For a long time, Nick Cave was just too discordant and hard core for me. I’d heard of him and knew he was a local musician which was probably also why I didn’t pay much attention to him. If he was from round here, then he can’t have been any good can he. Great muso’s come from somewhere else. In my budding but ill-fated music career, I tried to do everything right – play the notes right, sing in tune, stand right, look right, basically be what I thought was ‘professional’. Nick did none of that, in fact it was pretty obvious he didn’t even try which I found hard to understand at the time. What he did do was be himself and create some of the best songs I’ve ever heard. What really got me was hearing “Shivers” the first time. I suddenly got Nick Cave and the rest was easy.