John Cale

2nd May 2023

John Cale knows music. The Welsh musician grew up a promising viola player. He moved to New York to study classical music. But instead, he fell in with an artsier crowd. Cale met Lou Reed and formed one of the most influential acts in rock music: “The Velvet Underground.” Their time together was short, but John Cale was only getting started. He became a producer and made some killer debut albums for artists like The Stooges and Patti Smith. It’s the kind of resume that guarantees you a place in the rock and roll history book. But that’s only one side of John Cale’s work. He’s also an accomplished, trailblazing solo musician with almost 20 albums on his own. When we spoke to John Cale on Bullseye in 2016, he reflected on his more than 50 years in music and his time in the Velvet Underground. Plus, what it was like to produce for artists like the Stooges and Patti Smith.

Episode notes

Photo taken by Madeline McManus. Courtesy of Pitch Perfect PR.

This interview originally aired on December 6, 2016. 

John Cale grew up a promising viola player in Wales, a talent that brought him to New York. His goal was to study classical music. But instead, he fell in with an artsier crowd: John Cage, Le Monte Young, Andy Warhol and, eventually, Lou Reed. 

With Reed, Cale formed The Velvet Underground. They’re one of the most influential acts in rock music. He spent four years and made two albums with the band. Their time together was short, but John Cale was only getting started. 

Post-The Velvet Underground, he became a producer and shaped some killer debut albums for The Stooges, Jonathan Richman, Patti Smith, and Squeeze. He also worked as a composer, scoring the film “Basquiat” and the cult classic “American Psycho.”

It’s the kind of resume that guarantees you a place in the rock and roll history book. But that’s only one side of John Cale’s work.

Cale is also an accomplished, trailblazing solo musician. He’s recorded nearly 20 albums on his own, working in genres like folk, metal, classical, industrial, and everything in between. He’s collaborated with Lou Reed, Terry Riley and Brian Eno. 

Even in his 80s now, John Cale continues to release new music. And he’s still pushing boundaries. 

Earlier this year, he released his 17th solo album “Mercy.” It features contributions from Animal Collective, Dev Hynes, Weyes Blood, and Tony Allen.

When we spoke to John Cale on Bullseye in 2016, he reflected on his 50 years in music and his time in The Velvet Underground. Plus, what it was like to produce for artists like the Stooges and Patti Smith. 

You can stream John Cale’s latest album “Mercy” here

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Maximum Fun Production Fellow

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  • John Cale

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

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