Those readers who are WAKE UP fans of old may recall our tendency to pick out people we feel are shining examples to all and sundry; namely Éamonn "Éamo" Murphy, Hans Gruber and Zapp Brannigan. For anyone who is interested, a partial list of luminaries is available at the official WAKE UP Facebook page here. Now it is time to resume this habit by examining a man of great worth who is not represented on said list, but deserves a great deal of recognition nonetheless. This man is the Antipodean mediator of wisdom Nick Cave; a true gentleman.
How, you may ask, is Mr. Cave a true gentleman? Let us count the ways. First of all, he is extremely forthright; never afraid to speak up. One evident example of this is the wonderfully-titled "No Pussy Blues", in which Mr. Cave recounts his attempts to persuade a young woman to engage in sexual intercourse with him, "but she just didn't want to". However one might characterise Mr. Cave's behaviour throughout the song, he is certainly unafraid to speak up about that which he desires, which is worth celebrating in its own way. Similarly, in "Thirsty Dog", Mr. Cave shows himself as a man unafraid to apologise, when the situation calls for it; right up to "I'm sorry that I exist", which is, it must be said, about as sizeable an apology as it is possible to make. Thus Mr. Cave also shows the humility befitting a true gentleman.
Mr. Cave is also an eloquent man of great learning. In "Song of Joy", for instance, he repeatedly quotes from Milton's Paradise Lost. Admittedly these quotations are part of his modus operandi when murdering his wife and children, among others, but he still deserves credit; those serial killers who make literary references are always the most admirable. In "Nature Boy", meanwhile, it seems that one of the most attractive qualities about the woman featured in the song is her ability to quote Sappho "in the original Greek". Mr. Cave, like all true gentlemen of learning, appreciates a woman who can quote verse about lesbianism in a language of the ancient world. As for eloquence, few people have Mr. Cave's way with words, especially when it comes to insanity. For instance, this line from "The Curse of Millhaven": "I've got a pretty little mouth underneath all the foaming" (Note: Mr. Cave is here adopting the role of a 14-year-old girl, though he himself does have a notably pretty mouth).
Moreover, Mr. Cave has the romantic streak of a true gentleman. In songs such as "Do You Love Me?" and "Watching Alice", Mr. Cave showcases his devotion; as we all know, obsessive love is the greatest kind of love. There is no greater compliment to another person than stalking them. In "Where the Wild Roses Grow", meanwhile, he shows that he is so devoted to a woman that he is willing to kill her; in so doing, he proves his love, since "each man kills the thing he loves" (thank you, Oscar). He even claims in the title of one song to have a "Hard-On for Love", which is perhaps one of the most overt declarations of a romantic streak ever.
Another hallmark of a true gentleman is honesty, something Mr. Cave has in spades. After all, he constantly admits to murder. Songs in which he murders someone (without adopting the persona of someone else) include "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry", "John Finn's Wife", "Song of Joy" (probably), "Lovely Creature" (possibly), "Up Jumped the Devil", "The Mercy Seat" (both implied), "Wanted Man" and "O'Malley's Bar". In the latter, in particular, he goes to some lengths to ensure the listener knows perfectly well that the killer is in fact him, describing himself as "tall and thin" and having "hair combed back like a raven's wing", a clear physical description of himself, rather than some hypothetical third party whose viewpoint he is adopting. Such candour is truly laudable, although it would cause any solicitor to distance her/himself from Mr. Cave.
In addition to all these fine qualities, Mr. Cave has a fine dress sense. He has a tendency towards black suits, often with a white shirt (though sometimes a black or red one); generally worn open-collar, but there are exceptions, as in the video for "The Weeping Song". In the video for "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!", he goes for the interesting route of wearing a three-piece suit with the buttons on the shirt open as far down as the waistcoat; questionable for a man in his early 50s, but brave nonetheless (and, compared to Iggy Pop's sartorial sensibilities, positively prudish). He also generally slicks his hair back (hence the "raven's wing"), which makes him look both sophisticated (in more recent days) and terrifying (see, for instance, his mane in the late 80s and early 90s).
In conclusion, Mr. Cave is a true gentleman. He is both forthright and humble; he is a man of learning, who has a way with words; he is romantic; he is honest, freely admitting his misdeeds and he has a commendable dress sense. Let the word go out that Nick Cave is now an official WAKE UP luminary; you are all urged to seek to follow his example in whatever way you see fit.
[Apologies for the preponderance of hyperlinks; the uninitiated should rest assured that Nick Cave is worth it.]
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