Cheers to Nick Cave

I know I just praised the man for his entertaining book reading at Barnes & Noble, but I must wish Nicholas Edward Cave a very happy 52nd birthday.

Nick Cave Takes On NYC

Yesterday (Sept. 14), the always brilliant Nick Cave descended upon New York City's Union Square to take part in Barnes & Noble's Upstairs at the Square event. Cave just issued his long-awaited book, The Death of Bunny Munro, and this was his only U.S. stop in support of the novel.

Dressed in a gray suit with a boy-blue dress shirt, the lanky Bad Seeds frontman, sans mustache, seemed thrilled to be there. The fourth floor setting was absolutely packed. I got there at 4:30 (and the reading was scheduled for 7pm) and people were already pouring in, aiming to get a seat up close. Luckily, I landed in the sixth row.

The Q&A session, lead by author and journalist Katherine Lanpher -- aka the co-host of the Air America Radio program, "The Al Franken Show," in 2004 and 2005 -- was quite enjoyable. Nick was incredibly funny and charming. He'd tell me later at the book signing that it was "quite nerveracking" to be up there, on stage, doing such a thing.

During the near hour-long discussion, he and Lanpher chatted about the new book (Nick said that writing this book was "a joy to write" and "easy" versus the three years it took to complete his first novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel), how fatherhood has affected him, and how Warren Ellis first came into his life, and more. There was a lot of laughing from both Nick and the crowd. He also read a bit from the new book.

We Call Upon the Author: Nick Cave

In 1989, Nick Cave issued his first novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel, and come September, the original Bad Seed returns with his second book, The Death of Bunny Munro.

The sinister, soul-searching tale of salesman Bunny Munro will be released in the US via Faber & Faber September 1st, while UK fans can get their hands on the book come September 3rd via Canongate Books Ltd. The audiobook version at Amazon UK includes a soundtrack from Cave and Warren Ellis. A signed and numbered limited edition of the book will also be sold exclusively through the The Death of Bunny Munro site.

From the publisher:

"Set adrift by his wife’s suicide and struggling to keep some sort of grasp on reality, Bunny Munro drives off in his yellow Fiat Punto, Bunny Jr. in tow. To his son, waiting patiently in the car while he peddles beauty wares and quickies to lonely housewives in the south of England, Bunny is a hero, larger than life. But Bunny himself seems to have only a dim awareness of his son’s existence, viewing his needs as a distraction from the relentless pursuit of sex, alcohol, and drugs.

When his bizarre road trip shades into a final reckoning, Bunny realizes that the revenants of his world—decrepit fathers, vengeful ghosts, jealous husbands, and horned psycho-killers—lurk in the shadows, waiting to exact their toll. At turns dark and humane—and with all the mystery and enigma fans will recognize as Cave’s singular vision—The Death of Bunny Munro questions the nature of sin and redemption, and lays bare the imprints that fathers leave on their sons."

In addition to his previous novel, Cave's book works include two collections of poetry and lyrics, King Ink I and II. He also wrote the screenplay and score (with Bad Seed Warren Ellis) for 2005's The Proposition, starring Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone. He and Ellis composed the soundtrack for the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s 2006 book, The Road, out this fall.

Check out The Guardian for a video clip of Nick reading from Chapter 12 of The Death of Bunny Munro.

He's Got Mojo

I haven't bought MOJO in ages ... well, I haven't bought any of those British music mags in a long, long time. I used to worship Q, Vox, and Select, and NME and Melody Maker when they were still in newspaper format. Anyhow, MOJO still hammers out a slick issue now and then and its latest is a good example: Nick Cave dons the March 2009 cover and here, the original Bad Seed reflects upon his three decades in rock in a 15-page spread.

"I'm dressed up -- cufflinks and all -- for your photo session, but I don't wear a suit in a dandyish way. I wear it as a worker. Someone who prepares himself for the job. It's always been like that."

See? Such class.

There's also a killer interview with Brian Eno and another piece with Johnny Marr, but Paul Trynka's reflective piece on Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton is really stellar -- Iggy Pop, J Mascis and James Williamson pay tribute.. Asheton passed away last month at the age of 60. He lived in my old neighborhood on the west side of Ann Arbor ... a cool as hell musician, but just a regular guy. Still sad about this one. RIP Ron Asheton.

St. Nick

Joyeux l'Anniversaire to a man who needs no introduction simply because he prefers to take care of that kind of thing himself: Nick Cave. The Aussie singer/songwriter turns a fantastic 51 today. The Sultan and I get to see Cave and his Bad Seeds -- who are currently touring the U.S. in support of their 14th album Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! -- perform at NYC's WaMu Theater, Saturday, October 4th.

Also in Nick Cave news, the Guardian recently announced that the long-awaited follow-up to Cave's 1989 novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel, -- Death of Bunny Munro -- is slated for September 2009.

Nick Cave, the Astonishing: Grinderman

Nick Cave is a man that needs no introduction. The nearly 50-year-old troubadour continues to rip apart rock & roll with his surly, sooty, and sexy bravado (Blixa, eat your heart out!), and he does it again with his new project, Grinderman. Some of his fellow Bad Seeds--Jim Sclavunos (drums), Martyn Casey (bass), and Warren Ellis (violin)--join him (with Nick on GUITAR!!!), and it's everything you'd expect and more. The song "No Pussy Blues" is solid blues-soaked swagger douced in gasoline and lust. It's classic Cave, really. The Aussie foursome have been playing together under Grinderman moniker since the release of Nocturama, and have plans to release an album next March. In the meantime, Ellis and the Dirty Three are curating the 2007 edition of All Tomorrow's Parties, which will feature a solo performance from Cave as well as Grinderman.