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I’m an Australian, and when I grew up much of my influences were American – blues music and country music, all that sort of thing.

Nick Cave

A gentleman never talks about his tailor.
NICK CAVE

Gentleman Southern Gentleman Tailors
That’s what we [outsiders] feel America is really about – the kind of crazed ravings of the Christian right – when it’s probably something quite different.
NICK CAVE

Christian Country Different People
I know when I sit with my band members and we’re playing back a song that we’ve done, I know that they’re experiencing it in a completely different way and hearing stuff that they’re alerted to because the way the interpret the world is through their ears. Mine is through my eyes.
NICK CAVE

Different Eye Song
I have things that I’m interested in, and I’m not really interested in writing about anything that I’m not interested in. But it’s important to me to be able to see it from a different perspective, and add something new to the whole picture.
NICK CAVE

Important Perspective Writing
I’m not in the business of telling people what to do. I’m much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them.
NICK CAVE

Leaving Mind People
The artistic process seems to be mythologized quite a lot into something far greater than it actually is. It is just hard labor.
NICK CAVE

Artistic Labor Process
The problem with books, now that I’ve written one, is that the idea of adaptation is so much easier than sitting down to write something new.
NICK CAVE

Book Ideas Writing
I’m very happy to hear that my work inspires writers and painters. It’s the most beautiful compliment, the greatest reward. Art should always be an exchange.
NICK CAVE

Art Beautiful Inspire
I have a particular dislike for children’s films. I’m way past the novelty aspect.
NICK CAVE

Children Past Way
It’s always a risky business inviting somebody on stage. You never know what they’re going to do. I try to avoid letting people join me onstage because it can be very distracting, and overly theatrical.
NICK CAVE

Business People Risky Trying
We as visual artists need to continue to be renegades and say, “Yes I am here to do a project, but what is the social service?”
NICK CAVE

Artist Needs Social
I’ve always done a lot of research and stuff around the songs that I write so there are pages and pages of writing and you can kind of see these songs emerging.
NICK CAVE

Done Song Writing
I’m not religious, and I’m not a Christian, but I do reserve the right to believe in the possibility of a god.
NICK CAVE

Believe Christian Religious
The band is a living, breathing thing. It grows in the same way we do as human beings and if it doesn’t, it dies. It’s important to feed the organism, and one way of doing that is to set musical challenges that keep it alive.
NICK CAVE

Breathing Challenges Musical
I think there is a certain perversity in my music in that I continue, you know, to eat at the same ball of vomit year after year.
NICK CAVE

Balls Thinking Years
I’ve always had an obligation to creation, above all.
NICK CAVE

Always Creation Obligation

I’m an Australian, and when I grew up much of my influences were American – blues music and country music, all that sort of thing.

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I’m an Australian, and when I grew up much of my influences were American – blues music and country music, all that sort of thing.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Nick Cave Quotes