I got onstage to watch John Cale play solo at the desert daze in death valley California. I felt like I was in the same space as some sort of musical god. He kept looking at me. But I wasn’t disturbing anything other than taking a few awesome pictures. He was more like thinking I should have known him to be sitting directly to his right. Then I saw the only 2 other people with us was terry riley and his son. And he thought I was with them. He could’ve had me bounced but not his style.I was pinching myself because I brought the Church of Anthrax I was trying to get him to sign. I got to hang out with John and Terry for a couple of hours after watching other bands play. John tried to act all humble around me and I said Imagine if he were to meet Elvis and to just try to be in my shoes. He laughed, nodded and the rest of the night was so fun and filled with talk about music gear and painting. Finally someone to really talk with. He is so not stuffy or stern as people think. He’s extremely kind and full of knowledge he loves to pass on.

“Music runs out of him like water down a mountain” 🗻🌊 Cale is one of the great geniuses of our time.

My father has a great photo of himself playing guitar in a one-off pickup band with John Cale in the early 80's. Dad's recollection is "he did the most cocaine I've ever seen somebody do at once."

I saw John live once in San Francisco in ‘86 with Chris Spedding, and once at House of Blues in LA around ‘97 or so. These were moments of trying to discover who was the enigma behind VU and all his solo albums. He is at once a man, definitely European but of the World Class of artists, who never assumed anything less than his principles were the bedrock of his music. Angry, curious, melancholy, romantic, cynical, aware, detached, concerned and still adrift in a world of sound. His training served him well, he can do anything and proved it countless times. He was never content to be the side mouse, he was a trailblazer who took no nonsense and gave none either. A true artist with integrity and endless strong charisma. A tortured chunk of Welsh Soul, raging against a world he barely fit in, but made music for whether it paid him much mind or not.

Appreciate how Lou always maintained his privacy. Something as painful as his love for John, and the band, allowing it to be dissected in a interview was outside his allowance. John is equally interested in maintaining his privacy within the limits of knowing where to stop, these are traits Lou & John shared. Truly Great Artists to be honored in more acknowledgement.

@maureendenham4942

3 ай бұрын

Warhol 😂 flake

@maureendenham4942

3 ай бұрын

Personal 😮 embarrassing for Reed. Cale blows virtually... All

@maureendenham4942

3 ай бұрын

All AWAY

@djinnmagik4817

21 күн бұрын

I like your profile pic from Procol Harums "A Salty Dog!"

@maureendenham4942

3 күн бұрын

😂😂😂 you are hysterical and wrong except for the remark of John Cale's aptitude; Reed, suffice it to 🤔 ineptitude? Don't get it twisted, Reed was cool.. CALE simply completely eclipsed him

Marble Index, Desert Shore, The Stooges, The Modern Lovers, The Academy in Peril, Paris 1919, Church of Anthrax - all made/produced between 1968 and 1973. An unmatchable pot pourri of modernist rock music and beyond.

@Warp75

2 жыл бұрын

Your not wrong

Amazing documentary. I'm from Garnant and my house is in this video. John was in the same class as my mother in that school. Amazing talent, who would have thought at the time what he would go on to achieve.

In many ways, Cale's trajectory is much more adventurous than Reed's. Not to mention his early avant-garde formation, it was after his timely disbanding from VU, that his work built on constant change, adapting new musical languages, daring to retrieve the old music-hall song, just to destroy its aesthetics on the next track, or then assuming his classical learning to incredible creative heights (and let's start mentioning albums - in this case, The Church of Anthrax, The Academy in Peril and Words for the Dying). And what about his ''parallel'' perfecting of the ''ideal pop song''? Think albums such as Vintage Violence, Paris 1919 and Caribbean Sunset - the amount of musical variety and sartorial songwriting styles is dazzling. I could be here for pages, but I hate being a pita to anyone - so just one more remark in favour of Mr John Cale - the golden trilogy Fear-Helen of Troy-Slow Dazzle, and the brave hard times of Animal Justice / Sabotage Live/ Mercenaries... this all amounts to the work of one of the first Rock Titans that ever existed (and don't ever forget the greatness of Honi Soit and Music for a New Society). I'm proud to have shared one of his stages, in Portugal, at Theatro Aveirense (Aveiro, North-Pt.) - i'm sure just the awareness of him having played there, helped me out and my group. Thank you, Sir.

Ironic seeing him play church organ on the documentary and he mentions the church in Ammanford...My father was from Glanamman and was friendly with John. Both attended Amman Valley Grammar school. John was was given permission by the school to spend lunchtimes in the nearby All Saints church to practice on the organ. Dad and another friend were allowed to go with him to pump air into the organ bellows! Dad told me John would play Bach's toccata and fugue effortlessly to finish a practice! When my grandmother died we came across a congratulations card from John to my dad on passing his driving test. My father sadly passed away six years ago and is now buried in Hen Bethel cemetery in the row in front of John's parents.

Saw him Sabotage tour @ the Casa Loma Ballroom on South Grand in StL. He killed it, natch

An all time personal hero from an unlikely beginning and still going strong, Wales's finest export.

@brianstockwell4069

Ай бұрын

He's up there but what about Dylan Thomas, John Charles and Welsh rarebit!?

@yiabwstetienne7474

Ай бұрын

@@brianstockwell4069 Hmmm, Gareth Bale, Ben Davies, Brennan Johnson, Mike England, ......

When you play your music and a couple of sailors threaten to beat the shit out of you you know you're getting ready to be huge.

Wonderful programme about the genius John Cale! I love the rendition of Memphis Tennessee with Cale on viola - just brilliant!

Thanks for posting this Watching this was the best time I've spent in a very long time So many memories brought to the surface and I needed that Mucho thanks 🎆

2 different people that met at a point and time, where their creativity combined to make something greater than what was before. it's a wonderful life. and a fleeting life. if you ever have a chance at this...respect...love without desire...true collaboration and competition with a creative person who you see as an equal and at times humbled by and at times you may humble, consider yourself lucky. they will be the best, worst, most draining and rejuvenating time of your life. my thought at least.

Thank you very much for posting this it is a brilliant documentary. Best wishes x

Didn't expect to see a cow murdered.

@seandavies467

3 жыл бұрын

Totally unexpected and shocking, have told KZread it needs a warning.

@brightstar1212

3 жыл бұрын

It was not pertinent to the documentary, and for the people who feel disgust at murder of sentient beings it was horrific

@stephenhawkingsfootballboo7885

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah... how about a f*cking warning that cows are going to be executed. I agree that it was unnecessary and unrelated to the documentary. A real sour note.

@susanthomas5464

2 жыл бұрын

Agree .Murder of a sentient being who didn't want to die !! Beyond heartbreaking .

@SA-ff9uc

Жыл бұрын

It's a near 30 year old doc. thus it doesn't cater for modern bet-wetting sensibilities and people can't deal with reality.

Better to be a legend than a myth

Great video thanks for posting I love Johns Music

John Cale singlhandly intfoduced 'new music'/avante garde stylimgs into pop music/'rock & roll'.

he's really cute. i like him in the football shirt and with short hair.

thank you for sharing! Mr Cale is a legend.

John Cale is the greatest composer in music history. But you already knew that, didn't you?

@joshjuanfifarek7382

28 күн бұрын

If you said that to him he’d spend an hour trying to tell you that he’s not even though he has to know it deep down.

Excellent doc.

Thanks!

I like that Reed wouldn’t discuss the parting of the ways with Cale on camera or in interviews, I think he was as conflicted about it as Cale was. Cale talked shit about Reed for years, especially after the VU reunion in 1993. I’ve never seen/read Reed talk shit about Cale - Reed was too smart for that. A complicated relationship.

Thanks.

For Christ sake 😮 did you even pay attention to the 1998 doc?? Reed is coolest looking while virtually admitting to his jealousy of John Cale, or how about Mo "the music was NEVER the same..😢 leaving TVU - best move John Cale ever made for himself AND US❤

If you’re interested in hearing John Cale playing with Peter Criss (pre-Kiss), in his first group (Chelsea), produced by Lewis Merenstein (post Astral Weeks, Moondance), please follow this link: kzread.info/dash/bejne/pGh4pM2skr21ibA.html

Good show john

Thanks. If you'd prefer to not see a cow being killed, then avoid onwards from the 25mins15secs mark, for about 60 seconds. Personally it didn't bother me so much, it's just that it comes from out of nowhere. I wonder if the BBC warned viewers before the programme started when it originally aired.

@daskitten1

3 жыл бұрын

They should post a warning about that, but although I fell a major twinge when I saw that scene I know that it's a lot less cruel than being torn apart & eaten alive which is what happens to pretty much all animals in nature. It's a jungle out there

@Afxb

2 жыл бұрын

If you'd prefer not to see a cow being killed, then avoid eating beef.

@gemmamcclure4703

2 жыл бұрын

Why is there footage of a cow being killed??

@gemmamcclure4703

2 жыл бұрын

@@Afxb I dont, I'm a lifelong veggie 👍

@sandyrickard994

2 жыл бұрын

Do you eat beef?

What is the exact title of this again? I remember seeing it 14 years ago and couldn’t find it again. Is it just a bbc deal?

Did Patti Smith acquire Marty Feldman's eyes at an estate sale?

What version of waiting for my man is being played at 6:22? It’s incredible

@MrJakeTucker

3 жыл бұрын

It's on the first CD of the Peel Slowly And See boxset

@Alexander-ll7gs

3 жыл бұрын

@@MrJakeTucker dude thank you !!!!!

@trevorbarre5616

2 жыл бұрын

It's a demo from 1965.

The slaughterhouse scene was unexpectedly jarring! Otherwise, excellant documentary...

A disappointing documentary for me as it didn't really focus on Cale's solo work enough. Particularly Paris 1919 and Music for a New Society, which would have been very interesting to hear details about. Even Walking on Locusts, which was current at the time this documentary was made. Guess I'll have to finally read What's Welsh for Zen?

@sn1ffy85

2 жыл бұрын

Jesus!!! Its 2021. Maybe try being grateful youre alive and get to watch this. So fucking what they dont cover the hot topics you want. Its about John not what you want...

@raphaelmann

2 жыл бұрын

I agree, Kirk. I thought it was very odd not to even mention Paris 1919, which most people would probably think of as his best solo album...or to really talk much about his solo recordings at all... It's like they thought people wouldn't be interested if there wasn't a connection to the Velvet Underground / Warhol / Nico / Patti Smith... If you watched this without knowing his work you might come away thinking he only played deconstructed versions of '50s standards...

Is this the Grant Gee documentary?

@azramotre6163

2 жыл бұрын

No, James Marsh (The Theory of Everything).

Lou Reed looks like a lit Q - tip in this.

BE WARNED: Unexpected and extremely graphic images of animal slaughter at 25:13 through to 26:10

@brightstar1212

3 жыл бұрын

It's a shame they didn't warn people of this before the doc started, and totally gratuitous

@gemmamcclure4703

2 жыл бұрын

Oh my God, cheers for heads up!

@brutallyremastered4255

2 жыл бұрын

@@brightstar1212 Not gratuitous at all.

@richardjarrell3585

2 жыл бұрын

Triggering yet relevant given Cale’s casual introduction to the shambles (slaughterhouse) and the theme of violence in his work.

35:33 If Patti said that in 2021 😂😂

14:45

John Cale, even though he's Welsh, speaks English like a German. He looks kind of like a German, too

@leighfoulkes7297

2 жыл бұрын

His first language is Welsh and then he learned English in school. His Welsh accent is just that thick.

@thomsboys77

Жыл бұрын

Most people in Wales speak English as a first language. It’s nothing unusual

I NO THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH COWS BUT 😭😲😞😲🐄😭 God those poor 🐄🐮🐄🐄🐄 🐮 cows 😭😲😩😖😲😞😭🐄I'm glad I don't eat meat🐄😭😭😭😭

14:30 psychiatrists convention

25:10 -trigger warning for vegetarians. 🙁

More Adverts than documentary.. gave up

1998 lou reed was the coolest looking guy around.

@maureendenham4942

3 күн бұрын

🤔 perhaps if John Cale never came into existence?😮

I would've like to see Lou Reed and John Cale throw down

0:46 Very polite , but why did you loathe him so much then ?.... This reluctant reunion , only because they shared a bohemian year or two in the sixties. Can imagine Reed's point though , this strong willed Welsh bloke who was more in continued intense viola exercises instead of rock 'n roll . A clash of egos in which Reed rightfully gained the upper hand . Tucker and Morrison knew which side to take .

@ewantaylor483

2 жыл бұрын

If it was not for Cale Reed would have been a Dylan clone

@leighfoulkes7297

2 жыл бұрын

Everyone know that Lou Reed could be the biggest asshole in Rock and Roll.

@ForARide

Жыл бұрын

David Bowie: 'To me, the sound of the band was John Cale. That was confirmed a few years later when I worked with Lou on Transformer. John was the subversive element of the band, one of the most underrated musicians in rock history. That guy is a danger, a true character. ' And JFYI Moe and Sterl were school-friends with Lou, so obviously they sided with him. Reed had set them an ultimatum, it´s either him or me. On top of that he didn´t have the balls to telll Cale himself, he let the other two do the dirty job.

@sarahwelty9223

Жыл бұрын

Lou was always jealous of John. John was better looking and he had more talent IMAO. Lou had a grudge against John because he made a pass at him and John made it very clear that he wasn't interested. John then went on to marry Betsey Johnson in 1968 and that's when all the tensions between them really started.