Right Hand has (finally!) gone and produced a limited edition skateboard. He worked with Aussie skate crew Fast Times on the deck, which features artwork by Chuck Sperry and lyrics from Cave’s Nature’s Boy, off The Bad Seeds’ 2004 album Abbatoir Blues.
Check out the board’s promo vid:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzETSyDzeTc]
And can you notice the most excited new member of the skateboarding industry below?
Yep, that’s the look of a man with the baddest, seediest backside late-kickflip in town.
Ever since one disgruntled fan shouted ‘Judas!’ at Bob Dylan for the folk singer having the gall to incorporate electric guitars into his music, the phrase ‘selling out’ has entered our day-to-day lexicon. Sometimes the gripe is legitimate, the change in sound or image of our beloved musicians so blatantly, cash-grabbingly obvious. Other times it’s less ‘selling out’ and simply a creative decision to head into a direction largely unfamiliar and rankling to their swathe of fans.
And sometimes, musicians simply say ‘fuck that’ and keep on keeping on, refusing to bend to the allure of gargantuan money or explosive fame. These are some of them:
5: The Ramones
God rest the Ramones. One of the most important and seminal bands of the last 60 years, they distilled music down to its rawest elements and created a sound equivalent to sheer power. Despite their militaristic pledge to make every song of theirs three minutes of three simple chords and shouted vocals, they never felt boring. Not for me anyway.
And they’re on this list because they never changed their sound to fit the scene or make a shit-ton of money. They made it through the 70s, 80s and early 90s riding those three chords all the way. They just kept playing on like a long-haired, leather jacketed version of the Titanic band, through disco, new wave, the MTV wave of pop, hair metal and grunge, with other artists changing sounds as often as underwear.
Doing the same thing over and over again is often called insanity, the Ramones called it punk.
4: Nick Cave
Few have shunned the bright lights and big stage the way Nick Cave so consistently has. And forget Sia and her ARIAs giveaway, Nick Cave recoils with horror from the mere idea of awards as though they’re made of cyanide or Creed albums.
Having received a nomination for Best Male Artist at the 1996 MTV EMAs following chart-rocketing duets with Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey, this could have been the catalyst that sparked a lengthy and insanely profitable mainstream career for the Aussie crooner. His response to such a prestigious nomination may have been the politest form of insanity I’ve ever seen:
Dear MTV, up yours. Nick.
He cites appeasement of his muse as the reason, but I like to think it’s just because he had approximately zero time for the sickening pomp and bullshit of MTV, even as far back as 1996. Good on you, Nicko.
3: The Beastie Boys
For a Caucasian rap group who bordered on comedic act in the late 80s (before absolutely CRUSHING it in the 90s mind you), the Beastie Boys have surprisingly looked upon the act of selling out with nothing but disdain. Hell, Flavor Flav was in Public Enemy, one of the most ornery, politically-charged rap groups of all time, and even he thought that ‘Flavor Of Love’ money was too good to pass up.
Not the Beasties though, who have staunchly refused to allow any of their songs to be used in advertising, ever. They took on Monster Energy and even a company trying to push the concept of Lego blocks for girls for misappropriating their music. They also pissed off a great deal of their fans over the years by famously refusing to play their biggest hit, (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!), live, simply because they loathed how people had misinterpreted it as anything more than satire.
How much do they hate the idea of selling out? From beyond the grave, that’s how much. When MCA tragically passed away in 2012, he went as far as to include a ‘No Sell Out’ clause in his will.
Bad. Ass.
2: Neil Young
The amount of shits Neil Young gives about anything ranges between ‘minimal’ and ‘none, absolutely none’. He once walked out on Stephen Stills mid-tour and only left a telegram telling him to eat a peach, to give you some idea of his level of shit-giving.
He’s made an entire career out of just doing what he wants, regardless of how it will affect album sales or his public reputation. And when he’s responsible for classic albums like Harvest, Zuma and After The Gold Rush, you can’t fault him for that. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers put it remarkably:
“He’s made whole albums that aren’t great, and instead of going back to a formula that he knows works, he would rather represent where he is at the time. That’s what’s so awesome: watching his career wax and wane according to the truth of his character at the moment”.
He also isn’t one for the Almighty Dollar of big business either. He donates proceeds from his concerts to go to environmental causes all the time and drives a Lincoln that runs on corn-based fuel. He’s the man.
Flea again:
“Maybe we could whore ourselves out for the right price someday. But I always think, “Would Neil Young do this?” And the answer is no. Neil Young wouldn’t fuckin’ do it”.
Amen to that.
1: ABBA
Hear me the fuck out on this one, alright? Despite the inherent coolness of everyone else on this list, despite ABBA being a crock of unequivocal cat shit and the undisputed soundtrack to everybody’s mother drunkenly swaying and trilling out of tune to at family gatherings, they are the Beatles of not selling out.
They turned down one billion dollars for a reunion tour.
One.
Billion.
FUCKING.
Dollars.
I’ll let NBA player Andre Iguodala demonstrate my feelings
Dr. Dre had to come up with a new line of luxury headphones, overprice the unholy dick out of them and make them successful enough to sell to Apple to earn within the same realm of money as some raving lunatic was willing to pay fucking ABBA just to put on their ridiculous costumes and warble their way through their litany of musical excretions onstage one last time. And they looked that person dead in the eye (or from any of the strange angles they employed in their music videos) and said ‘nah’ in a Swedish accent.
Unheard of. Unfathomable. It would be one thing were they a respected, beloved band like Zeppelin or somebody who didn’t want to ruin a lasting legacy, better bands have reunited for much, much less, but this is ABBA we’re talking about. They’re the butt of so many jokes, and they somehow still had too much pride to take that veritable Mount Everest of scrilla and run.
Well, say what you will about ABBA. They’re either shitrat insane or, behind the feathery hair and unsettling weirdness, are some of the biggest stones in music history. Turning that offer down makes them the heavyweight champions of this list, an incredibly sobering idea.