I still remember the first time I heard a Nico solo track from the post-Velvet Underground, post-Chelsea Girl era. It was “My Only Child” off Desertshore, Nico singing largely a capella in her unique voice, with occasional trumpet notes. It was like nothing else I had heard. I was stunned to find it was a song she had written herself. It was on a German anthology of “death songs” that my girlfriend gave me for Christmas in the far-off days of my unremembered youth (a.k.a. 2003). “My Only Child” smashed my preconceptions like a gentle hammer blow. I had of course known who Nico was for a long time and appreciated her contribution to the first Velvet Underground album, but I thought of her as nothing more than a striking vocalist, an interpreter of other people’s works. I had never bothered to check out her solo work after Chelsea Girl, which back when I was most obsessed with Velvet Underground was hard to find, especially when you lived on an island in the middle of the North Atlantic.
After being floored by “My Only Child,” I made it my mission to correct my error of presumption and seek out Nico’s solo works. The three albums she made from 1969-74, The Marble Index, Desertshore and The End, all rank among my favorite records. Her songwriting is unique and wonderful, her lyrics haunting and her musical vision unforgettable. I resolved after that to be more careful about judging artists based on only a small glimpse of their work. Yet I still make this mistake over and over again. The latest eye-opener was watching Raúl play for Schalke against Inter Milan in the second leg of their Champions League tie.
I was aware that Raúl was worshipped by Real Madrid supporters above and beyond his other teammates, but I’d assumed that it was just a personal connection, that he wasn’t that good. I’d seen him play for the Spanish national team and been less than impressed. I’d even seen him play a few times for Real Madrid and he didn’t strike me as anything special. Yes, a good forward, but hardly worthy of adulation. Then I watched him play for Schalke against Inter in the second leg of their tie and, oh my, what a player. What a player! His goal was beautifully taken. A lesser player would have hammered the ball at the goal, but he cooly dribbled around the keeper before slotting it in. It looked effortless, though it was anything but. His pass to set up Schalke’s second was, if anything, even more special. A neat chip which fell in front of Benedikt Höwedes who hammered the ball into the goal with such force you would think he was auditioning for the role of Thor the Thunder God. In the replays Raúl’s pass seemed even more audacious and wondrous. What seemed obvious and inevitable the moment it had happened looked in slow-motion like a moment of sublime skill and vision. If Raúl is this great at 33, I asked myself, what must he have been like in his prime? Sadly I didn’t pay much attention to La Liga back then, and on the rare occasion I did see Real Madrid play, I was too busy focusing on the other players in that extraordinarily skilled and expensive team. I have clearly been wrong all these years. Nevertheless, I suspect that with time, the memory of Raúl will fade outside of Madrid and Gelsenkirchen.
Nico drifted away from Velvet Underground and became a sidebar in the feature story of the band. Throughout her career she worked with better known musicians—John Cale, Lou Reed, Jackson Browne, Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera—and so it’s easy to overlook Nico’s creative gifts and assign credit to her collaborators, even though the songs were written by Nico and, increasingly as she grew more assured, the arrangements were hers as well. Nico’s place in rock history has become that of bit player in the artistic triumph of Velvet Underground, but that is unfair. She was a great musician in her own right. Raúl, I suspect, will occupy a similar place in the story of Spanish football. Instead of being remembered as a brilliant player, he will be relegated to a long list of Spanish-born La Liga superstars who failed to perform at the international level. That he was cast aside after 2006, when the imperial era of the Spanish national team was about to dawn, makes it even less likely that he’ll find a place in the pantheon.
But… history may yet beckon. Should Schalke prevail against Manchester United, they will face either Real Madrid or Barcelona. Playing in the Champions League final against either team will be a match of extreme emotional resonance for Raúl and the kind of story that will be easy to remember. If his performance rises to the level of what he showed against Inter, he might have a shot of writing a triumphant end to his playing career.
Kári Tulinius is an Icelandic poet and novelist. His first novel, Píslarvottar án hæfileika (Martyrs Without Talent), was published last spring in Reykjavík.
The CD was not a relationship omen… at least in the short term. We got married next year, though we divorced a few years later.
And John Cale. For reasons that are now beyond me, I didn’t care much for Lou Reed’s solo work when I was younger. John Cale’s solo stuff is still closer to my heart, but I appreciate Lou Reed solo today. In fact, back in the day I would wind up Lou Reed fans by claiming that the creative force behind the latter two canonical Velvet Underground albums was Doug Yule. I still think it’s a travesty that Doug Yule (or Nico, for that matter) wasn’t inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of Velvet Underground.
Read More: Raúl, Schalke 04
by Kári Tulinius · April 18, 2011
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I think that to say that Raul was failure at the international level kind of negates your point about “having been wrong” about him, because you still are wrong about him. Raul was the highest all time leading scorer for the national team until David Villa beat his record not too long ago, not to mention a Real Madrid (one of the biggest clubs in Spain) legend. I suggest you watch this: http://www.ruizone.me/footballs-greatest/footballs-greatest-raul/
@Juan He was just a little too old for his own good. He was Spain’s best player during virtually his whole career, but he didn’t have a lot of help, so his trophy haul was disappointing, and his goalscoring record was good (44 in 102 games) without being amazing (Villa’s currently got two more goals in 30 fewer games). Had he played with Xavi, Iniesta, et. al. in their primes, who knows what could have happened. But as it is his memory certainly risks being overshadowed but what they’ve accomplished.
I think Raúl’s history was slightly muddled with the Galácticos affair. The rest of us just didn’t know what to make of him. Was he really that good? Was he in there just to satisfy those who wanted homegrown talent? Was he only good because he was surrounded by Zidane, Ronaldo, et al.?
But mostly I think Raúl hasn’t gotten the full praise he deserves because his playing style was so ill-defined. He was always a cool finisher, but he never possessed blistering pace. He was a bit of a poacher, yet at the same time he could create for others. In a team of galácticos, he just didn’t stand out to be the best at one certain skill or aspect. He never really fit into any one category of player, and I think because of that the opposition didn’t know what to make of him. Similarly, we didn’t either.
But with hindsight, I think we’ll remember as one of the greats of his generation, not just in Spain, and I do hope to see him get to the final.
He was the best forward in the world from 2000-2003, the old galactico era, massively responsible for the club winning the 2000 and the 2002 Champions Leagues. If you study his goal in the CL final vs. Bayer Leverkusen, the way he twists his body around is quite extraordinary, in a way as unlikely as Zidane´s famous goal in the same match.
Then he never emerged the same player for some reason after having an appendectemy (sp?) in 2003 and suddenly became quite overrated and a bit of a blowhard (eg. criticising Michael Owen when Owen was outscoring Raul from the bench and yet Raul kept being given a free starting place week after week).
I feel if he hadn´t been injured during the 2002 World Cup (he couldn´t play vs. South Korea) he was at the point of delivering for Spain in 2002. As stated above, the 2004 and 2006 tournaments were after his time.
It would be nice if he led Schalke to glory à la Morientes for Monaco in 2004.
…P.S. I know Monaco didn´t actually win the 2004 CL, please don´t bother pointing that out.
The most delicious part of the 2010 Champions League final, at the Bernabéu no less, was the absence of the home side and the presence of players jettisoned from its club in favor of Ronaldo et al. It is our sincere hope that the karmic nature of football will emerge once again on May 28 at Wembley when Raúl steps onto the pitch.
In 2001, Raul may have been the best forward in the world (certainly streets ahead of Michael Owen. Raul was much more involved in the buildup and still scored a comparable number of goals).
The major reason he is criticized today is that his ego and influence grew as his talent waned. An example is his role in deposing Del Bosque, and his loyalists Hierro and Makalele. He sided with Perez, Valdano, and the Galacticos at the expense of a champions league winning manager and defensive spine. Madrid have done nothing in the Champions League ever since. For a club rife with back room politics, Raul was always at the heart of the conflict and always came up victorious. He wanted to start, so an in form Higuain had to sit on the bench. Ditto for young Robinho. Even when Ronaldo arrived, he still demanded a starting role that his ability no longer merited. It took an equally massive ego (Arrogance Incarnate: Jose Mourinho) to dislodge him from his perch at the top of the hierarchy in Madrid.
@matt An example is his role in deposing Del Bosque, and his loyalists Hierro and Makalele. He sided with Perez, Valdano, and the Galacticos at the expense of a champions league winning manager and defensive spine.
Did Raul tell you that personally or do you have a direct access to a Madrid insider source?
@J. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/deportes/misterio/Raul/elpepudep/20080912elpepidep_2/Tes
http://www.lne.es/secciones/noticia.jsp?pRef=2008080800_47_664202__Deportes-puertas-Madrid-cerradas-para-Villa
It’s in his eyes.
@Mags It’s not quite the same story. It was rich seeing Robben and Sneijder there in the 2010 CL final because Real Madrid hadn’t given them the chances they deserved. Raul on the other hand was absolutely finished at Real Madrid and had to be cut loose. Thank God someone with balls took over at Madrid (Mourinho) because otherwise Raul would be receiving a undeserving starting place well into his 50s.
It’s not exactly footballing karma that he may be playing against them, unlike last year’s situation. I’d argue he’s only good in this year’s Champs League BECAUSE of the change of scene rather than despite it.
@M.G. Fair play, your point of view is closer to the truth! I may have been feeling overly dramatic after the weekend’s results and the possibilities in store for this week.
@Mags But you were right, it would be pretty poetic and all thatto see him play a CL final against either one of them, especially Real Madrid.
Always rate him. He may not have been the indidual and outstanding talent that some of his numrerous team mates were, but he would often be the one to clinically complete a move, or indeed conjour somthing from a half chance when more stellat talents were had hit a brick wall.
Yes, did not have the otherworldly magic of a Zidane (but who else of that generation did) or Ronaldo or Figo. But, FFS he knew where the back of the net was (whether direclty, or through a team mate).
P.S. Nico’s contribution to the debut VU album is should never be undersetimated
@matt I’d argue with part of that statement — Raul and Hierro actually sided together against Perez, Valdano, etc. on more than one occasion leading right up to the big confrontation at the end of 2003 over the Beckham announcement, after which Hierro was out. (And Del Bosque at the same time, but for different reasons.) Witness the very public confrontation – on the eve of the 2002 European Supercup, no less – between Raul/Hierro and Perez/Valdano over the latter’s attempt to force Fernando Morientes out as part of a deal to bring in Ronaldo.
Having said that, there’s no doubt about the fact that Raul’s a survivor. But he’s a loyalist, too.
I don’t reckon Raul will be quite as readily forgotten as Nico, merits of both aside. IMO, There are enough folk whole place more or equal value to achievements in club football that the Champs League winning sides he was on will lend his name some heft.
Though, one must wonder what would have unfolded had Atletico Madrid not jettisoned the youth academy while he was there, leaving him to be plucked by their cross-city rivals.
It was on a German anthology of “death songs” that my girlfriend gave me for Christmas
I know the feeling… I had to go to a few Depeche Mode concerts when I was seeing this girl in high school. Look, I was stunned that I lost my virginity at all and I wasnt going to do anything to rock the boat
German Xmas Death Songs for you.
Blasphemous Rumours for me.
We all had a cross to bear in our youthful attempts to get laid.
—————————–
Raul will always be overated because for quite a while at Real he was starting when he shouldnt have. His backroom influence putting him on the field more than what he could actually bring.
-Thank God someone with balls took over at Madrid (Mourinho) because -otherwise Raul would be receiving a undeserving starting place well into -his 50s.
That about sums it up pretty well.
But lets also not forget that for 2-3 years he was a top 3 player in the world.
And for a few more he was a top10 player.
Thats a nice career.
A bonus lap with Gazprom 04 (easier to spell) in CL final would be nice.
Playin against Madrid would be the cherry on the sundae.
Scoring against Real would be like the post ice cream hash brownie.
Scoring the game winner against Real in the CL final would be like the
post ice cream-brownie bj A. Lima would give you afterwards.
Oh yeah…
FANTASTIC article.
I have to admit you had me at the title but you really delivered on the article and kudos on the commenter sections. Good links.
Totally worth spending my coffee break over.
Raul = Lamar Odom
Raul; A jack-of-all-trades, his technical and physical abilities are always between average and very good at best, but none can be considered exceptional. Nevertheless, his decision-making is always top notch. He knows when to drop into the hole and link up play, he knows when to draw the defenders away, or when & where to make the run into the box, and of course, when to shoot. A bit like Dennis Bergkamp, but with a bit more hair and a bit less flair.
Oh, and during their time, both their national teams underachieved.
Raul is a living legend.period.
Raul has always displayed the icy and focused eyes of a surgeon in front of goal. However, when Roberto Carlos is overlapping, Zidane is rouletting, and Ronaldo is stepovering, pure talent can easily be overshadowed by the grand circus of it all. In hindsight, his lack of pace has allowed him to extend his career while other forwards lose a step and soon find themselves worthless. Great article!
OT: Not sure why you are making copyrighted music files available for download on your excellent website but I think it’s a bad idea. You have published authors who contribute to this blog and I don’t think you want your readers sharing pirated PDFs of their books instead of buying them. Obeying fair use rules supports creative producers.
I love Raul, I’m so bummed that Schalke got knocked out.