S Poddar
Writing to fans from his latest edition of The Red Hand Files, Nick Cave broke down the inspiration behind the title to his soon-to-be-released album with the Bad Seeds, *Wild God*, while also sharing some of the alternatives considered for the project.
Co-produced with longtime collaborator Warren Ellis, the two have worked together on what will be a 10-track LP. Said to touch on a mix of conventional and experimental themes, the band uses some unexpected elements to add to the already evocative imagery and topnotch emotional storytelling Cave is known for. So far, fans have had an auditory whiff of its content through pre-released singles like “Long Dark Night,” the title track “Wild God,” and “Frogs.”
Cave explained the title when a fan wrote to him via his website, The Red Hand Files, to say that she had written a poem called *Wild God* and to ask if he had seen it. He said while he knew about that poem, the title had turned up under its own steam.
He remembered, “At the end of November last year, Warren and I were at Dave Fridmann’s studio, Tarbox Road, in Cassadaga, New York, which is basically just cabin in the woods. On the final afternoon it was raining heavily and the two of us were sitting on the porch watching the rain overflowing the gutters and dripping through the trees. We had finished the mixing, felt we had an excellent record and were pretty pleased with ourselves, Warren asked me what we were going to call the record.”
Cave said he had three possible titles in mind-Inspiration., Possibility. and Holy Fire.- all of which were songs on that album. Anyway, after *Conversion* they decided this was too obviously religious and might prove a turn-off to Pinault. Although they liked *Joy*, Cave was leery of appearing as though he was implying that he was happy and while the album had some bright moments it really wasn’t very joyous. This left them with the title of *Wild God*, which both Cave and Ellis felt was not only very strong, but very enigmatic.
Cave did a quick internet search just to see if the phrase “Wild God” had been used before, and discovered the poem *Sometimes A Wild God*–the actual poem that had been written by this fan who’d contacted him. Cave read the poem to Ellis, to which Ellis said, “Great poem,” and Cave followed up with, “Amazing poem. Beautiful poem.”
The two sat in silence, considering the poem as rain fell outside. “Fuck it,” Ellis finally said, “there’s always something.” It was then that Dave Fridmann appeared onto the porch and asked the pair what they would name the album. Without blinking, both Cave and Ellis answered, “Wild God.”
Cave later told the fan that he often returns to their poem, describing it as “a beautiful, deep, raw thing, full of unruly life,” and expressed a deep connection to it. He appreciated the way the poem enhances the meaning of his own work: “Reading it is a particular pleasure because it gives weight to my own ‘Wild God’, pouring meaning into it and deepening and intensifying it.”
Cave realized the power that this poem of the fan held, thanked him for reaching and being so magnanimous, and even urged other people to look at it-similar to how he could share this journey between their creative paths.
Cave, in an interview this week, went on to reflect on his album *Skeleton Tree*, which he recorded in 2016 after the tragic death of his son Arthur. Arthur Cave died under shockingly unexpected circumstances back in July 2015; he was just 15 years old and had plunged from a cliff near Brighton. This was when he had been working on his 16 studio album, which came out the following year.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Cave admitted that he regrets recording the album so shortly after the tragic event that scarred his family. “That is the only album that made matters worse,” he said. “My mental health was made worse because I did it very soon after my son died, and I shouldn’t have done.”
He said that through the pain, he and his wife Susie had found some happiness again, although one could never have a complete “closure” from such a loss as that of Arthur and their elder son, Jethro, who died in 2022 aged 31 after a years-long battle with schizophrenia.
“I’m actually extremely unsure about what happens after you die, but the feeling that I had was: how would the spirit of Arthur feel if he could see the pain and the upset and the suffering that his parents were going through – through losing him… the best thing we certainly can go on to tell him now is that things are OK. I say that carefully,” Cave added.
The Bad Seeds will tour the UK and EU later this year, giving a chance for the fans to hear the new album live.
