Nick Cave has addressed his relationship with Morrissey and a declined collaboration request in a recent response. He shared this response on The Red Hand Files.
Cave responded to a fan’s question about his relationship with Morrissey. He provided insight into their limited interactions and explained why he turned down a recent collaboration opportunity.
“I’ve never actually met Morrissey, which is probably why I like him,” Cave stated. “He is undeniably a complex and divisive figure, someone who takes more than a little pleasure in pissing people off. As enjoyable as some may find this, it holds little interest for me, but for the fact that Morrissey is probably the best lyricist of his generation – certainly the strangest, funniest, most sophisticated, and most subtle.”
Cave then detailed the collaboration request he received from Morrissey.
“We had a few pleasant email exchanges last year in which Morrissey asked if I’d sing on a new song he had written,” he explained. “I would have been happy to do so, however, while the song he sent was quite lovely, it began with a lengthy and entirely irrelevant Greek bouzouki intro. It also seemed that he didn’t want me to actually sing on the song, but deliver, over the top of the bouzouki, an unnecessarily provocative and slightly silly anti-woke screed he had written.”
Cave explained his decision to decline. “Although I suppose I agreed with the sentiment on some level, it just wasn’t my thing,” he concluded. “I try to keep politics, cultural or otherwise, out of the music I am involved with. I find that it has a diminishing effect and is antithetical to whatever it is I am trying to achieve. So, I politely declined. I said no.”
This exchange highlights the ongoing evolution of both artists’ approaches to music and collaboration in recent years.
Tone Deaf reported that The Red Hand Files has become Cave’s preferred platform for direct communication with fans since its launch in 2018. The platform offers unprecedented access to his thoughts on music, creativity, and relationships within the industry.
Cave’s stance on Morrissey has remained consistently nuanced over the years. Morrissey-Solo noted that Cave previously defended Morrissey’s right to express controversial views in 2019. He maintained his own distance from political commentary in music.
The contrast between their current artistic directions is notable. Morrissey has increasingly incorporated political themes into his work. Cave’s latest album with The Bad Seeds, “Wild God” (2024), continues his focus on personal and abstract themes. Music critics documented this approach.
This recent interaction between the two influential artists underscores their different approaches to artistic expression and political engagement in contemporary music.
