Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave revealed how the loss of his two sons profoundly reshaped his perspective on life, art, and creativity.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, the 67-year-old musician shared that his wife and family have become his primary source of joy and inspiration.
“It’s difficult to exaggerate how beautiful this is—that I have a little grandson, who’s like seven months old,” he told host Lauren Laverne.
Cave tragically lost his 15-year-old son Arthur in 2015 after a fall from a cliff in Brighton and his eldest son Jethro, aged 31, in 2022 in Melbourne.
These devastating losses have shifted his attitude toward art and creativity.
“It has a lot to do with Arthur and Jethro,” he said. “I always just thought art was, at the end of the day, everything. It was always there. It was always reliable.”
He described how his once-daily ritual of working in an office to immerse himself in his creative potential felt meaningless after Arthur’s death.
“I just shut the office, locked it up, and I haven’t gone back. It seemed so indulgent.”
Cave, the frontman of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, is known for songs like Red Right Hand and Into My Arms.
He reflected on his grief, calling it a reminder of love’s depth.
“Grief and love are forever intertwined,” he previously wrote in an open letter.
“Grief is the terrible reminder of the depths of our love and, like love, grief is non-negotiable.”
Now, his focus has shifted toward family and responsibility. “I still work very, very hard,” he said, “but it is no longer the be-all and end-all of everything.
My responsibility towards my children, my wife, and being a good citizen or husband should be the animating force behind our creativity.”
Cave and his family, including Arthur’s twin brother Earl and his fashion designer wife Susie, have relocated from Brighton to Los Angeles, finding it too painful to remain close to where Arthur died.
In 2018, Cave launched the online platform The Red Hand Files to connect with fans and help those dealing with sadness or loss.
“What I really want to try and do is let people know in some way that it doesn’t have to be thus, and that there is a world beyond the grief that they feel.”
Despite the changes in his life, Cave remains active in music.
He is set to tour North America this spring but joked that his retirement may hinge on his ability to perform knee drops on stage.
“I can still get down. It’s getting up—that’s a little bit harder,” he admitted with humor.
Through heartbreak and healing, Cave’s journey highlights the transformative power of love, loss, and the enduring importance of family.
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