Nick Cave says woke culture has a “lack of mercy”
Whether it be in The Birthday Party or with The Bad Seeds, Nick Cave has never shied away from complex subjects. Now, the Australian has addressed woke culture and what he perceives as its inherent pitfalls.
Whether it be helping fans work through troubling times with The Red Hand Files, opening up about the tragic deaths of his two sons, or even admitting that his classic 1996 track ‘Stagger Lee’ is “a highly problematic song”, the Australian’s ability to confront critical issues has always been a resonant aspect of his personality in tandem with the depth of his music.
Now, in a candid new interview with The Guardian, wherein he details the loss of his sons Arthur in 2015 and Jethro in 2022, Cave also reflected on being politically misunderstood after he recently said he had always been “temperamentally” conservative, which followed him attacking woke culture’s “lack of humility” in a 2019 edition of The Red Hand Files. In light of such moments, some detractors have presumed his beliefs are associated with the alt-right, which is not the case at all. Instead, they’re much more personal and complex.
However, in his conversation with the publication, Cave did have some salient points to make, which some may find challenging. Regarding the context of the word Conservatism in Britain, he commented on its inherent intricacies and its relation to loss, something he is well acquainted with at this point.
He said: “Conservatism is a difficult word to talk about in Britain, because people immediately think of the Tories. But I do think small-C conservatism is someone who has a fundamental understanding of loss, an understanding that to pull something down is easy, to build it back up again is extremely difficult. There is an innate need in us to rip shit down, and I’m personally more cautious in that respect without it being a whole political ideology that surrounds me.” Cave proceeded to maintain that he is not a Tory and has never voted for the political party.
Following this, Cave delved into the idea that he’s “anti-woke”. He started by asserting that the general concept is that problems need solving worldwide, such as social justice, which he agrees with. It’s more the methods that he takes issue with. He disagrees with shutting people down and cancelling them, as this “lack of mercy” fundamentally opposes his philosophical inclination.
Cave explained: “However, I don’t agree with the methods that are used in order to reach this goal – shutting down people, cancelling people. There’s a lack of mercy, a lack of forgiveness. These go against what I fundamentally believe on a spiritual level, as much as anything. So it’s a tricky one. The problem with the right taking hold of this word is that it’s made the discussion impossible to have without having to join a whole load of nutjobs who have their problem with it.”
Furthermore, Cave, who has always been cerebrally hard to pin down, asserted that he hates any dogma, from politics to religion. This closeness with uncertainty is something he thinks he inherited from his mother. Despite it being “frustrating”, he says: “People don’t like me to say this, but I do feel it’s in my nature to constantly be redressing the balance of my own ideas about things.”
Listen to Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ new single ‘Wild God’ below.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.