When it comes to crafting perspectives on music, there are a handful of musicians who inspire the masses most. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Dolly Parton, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and Joni Mitchell are just a few. Also, we can’t forget to mention The Man in Black, Johnny Cash, as his influence not only on country music, but on all of music, is nearly comparable to an ideological monopoly.
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Every day, some music fan or musician is being inspired by Johnny Cash’s life and work. And that will likely continue to happen for years and years to come. Some notable names who have been influenced by Cash include Coldplay, Jamey Johnson, U2, Kris Kristofferson, Iggy Pop, and Sheryl Crow. Like his fellow titans of industry, the masses cannot escape the influence of Cash. Hence, it is no surprise that he significantly altered Nick Cave‘s perspective on music many moons ago.
When you place Nick Cave and Johnny Cash side-by-side, you can likely see the apparent similarities. Well, that wasn’t a coincidence, as Cave once divulged that Johnny Cash opened his eyes to what music was, what it could be, and what it would be to him and his career.
Johnny Cash’s Darkness Rubbed Off on Nick Cave
Nick Cave’s catalog and disposition as an artist are a bit of a melting pot. He’s toiled in genres such as folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, and the blues. Cave is fluid, but one thing that always remains the same about him and his work is the dark mystique sitting on top of everything he produces and shows. And that dark mystique is seemingly a product of Johnny Cash’s influence.
Nick Cave first watched Johnny Cash on The Johnny Cash Show. In retrospect, Cave told the BBC’s This Cultural Life, “I remember… understanding suddenly, by watching Johnny Cash, that music could be some other thing. It was dangerous.” “It was this outlaw guy, ‘The Man In Black’, kind of evil. I think I just started to see music in a different way. It was exciting,” added Cave.
Years and years after that musical epiphany, Nick Cave got the opportunity to work with his hero, as the two dueted on their cover of Hank Williams’ staple, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, before Cash’s death. Concerning that moment, Cave divulged, “These are the days, and you don’t have them often, that can’t be taken away.”
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