I missed out on my teenage years. I led a sheltered life. I was practicing scales instead of playing football.

Meaning of the quote

The musician John Cale is saying that he didn't experience a typical teenage life. Instead of doing fun activities like playing sports, he spent most of his time practicing music, which kept him sheltered and away from regular teenage experiences.

About John Cale

John Cale is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. He has had a diverse and influential career spanning over six decades, working across various styles including rock, drone, classical, avant-garde, and electronic music.

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More quotes from John Cale

I want to get lean and mean, keep it minimalist.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

I missed out on my teenage years. I led a sheltered life. I was practicing scales instead of playing football.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

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

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

We’d hold a chord for three hours if we could.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

The avant-garde makes more sense to me.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

In cities like New York and Austin, there’s much more of a social context for music than in other places.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

The value of having a computer, to me, is that it’ll remember everything you do. It’s a databank.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

Even if you’re improvising, the fact that beforehand you know certain things will work helps you make those improvisations successful. It really helps to have a certain amount of knowledge about musical structure.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

I’m content with making records, but I don’t want to be doing the same thing all the time.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

I like what the future holds. I don’t like thinking about the past.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

I never use the word, it’s loaded. What love means to me is need.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

I’m writing a movie about Mozart going to New York in the ’60s. I’ve been reading so many novels.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

Growing up in Wales was a pretty Draconian experience with religion.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

We gave up on the idea of trying to make the record a good representation of the live performance.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

If I’m interested in what I’m doing, other people will be interested in it.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

That’s what my life is, writing songs.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

If you’re all loaded up on love, you haven’t got anywhere else to go.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

All of the sudden the audiences started getting younger and the spread of the attendance was really wide. I think it’s as a result of the records selling more that they started following our careers.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

I’m impatient. I get twitchy. When I get that feeling I just go out and make something happen.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

When somebody grabs a movement, you’re kind of locked into it. It’s all par for the course.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

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

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

What I enjoy most about being on stage is that the natural instruments give you a greater freedom with texture. When you use natural instruments they have their own resonance.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

Time plays a role in almost every decision. And some decisions define your attitude about time.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

People sort of know me for that solo piano music I did.

John Cale

Welsh composer, singer-songwriter and record producer