Director Andrew Dominik recalls the “tremendous responsibility” he felt when making the heartbreaking Nick Cave documentary, One More Time With Feeling.
The film captures the singer-songwriter’s grief as he comes to terms with the death of his teenage son Arthur, after he fell from a cliff last year. It includes interviews and footage which “delve into the tragic backdrop of the writing and recording” of his latest album, Skeleton Tree – some of which was written in the aftermath.
Dominik says the film was designed as a way for Cave to tell people of his loss without facing the media, rather than “a work of entertainment” – but he admits they were both still “concerned” about how the project would come across to people.
- Halestorm cover Metallica, Whitesnake and Soundgarden
- Watch Metallica’s European Hardwired promo tour video
- Alter Bridge, Clutch, Mastodon added to Download 2017 bill
- Nirvana's Incesticide set for double vinyl reissue
He tells Rolling Stone: “I felt tremendous responsibility because it was his tragedy, it was his money, it was his record, and I had to come up with something coherent. I wasn’t sure if that was possible,”
“The biggest concern we had was, is there something kind of disgusting about making a film whose centre is this terrible tragedy? There’s a way of looking at it like we’re exploiting Arthur’s death to sell records.
“And there was the big, big fear that the film would, in some way, devalue or shrink the tragedy. There was a lot of discussion about where the line is, where it’s a legitimate portrait of a family going through a situation and where it becomes more like grief porn.
“Since we didn’t know where that line was, the best way to deal with it was to be honest about the confusion we felt about it. I know Nick was concerned about it.”
Despite their initial fears, Dominik says he thinks the documentary is a fitting tribute to Arthur, who also had an interest in filmmaking.
He adds: “He was a pretty ballsy kid. He used to make home-invasion movies. I feel Arthur is a person who, had he lived, would’ve made some mark on the world.
“The film was a way to say, “Here was this person. He’s not just an abstract thing. He’s somebody who left a hole behind him.”
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will tour Australia and North America in 2017.
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds tour dates 2017
Jan 17: Wellington TSB Bank Arena, New Zealand
Jan 20: Sydney ICC Theatre at Darling Harbour, Australia
Jan 21: Sydney ICC Theatre at Darling Harbour, Australia
Jan 22: Broadmeadow Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Australia
Jan 29: Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Australia
Jan 31: Perth Arena, Australia
May 26: Brooklyn Kings Theatre, NY
May 27: Brooklyn Kings Theatre, NY
May 29: Montreal Metropolis, Canada
May 31: Toronto Massey Hall , Canada
Jun 01: Toronto Massey Hall , Canada
Jun 03: Detroit Masonic Temple, MI
Jun 05: Philadelphia Electric Factory, PA
Jun 07: US Cellular Center Asheville, NC
Jun 08: Pittsburgh Carnegie Music Hall, PA
Jun 10: Boston Boch Center Wang Theatre, MA
Jun 13: New York Beacon Theatre, NY
Jun 14: New York Beacon Theatre , NY
Jun 16: Roosevelt University Auditorium Theatre, IL
Jun 18: Denver Paramount Theatre, CO
Jun 19: Salt Lake City Kingsbury Hall, UT
Jun 21: Portland Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, OR
Jun 22: Vancouver Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Canada
Jun 24: Berkeley Greek Theatre, CA
Jun 26: San Diego Civic Theater, CA
Jun 29:Los Angeles Greek Theatre, CA
