Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Watch Lou Reed's Final Interview: "You Do What You Love...Or You Get Arrested"
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 8, 2013
Modified Nov 8, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 8, 2013
Modified Nov 8, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Since legendary rock and roller Lou Reed died of liver disease, there have been outpourings of emotional tributes and remembrances to the man across the internet. We've seen his last live performance and the last photo session he did—and below, you can watch the last interview with Reed, which occurred on September 21st. "Sound is more than just noise. Ordered sound is music," he said. "My life is music."
Reed sat down with director Farida Khelfa as part of a photo shoot for headphone company Parrot Zik (for whom Reed had lent his sonic expertise). Reed looks tired (and his eyes look particularly yellowed), but he is just as witty and vivid as you'd hope, discussing various sound techniques, and what sound means to him: "I am very emotionally affected by sound. Sounds are the inexplicable...There is a sound you hear in your head, it's your nerves, or your blood running. It's kind of amazing to hear that."
When asked if his father bought him his first guitar, Reed responds, "My father didn't give me shit." He also (sarcastically) mentions that he slept with his guitar and amp, that he was horrified by the sound on CDs, and that he believes the first memory of sound "would have to be your mother's heartbeat, for all of us."
And when asked why he became a musician, he put it beautifully: “You do what you love… or you get arrested."
Tagged
death
interview
lou reed
Music
rock
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .