Artist Nick Cave has revealed that he declined a recent invitation from songwriter Morrissey to contribute spoken-word content to a new song, specifically due to discomfort with its politically charged message according to Stereogum.
Cave took to his blog, The Red Hand Files, to reveal this and post his thoughts on Morrissey’s request. This revelation came when Cave responded to a question about his connection with the former Smiths frontman on his blog.
“I’ve never actually met Morrissey, which is probably why I like him,” Cave began, and then described Morrissey as a “complex and divisive figure” who “takes more than a little pleasure in pissing people off.”
Though Cave expressed admiration for Morrissey’s songwriting talent by calling him “probably the best lyricist of his generation” he clarified that he declined to appear on a new track.
Cave wrote that Morrissey had sent him a song that opened with an “entirely irrelevant Greek bouzouki intro,” followed by a request not to sing, but to read aloud “an unnecessarily provocative and slightly silly anti-woke screed.”
“Although I suppose I agreed with the sentiment on some level, it just wasn’t my thing,” Cave wrote. “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, Astrid, I politely declined. I said no.”
Despite the disagreement, Cave maintained his appreciation for Morrissey’s work. “I find that Morrissey’s music, regardless of how jaundiced and disaffected the songs may sometimes seem, does precisely that — ushers us toward what is true.”
He closed his message by shouting out the up-and-coming band YHWH Nailgun, calling them “completely awesome.”
Cave & the Bad Seeds recently wrapped up their North American tour which began April 15th, and closed on May 14th. Aside from their tour wrap up, they unexpectedly released concert film from their show in Paris during their Europe tour on November 17th, 2024 of them performing fan-favorite songs.
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