1973, mushroom candle and incense burning, buddah burning, my mind burning as Lou Reed, Lou Reed spins around. The baby bird, the wave, the mood, the direct lo fo intensity, the feeling has never left me. Transformer. Fuck! Lou sneering through valves of white light, Mick Ronson at the helm, perfect pop for now people. I stared at the banana refusing to peel. Lou, Sterling, Maureen, John and Nico. Lou's words, his otherness. My Lou collection grew, Berlin, Velvet Underground S/T and later Sally Can't Dance and VU Live in 69. I was, to my knowledge, a lone fan in our neck of the woods, well Revesby anyway. And I loved it. Cruising the coast with Lou on the 8 track and several packets of Ardaths. Feeling cool. I had a black Sloppy Joe printed with a close up of the photo above. I was there for the Sally Can't Dance / Rock and Roll Animal period show at the Horden Pav, Lou peroxide gold, me in sequined black cape... and I really don't care any more about all the Jim Jims in this town... Lou's slappin the mic stand. Rock and Roll heaven!
Well that shit was real because Lou was real. He wasn't some pop star wanna be, he was like old school. He was a 40's 50's cat, a stone post war outsider. His forays to the Big Apple in the 50's took him places noone should go, experimenting with life in all it's far out and freaky ways. He was already happening way before he was happening. His own underground University radio show, causing aural havoc, his early recordings and work at Pickwick Records leading to his meeting the great John Cale. The two of them fused their interests in the avant garde, free jazz, Mowtown and stomping party music, Bob Dylan and probably some Celtic flavors from John and some Jewish colours from Lou.
This was the beginning of something amazing, one of the 2 or 3 best ever debut albums. Somehow people though Andy Warhol had a lot to do with that record, probably because his name is on the cover. Yes he did do the cover, but the best thing he did was nothing. He told the engineer to let them do what ever they wanted to do and he encouraged Lou to be naughty that's all, but that was enough to take them over the edge, enabling them to create a masterpiece that might have been subdued under normal circumstances.
So the groundwork was laid. Everyone who encountered the Velvets knew there was something else going on with these guys. Most of the public didn't want to know about these scary people and their dirty words. The few that did were loyal and traveled from show to show, like Robert Quinne, whose recently released bootleg recordings are both revealing and thrilling.
The band continued on year after year, making astonishing albums, playing great shows, but continuing to ride along in a relatively low key style than their merit deserved. The old story.
Lou split in 1970, the game was up, there's only so much food you can buy on a cultish income.
One thing lead to another and with a bit of help from David Bowie, Lou kicked off his solo career.
That was 42 years ago!
42 years of making music, thrilling fans, upsetting journalists, giving himself totally to his art, for us!
Lou Reed didn't make music to stay in the charts, he made it as he had no choice, as with most of the great artists, mostly wallflowers, uncomfortable in public, but in private an electric mind that will not give up.
So I'd like to say, thank you Lou, for all you've done, all you've given, all the gigs, the albums and very much more.
As Captain Beefheart said on being asked did he miss music (meaning performing) he replied "No, because that is a hell of a thing to ask somebody to do...to give blood like that"
Thanks Lou
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