John Cale on why The Velvet Underground’s ill-fated reunion was “a big disappointment”
John Cale has always focused on the future and refrained from revisiting the past at almost every opportunity. While most artists his age have become nostalgic acts, Cale is still producing forward-thinking art rather than living off his previous achievements. However, the Welsh musician strayed away from his ethos when The Velvet Underground reunited in 1990.
Theoretically, the Velvet Underground still had enough in the tank to add another spectacular album to their collection and advance their story. When Cale signed up for the project, that’s precisely what he had in his mind, but, much to his frustration, it turned out to be a nostalgia tour which appeared to many on the outside believed to be nothing more than a cash-grabbing exercise.
After two decades of estrangement, Lou Reed and Cale reconvened their creative relationship following Andy Warhol’s death in 2007. After rekindling their freidnship, the former Velvet Underground duo recorded Songs For Drella, which set the wheels in motion for a full-blown reunion. In 1993, the news was finally official, and The Velvet Underground set sail for a European tour, including a set on The Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.
The dates throughout Europe were intended to be a precursor to a worldwide tour. However, that tour never occurred because of tensions between the band. There was a power struggle between Cale and Reed, who wanted The Velvet Underground to take in different directions. Ultimately, they both lost the fight, and the group dispersed.
The ill-fated reunion remains a source of regret for Cale, who later referred to the underwhelming chapter in their career as a “big disappointment” on Marc Maron’s podcast in 2013. In their lengthy conversation, which lasted an hour, the former Velvet also said he “hated” the experience. “We could have done anything we wanted. We could have stood on our heads,” Cale regretfully said.
“The way things unravelled was very natural and sort of sweet,” Cale said. “[Moe Tucker and Sterling Morrison would] come along and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do this song, and we’ll do this song,’ and all these songs I didn’t know because they were written after I’d left.”
He continued: “It all suddenly became an exercise in revitalising a catalogue. And instead of doing something that everybody would look up to us and maintain the standards that we had.” At another stage in the interview, Cale frustratingly said, “I hated that.”
Sadly, The Velvet Underground would never reunite again, apart from a one-off performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sometimes, things are best left in the past, and their uninspiring reconciliation is a warning sign for other bands thinking of tarnishing their legacy in exchange for a healthy paycheque.
