Lou Reed had a complicated relationship with most of the people in his life, but especially so with John Cale, his Velvet Underground bandmate. They often fought (which, it could be argued, helped make their fraught-with-tension music so great), and Cale left the group after White Light/White Heat to start his successful solo career. The sparring partners teamed up again for a reunion tour and 1990’s Songs for Drella, a concept album of sorts about their mentor, Andy Warhol, who died three years prior.
Death has once again brought Reed and Cale together, spiritually speaking. To honor the one-year anniversary of Reed’s death, Cale released the music video for a remixed version of “If You Were Still Around,” a song from his Music for a New Society. Over archival footage of his buddy/enemy, Cale is on the verge of tears. He also released the following statement:
A Moth and a Candle met. They decided to become friends. Everyone enjoyed watching their discourse – especially the risk takers. Then one day a big rain came. The Moth couldn’t fly and the Candle puttered out. Everyone laughed in bitter awe and blamed the rain. Most however knew the deeper truth – the Candle remains lit and the Moth will stay close. (Via)
Here’s the video.
