John Cale on screen - Documentaries

John Cale

B&W/colour. 60 min

Director: James Marsh (1998)

This documentary is a portrait of his life and times. It won a BAFTA award.

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 on filming in Wales:

"In the spring of 1997 I journeyed back to Wales, completing a documentary James Marsh of the BBC was making about my life. Embraced once again by the warmth of the hills, the setting sun that shines on the church spire and flicks the tips of the gravestones, and by the warmth of the people, I felt a sense of wonder. Going home always gives me another lease on life; I am still fascinated by the emotional curve of my journey from Wales to New York and back again. When I return to the Amman Valley it is as if to the bosom of a friend. That friend floats in the language and seduces me with each translation. I am also blessed by having a lot of work to do, a lot of art to make, a lot of voices to translate into songs or music. I hope that the different situations I've gone through haven't completely destroyed the thread of what the music is about. There's been a lot of distraction along the way, but I'm still slowly pulling all the little threads together."

Cale talks througout the documentary with music journalist Victor Bockris. They were working on What's Welsh For Zen autobiography at the time.

Interesting behind the scenes material rehearsing with the Ice Nine ensemble for the world premiere of Dance Music in Rotterdam, on October 4, 1997.

Music
Contains live footage of Heartbreak Hotel - filmed at Rockpalast, Essen, Germany, October 14, 1984, Ship Of Fools and Memphis at The Knitting Factory, New York, USA, March 1997.

Released on DVD in 2006 as John Cale: An Exploration of His Life and Music.