Words for Lou Reed

Lou Reed was a special kind of man: The junkie who “made it”…The unlikeliest of all Rock ‘N’ Roll legends. His song with lyrics about “giving head” is accepted as “Classic Rock” by a society that shudders over the thought of a pretty blonde girl licking a sledgehammer in her music video. He was the subject of multiple print, TV and Internet articles by journalists who still sought his company despite the fact that he was a cantankerous cunt. His truest “Pop” moment with the Velvets, “Who Loves The Sun,” is driven by bitterness and despair. He joined forces with the biggest Metal band in the world and succeeded in alienating TWO distinct audiences along the way. (That’s a true gift.) He could barely hold a note, but created a bulletproof discography that will forever change – and perhaps even save – the lives of those who take the time to experience it.

Lou's greatest gift to the world was his ability to showcase its undeniable ugliness. In the process, he created a body of work that exposed a side of existence very rarely explored – let alone celebrated – in mainstream culture. He was everything that a typical "celebrity" isn't, which of course made him the coolest guy in the room. We lost one of the real ones today. And during those nights when I find myself drifting into my own darkness at 3am, I know whose voice will be coming from my speakers. As always.


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