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Faith, Hope and Carnage
Faith, Hope and Carnage is a book about Nick Cave’s inner life.
Created from more than forty hours of intimate conversations with the journalist Seán O’Hagan, this is a profoundly thoughtful exploration, in Cave’s own words, of what really drives his life and creativity.
The book examines questions of belief, art, music, freedom, grief and love. It draws candidly on Cave’s life, from his early childhood to the present day, his loves, his work ethic and his dramatic transformation in recent years.
Faith, Hope and Carnage offers ladders of hope and inspiration from a true visionary.
Created from more than forty hours of intimate conversations with the journalist Seán O’Hagan, this is a profoundly thoughtful exploration, in Cave’s own words, of what really drives his life and creativity.
The book examines questions of belief, art, music, freedom, grief and love. It draws candidly on Cave’s life, from his early childhood to the present day, his loves, his work ethic and his dramatic transformation in recent years.
Faith, Hope and Carnage offers ladders of hope and inspiration from a true visionary.
294 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 2022
About the author
Nick Cave
91 books1,827 followersNicholas Edward Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional actor. He is best known for his work in the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and his fascination with American music and its roots. He has a reputation, which he disowns, for singing dark, brooding songs which some listeners regard as depressing. His music is characterised by intensity, high energy and a wide variety of influences. He currently lives in Brighton & Hove in England.
Cave released his first book King Ink, in 1988. It is a collection of lyrics and plays, including collaborations with American enfant terrible Lydia Lunch.
While he was based in West Berlin, Cave started working on what was to become his debut novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel (1989). Significant crossover is evident between the themes in the book and the lyrics Cave wrote in the late stages of the Birthday Party and the early stage of his solo career. "Swampland", from Mutiny, in particular, uses the same linguistic stylings ('mah' for 'my', for instance) and some of the same themes (the narrator being haunted by the memory of a girl called Lucy, being hunted like an animal, approaching death and execution). A collectors' limited edition of the book appeared in 2007.
Cave wrote the foreword to a Canongate publication of the Gospel according to Mark, published in the UK in 1998. The American publication of the same book contains a foreword by a different author.
Cave released his first book King Ink, in 1988. It is a collection of lyrics and plays, including collaborations with American enfant terrible Lydia Lunch.
While he was based in West Berlin, Cave started working on what was to become his debut novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel (1989). Significant crossover is evident between the themes in the book and the lyrics Cave wrote in the late stages of the Birthday Party and the early stage of his solo career. "Swampland", from Mutiny, in particular, uses the same linguistic stylings ('mah' for 'my', for instance) and some of the same themes (the narrator being haunted by the memory of a girl called Lucy, being hunted like an animal, approaching death and execution). A collectors' limited edition of the book appeared in 2007.
Cave wrote the foreword to a Canongate publication of the Gospel according to Mark, published in the UK in 1998. The American publication of the same book contains a foreword by a different author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 737 reviews
September 25, 2022
this is how i chose to live my life - in uncertainty
I didn't know that much about Nick Cave.
the first song of his that I've heard was in the Harry-Hermione dancing scene, that glum glum moment that was suddenly filled with hope. O'Children, lift up your voice. I couldn't stop listening to it.
years later, I was walking the streets of London, deep in young love, Into My Arms playing in my ears and in my heart, starting and finishing the relationship with the very same song.
then I moved to the seaside and it turned out that mr Cave lives around the corner, which was still not enough of an incentive to even find out how he looks, just in case I caught a glimpse of him during a lockdown walk.
but I looked for a summer concert in early summer, and I found one in late summer, it happened to be a Nick Cave concert and it turned out to be a deeply spiritual experience, a crowd of ecstatic people, lyrics blending with feeling blending with a bright night ripe with promise. and this is the moment, this is exactly what she was born to be.
and I wanted more of those lyrics, so, naturally, I got a book. (yeah, I'm only mentioning the book this far into the review, thank you for indulging me.) this book pretty much replicated the concert experience, this deep blend of meaning and feeling.
the whole book is a conversation. the interviewer is excellent, expressing thoughts so openly and yet without judgement, neither for himself nor for his interviewee. there's a lot of suffering in this conversation, naturally. and yet it makes it so human and relatable. the audio version makes it seem almost like a podcast. or a Tim Burton-esque bedtime story.
as far as content goes, well, it's everything you'd expect from Nick Cave. it's like a very long Red Hand File. arguably, even better, as it's prompted and deepened by Sean O'Hagan's brilliant questions. maybe if I really had to summarise it, I'd say it's about the transformative power of love. but just listing its elements feels diminishing. it's definitely more than a sum of its parts.
from the Red Hand Files:
in time we all find out we're not in control. we never were. we never will be. but we are not without power. we always have the freedom to choose how to respond to what life offers us. you can move toward the opportunity that is offered to you. that of change and renewal. the next best action is always presented to you. look for it and move toward it. this is the great action of insubordination toward the vagaries of life afforded to us all.
I didn't know that much about Nick Cave.
the first song of his that I've heard was in the Harry-Hermione dancing scene, that glum glum moment that was suddenly filled with hope. O'Children, lift up your voice. I couldn't stop listening to it.
years later, I was walking the streets of London, deep in young love, Into My Arms playing in my ears and in my heart, starting and finishing the relationship with the very same song.
then I moved to the seaside and it turned out that mr Cave lives around the corner, which was still not enough of an incentive to even find out how he looks, just in case I caught a glimpse of him during a lockdown walk.
but I looked for a summer concert in early summer, and I found one in late summer, it happened to be a Nick Cave concert and it turned out to be a deeply spiritual experience, a crowd of ecstatic people, lyrics blending with feeling blending with a bright night ripe with promise. and this is the moment, this is exactly what she was born to be.
and I wanted more of those lyrics, so, naturally, I got a book. (yeah, I'm only mentioning the book this far into the review, thank you for indulging me.) this book pretty much replicated the concert experience, this deep blend of meaning and feeling.
the whole book is a conversation. the interviewer is excellent, expressing thoughts so openly and yet without judgement, neither for himself nor for his interviewee. there's a lot of suffering in this conversation, naturally. and yet it makes it so human and relatable. the audio version makes it seem almost like a podcast. or a Tim Burton-esque bedtime story.
as far as content goes, well, it's everything you'd expect from Nick Cave. it's like a very long Red Hand File. arguably, even better, as it's prompted and deepened by Sean O'Hagan's brilliant questions. maybe if I really had to summarise it, I'd say it's about the transformative power of love. but just listing its elements feels diminishing. it's definitely more than a sum of its parts.
from the Red Hand Files:
in time we all find out we're not in control. we never were. we never will be. but we are not without power. we always have the freedom to choose how to respond to what life offers us. you can move toward the opportunity that is offered to you. that of change and renewal. the next best action is always presented to you. look for it and move toward it. this is the great action of insubordination toward the vagaries of life afforded to us all.
October 29, 2022
“Hope is optimism with a broken heart”
I listened to this on audible and I’ve never had such a guttural reaction to a book. Heartbreaking, enlightening and moving in equal measure and Nick’s eloquent way of describing loss and grief left me entirely speechless. One example was on my way to work listening to Chapter 14: The God in the Cloud and Nick recalled the night his son Arthur died and I found it so moving and upsetting I had to stop listening to collect myself.
If you’re not a fan you will still be able to enjoy or learn from his experiences. The audio book version of this was wonderful and definitely enhanced the experience. Sean O Hagan was a brilliant interviewer too and got the best out of Nick through their pre-existing friendship.
I listened to this on audible and I’ve never had such a guttural reaction to a book. Heartbreaking, enlightening and moving in equal measure and Nick’s eloquent way of describing loss and grief left me entirely speechless. One example was on my way to work listening to Chapter 14: The God in the Cloud and Nick recalled the night his son Arthur died and I found it so moving and upsetting I had to stop listening to collect myself.
If you’re not a fan you will still be able to enjoy or learn from his experiences. The audio book version of this was wonderful and definitely enhanced the experience. Sean O Hagan was a brilliant interviewer too and got the best out of Nick through their pre-existing friendship.
October 19, 2022
Insightful, empathetic, moving are just a few words I would use to describe this book. Readers should probably be aware of a little of Nick Cave’s music and career to fully appreciate it, but you don’t have to be a superfan to be moved by this thoughtful exploration of life, love, art and grief. Cave has a lyrical way of speaking that is somehow still quite accessible. He comes across as thoughtful, but also very willing to acknowledge his flaws and weaknesses. The conversation between him and O'Hagan seemed very organic, and few subjects, if any, seemed out of bounds. Absolutely recommended!
November 9, 2022
if I could have 1 conversation half this good I would die happy
August 16, 2024
Casual Nick Cave fans need not tread down this path, nor should any fans looking for war stories from The Birthday Party or Cave's 80's, 90's, and early 2000's work. This is mostly focused on the time period surrounding Cave's son Arthur's tragic death and all of his work that was created in the aftermath. Needless to say, if you're not into Cave's work starting with Skeleton Tree through Carnage and beyond, again, this isn't the book for you. However, this reader was totally reeled in. Cave's thoughtful commentary on his art and craft and the frequently painful recollections of his grief after his son's death were always powerful and gripping. So much light was shed on the details of Ghosteen's creation, not to mention his relentless need to create and move forward artistically and emotionally in the wake of Arthur's death. I found this truly inspiring and am not ashamed to say that I was moved to tears a few times. Hats off to O'Hagan for asking the right questions and directing the interviews in a way that benefited Cave and the reader. Essential reading.
May 4, 2023
"- SÉAN O´Hagan: As duas estarão ligadas, talvez - a vulnerabilidade e a liberdade-
- NICK CAVE: Acho que ser-se verdadeiramente vulnerável é existir paredes-meias com o colapso ou a obliteração. Nesse lugar, podemo-nos sentir extraordinariamente vivos e recetivos a toda a espécie de coisas, tanto a nível criativo como espiritual. De uma maneira perversa, pode ser uma posição de vantagem, e não de desvantagem, como poderíamos pensar. É um lugar com muitos matizes que nos parece ao mesmo tempo perigoso e cheio de potencial. É o lugar onde se podem dar as grandes mudanças. Quanto mais tempo aí passares, menos te irá preocupar a forma como irás ser olhado ou julgado, e é nesse ponto que, em última análise, reside a liberdade."
- NICK CAVE: Acho que ser-se verdadeiramente vulnerável é existir paredes-meias com o colapso ou a obliteração. Nesse lugar, podemo-nos sentir extraordinariamente vivos e recetivos a toda a espécie de coisas, tanto a nível criativo como espiritual. De uma maneira perversa, pode ser uma posição de vantagem, e não de desvantagem, como poderíamos pensar. É um lugar com muitos matizes que nos parece ao mesmo tempo perigoso e cheio de potencial. É o lugar onde se podem dar as grandes mudanças. Quanto mais tempo aí passares, menos te irá preocupar a forma como irás ser olhado ou julgado, e é nesse ponto que, em última análise, reside a liberdade."
February 16, 2023
Много силно и стойностно споделяне на мислите и нещата от живота от страна на Ник Кейв ( Nick Cave) , под формата на интервю.
December 28, 2023
I haven’t been this moved by a book, or really anything in a long time. It’s transformative, and vulnerable, and honest.
Just gorgeous.
Gut wrenching.
Heart opening.
Deep.
True.
And so sweet and loving and wise.
I love this SO MUCH.
I’m still just reeling from the experience.
I can possibly recommend it highly enough.
Gorgeous.
Just gorgeous.
5/5 stars ⭐️
Just gorgeous.
Gut wrenching.
Heart opening.
Deep.
True.
And so sweet and loving and wise.
I love this SO MUCH.
I’m still just reeling from the experience.
I can possibly recommend it highly enough.
Gorgeous.
Just gorgeous.
5/5 stars ⭐️
October 17, 2022
5/5
Neįtikėtino jautrumo, subtilumo ir nepretenzingo intelektualumo knyga. Ilgas pokalbis, į kurį pasineri kaip į dovaną – nes susėsti su tokiais įdomiais žmonėmis – retas malonumas, kurio kiekvieną sekundę norisi įsiminti, įsidėti į protą ir širdį. Nėra tai (auto)biografija, todėl knyga galinti kelti didelį malonumą ir tiems, kurie nėra die hard Nicko fanai. Tiesa, pastariesiems gali tekti pagūglinti – kuo tam tikros temos svarbios, kuo kitos tokios jautrios. Visgi, knygoje šiaip labai daug jautrumo, apsinuoginimo, kuris roko žvaigždėms toks retas, todėl skaitytojams toks brangus. Tačiau Nickas tiek čia, tiek apskritai savo kūryboje, jau senokai pakilęs virš tipiškos roko žvaigždės – nebėra pozos, nebėra poreikio šokiruoti. Atsiranda kuklumas ir noras kelti klausimus, o abipusė pokalbio dalyvių pagarba atvirumui yra dar viena Carnage dovana.
Net ir tiems, kurie apie Cave žino mažai, knyga, manau, pasirodytų labai gyvenimiška, labai tikra ir labai jautri. Be jokio name drop‘inimo, net be gilinimosi į praeities skandalus. Ir ačiū Dievui, kad nei vienas iš pokalbio dalyvio nebeturi noro ir poreikio po juos nardyti – ką dar naujo galima pasakyti apie heroino žalą ar darbą natūraliai išsiskyrusius kelius su mylėtais asmeninėje ar profesinėje plotmėje? Nicko, kaip asmenybės įvairialypiškumas stebina ir atima žadą – tikrai pavykę O‘Haganui tatai perteikti, rasti priėjimą prie tiek skirtingų Cave talentų ir tiek skirtingų būdų jais pasidalinti su pasauliu. Verkiau, kūkčiojau, bandžiau skaityti kaip įmanoma lėčiau, bet vis tiek pasibaigė. Gerai, kad čia vienas tų atvejų, kai po kelių metų gali vėl grįžti ir vėl skaityti – kas kartą suskambės vis kitaip ir kas kartą ką nors naujo viduje sugydys ar atrakins rūpestingesniam patyrinėjimui. Nick Cave magija, ladies and gentlemen.
Neįtikėtino jautrumo, subtilumo ir nepretenzingo intelektualumo knyga. Ilgas pokalbis, į kurį pasineri kaip į dovaną – nes susėsti su tokiais įdomiais žmonėmis – retas malonumas, kurio kiekvieną sekundę norisi įsiminti, įsidėti į protą ir širdį. Nėra tai (auto)biografija, todėl knyga galinti kelti didelį malonumą ir tiems, kurie nėra die hard Nicko fanai. Tiesa, pastariesiems gali tekti pagūglinti – kuo tam tikros temos svarbios, kuo kitos tokios jautrios. Visgi, knygoje šiaip labai daug jautrumo, apsinuoginimo, kuris roko žvaigždėms toks retas, todėl skaitytojams toks brangus. Tačiau Nickas tiek čia, tiek apskritai savo kūryboje, jau senokai pakilęs virš tipiškos roko žvaigždės – nebėra pozos, nebėra poreikio šokiruoti. Atsiranda kuklumas ir noras kelti klausimus, o abipusė pokalbio dalyvių pagarba atvirumui yra dar viena Carnage dovana.
Net ir tiems, kurie apie Cave žino mažai, knyga, manau, pasirodytų labai gyvenimiška, labai tikra ir labai jautri. Be jokio name drop‘inimo, net be gilinimosi į praeities skandalus. Ir ačiū Dievui, kad nei vienas iš pokalbio dalyvio nebeturi noro ir poreikio po juos nardyti – ką dar naujo galima pasakyti apie heroino žalą ar darbą natūraliai išsiskyrusius kelius su mylėtais asmeninėje ar profesinėje plotmėje? Nicko, kaip asmenybės įvairialypiškumas stebina ir atima žadą – tikrai pavykę O‘Haganui tatai perteikti, rasti priėjimą prie tiek skirtingų Cave talentų ir tiek skirtingų būdų jais pasidalinti su pasauliu. Verkiau, kūkčiojau, bandžiau skaityti kaip įmanoma lėčiau, bet vis tiek pasibaigė. Gerai, kad čia vienas tų atvejų, kai po kelių metų gali vėl grįžti ir vėl skaityti – kas kartą suskambės vis kitaip ir kas kartą ką nors naujo viduje sugydys ar atrakins rūpestingesniam patyrinėjimui. Nick Cave magija, ladies and gentlemen.
December 11, 2022
A brilliant book! Illuminating and haunting in the same time, it gives so much wisdom, such a deep knowledge on the inner transformation within a person who suffered a tragic loss. One of the best books I've ever read. I wrote down in my notebook so many quotes, so many words that still resonate in my mind. Nick Cave is a great mind, a great artist and a human being that has so much to say. Brilliant!
January 17, 2023
I have to slightly force myself to give it 4-stars, but the book once got me crying and at least once pushed me to the verge of tears, so I have no choice but to appreciate it.
I love spiritual explorations that unfold throughout the book, but after some time, you kinda know where Cave's gonna go next, so it becomes slightly repetitive in its grandeur. The same thing happens when he comments on his creative process, so after all the book might be considered for Nick Cave hardcore fans. Well, I am not, but it surely finds me more fond of him.
I love spiritual explorations that unfold throughout the book, but after some time, you kinda know where Cave's gonna go next, so it becomes slightly repetitive in its grandeur. The same thing happens when he comments on his creative process, so after all the book might be considered for Nick Cave hardcore fans. Well, I am not, but it surely finds me more fond of him.
April 10, 2023
Beautiful — even for someone like myself, who didn't really know much at all about Nick Cave before this book.
January 25, 2023
I first saw Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in the winter of 1989 at the old 930 Club in DC. I must’ve been 16 or 17 then; it was my first club show, and to be honest the whole experience frightened the hell out of me. The intimidating vampires in the audience, the Bad Seeds crowded onto the tiny stage, dressed in suits, but looking like they had slept in them in the gutter - or worse, with Nick leaning into the crowd, head almost touching the low painted-black ceiling, shaking his fist, one foot propped up on the monitor, screaming “I’m gonna KILL that woman!!!” at the top of his lungs. It tattooed my psyche, and I immediately knew I wasn’t the same kid coming out of the club that night that shuffled in. Since then I grew over the years to adore the chaos, wrath, and fury of his songwriting and performances.
So it was quite gratifying, and touching, actually, for me to pick up this book, decades after my cacophonous baptism in DC and read the words of a man who has grown into his fearless magnanimity in such an amazing and human way. He is still the same man that catalyzed and instigated that mayhem years ago, but is also a profound, caring, loving man who has meditated upon the travails of his life in such an inspiring fashion - more inspiring than Nick the artist in February of 1989 could ever be.
One of my favorite concepts that NC returns to several times in the book is his emphasis that grief and trauma are as common an emotion or experience as love is, in this world. It will happen to all of us. It was comforting, like a feeling of human unity and belonging, even, for me to meditate upon that notion.
A fine example:
“But what I want to say is this: this will happen to everybody at some point - a deconstruction of the known self. It may not necessarily be a death, but there will be some kind of devastation. We see it happen to people all the time: a marriage breakdown, or a transgression that has a devastating effect on a persons, life, or health issues, or a betrayal, or a public shaming, or a separation, or someone loses their kids, or whatever it is. And it shatters them completely, into 1 million pieces, and it seems like there is no coming back. It’s over. But in time they put themselves together piece by piece. And the thing is, when they do that, they often find that they are a different person, a changed, more complete, more realized, more clearly drawn person. I think that’s what it is to live, really – to die in a way, and to be reborn. And sometimes it can happen many times over, that complex re-ordering of ourselves.
So, to return to what we talked about at the beginning of this conversation – the religious impulse… It seems, for some of us, the religious experience awaits the devastation, or a trauma, not to bring you happiness, or comfort, necessarily, but to bring about an expansion of the self – the possibility to extend as a human being, rather than contract. And, afterwards, we feel a compulsion, too, a need to pass the message on like missionaries of grief or something.”
I was also inspired by his disarming and earnest discussion of religion or religiousness, and his need for it, in the face of rationality and the science of the modern world. As an atheist, maybe I should try to allow magic into my life a bit more.
So it was quite gratifying, and touching, actually, for me to pick up this book, decades after my cacophonous baptism in DC and read the words of a man who has grown into his fearless magnanimity in such an amazing and human way. He is still the same man that catalyzed and instigated that mayhem years ago, but is also a profound, caring, loving man who has meditated upon the travails of his life in such an inspiring fashion - more inspiring than Nick the artist in February of 1989 could ever be.
One of my favorite concepts that NC returns to several times in the book is his emphasis that grief and trauma are as common an emotion or experience as love is, in this world. It will happen to all of us. It was comforting, like a feeling of human unity and belonging, even, for me to meditate upon that notion.
A fine example:
“But what I want to say is this: this will happen to everybody at some point - a deconstruction of the known self. It may not necessarily be a death, but there will be some kind of devastation. We see it happen to people all the time: a marriage breakdown, or a transgression that has a devastating effect on a persons, life, or health issues, or a betrayal, or a public shaming, or a separation, or someone loses their kids, or whatever it is. And it shatters them completely, into 1 million pieces, and it seems like there is no coming back. It’s over. But in time they put themselves together piece by piece. And the thing is, when they do that, they often find that they are a different person, a changed, more complete, more realized, more clearly drawn person. I think that’s what it is to live, really – to die in a way, and to be reborn. And sometimes it can happen many times over, that complex re-ordering of ourselves.
So, to return to what we talked about at the beginning of this conversation – the religious impulse… It seems, for some of us, the religious experience awaits the devastation, or a trauma, not to bring you happiness, or comfort, necessarily, but to bring about an expansion of the self – the possibility to extend as a human being, rather than contract. And, afterwards, we feel a compulsion, too, a need to pass the message on like missionaries of grief or something.”
I was also inspired by his disarming and earnest discussion of religion or religiousness, and his need for it, in the face of rationality and the science of the modern world. As an atheist, maybe I should try to allow magic into my life a bit more.
February 14, 2023
I’d never heard of Nick Cave before reading this book. Now I’ll go listen to his music, look at his sculptures, do everything I can to support the art of this incredible man. I won’t begin to try to describe this book other than to say that it was one of the best books I’ve read in my life, and that if you are ready for a conversation about God, faith, creativity, tragedy, and love, you won’t find better than the extended conversation in Faith, Hope & Carnage. A simply stunning and magnificent work of art.
December 19, 2022
“Hope is optimism with a broken heart.”
December 20, 2022
Thanks to Nick for being so brutally honest in allowing this book to be published.
January 25, 2023
Ağırlıklı olarak Nick Cave’in oğlunu kaybettikten sonra yaşadığı yas sürecine ve son albümlerinin yapım hikayelerine odaklanan; zaman zaman da Nick Cave'in geçmişine ve özel hayatına uzanan bir söyleşi kitabı. İçinde -The Red Hand Files'a aşina olanların şaşırmayacağı şekilde- hayata, ölüme ve yaratıcılığa dair bir sürü şahane gözlem var. Nick Cave'in acılarını bu kadar detaylı şekilde anlatabilmesi bence büyük bir cesaret örneği. Yer yer tekrara düşse ve daha iyi sorular sorulabilirmiş dedirtse de Nick Cave hayranı olduğum için büyük bir zevkle okudum. Eminim çoğu hayran da böyle düşünecektir.
January 5, 2024
My criticism of the last music-based book I read was that it felt a bit like a huge profile article.
So what chance does a book which takes the form of the classic music journal interview - you know, italicised questions, non-italicised answers? You would think if any book is going to feel like a giant Rolling Stone feature, this would be it.
But it was not so. The mercurial talents of Nick Cave and the subtle, masterful brilliance of Sean O’Hagan combine to create something that is magical, conversational, literary, immersive, inspiring, heartbreaking, utterly un-put-downable.
Nick is the star. And the relationship between these two men, the way the conversation weaves its honest, candid, fearless way through life and love and loss, the insight into how music, art and performance might emerge out of the darkest of human experience, the place of faith, belief, religion, truth in it all…somehow Nick remains central, yet the greater themes rise like mountains around him.
It’s a hard book to quantify. I have a scant knowledge of Nick’s body of work, yet I found his very specific references to songs, albums and shows fascinating. (Nick insisted that the one thing he knew they didn’t want to produce was a biographical work.) I kept asking myself why The Australian newspaper would call this book “literary” when it takes such an un-literary form.
I think the answer is that it is just beautifully crafted. The words are chosen so carefully and freely, the themes are deeply intimate yet universal. It is a work of profound thought and thoughtfulness on the part of both men. Yet it has a certain candid, casual lightness of being, though not of content. Its thematic and personal weight is formidable, brutally honest and beautifully tender, humbled, hopeful.
The quest for books that stay with you after you leave them, that leave their scent, their imprint, perhaps even their scars on you as a reader - that is what creates a benchmark, that’s what I hope for in books. They can’t all do it. But this is one of the special ones. It really is quite remarkable.
Thank you JB for the recommendation. You told me how deeply this book moved you, inspired you, humble and emboldened you. Thank you. I can see that, without being preachy or prescriptive, the reflections of this book - and the spirit in which they are shared - have a beguiling, disarming, enchanting power. The way you described that to me drove me to read this book. I think it’s the sort of substantial creation that will do its work in its way for anyone who is willing to subject themselves to the mercy of the current of this unique and mesmerising shared conversation.
I have a phrase I like to use when I feel bluntly manipulated or coerced by a piece of art. “You can see the strings” - the puppet has no life of its own, it’s being exploited by its master. Values get bullied or bludgeoned upon me. This book is heavy with deep mystery and profound, life-shaping, perhaps life-changing values. Yet I never felt conscious of any strings. The life of this book emanates, animates, of its own accord.
O for more books with such quiet force, courageous poignancy, memorable substance, immersive spirit.
So what chance does a book which takes the form of the classic music journal interview - you know, italicised questions, non-italicised answers? You would think if any book is going to feel like a giant Rolling Stone feature, this would be it.
But it was not so. The mercurial talents of Nick Cave and the subtle, masterful brilliance of Sean O’Hagan combine to create something that is magical, conversational, literary, immersive, inspiring, heartbreaking, utterly un-put-downable.
Nick is the star. And the relationship between these two men, the way the conversation weaves its honest, candid, fearless way through life and love and loss, the insight into how music, art and performance might emerge out of the darkest of human experience, the place of faith, belief, religion, truth in it all…somehow Nick remains central, yet the greater themes rise like mountains around him.
It’s a hard book to quantify. I have a scant knowledge of Nick’s body of work, yet I found his very specific references to songs, albums and shows fascinating. (Nick insisted that the one thing he knew they didn’t want to produce was a biographical work.) I kept asking myself why The Australian newspaper would call this book “literary” when it takes such an un-literary form.
I think the answer is that it is just beautifully crafted. The words are chosen so carefully and freely, the themes are deeply intimate yet universal. It is a work of profound thought and thoughtfulness on the part of both men. Yet it has a certain candid, casual lightness of being, though not of content. Its thematic and personal weight is formidable, brutally honest and beautifully tender, humbled, hopeful.
The quest for books that stay with you after you leave them, that leave their scent, their imprint, perhaps even their scars on you as a reader - that is what creates a benchmark, that’s what I hope for in books. They can’t all do it. But this is one of the special ones. It really is quite remarkable.
Thank you JB for the recommendation. You told me how deeply this book moved you, inspired you, humble and emboldened you. Thank you. I can see that, without being preachy or prescriptive, the reflections of this book - and the spirit in which they are shared - have a beguiling, disarming, enchanting power. The way you described that to me drove me to read this book. I think it’s the sort of substantial creation that will do its work in its way for anyone who is willing to subject themselves to the mercy of the current of this unique and mesmerising shared conversation.
I have a phrase I like to use when I feel bluntly manipulated or coerced by a piece of art. “You can see the strings” - the puppet has no life of its own, it’s being exploited by its master. Values get bullied or bludgeoned upon me. This book is heavy with deep mystery and profound, life-shaping, perhaps life-changing values. Yet I never felt conscious of any strings. The life of this book emanates, animates, of its own accord.
O for more books with such quiet force, courageous poignancy, memorable substance, immersive spirit.
Read
April 5, 2024Dit boek leest als een uitgeprinte podcastserie die ook nog eens te veel afleveringen heeft. Een te groot deel is een momentopname van lockdowns en muziek die Cave op dat moment aan het schrijven is. Een te groot deel is überhaupt alleen leuk voor de echte fans en zelfs voor hen is de nieuwe keramiekhobby van onze oude punkheld niet bepaald iets om voor naar de boekhandel te racen. Überhaupt is het geen boek - was het maar een boek, dan kwam er geen interviewer tussendoor en zat er meer orde en minder herhaling in en meer koren en minder kaf.
Op fundamenteler niveau kun je je afvragen waarmee Nick Cave momenteel bezig is. Wil je nou werkelijk aan de zelfmythologisering doen van de zoveelste artiest die vol verwondering spreekt over de heilige plek waar z'n kunst vandaan komt? Wil je dat publiek wel dat aan je lippen hangt, vol postevangelische hunkering naar een nieuwe spirituele leider die al je vragen beantwoordt (zoals in The Red Hand Files al een hele tijd gebeurt)? Dit boek is een voetbalbiografie voor mensen met ziel en smaak. Geloof me: ik heb de concerten bezocht, de films in de bioscoop gezien en de albums gekocht. Het basisniveau van Nick Cave is geweldig en ik ga deze zomer ook weer naar de ZiggoDome. 'Faith, Hope and Carnage' bevat regelmatig schitterende zinnen gedachten. Toch zou dit product bij mij de drie sterren niet eens halen. Ik begrijp waar het gedweep vandaan komt, maar kan me er toch slecht in verplaatsen.
Op fundamenteler niveau kun je je afvragen waarmee Nick Cave momenteel bezig is. Wil je nou werkelijk aan de zelfmythologisering doen van de zoveelste artiest die vol verwondering spreekt over de heilige plek waar z'n kunst vandaan komt? Wil je dat publiek wel dat aan je lippen hangt, vol postevangelische hunkering naar een nieuwe spirituele leider die al je vragen beantwoordt (zoals in The Red Hand Files al een hele tijd gebeurt)? Dit boek is een voetbalbiografie voor mensen met ziel en smaak. Geloof me: ik heb de concerten bezocht, de films in de bioscoop gezien en de albums gekocht. Het basisniveau van Nick Cave is geweldig en ik ga deze zomer ook weer naar de ZiggoDome. 'Faith, Hope and Carnage' bevat regelmatig schitterende zinnen gedachten. Toch zou dit product bij mij de drie sterren niet eens halen. Ik begrijp waar het gedweep vandaan komt, maar kan me er toch slecht in verplaatsen.
March 4, 2024
I’ve been a fan of Nick Cave for as long as I can remember, I loved this. The way Nick speaks about grief is truly devastatingly beautiful and I found I was having to pause reading several times to either collect my thoughts or do some further research on the themes explored. Credit to Sean too, who has a knack for asking exactly the right questions and building the perfect rapport with Nick to get the heartfelt results here.
My favourite of the year so far for sure, it will take some beating.
My favourite of the year so far for sure, it will take some beating.
Read
February 23, 2024The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Faith, Hope and Carnage
‘[This] intriguing insight into [Cave’s] inner life…offers inspiration and hope.’
Denizen
‘Cave and his faithful interlocutor O’Hagan have chiselled an all-time literary masterpiece from rough granite…Anyone familiar with [Cave’s] hefty body of work will find much to savour, as there’s plenty of rich, detailed and self-effacing discussion of his creative process and various working relationships across the decades. But perhaps above all else, it forms a guidebook for navigating bereavement and re-engagement with the world following the death of a loved one…[Faith, Hope & Carnage] is a wonder.’
Australian
‘Wonderful…I am incredibly grateful that they decided to publish these conversations.’
Elizabeth McCarthy, 3RRR
‘Illuminating and restorative.’
NZ Listener
‘Vivid, witty...[and] occasionally deeply harrowing…A story suffused with love, teeming with ideas, a document of an artist’s journey from holding the world “in some form of disdain” to a state of empathy and grace.’
Guardian (UK)
‘Endlessly enriching.’
Sian Cain, Guardian Australia
'In the style of the Paris Review long-form interview, this meandering, luminous conversation between Sean and Nick, considers creativity, songwriting, death, grief, love, philosophy, and the crucible of the pandemic; a profound and profane book to dip in and out of luxuriously.’
Matilda Bookshop
‘A panoramic, coruscating book…The unstoppable energy, as well as the reflectiveness of Cave—the musician, the religious believer, the religious doubter, the family man, the collaborator and the friend—continues to be a wonderfully tender balm.’
Lynn McCredden, Conversation
‘Essential…The often-harrowing openness of this book [stands] in utter rejection of indifference, cruelty and cynicism….[Cave and O’Hagan’s] commitment to mining for truth of an audacious, transcendent kind is mutual and intense.’
Michael Dwyer, Age/SMH
‘Astonishing...This beautiful book is a lament, a celebration, a howl, a secular prayer, a call to arms, a meditation and an exquisite articulation of the human condition. It will take your breath away.’
Rachel Clarke, Observer
‘Illuminating…A great deal of beauty in Cave’s descriptions of the “strange reckless power” that comes when the worst has happened…If it meets a need for Cave, it also feels like a gift to the reader.’
Sunday Times
‘An extraordinary, uplifting book…This is a book you could dip into if you had no knowledge of Cave at all, just to find someone unafraid to ask all the big questions: what is grief? What is forgiveness?…Everyday carnage has brought forth a book of hope and freedom and life.’
Daily Telegraph
‘An absolutely wonderful book. I don’t think I’ve ever read so integrated and searching an engagement with how faith works, how creativity works, and how grief is bound up with both.’
Rowan Williams
‘A fascinating read…O’Hagan is skilled at drilling down to discover the most interesting conversational nubs, but it is Cave’s words that are the star of the show. The man talks like he is writing poetry and the manner in which he describes making music is sure to delight both fans and casual listeners.’
Independent
‘Remarkably candid…The culmination of a prolonged and moving period of reflection…One of Cave’s greatest skills is to bring a secular eye to the religious and a religious eye to the secular, the sacred and the profane intertwined.’
New Statesman
‘An extraordinary conversation…O’Hagan’s questions are sensitive and respectful…and Cave’s answers are honest and vulnerable.’
Nigel Featherstone, Canberra Times
‘Cave’s description of the physicality of grief—his panicked, vibrating heart—is mesmerising.’
Caroline Overington, Australian
‘My book of the year convinced me to change my life…I will carry it as a sort of personal bible for the journey still to come.’
Stephen Romei, Australian
‘An extraordinary book. Incredible.’
Toby Jones, Guardian
‘O’Hagan has extracted an extraordinary dialogue…Faith, Hope and Carnage demands to be heard…Surrender to Cave’s ferocious eloquence, his creative velocity.’
Beejay Silcox, Guardian
‘Probably the best celebrity memoir ever written about grief.’
Helen Pitt, Sydney Morning Herald
‘Illuminating.’
Penelope Debelle, Herald Sun
‘I [can] think of few books that have brought home more completely the way in which grief and creativity work together. The book also reveals the way in which faith, without ever giving a plain, comforting answer, offers resources to look at what is terrible without despair or evasion.’
Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
‘Captures the very essence of Cave’s life and the audacious and transcendent truths that have consumed his defiant manifestation into that of an artist and musician… Shared grief and a dash of addiction and art and the band’s journey, make this a riveting memoir.’
Sauce Mag
‘[This] intriguing insight into [Cave’s] inner life…offers inspiration and hope.’
Denizen
‘Cave and his faithful interlocutor O’Hagan have chiselled an all-time literary masterpiece from rough granite…Anyone familiar with [Cave’s] hefty body of work will find much to savour, as there’s plenty of rich, detailed and self-effacing discussion of his creative process and various working relationships across the decades. But perhaps above all else, it forms a guidebook for navigating bereavement and re-engagement with the world following the death of a loved one…[Faith, Hope & Carnage] is a wonder.’
Australian
‘Wonderful…I am incredibly grateful that they decided to publish these conversations.’
Elizabeth McCarthy, 3RRR
‘Illuminating and restorative.’
NZ Listener
‘Vivid, witty...[and] occasionally deeply harrowing…A story suffused with love, teeming with ideas, a document of an artist’s journey from holding the world “in some form of disdain” to a state of empathy and grace.’
Guardian (UK)
‘Endlessly enriching.’
Sian Cain, Guardian Australia
'In the style of the Paris Review long-form interview, this meandering, luminous conversation between Sean and Nick, considers creativity, songwriting, death, grief, love, philosophy, and the crucible of the pandemic; a profound and profane book to dip in and out of luxuriously.’
Matilda Bookshop
‘A panoramic, coruscating book…The unstoppable energy, as well as the reflectiveness of Cave—the musician, the religious believer, the religious doubter, the family man, the collaborator and the friend—continues to be a wonderfully tender balm.’
Lynn McCredden, Conversation
‘Essential…The often-harrowing openness of this book [stands] in utter rejection of indifference, cruelty and cynicism….[Cave and O’Hagan’s] commitment to mining for truth of an audacious, transcendent kind is mutual and intense.’
Michael Dwyer, Age/SMH
‘Astonishing...This beautiful book is a lament, a celebration, a howl, a secular prayer, a call to arms, a meditation and an exquisite articulation of the human condition. It will take your breath away.’
Rachel Clarke, Observer
‘Illuminating…A great deal of beauty in Cave’s descriptions of the “strange reckless power” that comes when the worst has happened…If it meets a need for Cave, it also feels like a gift to the reader.’
Sunday Times
‘An extraordinary, uplifting book…This is a book you could dip into if you had no knowledge of Cave at all, just to find someone unafraid to ask all the big questions: what is grief? What is forgiveness?…Everyday carnage has brought forth a book of hope and freedom and life.’
Daily Telegraph
‘An absolutely wonderful book. I don’t think I’ve ever read so integrated and searching an engagement with how faith works, how creativity works, and how grief is bound up with both.’
Rowan Williams
‘A fascinating read…O’Hagan is skilled at drilling down to discover the most interesting conversational nubs, but it is Cave’s words that are the star of the show. The man talks like he is writing poetry and the manner in which he describes making music is sure to delight both fans and casual listeners.’
Independent
‘Remarkably candid…The culmination of a prolonged and moving period of reflection…One of Cave’s greatest skills is to bring a secular eye to the religious and a religious eye to the secular, the sacred and the profane intertwined.’
New Statesman
‘An extraordinary conversation…O’Hagan’s questions are sensitive and respectful…and Cave’s answers are honest and vulnerable.’
Nigel Featherstone, Canberra Times
‘Cave’s description of the physicality of grief—his panicked, vibrating heart—is mesmerising.’
Caroline Overington, Australian
‘My book of the year convinced me to change my life…I will carry it as a sort of personal bible for the journey still to come.’
Stephen Romei, Australian
‘An extraordinary book. Incredible.’
Toby Jones, Guardian
‘O’Hagan has extracted an extraordinary dialogue…Faith, Hope and Carnage demands to be heard…Surrender to Cave’s ferocious eloquence, his creative velocity.’
Beejay Silcox, Guardian
‘Probably the best celebrity memoir ever written about grief.’
Helen Pitt, Sydney Morning Herald
‘Illuminating.’
Penelope Debelle, Herald Sun
‘I [can] think of few books that have brought home more completely the way in which grief and creativity work together. The book also reveals the way in which faith, without ever giving a plain, comforting answer, offers resources to look at what is terrible without despair or evasion.’
Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
‘Captures the very essence of Cave’s life and the audacious and transcendent truths that have consumed his defiant manifestation into that of an artist and musician… Shared grief and a dash of addiction and art and the band’s journey, make this a riveting memoir.’
Sauce Mag
March 27, 2024
Unieke ervaring, dit experimentele audioboek in interviewvorm. Het zijn in feite gewoon telefoongesprekken tussen Nick Cave en zijn vriend Sean O'Hagan. Geen onderwerp is taboe en het gaat dan ook alle kanten op. Vooral de stukken over zijn gezin maken diepe indruk. Nick Cave heeft de gave dat hij de meest beladen onderwerpen en gebeurtenissen prachtig kan beschrijven; zelfs religie kan hij goed verkopen.
October 7, 2022
I really enjoyed this audiobook—it’s an absolute must for Nick Cave fans. When Nick talked about his son Arthur’s death, went into detail about the actual day it happened, it was overwhelming poignant. This book gives a lot of insight into what makes him tick. I will definitely read this again—besides the audiobook I also bought an autographed print copy.
December 19, 2022
This book is so not my jam. Too much focus on faith and it just turned me off as an ex-evangelical who fled the church to get away from that crap "everything is because of God" shit.
Sigh.
Sigh.
February 20, 2023
O Nick Cave é um homem muito bonito ❤️
“Life is too damn short, in my opinion, not to be awed.”
“Life is too damn short, in my opinion, not to be awed.”
January 21, 2024
Worthwhile read of a series of interviews conducted over the better part of a year during the pandemic, explicitly modeled on the Paris Review long-form type, for people who enjoy Nick Cave’s music, especially his hauntingly more abstract work of recent years created in partnership with Warren Ellis, and who find him to be an interesting person. Indeed, who else would be likely to read it. Strong running themes include discussions of what is art for and what does it do, the death of Cave’s 15 year old son which is as he says now the condition of his life, and of course his intelligent and emotional wrestling with God, faith and doubt. He’s a real one.
Below passages are just ones that particularly resonated with me.
—-
O’Hagan: So, for you, it’s a part of the artist’s duty, not just to create work but to make sure it goes out into the world and is experienced by others?
Cave: There are obviously a multitude of reasons why people might choose to make art or music, but, as far as I’m concerned, the work I do is entirely relational, actually transactional, and has no real validity unless it is animated by others. It does not exist in its true form unless it moves through the hearts of others as a balm. Otherwise, it is just words and notes and little more.
So your music is a force for good?
Well, yes, it is. Music is a spiritual currency unlike any other in its ability to transport people out of their suffering, so I don’t take my job lightly. The indisputable goodness of music, the clear benefits it brings - its capacity to enlarge the spirit, provide solace, companionship, healing, and, well, meaning - is much like religion in a way.
—-
O’Hagan: Do you think that, on some subliminal level, your brain tells you not to take creative risks as an artist?
Cave: I do. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. The brain enjoys its patterns and paths and wants us to do the things that are familiar. What I’m saying is that you can’t get to that truly creative place unless you find the dangerous idea. And, once again, that’s like standing at the mouth of the tomb, in vigil, waiting for the shock of the risen Christ, the shock of the imagination, the astonishing idea.
——-
O’Hagan: When you were younger, people bought into an image of you as a dark and dangerous, self-destructive figure. You have certainly confounded them of late.
Cave: Well, good, I’m glad. But, as you know, I really don’t see the young man in The Birthday Party as a separate entity from the person who made Ghosteen or does The Red Hand Files. That’s not how it goes. What I mean is, we may shed many skins, but we are essentially the same damn snake.
But surely your outlook is entirely different now?
Well, the young Nick Cave could afford to hold the world in some form of disdain because he had no idea of what was coming down the line. I can see now that this disdain or contempt for the world was a kind of luxury or indulgence, even a vanity. He had no notion of the preciousness of life - the fragility. He had no idea how difficult, but essential, it is to love the world and to treat the world with mercy.
—-
Cave: “Oh man, I’ve still got to read Bobby’s biography. I hear it’s good, but it’s sitting there on an ever-growing pile of book to be read. Christ, there is so much to read. Do you find that?”
—-
Cave: “I don’t know about you, but for me there is forever a struggle between the rational side of myself and the side that is alert to glimpses or impressions of something otherworldly. And, of course, I know there is no coherent argument to be had here. My rational self has all the weaponry, all the big guns - reason, science, common sense, normality - and all that far outweighs the side of me that only has suspicions and hints and signs of something else, something mysterious and quietly spoken. But, even still, it feels, under the circumstances, that to dismiss the existence of these things that live beyond our reasonable selves outright is, at best, ungenerous. Don’t you think? I mean, I don’t blindly succumb to these feelings, but still I remain watchful for that promise. This is how I have chosen to live my life - in uncertainty, and by doing so to be open to the divine possibility of things, whether it exists or not. I believe this gives my life, and especially my work, meaning and potential and soul, too, beyond what the rational world has to offer.”
—-
Cave: “Many people will, of course, disagree, although I tend to think most musicians have more time for these spiritual considerations, because when they make music, when they lose themselves in music, fall deep inside it, they encounter such strong intimations of the divine. Of all things, music can lift us closer to the sacred.”
O’Hagan: And yet there are many great songs and pieces of music that don’t reach into the divine. You’ve written some of them.
Well, I don’t know what those songs are. A song doesn’t have to be explicitly religious to have transcendent qualities.
Did this notion of transcendence apply when you were writing your older, less obviously religious songs?
Yes, I think so.
A song like ‘Breathless’, for instance, seems to me to exalt the luminous beauty of the everyday. Is that not a wondrous subject in and of itself?
Yes, and the luminous and shocking beauty of the everyday is something I try to remain alert to, if only as an antidote to the chronic cynicism and disenchantment that seems to surround everything, these days. It tells me that, despite how debased or corrupt we are told humanity is and how degraded the world has become, it just keeps on being beautiful. It can’t help it.
But ‘Breathless’ is, in fact, an explicitly religious song. A love song to God.
No! It was one of the songs we played at our wedding. I never took it for a God song.
Well, that’s what’s known as Jesus smuggling! And it worked. But, to be honest, it’s not about a God that is separate from nature, or apart from the world; rather, it’s about a God that is in attendance and animating all things.
Below passages are just ones that particularly resonated with me.
—-
O’Hagan: So, for you, it’s a part of the artist’s duty, not just to create work but to make sure it goes out into the world and is experienced by others?
Cave: There are obviously a multitude of reasons why people might choose to make art or music, but, as far as I’m concerned, the work I do is entirely relational, actually transactional, and has no real validity unless it is animated by others. It does not exist in its true form unless it moves through the hearts of others as a balm. Otherwise, it is just words and notes and little more.
So your music is a force for good?
Well, yes, it is. Music is a spiritual currency unlike any other in its ability to transport people out of their suffering, so I don’t take my job lightly. The indisputable goodness of music, the clear benefits it brings - its capacity to enlarge the spirit, provide solace, companionship, healing, and, well, meaning - is much like religion in a way.
—-
O’Hagan: Do you think that, on some subliminal level, your brain tells you not to take creative risks as an artist?
Cave: I do. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. The brain enjoys its patterns and paths and wants us to do the things that are familiar. What I’m saying is that you can’t get to that truly creative place unless you find the dangerous idea. And, once again, that’s like standing at the mouth of the tomb, in vigil, waiting for the shock of the risen Christ, the shock of the imagination, the astonishing idea.
——-
O’Hagan: When you were younger, people bought into an image of you as a dark and dangerous, self-destructive figure. You have certainly confounded them of late.
Cave: Well, good, I’m glad. But, as you know, I really don’t see the young man in The Birthday Party as a separate entity from the person who made Ghosteen or does The Red Hand Files. That’s not how it goes. What I mean is, we may shed many skins, but we are essentially the same damn snake.
But surely your outlook is entirely different now?
Well, the young Nick Cave could afford to hold the world in some form of disdain because he had no idea of what was coming down the line. I can see now that this disdain or contempt for the world was a kind of luxury or indulgence, even a vanity. He had no notion of the preciousness of life - the fragility. He had no idea how difficult, but essential, it is to love the world and to treat the world with mercy.
—-
Cave: “Oh man, I’ve still got to read Bobby’s biography. I hear it’s good, but it’s sitting there on an ever-growing pile of book to be read. Christ, there is so much to read. Do you find that?”
—-
Cave: “I don’t know about you, but for me there is forever a struggle between the rational side of myself and the side that is alert to glimpses or impressions of something otherworldly. And, of course, I know there is no coherent argument to be had here. My rational self has all the weaponry, all the big guns - reason, science, common sense, normality - and all that far outweighs the side of me that only has suspicions and hints and signs of something else, something mysterious and quietly spoken. But, even still, it feels, under the circumstances, that to dismiss the existence of these things that live beyond our reasonable selves outright is, at best, ungenerous. Don’t you think? I mean, I don’t blindly succumb to these feelings, but still I remain watchful for that promise. This is how I have chosen to live my life - in uncertainty, and by doing so to be open to the divine possibility of things, whether it exists or not. I believe this gives my life, and especially my work, meaning and potential and soul, too, beyond what the rational world has to offer.”
—-
Cave: “Many people will, of course, disagree, although I tend to think most musicians have more time for these spiritual considerations, because when they make music, when they lose themselves in music, fall deep inside it, they encounter such strong intimations of the divine. Of all things, music can lift us closer to the sacred.”
O’Hagan: And yet there are many great songs and pieces of music that don’t reach into the divine. You’ve written some of them.
Well, I don’t know what those songs are. A song doesn’t have to be explicitly religious to have transcendent qualities.
Did this notion of transcendence apply when you were writing your older, less obviously religious songs?
Yes, I think so.
A song like ‘Breathless’, for instance, seems to me to exalt the luminous beauty of the everyday. Is that not a wondrous subject in and of itself?
Yes, and the luminous and shocking beauty of the everyday is something I try to remain alert to, if only as an antidote to the chronic cynicism and disenchantment that seems to surround everything, these days. It tells me that, despite how debased or corrupt we are told humanity is and how degraded the world has become, it just keeps on being beautiful. It can’t help it.
But ‘Breathless’ is, in fact, an explicitly religious song. A love song to God.
No! It was one of the songs we played at our wedding. I never took it for a God song.
Well, that’s what’s known as Jesus smuggling! And it worked. But, to be honest, it’s not about a God that is separate from nature, or apart from the world; rather, it’s about a God that is in attendance and animating all things.
February 21, 2024
Grief, ghosts, god, doubt, rock n roll, creativity, change, faith, love, death, hope, and ceramics with words that hold extra weight with the recent death of his son. It reads like a massive “Red Hand Files” entry, with all of the sweet honesty. This book will be a companion to me for a long time. I’ll throw this quote in here even though it’s a long one:
“In my estimation we are forever moving in a circular way, with all the things we love and remember in tow, and carrying all our needs and yearnings and hurts along with us, and the people who have poured themselves into us and made us what we are, and all the ghosts who travel with us. It’s like we are running towards God, but that Gods love is also the wind that is pushing us on, as both the impetus and the destination, and it resides in both the living and the dead. Around and around we go, encountering the same things, again and again, but within this movement things happen that change us, annihilate us, shift our relationship to the world. It is this circular reciprocal motion that grows more essential and affirming and necessary with each turn.”
“In my estimation we are forever moving in a circular way, with all the things we love and remember in tow, and carrying all our needs and yearnings and hurts along with us, and the people who have poured themselves into us and made us what we are, and all the ghosts who travel with us. It’s like we are running towards God, but that Gods love is also the wind that is pushing us on, as both the impetus and the destination, and it resides in both the living and the dead. Around and around we go, encountering the same things, again and again, but within this movement things happen that change us, annihilate us, shift our relationship to the world. It is this circular reciprocal motion that grows more essential and affirming and necessary with each turn.”
March 30, 2023
Изключително откровени, дълбоки и много истински разговори между дългогодишните приятели - журналистът Шон О'Хейгън и музикантът Ник Кейв.
Това не е биография, не е и опит за такава, това е хроника на много конкретен период изпълнен с болка, загуби, помирение и откриване.
Бих препоръчала тази книга като една от най-красивите и смислени изповеди на един стр��дащ човек, който успява да открива надеждата във всекидневието, успява да се помири със света. Удивително е колко смирено, но изпълнено със смисъл и тиха мъдрост говори Ник за загубата, за страданието, за собствените си грешки и прошката. И за изкуството, което се ражда в тези емоции и успява да придаде смисъл и утеха.
Страхотни са частите, в които разказва за писането на текстове, създаването на истории и как формата изпреварва съдържанието, образите сами оформят песните.
Дори да не знаете кой е Ник Кейв, или да не харесвате музиката му, тук той е оголен до нерв и говори с цялото си сърце за безброй неща.
Ник Кейв губи двама от синовете си, в настоящата книга фокус е смъртта на сина му Артър. Самият Кейв има бурно минало изпълнено с наркотици, грешки, егоизъм и още много неща. В тези разговори той е просто човек, който въпреки всичко успява да открива доброто в света, да вярва в човечеството и да дарява емпатия към всички страдащи. По свой начин, чрез музиката си, чрез блога си Red Right Hand Files, чрез тези разговори.
*Четох българското издание на издателство "Симолини 94".
"От опит съдя, че изкуството има способността да ни спасява по толкова много различни начини. То може да действа като точка на спасение, защото има потенциала да върне красотата обратно в света. Изкуството има силата да възвръща равновесието на нещата, да поправя злините, да изправя греховете ни."
"Мисля, че е умно да се придържаме към нещата, които са очевидно добри за света, които си струва да бъдат пазени, дори да не хармонират с господстващото настроение."
"Гледайки назад, мисля, че непрекъснато да изразя с думи собствената ми скръб и да слушам историите на другите хора, беше много целебно, защото онези които скърбят, знаят. Те са хората, които разказват историята Те са отишли в мрака и са се завърнали със знание. Те притежават информация, която другите скърбящи имат нужда да чуят. И най-удивителното от всичко е, че всички ние отиваме там с времето."
"Вероятно това, което искам да кажа, е че макар да ни се струва, че се движим в посока напред, според мен вечно се движим в кръг и влачим след нас всички неща, които обичаме и помним, и носим с нас всички нужди, копнежи и болки, и всички хора, които са се ��лели в нас, и които са ни направили това, което сме, и всички призраци, които пътуват с нас."
Това не е биография, не е и опит за такава, това е хроника на много конкретен период изпълнен с болка, загуби, помирение и откриване.
Бих препоръчала тази книга като една от най-красивите и смислени изповеди на един стр��дащ човек, който успява да открива надеждата във всекидневието, успява да се помири със света. Удивително е колко смирено, но изпълнено със смисъл и тиха мъдрост говори Ник за загубата, за страданието, за собствените си грешки и прошката. И за изкуството, което се ражда в тези емоции и успява да придаде смисъл и утеха.
Страхотни са частите, в които разказва за писането на текстове, създаването на истории и как формата изпреварва съдържанието, образите сами оформят песните.
Дори да не знаете кой е Ник Кейв, или да не харесвате музиката му, тук той е оголен до нерв и говори с цялото си сърце за безброй неща.
Ник Кейв губи двама от синовете си, в настоящата книга фокус е смъртта на сина му Артър. Самият Кейв има бурно минало изпълнено с наркотици, грешки, егоизъм и още много неща. В тези разговори той е просто човек, който въпреки всичко успява да открива доброто в света, да вярва в човечеството и да дарява емпатия към всички страдащи. По свой начин, чрез музиката си, чрез блога си Red Right Hand Files, чрез тези разговори.
*Четох българското издание на издателство "Симолини 94".
"От опит съдя, че изкуството има способността да ни спасява по толкова много различни начини. То може да действа като точка на спасение, защото има потенциала да върне красотата обратно в света. Изкуството има силата да възвръща равновесието на нещата, да поправя злините, да изправя греховете ни."
"Мисля, че е умно да се придържаме към нещата, които са очевидно добри за света, които си струва да бъдат пазени, дори да не хармонират с господстващото настроение."
"Гледайки назад, мисля, че непрекъснато да изразя с думи собствената ми скръб и да слушам историите на другите хора, беше много целебно, защото онези които скърбят, знаят. Те са хората, които разказват историята Те са отишли в мрака и са се завърнали със знание. Те притежават информация, която другите скърбящи имат нужда да чуят. И най-удивителното от всичко е, че всички ние отиваме там с времето."
"Вероятно това, което искам да кажа, е че макар да ни се струва, че се движим в посока напред, според мен вечно се движим в кръг и влачим след нас всички неща, които обичаме и помним, и носим с нас всички нужди, копнежи и болки, и всички хора, които са се ��лели в нас, и които са ни направили това, което сме, и всички призраци, които пътуват с нас."
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