"I use cracks on the sidewalk to walk down the street. I'd always walk on the lines. I never take anything but a calculated risk, and do it because it gives me a sense of identity. Fear is a man's best friend."

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More by John Cale

“John Cale is fantastic, and he made the sound of the Velvet Underground.”

“I learn from thinking about the future, what hasn't been done yet. That's kind of my constant obsession.”

“Being a living legend is such a precarious livelihood. It’s like being a bar of soap in a shower which doesn’t have any water in it.”

“The only reason we wore sunglasses onstage was because we couldn't stand the sight of the audience.”

“The viola is the saddest of all instruments.”

“I only hope that one day John will be recognized as … the Beethoven or something of his day. He knows so much about music, he's such a great musician. He's completely mad - but that's because he's Welsh.”

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