John Cale’s “New” Album “M:FANS” – An Interview

It is not everyday that a beloved musician of long standing & a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame joins you in the office. Then again, it is not everyday that a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has a new release to get excited about, not to mention one that is inspired by one of their most acclaimed works of 33 years prior. Such was the case last month when legendary artist (and founding member of the Velvet Underground) John Cale stopped by the KCRW studios to discuss his new album, M:FANS.

Approached as a reinterpretation of Cale’s 1982 improvisational album, Music for a New Society (also newly reissued), M:FANS is something of a funhouse mirror reflection of that work, using the basic song-structures of the original album as a starting point and using time, experience and the technological advances of the ensuing years to bring a new focus to the tunes. Some selections are comfortably familiar, while others have a significantly different footprint.

I was honored to chat with Cale about the new album, its relationship to its parent release and other topics (including the prospect of a Welsh-language record), recorded in the KCRW studios. You can hear that interview here:

Both M:FANS and the newly-remastered version of Music for a New Society are available in both CD & vinyl versions at your favorite quality retailer or at his record label, http://www.dominorecordco.us/artists/john-cale/