Letter to Nick Cave

Hi Nick, what’s up?
It’s Sunday morning, here in Greece, election day and I’m sitting in front of my computer. My daughter is watching The Lion King for the umpteenth time and I ‘ve put my headphones on and listen to music. I’m also reading the Observer Music Monthly and I happened to come across your discussion along with other musicians about music nowadays. It’s a great conversation, I really felt I was there with you people talking about the things we love about music. But you know I just wanted to tell you Nick that what you say about the advertisement is not fair. You mention how you heard the other day the song “Hurt” by Johnny Cash coming from TV and then you realized it was just an ad (you were revolted by this). Well don’t be so sorry Nick cause you know if it wasn’t the ad I wouldn’t have heard the piece. I haven’t even seen the commercial yet but music producers suddenly remembered the song and played it a lot on the radio. Not only that, they didn’t say the name or anything but you know I just jotted down the lyrics and then I want to a lyrics site, typed them in and it found it for me. So three cheers for the internet, for MySpace, for free downloads, otherwise poor teachers like me wouldn’t listen to music at all, we would be stuck to the Nick Cave vinyl we had bought in the 80s.
I used to be a big fan of yours Nick. I had a crash on you when I was 15. I had vowed to buy all your records including those with Birthday Party. I didn’t even have a boyfriend back then but listening to “From her to eternity” made me cry and I played it again and again. I had only one friend back then and he lived far from my island, in Athens. He would always call me and tell me "Are you coming for Nick's concert?", and I wouldn't and I'd cry some more. When I finally went to Athens to study it was the nineties, I had already met great man who couldn’t believe we would make love listening to Nick Cave and Nikki Sudden but there, first loves are not easily forgotten. I came to a couple of your concerts, I even bought a book of yours but I didn't have a crash anymore. I even stopped collecting your records. My brother (just a couple of years younger) still considers it a sacred duty of his to buy your CDs, though so I get to listen to them every summer I visit.
You sound a bit bitter, in this conversation Nick, but you shouldn’t. Of course there are many great groups out there and it’s great people are listening to their i-pods all the time. Since yesterday evening I’ve listened to a lot of music, music I wouldn’t even know if I only bought CDs. Since yesterday evening I listened to Bent, Roger Sanchez, Band Ane, Seckou Keita, Julieta Venegas, Alice Russel, Page France, Hefner (the last two from a music blog I just found). Only two of them seem worth of buying their CDs but I’m glad I heard them.
Anyway, that’s all I had to tell you Nick in case you ever read this. And don’t worry, we people who loved your music wouldn’t mind if it was used in ads too. If nothing else, it would remind them of an era long gone.

1 χρόνος και κάτι blogging, 100 posts, 34 χρόνια παρουσίας στη γη (έλεγα να το γράψω την Τρίτη αλλά ήθελα να απαντήσω στο Νικ), 16 χρόνια with a great man (μαζεύτηκαν πολλές επέτειοι αυτή τη βδομάδα)