Nick Cave’s life was forever changed after the tragic loss of his two sons, Arthur and Jethro. The Australian musician has spoken publicly about how their deaths made him reevaluate his priorities and realize that art is not everything.
A New Perspective on Life and Art
Nick Cave’s life was forever changed after the tragic loss of his two sons. The Australian musician has spoken publicly about how their deaths made him reevaluate his priorities and realize that art is not everything.
From Artistic Obsession to Family-Centric Focus
Cave, 67, told BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs that he used to be consumed by his work, often locking himself away in an office to focus on his creative projects. However, after the death of his sons, Arthur (15) and Jethro (31), he found it difficult to continue with this approach.
“It has a lot to do with Arthur and Jethro… I always just thought art was, kind of at the end of the day, everything,” Cave said. “I mean, it’s a terrible thing to say, but it was, it was always there. It was always reliable.”
However, after Arthur’s death in 2015 and Jethro’s passing in 2022, Cave felt a shift in his perspective. He began to see that there is more to life than just art.
The Importance of Family and Responsibility
Cave has now come to realize that his responsibility towards his wife, family, and community is what truly drives him creatively. “I find my responsibility towards my children and my wife, and to be a citizen, a husband, these things are the actual animating force behind, or should be the animating force behind our creativeness,” he explained.
The musician has also found joy in his family, particularly his young grandson who is seven months old. “It’s difficult to exaggerate how beautiful this is that I have a little grandson, who’s like, seven months old,” he said.
A Newfound Appreciation for Life
Cave and his family have moved from Brighton to Los Angeles as they found it too difficult living so close to where Arthur died. He has also set up an online platform called the Red Hand Files, where fans can ask him questions and he replies to some of the hundreds he receives each week.
“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,” Cave said.
A New Chapter Ahead
Cave is currently going on tour in North America this spring and has announced plans to retire from music when he can no longer perform knee drops on stage. However, for now, he continues to find joy and inspiration in his family and creative pursuits.
