With a new album, DVD and upcoming film on its way, Nick Cave has been one busy fellow. However, despite the busyness, Cave manages to retain his sharp wit and cult following. I caught up with him recently on a Wednesday morning in the lounge of his hotel to discuss his film, God and the time I ate his French fries.

This past album was recorded in a week and it's been reported that you're currently recording a new album...

Well, I'm not actually. I'm trying to write one

You're not? Well, there goes my question.

Well, I haven't finished the songs yet...a lot of other things have come up and I've been sort of pushed off in a different direction for a while.

The film stuff?

Yeah...which I can't really talk about right now...you know what it's like "in Hollywood". We've signed contracts and stuff that I've got to keep my mouth shut at all times which I find extremely difficult. I've been involved in a kind of involved in a very Hollywood film.

Which seems sort of opposed to who you are in many ways...

Well, it's interesting to me that someone has rung me up and thinks that I can write. It doesn't seem like an idea that would come up normally in Hollywood, "Hey, Let's get Nick Cave to write a script." it was quite absurd and the film was sufficiently big and impressive so I thought, "Well, fuck it, I'll give it a go." If they want to use me for what I do as a craft then I'm always interested. It's not really my idea, I would have never conceived this on my own but they said, "Would you write this?" I have no idea how it's supposed to work [in Hollywood], I'm starting to realize and it's just a pile of shit...but I've sorted waded into this thing. I thought I could whip it out in two weeks but it's not like that.

I want to break off quickly... I have a piano question for you.

Fantastic.

How long have you been playing piano first of all...

Well, I had two years lessons when I was nine or ten. I wasn't very good, I didn't apply myself but I did learn basic kind of structure of chord which is you press down and hold these two ones up. From then it was all down hill.

Do you have any classical composer you admire?

I like Beethoven, I like his quartets. There's a lot of people I admire. I think there's a certain charm to my "playing".

I think simplistic playing actually allows pianists to express themselves a little bit more, wouldn't you think?

Well, I think the piano is a beautiful instrument. What I like about the piano is the ringing of the notes and the silence between the notes. If you can strike a chord, the meaning of the chord doesn't evaporate quickly, it just seems to resonate. If you play too much, all over the board, you don't get that.

Ok, here's another one off subject. If you could define God, how would you?

Well, I wouldn't do that.

Do you consider yourself spiritual?

Of course, I mean, I believe in God. I have always believed in God and I continue to believe in God. I've always been very affected by the Bible but I've always been loathe to call myself a Christian, especially these days. Christianity seems to be like a party that's been gate crashed by a bunch of thugs and bigots. People are committing horrors in the name of Christ and God, it is unbelievable.

My fundamentalist mom would call that blasphemy.

It is blasphemous, you know.

All right, changing gears again, would you say that your songs are about the love of despair or the despair of love?

Did you write these questions all by yourself?!

Yeah, I did.

Um, well I think they're about neither. They're certainly love songs. For me, it is essential in a love song to allow the other side of things to be present in a way. There is a certain amount of sadness in there or terror or loss. These sort of things make the love song much more meaningful to me.

I think people are sort of inherently drawn to the dark side of things in ways.

I don't really see the bulk of my songs as dark. I think some time ago the songs kind of start dark but they're all reaching up and now it's turned on its head. Now they start as paradise but they're all kind of falling apart, which really interests me.

What are you reading right now?

The Lime Twig by...um...for fuck's sake...well, it's really good! I highly recommend it! Nasty, nasty ugly book. A terrifying book.

[Ed.note. It's by John Hawkes and L.A. Fiedler]

Last night at the show you said that Australia was the birth of punk and I was wondering where you came up with that idea.

Well, I came up with that idea because one of the mics broke and I had to say something! There were a lot of sound difficulties. I would like to take this opportunity right now to apologize for playing at the Palladium. It is just a dump. I think some people were worried that we were playing the same venue over and over again and it needed to change. It was extremely difficult soundwise.

And it's like Singapore to get inside! They frisk you and confiscate your gum!

Ha, yeah, it was a mistake, I mean; I actually really liked the show. There was a twisted energy going on stage because we were really battling against stuff but you know people shouldn't be subject to that to go to a fucking rock gig. So, my apologies.

Ok, here's a funny question. What would you say if a journalist told you that six years ago they met you at the Granville Hotel in Brighton, England and after you left, her and her friend ate your left over French fries?

The Granville Hotel? I used to go to Brighton occasionally to remove myself from the influences of London and sweat it out in a hotel, that's probably when you caught me.

You called me a rock chick.

Did I?! So, you ate my leftovers? Was it in some sort of homage or were you just hungry?

I don’t know, I was really hungry, broke and thought it would make a funny story like some weird person who keeps Michael Jackson’s spit or something.

Right! Well, that’s just lovely. It brings a tear to my eye.