Nick Cave has never been afraid to call out nonsense – his own included. Despite this, Cave’s refreshing response to a fan’s gripe about celebrity culture came as a real curveball.
The gripe came in the form that celebrities are paid too much for doing too little.
The original letter Cave was responding to was from a fan named Carol who asked if it’s right that someone gets “paid shit tonnes of money” to “kick a ball about” or “make a dress.” To her credit, she also admitted she didn’t think she could predict Cave’s reply.
Turns out, neither could most of us.
Unlike others, Cave did not get defensive. He didn’t serve up a hollow justification either. He acknowledged the imbalance. “Are we being paid too much? Maybe,” he writes. “My own policy in these matters is to accept the money when it comes, as long as it does not compromise the integrity of the work itself.”
What sets Cave’s response apart from others in the same situation is his candour. In no way is he not pretending the system is fair—but he’s also not buying into the moral outrage. Cave highlights that a lot of his work—like The Red Hand Files themselves—isn’t monetised, because not everything has to be transactional. He finds value in it anyway.
But he also calls out Carol’s language for what it is: resentment dressed up as righteousness. “That kind of indignant, moral posturing where we blame others for our feelings of powerlessness,” he writes, “is not good, Carol. Not for your heart, not for your soul, not for your digestion.”
Cave’s comments, whilst not a complete defence of celebrity culture are a reminder that cynicism is rarely the cure. That artists, athletes, designers, despite how overpaid they are, are truly not the root of the world’s problems.
In his response, Cave closes the loop without dodging the truth. “Let’s agree that celebrities are probably overpaid” he writes. “This particular one, dear Carol, is now late for work.”
It’s textbook Nick Cave. He walks the tightrope with his words but makes it so effortless. Acknowledging his privileges, Carol’s concerns and tying it all together with a sense of humour. If nothing else, you can’t help but admire his candour.
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