"King Ink": A Post-Punk Ars Poetica
Ancient Roman poet Horace's Ars Poetica is perhaps the defining work of meta-literature: a poem written to advise poets on the art of writing poetry. The title alone is sufficient shorthand for self-referential creation, an idea that would mean nothing to me if I didn't have The Birthday Party's "King Ink" as my morning alarm sound. (In case you're unfamiliar with the song, "King Ink" is a standout track on The Birthday Party's 1981 LP Prayers on Fire... and if you're unfamiliar with the album, the most accurate description I've found is by music reviewer Mike Mansour, who called it "the audio equivalent of rabies.")
In this article, I will unpack singer and lyricist Nick Cave's exploration of the artist's life in "King Ink," with analysis that highlights Cave's three central themes.
