Nick Cave has revealed how he went from being “in awe of his own genius” to feeling “shamefully self-indulgent” following the tragic deaths of his two sons.
The 66-year-old Australian-born Bad Seeds frontman is a writer, actor and singer known for his baritone voice and for lending street cred to Kylie Minogue.
But her life has been marred by tragedy after losing two sons in the past 10 years.
His 15-year-old son Arthur died in 2015 after taking LSD for the first time, before falling nearly 20 metres from a cliff near his home in Brighton, England.
Meanwhile, her 31-year-old son Jethro, who had schizophrenia and battled drug addiction, died in Melbourne in 2022, two days after being released from jail and two months after violently assaulting his own mother.
Speaking to Leigh Sales on Australian Story this week, the 66-year-old musician was visibly upset as he discussed the deaths of his sons Arthur, 15, in 2015 and Jethro, 32, in 2022.
Nick Cave has opened up about the tragic death of his two sons. The Bad Seeds musician, 66, has lost two children in the past 10 years. He is pictured with his wife Susie Cave
Cave’s son Arthur (pictured) tragically died after falling from a cliff near Brighton after taking LSD in July 2015.
Jethro Lazenby (pictured) had been behind bars for attacking his mother before his death in May 2022.
Jethro, 31, who had schizophrenia and battled drug addiction, died in his motel room in Melbourne.
The musician, in a promo for a special interview with Australian Story, got emotional when sharing how after burying his two children he no longer values art above all else.
“I was amazed at my own genius,” Cave said, “I just saw the folly of that… shameful kind of complacency.”
Cave explained that throughout his life, art was his first priority, but says that mindset and lifestyle “completely collapsed” after Arthur’s death.
“That idea that art transcends everything doesn’t apply to me anymore,” he told interviewer Leigh Sales.
Describing himself as a “husband”, “father”, “grandfather” and a “worldly person”, Cave said: “These things are much more important to me than the concept of being an artist.”
As he delved deeper into the subject of his children, the musician began to get emotional.
“I’m sorry it’s so hard to talk about this,” he said, his emotions overwhelming him.
Cave has previously said she “can’t help but feel guilty” about her children’s deaths because “it’s against nature” to bury a child.
“I think it’s something that people who lose children feel regardless of the situation, simply because the only thing you’re supposed to do is not let your children die,” she told The Guardian earlier this year.
Forget about it. All you’re supposed to do is protect your kids.
Cave explained that throughout his life, art was his first priority, but says that mindset and lifestyle “completely collapsed” after Arthur’s death.
The musician, in a promo for a special Australian Story interview, got emotional as he shared how after burying his two children he no longer values art above all else.
Nick Cave will perform at Heartland Festival in Kvaerndrup, Denmark on June 8, 2023
Cave is a former heroin addict who was arrested for possession in 1988 while recording in London.
Asked if he felt guilty because drugs were involved in Arthur’s death, he said: “There could be some element of that, yes.
‘Look, these things are in our DNA, they are inherited. I don’t want to make assumptions about Arthur, who was just a kid. It’s not that he was a drug addict.
Arthur tragically died in July 2015 after falling off a cliff during an LSD session with a friend.
An inquest into his death revealed the 15-year-old, who also had cannabis in his system, was “completely disorientated” when he fell off a cliff into the rugged Ovingdean Gap near Brighton.
Another of the pop star’s sons, Jethro Lazenby, died in May 2022, just days after being released from prison.
The 31-year-old had been behind bars for kneeing his mother in the face during a fight over cigarettes, leaving her “bruised and bleeding”.
Days before his death in court, Jethro’s lawyer revealed that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that it affected his judgment.
The 66-year-old Australian-born Bad Seeds frontman is a writer, actor and singer known for his baritone voice.
Nick Cave pictured with his wife, Susie Cave. The singer said he now considers himself a father and grandfather first and foremost.
Nick Cave and Sam Taylor-Johnson attend the world premiere of ‘Back To Black’ at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on April 8, 2024
The troubled man, who had spent years in and out of prison as his life spiraled out of control in a haze of illicit drugs, was facing further criminal charges when he was found dead in a $100-a-night motel in Melbourne.
Speaking about grief, Cave said: “Over time, we become absorbed or reorganised, so that we become creatures of loss as we grow older – this is part of our fundamental fabric of who we are as human beings,” he says.
‘This is not a tragic element in our lives but rather a deepening element that brings incredible meaning to our lives.
“I’ve discovered it personally, and I think a lot of other people have discovered it too, as long as you can stay open.”
Cave has since shown a growing commitment to Christianity, which has alienated some fans.
But he said he and the Bad Seeds have never been afraid of losing fans.
For example, in 1995 he performed a duet with Kylie Minogue on Where the Wild Roses Grow, a song about a descent into madness and murder.
But the combination of Minogue’s sweetness and Cave’s dark personality helped the song become the Bad Seeds’ biggest commercial hit worldwide.
Cave has had reason to be cheerful recently, as his first grandson, Roman, was born to his daughter-in-law Sasha and son Luke, from Cave’s marriage to Brazilian journalist Viviane Carneiro.
He also has another son named Earl, who is Arthur’s twin brother, with his wife of 25 years, British fashion designer and former model, Susie Bick.
The singer said he is still completely in love with Bick and that the two are united by love and the catastrophe of Arthur’s death.
He said: “To see her go from someone who was completely incapacitated, bedridden, in a dark room, in a grave of her own, to someone who finally got out of bed and went to work… and then somehow got out of there, I’m eternally amazed.”