Nick Cave’s ‘The Sick Bag Song,’ an Epic Poem Composed on Tour

By ALEXANDRA ALTER - APRIL 17, 2015 - The New York Times

The musician Nick Cave, whose book "The Sick Bag Song" was published last week. Credit Larry Busacca/Getty Images

If you ever find yourself sitting next to the rock star Nick Cave on a plane, don’t be alarmed if he reaches for an airsick bag. He’s probably just going to jot down some song lyrics or other stray thoughts.

“I think we all do it, don’t we?” Mr. Cave said in a recent interview in Manhattan. “You’re on a plane, and you need a piece of paper, and you reach for a sick bag.” He was perched on a small couch in a dimly lit dressing room at Florence Gould Hall a few hours before giving a public reading of excerpts from his new book, “The Sick Bag Song.”

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