Nick Cave couldn’t face media to promote Skeleton Tree

Nick Cave
Nick Cave (Image credit: Getty)

The director of Nick Cave documentary One More Time With Feeling has explained why Cave decided to make a film documenting the making of his upcoming album Skeleton Tree.

Andrew Dominik reports Cave wanted to make the film so he wouldn’t have to face the media while promoting the record – as he wanted to avoid talking about the death of his son Arthur.

The 15-year-old died after he fell from a cliff in Brighton earlier this year. The inquest into his death revealed the teenager had taken LSD for the first time before the accident.

Speaking at the documentary’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Dominik says (via the Guardian): “Nick went into a newsagent in Brighton and saw a copy of Mojo – he realised he was going to have to promote the record.

“Arthur had died halfway through making it and the idea of promoting it made him feel sick, because he was going to have to discuss the context of the record with a whole bunch of journalists.

“That prospect was very alarming to him. His instinct in making the film was one of self-preservation – it was a way to talk about what happened, but there was a certain safety in doing it with someone he knew.”

Dominik continues: “Nick deals with everything in life by working. If his heart is broken he can turn it into a song, everything is a grist for the mill. But I don’t think the film, or the songs, helped him with his grief. Perhaps momentarily. But this thing is so big, you can’t even get your arms around it.”

Last week, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds released a video for the track Jesus Alone, which featured footage from the film.

Skeleton Tree will be released on September 9 and is available for pre-order, with those purchasing ahead of its official release getting instant access to Jesus Alone.

The Skeleton Tree cover

The Skeleton Tree cover

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree tracklist

  1. Jesus Alone
  2. Rings Of Saturn
  3. Girl In Amber
  4. Magneto
  5. Anthrocene
  6. I Need You
  7. Distant Sky
  8. Skeleton Tree

The 9 best Nick Cave songs, by Frank Carter

Scott Munro
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Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.