What's Welsh for Zen: Autobiography of John Cale - Softcover

Cale, John; Bockris, Victor

3.93

306 ratings by Goodreads

9780747546221: What's Welsh for Zen: Autobiography of John Cale

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747546223 ISBN 13: 9780747546221

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 1999

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Bloomsbury large pbk,1999,photos

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Review:

John Cale has been a presence on the New York art-punk-rock scene for more than 30 years. He is a classically trained rock musician, avant-garde composer, arranger, producer, film scorer and occasional fashion model, but he is best known as a founding member of the influential 1960s group The Velvet Underground. This searingly honest autobiography from one of the originals of rock music depicts the crazed and inspired times of this 56-year-old Welsh musician.

No ordinary tale of sex and drugs and rock'n'roll, Cale's story tells of a career working with such disparate artists as John Cage, Nico, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Squeeze, Brian Eno and Andy Warhol, and is sprinkled with revealing quotes from other survivors of the Factory era. Lou Reed is also a major player. The co-founder of the Velvets and Cale's sometimes collaborator, confidant and nemesis, Reed haunts this book from its opening lines. This book seems to be a form of therapy for Cale as he legitimises personal grievances, unpeels his emotions and reconciles the ghosts and demons that frustrate and drive him.

The essence of What's Welsh for Zen? is the question of style versus content and the book itself has a state-of-the-art design with the text presented in unusual formats combined with a huge selection of photographs, drawings, documents, letters and lyrics. --Jane Evans

Synopsis:

John Cale was born in the Brecon Beacons, in a household where nothing but Welsh was spoken. He made his way to New York via Leonard Bernstein's music workshop at Tanglewood, and then entered the 60s scene there, joining The Velvet Underground. This is his story, through the 60s and beyond.

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