Nick Cave ‘f–ks with people’ by going to church and being conservative

Australian rocker Nick Cave said his modern mode of “f–king with people” consists of going to church and being a conservative.

The singer-songwriter told UnHerd podcast host Freddie Sayers last week that he has always differed from his punk rock peers because he was more interested in infuriating the public than bucking “against the establishment.”

“I was never that. I was much more concerned with irritating my peers … and my audience, and by what I mean by irritating is, is to sort of ignite their imaginations, and get them thinking about things and challenge them about things and this sort of stuff,” Cave said.

“I didn’t have that political fury. But I was much more concerned with f—king with people on a different kind of a level, a different kind of thing. And I was always sort of at odds with my peers, I would say.”

During a conversation about Cave’s memoir “Faith, Hope and Carnage” — billed as a reflection of the rock icon’s life, from his early childhood to the present day and his “dramatic transformation in recent years” — Sayers asked how he carries that tradition into 2023, 50 years into his career.

“You be a conservative,” the Bad Seeds frontman quickly responded, which drew resounding laughter from the live audience.

“Is that today’s equivalent?” Sayers reiterated.

“Yeah, you go to church and be a conservative,” Cave responded.

Cave — who is best known for throwing himself on the ground and screaming throughout performances — said at the top of the 70-minute interview that he holds a conservative edge to his beliefs, but uses the word “cautiously.”

“There’s certainly, a similar delight that I got in the early days that I get these days which is sort of f–king with people to some degree. There is something about living outside the expectations of other people that is energizing,” he said.

Cave said he has come to see the world in a different way over the last decade and grew increasingly reserved after losing two of his sons within a seven-year span.

The rocker has repeatedly spoken out against cancel culture and political correctness, conservative ideals he touched on during the UnHerd interview.

The 65-year-old rocker said a “wet blanket” has been thrown over art in general and made it impossible to produce work without worrying about offending others.

“I get tired of hearing people say ‘Well, you can’t say this. I think this but can’t say this.’ And that’s reflective of a mood, but I don’t think it’s true,” Cave said.

“I don’t think there are things that you can’t say, you just need to take the consequences of saying certain sorts of things. Now these are brutal, merciless, and unjust. And it’s distressing to see these things happen.”