The way Nick Cave prepares for recording music: “It affects the way I write”
We critics and fans obsess over studio techniques used by our idols.
Desperately, we search for something that might give us an insight into the mind’s eye of artists like Nick Cave, Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan. But most of the time, there’s nothing concrete about their answers, and nor should there be. If music had a ‘Dummies Guide’ to making a catalogue, then those three names wouldn’t live in artistic eternity like they do now.
There is something inherently different about how they view the world, and quite often, that is all there is at the root of their difference. But one thing all three of those artists had was an ability to master both sides of music. They were master songwriters who could craft unique melodies at the drop of a hat, while simultaneously penning lyrics that would be some of the greatest of all time.
Nick Cave, in particular, is one such artist whose words have been the source of inspiration for generations of musicians, writers and actors. From young punk to aged observationalist, his writing style has evolved over the years but never wavered in quality. Were all the music to be stripped away, it would remain poetry of the highest order.
But to the encouragement of his fans and burgeoning musicians, there is one specific method Cave adopts in his studio sessions to get the very best out of his lyricism.
“When I write songs, which I do in blocks, so I do that, I basically set a date, sit down and begin writing a record,” Cave told BBC 6Music. It’s a surprisingly formulaic method for someone whose poetry feels loose and abstract.
He continued, “And part of that process is to spend at least half an hour to an hour reading poetry before I begin writing, because it just puts me, it affects the way I write rhythmically and puts the sort of language of poetry into my mind, I suppose.”
It’s the intellectual equivalent of stretching your hamstrings or opening up the gate to ensure no unwanted muscle snaps occur. And for the large part of Cave’s discography, you can see how this approach has paid off, as he’s rarely wasted a word or snapped a lyrical muscle when he hasn’t needed to.
But, this isn’t the first time Cave has imparted some much-needed wisdom onto the general public. He is perhaps one of the most accessible living greats, using his famous online fan-led forum The Red Hand Files to offer free songwriting advice and at times, hand out free lyrics to cave heads all over.
“You are not the ‘Great Creator’ of your songs,” he once explained to his fans via the forum. Adding, “You are simply their servant, and the songs will come to you when you have adequately prepared yourself to receive them. They are not inside you, unable to get out; rather, they are outside of you, unable to get in. Songs, in my experience, are attracted to an open, playful and motivated mind.”
It seems then that a healthy and regular diet of poetry consumption might just be the first step in being adequately prepared to become the next great songwriter.
