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Remembering The Legendary Lou Reed

Ben Yakas

Published Oct 28, 2013

Modified Oct 12, 2017

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Ben Yakas

Published Oct 28, 2013

Modified Oct 12, 2017

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On Sunday, legendary rock and roller Lou Reed died at the age of 71 after succumbing to liver disease. There's been an outpouring of affection and tributes to Reed across the internet—below we've compiled some of our favorite pieces, some amusing Reed ephemera, and a 75 minute long documentary.

Different stars and contemporaries put their condolences online.
John Cale wrote on his Facebook page: "The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet... I've lost my school-yard buddy."
Reed always gave great interview, including this relatively recent discussion of Metal Machine Music with Pitchfork and this New York-era one with Rolling Stone.
But if you want to read the greatest Reed pieces, revisit his classic one-on-ones with Lester Bangs, the only person who could call Reed "a complete depraved pervert and pathetic death dwarf" and mean it affectionately.
One of Reed's other critical frenemies, Robert Christgau, offers a few personal recollections for Spin.
Here are 21 ridiculously great photos of Reed we put together for his 71st birthday, and a list of 15 favorite overlooked gems in his back catalogue.
Reed's impact wasn't just in a musical realm: he also inspired an actual revolution in the Czech Republic. "I am president because of you," Czech President Vaclav Havel told Reed in 1990.
Here's a fantastic photo of Reed and wife Laurie Anderson at the Mermaid Parade in 2010.
Listen to the first Reed recording ever, "So Blue," a b-side from 1958 with his high school band, The Jades.
Revisit Rob Sheffield's ode to The Blue Mask.

Lou Reed had a sense of humor, which is how he ended up shilling for Honda and reading weird NSFW porn descriptions.
Have you ever wanted to see what it looks like when Reed really dances? Watch this classic clip of "Sweet Jane" from 1974 (and if you're impatient, skip to 2:45).
Phish's Trey Anastasio on meeting Reed: "As I was walking onstage he said, ‘Show ‘em how to rock and roll. After all, we invented it.’"
Here's the first hilarious reference to the Velvet Underground in the NY Times: "They bang away at their electronic equipment, while random movies are thrown on the screen in back of them."
This is Reed's high school yearbook photo: "As for the immediate future, Lou has no plans, but will take life as it comes."
Ann Powers wrote a lovely essay about what Reed taught her: "Lou Reed was the first rock star to truly mess up my mind." Sasha Frere-Jones also wrote a nice personal piece for The New Yorker: "When I proposed marriage to someone with a song, Lou Reed did the work for me. I handed over a small mirror with a handwritten note, which said only, 'I’ll be your mirror.'"
Speaking of The New Yorker, Reed wrote a diary for them in 1996 which you can read here (skip to page 116).
Have you ever wondered to yourself, 'What's the worst musical thing Lou Reed ever did that isn't Lulu?' This collaboration with Pavarotti is it. And the single "The Original Wrapper" isn't far behind.
A month after he had liver surgery, Reed wrote an enthusiastic piece about Kanye West's Yeezus. And it included this revealing look into himself: "Still, I have never thought of music as a challenge — you always figure, the audience is at least as smart as you are. You do this because you like it, you think what you're making is beautiful. And if you think it's beautiful, maybe they'll think it's beautiful."
There's also offered some words of wisdom to Esquire in 2000, including this gem about his process: "I've learned not to even wonder about it anymore. Not that I give up; it's just, I don't understand it. I realize I don't understand it, and there you go."
Lou Reed made his debut in The New York Times on January 13th, 1966, following a Velvet Underground performance at the New York Society for Clinical Psychiatry’s black-tie dinner at Delmonico’s Hotel. One attendee declared: "It was ridiculous, outrageous, painful." The paper notes that many fled after dessert. Read the full thing here. (via Andy Newman
Now, go watch the entire 75 minute Rock and Roll Heart documentary on Reed below.

Tagged

death

lou reed

Music

rock

velvet underground

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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