Nick Cave has opened up about recording with Johnny Cash, recalling him as “a sort of terrifying apparition of a man”.
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While appearing as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the ‘Red Right Hand’ singer sat down to discuss his forthcoming album ‘Wild God‘ and opened up about working with Cash on a duet cover of Hank Williams’ ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’.
“Just to be clear – Johnny Cash was my hero. I used to watch him as a child. They played The Johnny Cash Show on TV in Australia. I got to sit there as a child and see this man with a voice – there was something about this voice that just followed me all my life,” Cave began.
In 2000, Cash recorded a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds‘ 1988 track ‘The Mercy Seat’ for his album ‘American III: Solitary Man’, two years before the two recorded the Hank Williams duet. Remembering the experience, Cave revealed that he was terrified of singing alongside Cash “because of the gravitas of his voice”.
“When I got there quite early at the studio and when he arrived – this was close to when he actually died – and he was not well at all. When I saw him, he was a sort of terrifying apparition of a man so different to the man I thought him to be,” Cave said.
He continued: “He sat down with me and he said, ‘Look, you know, I’ve had the flu, I’ve had laryngitis, I have no voice. I’ve never asked Jesus for anything, but I had to perform with you today. Last night I dropped down on my knees and I said, ‘Jesus, I got to sing with Nick. Give me back my voice.’”
He went on to say that Cash had woken up that morning “singing like a bird”. “Then he sat down – this depleted man – and just transformed from this sort of suffering individual into something really extraordinary, literally before my eyes.”
‘Wild God’, Cave’s forthcoming album with The Bad Seeds, is set for release on August 30 and is available for pre-order / pre-save here.
The LP will be comprised of 10 songs and sees the band move between themes of convention and experimentation – introducing left-turns that heighten the rich imagery and emotive narratives created by the frontman.
Later this autumn, the band are set to embark on a UK and EU tour. Visit here to purchase tickets and check out a full list of tour dates below.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ 2024 tour dates are:
SEPTEMBER
24 – Oberhausen, Germany – Rudolf Weber ARENA
26 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
29 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena
OCTOBER
2 – Oslo, Norway – Oslo Spektrum
3 – Stockholm, Sweden – Hovet
5 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
8 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena
10 – Lodz, Poland – Atlas Arena
11 – Krakow, Poland – TAURON Arena
13 – Budapest, Hungary – Papp László Sportaréna
15 – Zagreb, Croatia – Arena Zagreb
17 – Prague, Czechia – O2 arena
18 – Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle
20 – Milan, Italy – Milan Forum
22 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion
24 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi
25 – Madrid, Spain – WiZink Center
27 – Lisbon, Portugal – MEO Arena
30 – Antwerp, Belgium Sportpaleis
NOVEMBER
2 – Leeds, UK – first direct arena
3 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
5 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
6 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
8 – London, UK – The O2
12 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
15 – Birmingham, UK – Resorts World Arena
17 – Paris, France – Accor Arena
Elsewhere , Cave recently reflected on the death of his two sons, and explained how the grief he felt allowed him to feel “more connected” to those around him.