Bob Dylan and Nick Cave Celebrate “Joy” on Social Media

Photo Credit: William Claxton

Bob Dylan is back–Online, that is.

An influx of Dylan-penned remarks on X (formerly Twitter) have been a beacon of light for many fans, including fellow musician Nick Cave, who Dylan mentioned after a Nov. 17 staging from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Two days later, Nov. 19, Dylan took to the social media platform to provide a brief review: “Saw Nick Cave in Paris recently at the Accor Arena and I was really struck by that song Joy where he sings ‘We’ve all had too much sorrow, now it the time for joy.’ I was thinking to myself, yeah that’s about right.” 

On The Red Hand Files, Cave’s own blog website, the Australian artist penned a response. “I hadn’t known Bob was at the concert,” Cave stated, “and his tweet was a lovely pulse of joy that penetrated my exhausted, zombied state.” Cave added that he “did indeed feel it was a time for joy rather than sorrow” because of the “excess of despair and desperation around the election.” Cave then stated that he “felt proud to have been touring with The Bad Seeds and offering, in the form of a rock ‘n ’roll show, an antidote to this despair, one that transported people to a place beyond the dreadful drama of the political moment,” and was especially “elated to think Bob Dylan had been in the audience.” He then signed off with  “Thank you, Bob!” 

This interaction follows similar diary-like entries on the platform earlier this month and signifies an unexpectedly intimate look into the mysterious singer-songwriter’s life. “I ran into one of the Buffalo Sabres in the elevator at the Prague hotel. They were in town to play the New Jersey Devils. He invited me to the game but I was performing that night,” Dylan wrote on Oct. 9.

Frankfurt has also been the subject of other Dylan tweets. A notable example is the Oct. 23 musing, as Dylan writes “At the hotel in Frankfurt there was a publishing convention and every room was taken, parties all night. I didn’t know there were so many book publishers in the world. I was trying to find Crystal Lake Publishing so I could congratulate them on publishing The Great God Pan, one of my favorite books. I thought they might be interested in some of my stories. Unfortunately it was too crowded and I never did find them.” This shoutout has led to “a lot of fun,” and “great publicity” for the publisher, as well as a number of other articles.

For the latest from Dylan, follow the 83-year-old bard’s X/Twitter.

Saw Nick Cave in Paris recently at the Accor Arena and I was really struck by that song Joy where he sings “We’ve all had too much sorrow, now it the time for joy.” I was thinking to myself, yeah that’s about right.

— Bob Dylan (@bobdylan) November 19, 2024