Remarkably, Cave has welcomed his fans into his healing process on a deeply personal level and has not shied away from their inquiries or concerns. He told Mark Mordue during a 2017 interview with The Guardian, “A lot is said about grief, especially the conventional wisdom that you do it alone. I personally have found that not to be the case. The goodwill we received after Arthur’s death from people who I did not know, especially through social media, people who liked my music and kind of reached out, was extraordinary.”
The Red Hand Files has become a popular online Q&A medium through which he readily communicates with his fans and responds to comments and letters firsthand. In December of 2019, a woman from California posted on the site about her mother who was murdered in cold blood by an active shooter, asking Nick Cave for advice on how to recover from resentment and loss. He concluded his extensive and empathetic response with, “There is another place too, a quieter place that patiently awaits you, and maybe in time you will find a moment to temporarily lay down the sword and, speaking into the sacred silence, talk to your mother, in grief, in longing, and in her presence, and perhaps find some solace there. I very much hope so. Love, Nick.”
