On the bright side, the book's not very big.
July 8 will see the publication of the book version of Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, replete with triple exclamation marks. It's a 40-page, hardback containing all sorts of notes, photos, handwritten lyrics, and the story of the song's creation. A three-inch CD is also included.
Cave's gift for hyperbole makes him a natural writer of press releases. "[This book] is a curiosity," he wrote in a statement, "that deals with the preparation and final glorious outcome of a project that began on the back of an envelope, a literal 'scrap' of an idea and ended up evolving into a genuine cultural icon and classic rock'n'roll song."
"The song, which is a comic re-imagining of the Lazarus myth (placing the recently 'risen' Lazarus in 70s New York), is accompanied by an eight-foot-square light sculpture, employing over 750 light bulbs, built by [Sue] Webster and [Tim] Noble. This little book documents the journey of this mammoth collaboration."
If this were anyone but Nick Cave, we would at this stage make fun of his exaggerations. But, to be honest, we're nervous about the Aussie's temper. No less than Mark E Smith fell victim to it on Monday, as Cave ripped into the Fall frontman on Xfm.
"Have you read [Smith's autobiography] Renegade?" Cave asked. "It's sad. It's one of the most whingy, whiney and snivelling things I've ever read in my life. He's not a curmudgeon, but he snivels and moans and whines. I love him very much but he snivels. He should reach for the tissues!"
See Also
