Last week my best mate and I got tickets to see Nick Cave in Melbourne. His concerts sell super fast. The city has a bit of a love affair with Cave. He's from here, after all, or rather, a small country town in the same state. But he came to fame in Melbourne with his band the Bad Seeds. We've both been listening to him as long as we can recall - he's part of the soundtrack of our lives, some songs more than others. We both had our devices at the ready and hit 'buy tickets' as soon as 10 am clocked over. She got row V, I got row M - clearly I was faster. Needless to say we went with my tickets over hers. It's not my favourite venue. I try to avoid bands here - though I did see Nirvana here in 1992, New Order quite a bit later (gah - I am not a fan of Peter Hook) and quite a few other bands that slip my mind.
Nick Cave mesmerizing the crowd at the Sydney Myer Music bowl
The early Nick Cave songs that hooked me are still my favourites - The Mercy Seat, Shivers, The Ship Song are all time for me. And Tupelo. If you're not into alternative music at all then these songs probably aren't for you, but if you want to give a song ago, try The Ship Song which is just beautiful.
It's hard to define the ma
n, that's for sure. Anything from post punk to murder ballads to bluesy rock to soulful piano pieces. Nightmares, tragedy, despair, joy. He draws on mythology, literature, popular culture, poetry, and everything in between.
Seeing Cave live is a holy experience. My husband wasn't even that familiar with him but seeing him play made him understand what we were on about. The way he possesses himself and the stage, the energy of him. From fast paced thumping frenetic noise (think Henry's Dream, Staggerlee) to mournful refrains on the piano, he's mesmerising to watch.
One album I've been reluctant to listen to is Ghosteen, as I knew it was particuarly mournful and my son said it wasn't his best. But talking to my friend the other day, I thought I'd give it another listen. Nick, you see, is her idol. She tries not to fill her head with too much - stories, Tv, music - because as a vipassana meditator, it pulls her out of a moment to moment experience. But Nick - that's a different story. To say she's school girl obsessed doesn't quite cut it. She feels connected to him on a deep spiritual level, probably because Cave's lyrics often deal with those Big Questions himself.
Walking with her on the beach, she tells me about the one of the songs on the album, 'Hollywood'. It's a buddhist tale that he renders into a verse in the song, and it's immediately obvious why he was attracted to it, having lost his son in the time leading up to the album. As the lyrics below reveal, Kisa goes from house to house collecting mustard seeds under direction of the Buddha, trying to come to terms with the death of her child which she refuses to bury. Of course, she cannot gather a single mustard seed - 'everybody's losing someone'. Death is a part of our lives.
Kisa had a baby, but the baby died
Goes to the villagers, says my baby's sick
Villagers shake their heads and say to her
Better bury your baby in the forest quick
It's a long way to find peace of mind, peace of mind
It's a long way to find peace of mind, peace of mind
Kisa went to the mountain and asked the Buddha
My baby's sick, Buddha said don't cry
Go to each house and collect a mustard seed
But only from the house where no one died
Kisa went to each house in the village
My baby's getting sicker, poor Kisa cried
But Kisa never collected one mustard seed
In every house, someone had died
Kisa sat down in the old village square
She hugged her baby and cried and cried
She said everybody is always losing somebody
Then walked into the forest and buried her child
Everybody's losing someone
Everybody's losing someone
I'm still not sure what to make of this album - at times it feels as if it drones on, but at others the entire thing is a poem, a long lamentation, a meditation on grief and loss, and that seems worth honouring with more than one listen. Lyrically, Cave's always been a genius. 'Horses' feels more upbeat and easy to listen to than many of the other songs on the album, but the words still punch you where it hurts:
The bright horses have broken free from the fields
They are horses of love, their manes full of fire
They are parting the cities, those bright burning horses
And everyone is hiding, no one makes a sound
And Iβm by your side and Iβm holding your hand
Bright horses of wonder springing from your burning hand
And everyone has a heart and itβs calling for something
And we are all so sick and tired of seeing things as they are
Horses are just horses and their manes arenβt full of fire
And the fields are just fields and there ainβt no Lord
And everyone is hidden and everyone is cruel
And there is no shortage of tyrants and no shortage of fools
And the little white shape dancing at the end of the hall
Is just a wish that time canβt dissolve at all
If I'm to listen to Cave, it'll be far more likely I'll give Ghosteen a miss unless I'm in a sad and reflective mood. Even with the sunshine streaming into the house and the birds singing, I felt a little paralysed by this mournful, sorrowful album and almost voyeuristic, which didn't seem right. However, part of his own catharsis is his music and sharing with his audience, so again, I feel a couple of listens at least honours that.
If I'm going to listen to Cave, I'll likely choose any other album than Ghosteen! But I'll be working my way through his back catalogue over the next few months before we have the pleasure of seeing him live again.
The wintergreen, the juniper
The cornflower and the chicory
Well all of the words you said to me
Are still vibrating in the air
The elm, the ash and the linden tree
The dark and deep, enchanted sea
The trembling moon and the stars unfurled
Well there she goes, my beautiful world
There she goes, my beautiful world
There she goes, my beautiful world
There she goes, my beautiful world
There she goes again
It's always a wierd one describing music to people - everyone's tastes are so different. But I do like to join in the #threetunetuesday challenge for @ablaze when I can, and it's nice diving into the world of music. I already have one ready for next week which might be more to people's tastes - Nick Cave can be a bit eclectic and an aquired taste for sure!
Have you shared your tunes for this week's ##TTT?
With Love,
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