Nick Cave

Recording Artist

In the past, Cave identified as a Christian. In his recorded lectures on music and songwriting, he has claimed that any true love song is a song for God and has ascribed the mellowing of his music to a shift in focus from the Old to the New Testaments. He does not belong to a particular denomination and has distanced himself from "religion as being an American thing, in which the name of God has been hijacked".[1] He said in a Los Angeles Times article: "I'm not religious, and I'm not a Christian, but I do reserve the right to believe in the possibility of a god. It's kind of defending the indefensible, though; I'm critical of what religions are becoming, the more destructive they're becoming. But I think as an artist, particularly, it's a necessary part of what I do, that there is some divine element going on within my songs."[2]

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Sources:

1.) Bartlett, Thomas (18 November 2004). "The Resurrection of Nick Cave: The most talented romantic Christian poet rocker in the world talks to Salon about his new record and his return to songwriting form. Interview in Salon Magazine, 18 November 2004". Dir.salon.com. Retrieved 2 June 2011.

2.) John Payne (29 November 2010). "Nick Cave's master plan". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 November 2010.

3.) Talia Soghomonian (3 August 2008). "Nick Cave". musicomh.com. "Asked if he's a believer, he replies evasively, 'I believe in all sorts of things.' I attempt to lift his aura of mysticism and insist. 'Well, I believe in all sorts of things. But do I believe in God, you mean? Yeah. Do you?' he turns the question on me, before continuing, 'If you're involved with imagination and the creative process, it's not such a difficult thing to believe in a god. But I'm not involved in any religions.'"

4.) "Nick Cave on The Death of Bunny Munro". The Guardian. September 11, 2009. "Do I personally believe in a personal God? No."