John Cale speaks in depth to John Robb

John Cale : The John Robb interview

Born in 1942, in Wales, John Cale is one of the key influences on modern music. His role in the Velvet Underground as the perfect foil to Lou Reed created some of the most mesmerising soundscapes, and his drones and textures turned the band into game changers. John Cale is still pushing the envelope in his eighties with his on going solo career and the recent remarkable track he recorded with Charli XCX . This in conversation, recorded live at the Rockaway Beach festival in 2021 is a bit rough around the edges but still clear enough to hear him talk in depth about his musical journey in a way that is rarely heard.

Famous for his lack of patience with the interview process he opens up about the art of creativity, his own musical journey from his classical roots, arriving in New York in the early sixties where he met a number of influential composerslike John Cage who in 1963 he created the 18-hour and 40 minute piano-playing marathon that was the first full-length performance Eric Satie’s ‘Variations’. During this period, he also played in composer La Monte Young’s ‘Theatre of Eternal Music. One of his collaborators on these recordings was the future Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison. He then
hooked up with Andy Warhol, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. He talks about the atmosphere around that famous period and Andy Warhol’s vision, band life and Nico and his own post-Velvets solo career. It’s a long and fascinating trip and makes for a great interview with one of the go to architects of just what is possible in music and how far the boundaries can be pushed.

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