Right now, if I were to step out into the mean streets of NYC and be struck down by a wayward taxicab, I would die a happy woman. Because tonight, I met Nick Cave.
Without going into all the gushy background about how and why this is such a big deal, let me just say that Nick's music is gritty and scratchy and heavy and guttural and funny and picturesque and dark and and and. I heard it for the first time when I was 19, and while I don't think I quite got this at the time, it was like finding something I didn't know I was searching for. My friend M is the person responsible for playing it for me back then and, as a result, I credit him with 40-60 percent of my musical taste and development, and probably should thank him for a large majority of my personality and other sensibilities as well. Not to put too fine a point on it, but before I heard Nick Cave, I could have easily continued heading down a simple suburban road, happily tapping my foot to whatever Boyz to Men followups that came along. But after Nick Cave... there was a whole lot more to think about, look for and feel.
Enough gushing. Tonight, he was signing copies of his new novel. I was there. I stood in line. I stumbled over my semi-prepared "It's really incredible to meet you right now." He signed my book. He shook my hand twice. He was lovely.
This is my second in Nick Cave milestones within the last year. Some months ago, I also saw him in concert for the first time, and was giddy for weeks afterward. Around the same time, M and I (in another one of our Back-to-Nick obsessive phases) were having drinks in my kitchen. Whether it was a result of the music in the background or the alcohol in the foreground, we were struck with genius. Nick Cave drinks. Yes. Yes!
With the precision of junkyard chemists, we concocted the following drinks, and then, based on their flavor, color and general effect on our faculties, gave them names culled from favorite Nick Cave lyrics and song titles. Cheers.
The Fat Little Insect (a crowd favorite):
Pineapple juice
Apple juice
Gin
Crushed red pepper flakes
The Curse of Millhaven (sure, it's your basic Bloody Mary with a touch of Guinness, but our drink is way more fun to say):
Vodka
Hot Sauce
Tomato juice
Horseradish
Black pepper
Guinness
Pickle
The Mercy Seat:
Whiskey
Peach juice
The Stagger Lee:
Gin
Dry Vermouth
Olive juice
Black pepper
Hot sauce
Green olives
The Road of Hate (this one was created on a dare: "I dare you to make a drink using only items found on that countertop right now."):
Red wine
Whiskey
Pineapple juice
Crushed red pepper flakes
Someday, we will open a bar called The Well of Misery (another Nick song) and serve drinks with Nick-inspired names to the depraved and depressed. By day, it may turn into a slightly-more-cheerful bakery, because who could resist cracking a smirk for a Nick-song-inspired bachelor-party cake like this?
Interested investors can contact us here: snackhands@nyc.rr.com. To ensure that you're a serious supporter of our idea, and of Nick Cave, we will only accept offers from people who tell us how many U's are in the word "scum" when Nick sings it. That's right, we're talking to you, C.
**P.S. While these drinks don't have Nick Cave names, they were also created during our bartending experiment and are worth mentioning:
The Steadman:
Peach juice
Cranberry juice
Gin
The But He Loves Me:
Frozen Blackberries
Club soda
Whiskey
Splenda
(Blender)
The Gary Busey Mugshot:
Whiskey
Frozen mango
Disarono
Lime
Club soda
(Blender)
Review: "Reminds me of his acting career." --M.
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