SEPT/OCT 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM Q&A

Deirdre O’Callaghan Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, Nick Cave, Jim Sclavunos NICK CAVE An alt-rock icon explores sex, death, violence and love with Grinderman

WHEN GRINDERMAN DEBUTED IN from myself when I listen to a record, not This is a very hard-rocking record 2007 with its self-titled album, some might confronted by myself. coming from a man in his 50s. have surmised that the project—which CAVE: I don’t see what harder has to do with featured four core members of Nick Cave How did you approach the songwriting? youth. I think it has to do with anger, more and the Bad Seeds—was little more than a CAVE: We went into the studio cold for fi ve than anything. And as a 52-year-old I have particularly inspired vacation from the parent days with nothing. We started jamming and way more reason to be angry than I did when group. The release of Grinderman 2 puts did these very long days. We just played I was 18. Now I’m really angry. any such notion to rest. For Cave, guitarist constantly and taped it all. Later we’d go Warren Ellis, bass player Martyn Casey and through it and pick out the bits that sounded What are you angry about? drummer Jim Sclavunos, Grinderman is a interesting or suggested something. Then CAVE: Everything! distinct entity with its own identity. We spoke we took those away and I worked on them. SCLAVUNOS: You name it. with Cave and Sclavunos about the inner CAVE: Just looking in the mirror, or reading workings of Grinderman. Is there a theme in the songs? the newspaper. CAVE: Sex, death. SCLAVUNOS: But I suppose you channel Do you feel Grinderman has more of a SCLAVUNOS: Beasts, monsters. the anger differently when you’re older. personality of its own now? CAVE: Violence, love. These are the things I’m sure there are plenty of angry young CAVE: It’s getting closer to the sort of that I tend to be interested in, and continue men. But they take a lot of that rage out on music that we actually want to make, that to be. And I make no apology for it. themselves. When you’re older, you get used we can put on and go, “This is kind of cool.” to projecting it and sublimating it better. I’m listening to this record with almost an Is Grinderman a democracy? objective point of view, because I’m just one CAVE: It’s not really a democracy in the How different is Grinderman from the member in the whole thing. And I don’t do sense that everyone has to vote on every Bad Seeds? that with my other records. I’m too implicated aspect of what goes on. But for me it’s CAVE: We’ve always done different things. in my own records. Why would I want to more that they have to delegate stuff within Even the Bad Seeds’ records are completely listen to it? There’s so much other music four people. For example, mastering—I hate different. It’s always been about doing out there. I don’t listen to music while I work. all that. Jim loves it. He loves to listen to a different things, and they all inform each When it comes to actually listening to a piece record over and over again. So it’s a great other. The big question, always, is what are of music, I sit down and put on a record and opportunity to say, “You deal with that, and we going to do next? listen to it properly. I want to be taken away I’ll do the cover.” –Jeff Tamarkin

‘As a 52-year-old I have way more reason to be angry than I did when I was 18.’

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M mag 6.indd 68 9/29/10 5:11:03 PM