Did Nick Cave Get the 'Stache Book OR How I Confused Nick Cave

Because I am lame, I never got around to telling you guys this OVER A YEAR AGO. If you'll recall, last November 27th, I was able to hand Grinderbunny to Nick after a song. Grinderbunny has been keeping us all updated on his Facebook and Twitter. He's an odd bunny, that one.

Anyway, now that over a year has passed, I am relatively calm enough to inform you all that I was fortunate enough to meet Nick after the show. Basically, meeting him went like this:

MY HUSBAND: It's freezing. He is never coming out. Let's go.
ME: NO! I have to TRY to meet him so I can ask him about the moustache book*!

To summarize the encounter (I TYPED UP A SIXTY PAGE CONCERT "SUMMARY," so this is VERY truncated, haha), Martyn left right away, we met Warren, who was VERY nice and signed our set list, then Nick came out eventually and met the approximately 10 of us who were waiting (we didn't stick around for Jim, unfortunately, because we were freezing). He was very rushed, but very nice, as you'll see. I only spent about 90 seconds in his presence, and to give you all something to laugh at, here's basically how those 90 seconds went:

[I stand holding The Puppy Phenomenon picture stupidly as people rush to Nick; I tell myself, "GO OVER THERE, YOU IDIOT!"]

ME: I’m the girl who gave you the Grinderbunny.

NICK CAVE: Oh, yeah? What happened to that?

[EVERYONE TALKING TO NICK AT ONCE; I'M TOTALLY IN DREAM-MODE. I TRY TELLING HIM IT'S BY JIM'S DRUMS BUT EVERYONE IS TALKING AT ONCE.]

ME: I have to have you sign the cutest picture of you ever.
[NICK CAVE talks to various people while signing the puppy photo.]


ME: I have to ask you…did you ever get a book of girls with moustaches?

[NICK LOOKS AT ME...FURROWS HIS BROWS...AND LOOKS COMPLETELY CONFUSED. He basically made the >8-/ face at me. He looked both adorable and hilarious at the same time.]

NICK [sounding unsure and completely confused]: Noo..?

ME: Awwww, lame. [I SAID, "AWWW, LAME"...THAT IS LAME!]

NOTE: He may have, in fact, gotten the 'stache book and just been bloody confused. Like my friend Laura said, if the crowd of people weren't confusing enough, he may have been thinking I meant a published book, not some handmade thing. No matter.

[My husband apparently handed the set list we got to Nick to sign, but in my memory, Nick Cave just grabbed it from me automatically and signed it. I’ll trust my husband’s memory, though.]

PHOTO REMOVED, BUT IT WAS SNAGGING. I didn't want my face all over anymore. [I started arguing with myself about whether I should say what I really want to say or not…whether it will sound too creepy and decide I MEAN IT and I am NOT creepy (like some girl there who said the same thing and got a very curt "thanks" from Nick).]

ME: I love you so much.

NICK CAVE: Aw, that’s very sweet of you to say.

NOTE: I seriously debated telling him I love him ALL DAY. I did NOT want to sound stalkerish or creepy, but I figured I meant it in a genuine, "I love and appreciate you" way and HOPED he would know I meant it that way. He sounded so sincerely touched when he said, "aw, that's very sweet of you," that I know he got that I meant it in a genuine way. Plus, the fact that some random chick said it all lustily after I did and he just said, "thanks" in THE most curt way EVER reassures me that he could TELL I meant it. He meets wannabe groupies all the time, so he can tell the bloody difference. Anywho...

ME: Um…can we get a picture with you?

NICK CAVE: Yeah, yeah, alright. [NOTE: This only looks like an eyerolling statement in print; he said it really nicely, even though this whole time he is still creeping closer to leave.]

[My husband and I get on either side of Mr. Cave, I put my arm around him, and my husband takes the picture.]

[NICK CAVE goes to leave, almost to the vehicle, when my husband shows me the picture.]



WOW. AWESOME. I meet my fucking idol basically and I can almost recognize the outline of his head**. GREAT. FAAAAAANTASTIC. That’s one to show the kids. Oh, well, at least I met him at all.

NO WAIT, THE WORST HE CAN SAY IS NO, RIGHT?! I decide it’s true, the worst he can say is no, so I kind of poke/rub his back to calm him so he doesn't kill me. I mean, he's Nick Cave, and I was convinced he was about to curse me with the Glare of Cave and/or rip my heart out and stomp on it with his oh-so-pointy boots.

I timidly ask in a scared shitless voice, “Nick?” and he turns around and sees me standing there, and I want to cry and feel like SUCH A FUCKING JERK, but I start moving out of the way so he can say “no,” and leave.

However, when I say, “our flash didn’t go off…I’m so sorry…could we get another picture?” HE SAID, “it’s alright” AND PUT HIS ARM AROUND ME AND POSED AGAIN. THAT IS THE NICEST THING IN THE ENTIRE FREAKING WORLD. He could have said no…he was IN SUCH A RUSH. But he said yes.

NOTE: Yeah, he's not looking at the camera. He was talking to some guy and had already posed with me once. I was TERRIFIED asking for another picture. HE'S NICK CAVE. I thought he might, like, GLARE ME TO DEATH or something. But no...



*Okay, so if you all took part in the moustache book, you'll know what that's all about. I promised countless people that, if I did meet Nick, I would TRY to get the courage to ask him about it. Anyway...

**you can almost tell it's us here:


They (whoever "they" are) do say you shouldn't meet your idols. Luckily, I got the sweet Nick Cave. :)