Double the Nick

Saturday night, Patti and I were at The Duke to
meet up with Berto before going to see Nick Cave at the Enmore.

I did say double the Nick, and that’s because he
opened with Grinderman, and closed with his solo (or Bad Seeds) set. Grinderman
are great and I like the almost Birthday Party feel of some of their songs. You
know I’ve said it before, but he’s a bloody great lyricist…

Grinderman – No Pussy Blues

My face is finished
my
body’s gone
and
I can’t help but think
standin’
up here in all this applause
and
gazin’ down at all the young and the beautiful
with
their questioning eyes
that
I must above all things love myself
that
I must above all things love myself
that
I must above all things love myself

I saw a girl in the crowd
I ran over I shouted out
I asked if I could take her out
but
she said that she didn’t want to

I changed the sheets on my bed
I combed my hair across my head
I sucked in my gut and still she said
that
she just didn’t want to

I read her Elliot and I read her Yeats
I tried my best to stay up late
I fixed the hinges on her gate
but
still she just never wanted to

I bought her a dozen snow white doves
I did her dishes in rubber gloves
I called her honey bee, I called her love
but
she just still didn’t want to
she
just never wants to
Damn!

I sent her every type of flower
I played the guitar by the hour
I patted her revolting little chihuahua
but
still she just didn’t want to

I wrote a song with 100 lines
I picked a bunch of dandelions
I walked her through the trembling pines
but
she just even then didn’t want to
she
just never wants to

I thought I’d try another ‘tack
I’d drink a liter of cognac
I threw her down upon her back
but
she just laughed and said she just didn’t want to

I thought I’d have another go
I called her my little ho
I felt like Marcel Marceau must feel when
she
said that she just never wanted to
she
just didn’t want to

I got the no pussy blues (rep)

He really is a genius.

(I
love the way the set matched my daks!)

He loves a carny, though.

Opening act was a magic/street-theatre kinda deal.
I’m not a huge fan of this type of artform, but it did fit the bill.

Grinderman is definately light on
ballads, and I love it. The other 3 members of the band have ZZ Top-length
beards, but aside from Warren Ellis, they pretty much stay out of the
spotlight, leaving Nick to strut and prowl and growl and banter with the audience,
taking heckles in his stride and always keeping humour up. With his deep Aussie
drawl he talks to the audience like he’s in his own loungeroom.

I was close enough to the stage that
he pointed at me (Kerstin? Are you listening?? That’s right. He was looking
right at me. Are you soooo jealous?), while singing “Honeybee (Let’s Fly
To Mars)”.

I must say it was weird not seeing a
cigarette burning constantly between the fingers of his
gesticulating hand. Nor the packet on the piano. I’m not sure if he has quit,
or if the no smoking policies have finally reached venue stages as well. If he
has quit, I’m sure he’ll be fine for it. He certainly scrubbed up well after
going off the hammer, where others in a similar position have not fared quite
so well (sorry Tex, you really did look crap for a while in those early, clean
years).

He
turned 50 this year. He’s doing a bloody fine job.

For the solo set I was surprised not to hear
“Do You Love Me”, and sad not to hear “Stagger Lee” or
“Nick The Stripper”, but was very happy with “Red Right
Hand”, “Into My Arms”, and a thumping “Tupelo”. The
slowed-down piano version of “Mercy Seat” is still a brilliant song,
but I prefer the fast, angry, heavy-paced one. I wanted Warren to go
crazy on his violin to it like he did on so many others.

Check out the flying, broken hairs from his
bow.