I had to brace myself to write this post. Because a man in his sixties trash-talking makes me very uncom-for-table.
This song makes it evident that Cale's concept of black culture comes primarily from drug dealers in New York in the 1960s. His unnerving falsetto features in this track, showcasing his ability to take the peculiarities of an aging (nanna) voice and make it into something creepy. He also samples a..cough.
Cale features in a doco on Sonic Youth, and at 6.40, he reveals that he came to New York 'to join a street gang'. Bockris wouldn't buy that shit.
Oh Cale, why you so hardxcore bb?
He writes reams of this shit every day. But you're feeling it.
Cale has said that the song originated in the studio, when he was making 'jokes' . He's a pretty funny guy. Remember that one about the chicken?
I made that track and I had no idea what to do with it. I was rapping in the studio - well, not rapping, just making up jokes. And everyone started laughing so I kept going.
It must be satisfying for him that the end result was true to his original intention, and we all die giggling as we listen to it.
‘Brotherman’ is an improvised track. I have this bad habit of rattling off about things in the world, like politics and stuff. So when I listen to that track what I really hear is me trying to stay away from it, and it’s one of the funkier tracks on the record because I worked on several different ones and this is the one that I kept – it has a good humour to it.
I love that all his interviews have the pace and coherence of a six year old telling their mother about their day at school. 'MY NAME IS JOHN CALE AND I AM 63 YEARS OLD AND THIS IS A STORY ABOUT ONE TIME WHEN I DID SOME SINGING'
This phase has also resulted in love notes to 'Drop it like it's Hot', and a stage experiment of rapping Hallelujah with samples of Marlo Brando yelling 'SHUT UP!'. I recommend watching this clip and imagining Cale doing Snoop's dance.
I was also after something like Snoop Dogg's 'Drop It Like It's Hot,' which knocked my socks off the first time I heard it. I have a lot of respect for Pharrell -- and Dre for that matter.
