Nick Cave: I See the World as 'Systemically Beautiful'

Today’s guest is Nick Cave, the music legend who emerged from Australia in the 1980s. Over the years, Cave has written screenplays, soundtracks, and novels, and has collaborated with a diverse range of artists, from Johnny Cash and Kylie Minogue to P.J. Harvey and Neko Case.

Known for his brooding and meditative mystique, he coauthored the bestselling Faith, Hope, and Carnage in 2022, receiving plaudits for openly discussing his struggles with heroin addiction, his lifelong fascination with Jesus Christ, and his artistic development. Since 2018, he’s published The Red Hand Files, where he answers readers’ questions in a manner that is deeply vulnerable, touching, and insightful. Wild God, his rave-reviewed new album with his longtime band The Bad Seeds, is out on August 30.

Reason‘s Nick Gillespie talks with Cave about his unshakeable commitment to free speech, how the death of his 15-year-old son affected his art, his abiding interest in ritual and religion, and why he refuses to join artist boycotts of countries such as Israel.

This interview was recorded on location at the storied Electric Lady Studios in New York City.

0:00—Introduction
1:09—Ad: The Dispatch
2:15—The Red Hand Files
8:13—Connecting with audiences after loss
16:20—The Birthday Party’s early days in London
20:10—Is Nick Cave a “goth”?
25:19—Ad: Bank On Yourself
27:09—New album, Wild God
29:53—Transcending cynicism and contempt
33:23—AI, pessimism, and losing avenues of meaning
39:35—Religious yearning and doubt
45:32—Defending free thought and expression
48:25—Kanye West’s antisemitism and extraordinary creations of gospel music
50:26—Antisemitism, Jews, and Israel
52:47—Roger Waters, Brian Eno, and Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS)
58:33—Brief stint in Los Angeles
59:50—Loss and creation during COVID-19
1:03:10—Social media and censorship
1:05:10—The freeing effects of aging

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• The Reason Speakeasy. The Reason Speakeasy is a monthly, unscripted conversation in New York City with outspoken defenders of free thinking and heterodoxy that doubles as a live taping of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie. The next event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 11, and features Fox News’ Kat Timpf, whose new book is I Used To Like You Until…(How Binary Thinking Divides Us). Tickets are $15 and include beer, wine, soft drinks, and food. Go here for details.

• Video Editor: Ian Keyser
• Assistant Production: Hunt Beaty

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