Nick Cave spoke about being disappointed by Kanye West and Bob Dylan on his website, The Red Hand Files.
The singer frequently interacts with his fans by answering their questions on his website. One of them recently asked Cave:
“I am finding your religious turn and proselytizing difficult. How do you reconcile your faith with the church’s devastating history of sexism, homophobia, paedophilia etc. It’s not good enough to differentiate Jesus from the Christian religion since they draw on his words and teachings. Don’t you feel you’re letting down (even alienating) your queer and female fans?”
Cave’s Reply To The Fan’s Question
The rocker started his words by naming some artists that let him down:
“When I think of the artists that I truly admire, those that I have stuck with over the years, at some point in their lengthy careers, they have all disappointed me. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Nina Simone, Kanye, Van Morrison, Morrissey, Brian Eno, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith – these are artists that, for me, form a kind of confederacy of excellence, but at one time or another they have each alienated, confounded or displeased me.”
Nick talked about why he is interested in all those artists:
“Yet there is something about them that keeps me captivated and forever alert to what they might do next. More than anything, this has to do with their authenticity. I know that on a fundamental level, they are on their own path, and they are not in the business of shaping their lives, artistic or otherwise, in order to please or make others feel better.”
Cave’s Thoughts On Kanye West
When Kanye West said hurtful things about Jewish people in recent years, he faced a lot of criticism. But Cave noted at the time to BBC’s Newsnight program that he still liked West as an artist, explaining:
“I find antisemitism in particular [to be] distasteful. It’s been very disappointing to hear these remarks and such sort of obvious, boring kind of reductive tropes that he’s actually pedaling. It’s a personal choice as to whether you can go on and listen to that person’s music. I personally can. I love Kanye’s music. I feel that he’s done the best music of anybody in some time, the most interesting, challenging, bold music.”
In December 2023, West issued an apology to the Jewish community in an Instagram post for any hurt he caused. His apology came after he made anti-Semitic comments in Las Vegas while promoting his album ‘Vultures.’