JOHN CALE & THE VU
John Cale talks revisiting the VU’s mythic debut, fifty years on, at a special event in Liverpool with new collaborators. But will Moe be there?
How to mark 50 years since the release of the worldchanging The Velvet Underground And Nico? Cale reveals commemorative plans involving “weird sonics”, Liverpool and, possibly, Moe Tucker.
“THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE REALLY TIED TO LOU.”
“Well,” says John Cale, “as soon as you see that number 50, you just know something’s coming up.” Back in April of 2016, celebrating 50 years since the recording of The Velvet Underground & Nico, the band’s co-founder appeared at La Philharmonie de Paris with a full band and string quartet and performed the landmark album in full, with guest contributions from Mark Lanegan, Animal Collective and Pete Doherty. Now, with the 50th anniversary of the album’s release looming, Cale is set to do it all over again, but this time in Liverpool, with a different roster of guests. “Liverpool cottoned onto the idea,” says Cale, “the scale of it, and how much fun it could be. Plus, there’s a great spirit up here. It’s a good time to revisit the album and say, You did a good job. It’s still strong.” The show will be performed on Friday, May 26, at a bespoke open-air stage in Liverpool’s Docklands. Cale’s unwilling to say who will be appearing, but suggests that the evening will be even more of a “collaborative reimagining” than the Paris event.
“I’m not going to do the same thing again,” he tells MOJO. “I love collaborations. You’re growing another plant. You have a strong, prolific set of pieces. That just makes it easier to get to a different place with them. You don’t think about staying honest to the original concept. Some of it will, but not all of it. I want it to have some of the character of whatever the artists are who come along.” Asked how he feels returning to the songs, given so many of the original protagonists are no longer with us, Cale insists, “It’s all about the work. I’m trying just to think of the presentation. It is the fulfilment of the ultimate dream to record your first album, and we were an unfriendly brand, dabbling in challenging lyrics and weird sonics. There’s stuff in these songs that is still relevant today. You don’t think of Heroin any more as a song about drugs. It’s a song about self-hatred. So, I’ll be taking liberties with it. When you do a new arrangement the original is still there, at the back of people’s minds and you take advantage of that.” However, he did admit that there will be something special in the evening for his friend, foe and co-founder Lou Reed, who died in October 2013. “There are certain things that are really tied to Lou,” says Cale. One invite he admits to sending is to original VU drummer Moe Tucker. “I want her to be there,” says Cale. “She should be there. Her answer is, ‘I don’t fly, and I have responsibilities with my family.’ I’m fine with that. I wish it was different and I know a lot of other people wanted to see her there. So, we’ll ask again.” Andrew Male