Nick Cave To Appear On 'Intimate & Revealing' Episode Of 'Australian Story'

On Monday (12 August), fans will get to see a different side of Nick Cave.

If you’ve been lucky enough to see him perform live, you know that he has a sense of humour—no matter how dark his music tends to be. And no matter how dark the music can be, it’s always honest and open and never totally hopeless.

But his appearance on Australian Story next week is set to stand out with its description of being “revealing” and “intimate,” with Cave in the hot seat being interviewed by ABC’s Leigh Sales.

The “wide-ranging” and “deeply personal” conversation will find the Into My Arms singer discussing his enduring Australian-ness, lessons from grief, how he feels about drugs, why he searches for meaning in religion, that infamous duet with Kylie Minogue, and sharing that he is no longer “in awe of my own genius”. 

According to a press release, Cave’s episode of Australian Story will also feature archival interviews, live performances, and excerpts from other documentaries.

The episode will air on ABC TV and iView at 8 pm AEST next Monday, 12 August. Check out the teaser below.

Australian Story has highlighted plenty of local music icons of late, including Cold Chisel, Bon Scott (celebrating the 50th anniversary of the singer joining AC/DC), Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett, Parkway Drive, Elly-May Barnes, and Silverchair’s Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou.

This month, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will release their 18th studio album, Wild God.

Described as a “complicated” album in a press release, Cave added that it’s also “deeply and joyously infectious”.

“There is never a master plan when we make a record,” he said. The records rather reflect the emotional state of the writers and musicians who played them. Listening to this, I don’t know; it seems we’re happy.”

Cave continued, “Wild God… there’s no f*cking around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you. I love that about it.”

You can pre-order/pre-save the album here.

In a live review of his recent solo show with Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood on bass at Melbourne’s Plenary, The Music’s Monique La Terra declared:

The brilliance of an unembellished show is that it forces the performer to revisit each song in its most essential state and allows the audience to meditate within the minimalism of it all. The experience is cathartic for all involved, and there’s no doubt that anyone who witnesses Cave at his most vulnerable will walk out with a newfound admiration for the depth of his creative soul.