Nick Cave has opened up about his relationship with fellow singer-songwriter Morrissey, telling fans in his Red Hand Files newsletter that he admires the artist greatly but he “politely declined” a recent opportunity to collaborate with him.
Cave has supported Morrissey’s musical efforts in the past, writing in his newsletter in 2019 that although Morrissey’s political statements were “inanities,” his catalogue has “enhanced the lives of his many fans beyond recognition.” While it appears his overall ‘separate the art from the artist’ stance remains unchanged, he took to his newsletter once again to delve into a recent request from Morrissey that crossed the line.
When asked by a fan named Astrid about his relationship with Morrissey, Cave wrote, “I’ve never actually met Morrissey, which is probably why I like him. He is undeniably a complex and divisive figure, someone who takes more than a little pleasure in pissing people off. As enjoyable as some may find this, it holds little interest for me, but for the fact that Morrissey is probably the best lyricist of his generation — certainly the strangest, funniest, most sophisticated, and most subtle.”
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He continued, discussing Morrissey’s request for Cave to collaborate with him on a new solo song. “We had a few pleasant email exchanges last year in which Morrissey asked if I’d sing on a new song he had written. I would have been happy to do so, however, while the song he sent was quite lovely, it began with a lengthy and entirely irrelevant Greek bouzouki intro. It also seemed that he didn’t want me to actually sing on the song, but deliver, over the top of the bouzouki, an unnecessarily provocative and slightly silly anti-woke screed he had written.”
Cave then explained his reasons for declining the request, and went on to discuss how music should work to heal and bring listeners closer to the truth. “Although I suppose I agreed with the sentiment on some level, it just wasn’t my thing,” Cave wrote. “I try to keep politics, cultural or otherwise, out of the music I am involved with. I find that it has a diminishing effect and is antithetical to whatever it is I am trying to achieve. So, Astrid, I politely declined. I said no.”
Despite deeming the speech Morrissey had written to be “unnecessarily provocative,” he ended the note praising Morrissey’s contributions to the canon of popular music and how it can help us feel “less abandoned.” “I find that Morrissey’s music, regardless of how jaundiced and disaffected the songs may sometimes seem, does precisely that — ushers us toward what is true.” He also mentioned he’s been listening to the band YHWH Nailgun, who are “completely awesome” and “point us to the heavens while going all the way down.” Read Cave’s full newsletter post here.
While Cave can confirm that Morrissey has been working on new music, it’s unknown if the song he was asked to contribute to was intended to be on Bonfire of Teenagers, Morrissey’s long-shelved album. The former Smiths frontman has been candid about why Bonfire of Teenagers remains in limbo, claiming last year that “nobody” will release it due to the war on “free speech” in England.
Cave returned last year to release Wild God, his 18th album with his band The Bad Seeds. He recently completed his first North American tour in eight years; revisit our recap and gallery of his recent show at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Meanwhile, Morrissey is gearing up for a new tour of North America in the fall and winter, including some shows that were previously postponed due to a severe sinusitis attack. Get tickets to see Morrissey here.
Content shared from consequence.net.