(Credits: Nick Cave)
Nick Cave taps into the darker, more wicked parts of the human psyche, connecting with his audience on an unmatched level. As a child, the Australian musician was influenced by an artist who navigated those shadowy paths all too well, leading to Cave’s own loss of innocence and shaping his distinctive artistic vision.
Although Cave’s musical partnerships have changed throughout his lengthy career, his intrinsic ability to tug at the heartstrings of listeners remains unwavering. From his initial success with The Birthday Party to his work with the Bad Seeds, his collaborations with Warren Ellis, or his solo performances at a piano in Alexandra Palace, Cave’s artistry is primal and unfaltering. His instinctive connection with the audience has always been a constant, making his music deeply impactful and resonant.
No other artist is quite like Nick Cave, but a few musicians draw comparisons despite their differences. Perhaps none more so than Johnny Cash, whom Cave has openly admired. The energy Cave provides often feels like a reincarnation of the ‘Man in Black’, reflecting a shared depth and intensity in their artistry.
Nick Cave has always worn his love for Johnny Cash on his sleeve. When The Bad Seeds performed on The Tube in 1986, Cave led his band through a pulsating cover of ‘The Singer’, showcasing his admiration. Cash’s influence has been a part of Cave’s life since childhood, leaving an indelible mark on his musical journey.
“I lost my innocence with Johnny Cash,” Cave wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian following the heartbreaking death of Cash in 2003. “I used to watch the Johnny Cash Show on television in Wangaratta when I was about nine or ten years old. At that stage I had really no idea about rock’n’roll. I watched him and from that point I saw that music could be an evil thing, a beautiful, evil thing.”
The Australian musician added: “For me it was very much the way he began the show. He’d have his back to you in silhouette, dressed all in black, and he’d swing around and say: ‘Hi, I’m Johnny Cash’. There was something that struck me about him, and about the way my parents shifted around uncomfortably”.
Towards the final days of Cash’s career, Rick Rubin revitalised him, and the partnership was the Indian summer of his career. On their third collaborative album together in 2000, Cash even put his own spin on ‘The Mercy Seat’ by Cave, which was somewhat of an out-of-body experience to hear his idol cover his song. “I got a call from [Cash’s producer] Rick Rubin that Johnny Cash wanted to record it and was that all right,” Cave continued. “That was pretty exciting. The version is so good. He just claims that song as he does with so many”.
He added: “There’s no one who can touch him. I wrote and recorded that when I was fairly young, but he has a wealth of experience which he can bring. He can sing a line and give that line both heaven and hell.”
The pair even played Hank Williams’ track ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ together in Rubin’s studio just months before Cash’s death. That day will never leave Cave; witnessing the power of music light up Cash’s body, even when he was severely ill, is an image forever ingrained in his mind. “When Johnny first came down those stairs into the studio he looked really frail and sick,” Cave poignantly concluded about that hallowed day. “But once he started singing he was really brought back to life. It was an incredible thing to see.”
Out of every achievement Cave has under his belt, few, if any, will be sweeter than earning the right to share the stage with the man who proselytised him into the darkness. For him, that is likely the ultimate honour and more precious than any award or acclaim.
