Fragments of a Cale Season

Remember when I got excited about Idiot Lust, the blog devoted to Iggy Pop’s groundbreaking album, The Idiot? Well, I’ve been on the prowl for blogs devoted to either one artist or one record, and I found a gem recently with Fragments of a Cale Season.

Described as “A trying-hard-to-be-critical review of the works of John Cale,” Fragments touches on everything from chicken-shitting stories from Cale’s autobiography to fringe projects to more straightforward discussions of collaborations and full album reviews.

Though the author is undoubtedly a devout fan, he takes care not to simply indulge his fascination, and (thankfully) offers critique and insight without one bit of pretension. Altogether a very enjoyable read, makes me wish I could print blogs out like little packages and read them in the bubble bath to catch up.

Pictured: a bit of the “Vexations” score, an 18-hour piece composed by Eric Satie. Cale performed the piece in its entirety, and later appeared on the popular television show “I’ve Got a Secret” to tease contestants with some trivia / guessing games. Watch the video of that program here.

Also, someone pitch a somewhat updated version of “I’ve Got a Secret” to the networks. It qualifies as “reality,” so maybe we’ve got a shot. Losers get dunked in slime and most of the world laughs when an audience full of Oprah audience rejects don’t recognize Brian Eno. Good times!