Timeline: 1997
Cindy Wells dies
His second wife Cindy Wells dies on February 19 in Palm Springs "under mysterious circumstances", according to Pamela Des Barres, her former bandmate The GTO's (Girls Together Outrageously), in her book Let's Spend the Night Together.
She slept with Kevin Ayers the night before the June 1, 1974 concert at The Rainbow in London. Her faux pas was immortalized by Cale in Guts:
The bugger in the short sleeves fucked my wife
Did it quick and split.
They married in 1971 and got a divorce in 1975. She got the house and a piano as part of the settlement.
Eat/Kiss
Release of Eat/Kiss, Music for the Films by Andy Warhol. Recorded live at the Theatre Sebastopol, Lille, France, (October 13, 1995).
Unplugged Close Watch
An unplugged version of Cale performing (I Keep A) Close Watch included on the double CD Het beste uit 10 jaar 2 Meter Sessies (Dutch radio program). The song was recorded on August 5, 1996.
L'accademia in Pericolo - Minimalismo, Rock e Neoclassicismo
Stefano Bianchi publishes his biography L'accademia in Pericolo - Minimalismo, Rock e Neoclassicismo in Italy.
Fully Loaded Ocean
During the Loaded sessions, the last studio album the Velvets recorded in 1970, Cale returned to play organ on Ocean. This version did not make the album, but apparently resurfaced on the Fully Loaded 2-CD re-issue.
"I was brought in by Steve Sesnick in a half-hearted attempt at re-uniting old comrades."
Goldsmiths' Fellow
On 17 September 1997, Goldsmiths' College, University of London, confers an Honorary Fellowship upon John Cale, who studied there from 1960 until 1963.
House of America
Composes a track for the soundtrack of House of America, a family drama set in Wales. Directed by Marc Evans. Evans is also the director of Beautiful Mistake, a movie with Welsh musicians that was released in 2000. The Velvets' I'm Waiting For The Man is also on the soundtrack, as well as a cover of All Tomorrow's Parties by English indie quartet Linoleum.
Flaming Creature
Cale performs live at the retrospective Flaming Creature: Jack Smith: His Amazing Life And Times at the Institute for Contemporary Art/PS1 Museum in Long Island City, NY, USA.
Jack Kerouac's The Moon
Reads the poem The Moon on Kerouac - Kicks Joy Darkness, a tribute album to the writer Jack Kerouac.
Human Drama covers (I Keep A) Close Watch
American group Human Drama cover (I Keep A) Close Watch on their Live - 14,384 Days Later album.
Lancaster County Prison covers Bring It On Up
American country-punk band Lancaster County Prison cover Bring It On Up on their What I Love About America album.
Garageland
Mixes and plays piano on Garageland's on the track Feel Alright on the three track Beelines to Heaven cd single.
Nico Ballet
On October 4th the music composed by Cale for a ballet for Nico is premiered at the Rotterdam Schouwburg, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
The ballet is performed by the Scapino Ballet, dancing a choreography created by Ed Wubbe. Dutch singer Fréderique Spigt sings Nico's lyrics.
The music is released on the Dance Music album in 1998.
Some footage of the rehearsals with the strings ensemble Ice Nine is included on the John Cale: An Exploration of His Life and Music DVD.
The Velvet Underground Companion
Albin Zak III is the editor of The Velvet Underground Companion, a compilation of four decades of commentary. Essays, interviews and more. Contains an extensive discography and filmography.