lou-reed-john-cale

John Cale's statement on former bandmate Lou Reed's death

John Lou

John Cale, the former Velvet Underground bandmate of Lou Reed, commented on his passing initially by writing “The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet…I’ve lost my ‘school-yard buddy'” on his Facebook, and he since followed it with a longer, and very touching statement:

The news I feared the most, pales in comparison to the lump in my throat and the hollow in my stomach. Two kids have a chance meeting and 47 years later we fight and love the same way –losing either one is incomprehensible. No replacement value, no digital or virtual fill…broken now, for all time. Unlike so many with similar stories–we have the best of our fury laid out on vinyl, for the world to catch a glimpse. The laughs we shared just a few weeks ago, will forever remind me of all that was good between us.

Another Velvet Underground member, Moe Tucker, spoke about Lou in a Takeaway radio interview today. Listen to that, along with a video of Lou Reed and John Cale performing “Waiting For My Man” in Paris in 1972, below…

Lou Reed & John Cale – “Waiting For My Man” in Paris in 1972

Moe Tucker on Lou Reed