When Nick Cave started his band Grinderman in 2006, the name was inspired by the Memphis Slim song “Grinder Man Blues.” Let’s imagine, for a minute, though, imagine that the name came from somewhere else. Maybe, for instance, Cave was inspired by skateboarding, particularly the grinding aspect of it. In this alternate universe, Cave’s latest collaboration makes a ton of sense: The musician has partnered with Australian skate company Fast Times to make an official Nick Cave skateboard.
The two previously teamed up for a Cave-themed skateboard in 2015, and it featured an illustration by San Francisco artist Chuck Sperry based on the lyrics of the Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds song “Nature Boy.” This new skateboard design also features art from Sperry, but this time, it’s based on “Heathen Child,” a Grinderman song. The design shows a naked woman, her body mostly covered by her long hair, and a banner with the lyric, “Hey little Moo Moo, light as a rainbow.”
Cave is pretty busy these days aside from his skateboarding interests, and his other endeavors aren’t necessarily strictly musical either: His new concert film Distant Sky premiered recently, and he’s about to start an unpredictable Q&A tour. It’s nice to see him keeping busy following the tragic loss of his son Arthur in 2015. Revisit our interview with the director of the devastating concert film about the incident, One More Time With Feeling, that Cave collaborated on.
