"All that stuff I couldn't do on the viola I'm doing now. After all that time when people were just not interested in hearing the instrument, I'm pursuing it."John Cale
John Cale on screen - Documentaries
Words For The Dying
Documentary by Rob Nilsson (1989).
This documentary follows composing and recording of The Falklands Suite in Moscow, Wales and London.
Point of interest is the composing and recording of Year of the Patriot, a piece written by Eno and Cale for bass player extraordinaire Rodion Azarkin.
John Cale
Documentary by James Marsh (1998). It won a BAFTA.
Filmed in Garnant, Wales, New York and Rotterdam. Contains interviews with Cale, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Chris Spedding, Maureen Tucker, La Monte Young, biographer Victor Bockris, choreographer Ed Wubbe et al.
Cale talks througout the documentary with music journalist Victor Bockris. They were working on What's Welsh For Zen autobiography at the time of filming.
Discussing fellow musicians
Cale has been interviewed for various documentaries about other musicians.
Brian Wilson documentary
Features in I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, a documentary about Brian Wilson made by filmmaker, musician and record producer Don Was. Released on January 25, 1995.
Nico/Icon
Features in Nico/Icon, a documentary by Susanne Ofteringer. He performs Nico's song Frozen Warnings on piano in the last scene.
Originally released on VHS in 1995.
Rock & Roll / Dancing in the Street: a Rock and Roll History
Cale is interviewed about The Velvet Underground for the PBS series Rock & Roll. He is featured in Episode 7 (The Wild Side). Lou Reed and Maureen Tucker were interviewed as well. The 10-part series is broadcasted by the BBC in 1996, with another title: Dancing in the Street: a Rock and Roll History, with Hang On To Yourself as the title for the episode.
Lou Reed Documentary
Features in Rock 'n' Roll Heart, a documentary about Lou Reed, directed by
Originally released on VHS in 1998. The DVD of this documentary contains 15 extra minutes.
Punk: Attitude
Features in the Don Letts' documentary Punk: Attitude. First broadcasted on Channel 4 (UK). The documentary places the roots of punk in the sixties (The Velvet Underground, MC5, Stooges). Released as 2 discs set in 2005.
Seven Ages of Rock, BBC, UK
Features in episode 2 and 3 of the BBC Series Seven Ages of Rock. Episode 2, White Light, White Heat, about art rock has a few quotes about implementing the drone within the music of The Velvet Underground and the light show during the Exploding Plastic Inevitable mulitmedia extravaganza.
In episode 3, Blank Generation about punk, he talks about producing Horses for the Patti Smith Group. Episode 2 is aired on May 26 and episode 3 on June 2, 2007.
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song
Features in the documentary Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song, directed by Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine. The film is first screened at the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals in September 2021. Cale got the ball rolling when he covered it on the I'm Your Fan tribute album in 1991.
Journalist Larry Ratso Sloman sheds some light on how it came to be. Other interviewees include Brandi Carlile, Judy Collins, Glenn Hansard, and Rufus Wainwright
The Velvet Underground
In-depth documentary directed by Todd Haynes. Premiered at Cannes Film Festival in France on July 7, 2021. He and Maureen Tucker were filmed in 2018 to share their thoughts. The film garners rave reviews. Limited theatrical release, since Apple paid for it to show it on their streaming service. Released on DVD and Blu-ray with outtakes and extra's.
» Fresh Cale
Order the remastered and expanded Paris 1919 album (2LP, CD) via Domino Records
Order the remastered and expanded The Academy in Peril album (LP, CD) via Domino Records
