A Tribute to John Cale

By Professor Byrdflugh (USA)

One hundred thousand people know John Cale, they just don’t know it. He’s a visitor, you see, someone who comes in and out of our subconscious, casually appearing on the songs of our lives, the ones that carry us away, as the musical landscape falls into disgrace.

John Cale turns 70 in two days of this writing, seventy glorious years of life, mayhem, passion and performances that have not only defined who he is as a musician, but what music can be when you know the rules and how to break them. Cale is a master surgeon of song, dissecting compositions, extricating the benign from the malignant, and transplanting the life-giving substance in new forms to resurrect their true worth.

He’s sacrificed the straight path, to choose the one not taken, time after time. Just as he reaches his destination, he’s off on a different one. It’s been hell for his career, but a wonderful journey for those listeners along for the ride.

What’s your favorite John Cale album? What’s your favorite mood? For our moods are many, our lives disparate, as are Cale’s recordings. We are not one thought nor emotion, but an endless array of cause and effect, unaware of the distinct seconds as minutes turn into days. Cale is aware of the change, the split-second decisions we make as we forge ahead, and his work documents the constant struggle.

Happy Birthday … here’s to ya.

Professor Byrdflugh
11:56 A.M.
7 March 2012
Atlanta

Atlanta, 1980.

Photo: Rick Diamond.