John Cale Is Still a Force on 'MERCY' exclaim.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from exclaim.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Daniel Dylan Wray
, January 11th, 2021 09:39
It seems odd to argue that a member of one of the most celebrated rock bands of all time, the Velvet Underground, is under-appreciated, says Daniel Dylan Wray in this subscriber only essay, until you consider just how absent he is from conversations about popular music
Author portraits by Natasha Bright
People have some very strongly held beliefs about the roles of John Cale and Lou Reed. A few years ago, when interviewing Cabaret Voltaire’s Richard H Kirk, I lightheartedly made a Reed/Cale comparison between him and ex-Cabs member Stephen Mallinder due to their fractious yet potent creative relationship. It was met with a stern look, a furrowed brow and the reply, “Well it depends who’s who.” It turned out the idea of being painted as Cale in that partnership was deeply offensive, and of course Kirk would be Reed in any such scenario.