Nick Cave reveals his favourite podcast: “It shows us that history is extraordinarily complicated”
Nick Cave has shared a podcast recommendation. Check it out below
Responding to a fan question, the Bad Seeds frontman revealed his podcast pick in a new edition of his blog The Red Hand Files.
Cave shared that he loves to listen to The Rest is History, a historical podcast hosted by author Tom Holland and historian Dominic Sandbrook.
“Anyone who thinks there is a right and a wrong side of history has never listened to Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook’s The Rest is History,” he wrote. “This splendid podcast shows us that history is extraordinarily complicated and rarely draws a clean line between right and wrong, good and evil.”
He went on to say: “Much of history seems to be a violent collision of good intentions, and sometimes what appears ethically obvious today has its way of turning tomorrow. History reflects our shambolic nature and is seldom settled, stable, or simple.”
Cave often uses The Red Hand Files to respond directly to fans. Earlier this year, he shared advice on making peace with artists that have “disappointed” him, after a fan posed a question about his “religious turn” and asked if he ever feels like he is “letting down [his] queer and female fans”.
The artist explained that he is willing to look beyond an individual’s personal decisions if the art they make is “authentic”.
“When I think of the artists that I truly admire, those that I have stuck with over the years, at some point in their lengthy careers they have all disappointed me,” he wrote.
“In the course of this I have sometimes been discomforted by things they have done, disagreed with things they have said, or not liked a particular record they have made,” he continued. “Yet there is something about them that keeps me captivated, and forever alert to what they might do next.”
The blog has even inspired new music, with Cave releasing ‘Shyness’, and ‘Letter To Cynthia’ in 2021, both written in response to letters he had received from fans via the website.
In other news, Cave and The Bad Seeds recently shared ‘Long Dark Night’, the third single from their upcoming album ‘Wild God‘.
Set for release on August 30, the album will comprise 10 songs and see the band move between themes of convention and experimentation – introducing left-turns that heighten the rich imagery and emotive narratives created by the frontman.
Alongside Cave himself, Warren Ellis co-produced the album, and it was mixed by David Fridmann. You can pre-order ‘Wild God’ here.
Cave recently opened up about songwriting in a new interview, describing it as “a fucking nightmare”. Speaking to MOJO magazine in July, the artist admitted that he found songwriting a challenge and that he often delays writing songs if he can.
“I don’t like writing songs,” he said. “To write a song is this deeply mysterious, abstract, anxiety-ridden process that’s just not fun. Playing around with the kid is fine but to get the kid out is a fucking nightmare. So I put it off until I can’t put it off any further.”
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Laura Molloy
NME
