Page - 98 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/02

98 | Natalie Fritz and Anna-Katharina Höpflinger www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/2, 91–102 In his lyrics Cave sometimes struggles with his faith (e. g. “There Is A Town”, 2003), prays for mercy (“Skeleton Tree”, 2016) or finds a little or momentarily comfort in faith (“Waiting for You”, 2019). The essential questions and feel- ings Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds address with their texts are approached subtly, openly and very sensitively, and even though these huge issues seem to yearn for emotion-laden answers, the band’s musical qualities do not empha- sise a specific feeling, but break with convention and expectations to allow the audience to agree or not. Since the band has been active for almost 40 years, it has established not only an extensive discography but also a huge fan community. In recent years Cave has built up a close relationship with his fanbase through diverse media in addition to music. The semi-fictional documentary 20,000 Days on Earth (Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard, GB 2014), about 24 hours in Nick Cave’s life, and the documentary One More Time with Feeling (Andrew Dominik, GB 2016), which accompanies the making of the album Skeleton Tree, following the death of Cave’s 15 year old son in July 2015, present the human being be- hind the artist and work as a bond between fanbase and public persona. After the death of his son, Cave started the “Conversation with”-series, shows with music and personal Q&A with the audience, and also initiated a blog named The Red Hand Files,7 where he answers questions and writes about life and death or anything quotidian. The posts are sometimes poetic, sometimes an- gry, sometimes full of grief, but they appear honest and affable and can have a religious touch – as journalist Russell Cunningham writes, “Reading the Red Hand Files brings a sense of Easter revival, of hope amid despair, inviting us to be still, be present in the moment, guided by a suited and booted vicar.”8 Stepping down from the pedestal on which his fans place him to become human again seems to be a form of personal trauma therapy for Cave. Jem Aswad records Cave’s answer to the question of why he is doing this: ‘My son died’, Cave said. ‘It changed everything for me. Coming out of punk rock, I had an adversarial, conflicted relationship with my audi- ence, especially in the early days. But after my son died I got an incredible amount of mail from people writing to me with similar experiences. I felt connected to them,’ he concluded. ‘I felt like we were suffering together.’9 7 The Red Hand Files, n. d. 8 Cunningham 2018. 9 Aswad 2019.