Nick Cave: The Birthday Party and Other Epic Adventures

by Robert Brokenmouth

A graphic account of how Nick Cave rose out of the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia to become the world's most inscrutable rock star. An unusually candid and often hilarious account of Cave's legendary band, The Birthday Party' is told by the author, who interviewed band members and friends to gain true insight. Features previously unpublished photos from the band's private archives.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

222 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jouni · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the story of young Nick Cave and his early band The Boys Next Door/The Birthday Party is surely fascinating, from a literary perspective this book is nothing short of a complete mess. It reads more like a very early rough draft than a finished book; a repetitious, jumbled, awkward and shaking pile of words. Avoid.

[Nocheevo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a slightly disappointing half-biography of Nick Cave. It focuses largely on his childhood and the seminal bad the Birthday Party (and Boys Next Door for completists). The later Bad Seeds material is covered in a single chapter.

If you aren't aware of the history of the lurching beast that was the Birthday Party it is an okay account without any grand insight. There is a little too much talk about the band's play list during March-April 1981, etc and the analysis of songs is a little overwrought.

The biggest disappointment is evident in the title. By focusing on grandad goth it does a large disservice to the other band members. The internal clashes drove the creativity.

[Greekgirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

How could such a fascinating subject be rendered so dull and dreary? Unenlightening and boring.

[Katherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unless you're interested in the author's personal analysis of set lists from the 1980's, this one should be avoided.