Nick Cave on Music, Creativity and Grief

Terena Scott
April 11, 2025

Photo of Nick Cave by by photographer Detlev Schneider

My heart carries too much grief. My daughter’s constant struggle with her illness. The loss of dear friends, those who died from AIDS in the 1990’s and those I’ve lost to cancer now. The loss of my husband to alcohol. My mother to mental illness. Today I grieve for my country.

I find solace in the poetry and music of Nick Cave. In this interview with Stephen Colbert, he talks about the transformative power of grief through art.

We cannot get back what we have lost and we cannot deny the pain. But we can express how we feel through creativity and share it with others struggling with their own sadness. perhaps we can help each other.

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