Dude didn’t ask Lou the usual dumb questions and you can tell he really appreciated that here. Legendary Hearts is in my top three fave solo Lou albums along with Coney Island Baby and Sally Can’t Dance.
Sally can't dance is the shit! My dad found a copy at a yard sale back about when I was still in highschool mid 80s. It didn't even have the inner sleeve. And the initials of the previous owner scrawled just in the inside edge of the outer sleeve. Whenever I played that album myself, I would always replay kill your sons, a couple more times before I played the rest of the following tracks. I finally got a copy on cd, about 30 years later, after I decided to start with all of VU, and work my way up. Sally is still one of my faves of Lou.
It's actually not. Lou promoted himself as an authentic, real guy but here he displayed pure hypocrisy, disappointingly. It's easy to see when you read between the lines, putting critical reasoning together. He says he didn't like anything from Britain, yet just 2 examples off the top of my head are that he's not only showed that John Lennon was 1 of his idols, by saying "mother, jealous guy and the plastic Ono band "in general." are some of the best things in history and playing at John Lennon's tribute concert, but also he's worked with Bowie and from interviews in the past, from both him and Bowie, it's clear to see that he has loved Bowie's work and even in collaboration gave Bowie complete artistic licence in the direction of the project.Either he is Predisposed towards Anglophobia, or he's just conditioned by some patriotism, and intrinsic jealousy or envy. Maybe he's just not aware of it.After all, true authenticity, doesn't mean not sufferin from human failings. This is very disappointing, because it makes me question the whole authenticity of the persona of Lou. But maybe he simply wasn't aware of the falsity of some of his predispositions.That's the best thing I can say about the situation without being More harsh,because most people would consider this pure hypocrisy at the core of his being, just like he accuses so many others of
@@Rowlph8888 He said he wasn't a fan of the Beatles, not that he wasn't a fan of John Lennon. Also, when he talks about "British" music, I don't believe he's talking about people like Bowie...
@@Rowlph8888you shouldn’t condemn anyone beyond recovery especially not someone you don’t know personally especially not based off little scraps of media online, Reed was an artist and artists do and say stuff most won’t understand but they are usually trying to make you feel a certain way
I've enjoyed several Lou Reed albums hugely over the years e.g. Transformer, Berlin and New York but forgot what an insufferable and disingenuous prick he was in person. If 'British people shouldn't play anything' then why did he waste his time on the 'junk' of John Cale, David Bowie, John Lennon, Mick Ronson, Herbie Flowers, and Ronnie Ross? When 'Daddy' owns a tax accounting firm you can probably afford to run your little leather street punk mouth like this.
I think the interviewer was very respectful. That's why Lou was more open, and not on survival mode. Good on the interviewer. He was nothing but what an interviewer should be! No judgement! Just let the guy talk, and tell his story.
The interviewer is Bill Boggs, a NYC media celeb. Had an hour long show, weekdays at noon. Lou probably gives a shit enough to not wanna fuck up the interview that close to home.
"The basis of reality"...Basically the perfect description for what Lou was all about personally, artistically. It's what drew me to The Velvet Underground 35 years ago. Pure rock n roll, punk spirit, whatever you prefer to call it.
Goes to show Lou said whatever he felt was true in that precise moment - in accordance with his mood - rather than what we now know to be the real truth in hindsight. For example, The Velvets did in fact get back together 10 years later in 1993 to a triumphant reception with Lou himself cheerful about the occasion. Feels like he approached life just like his description here of how he wants to perform - he doesn’t want to know the song “too well”, he liked to keep it loose.
The calmes I have seen Lou. Also the first time I notice the eye tick, maybe it's just in that period:) But I was thinking this- Lou Reed has so much talent it's hard to grasp. And at the same time is so arrogant, and at the same time he is very humble. And manages to tell a story with all the emotions and details in just a sentence. That's what I call good artists. Lou, you have influenced my life and gave me so much comfort with you art. Thank you.
I love Lou so much. Not a week has passed since he died in which I have not felt his absence. I love VU to the Raven. All of it is so great and real and fun and beautiful in its own way.
I've got some solid evidence from Reed's songs that can say that he actually didn't not like The Beatles: 1. During one of the VU recording sessions, the group played the riff of Day Tripper. 2. In his solo album Transformers, the song I'm So Free, written during his VU days, starts with the line, "Yes, I am mother nature's son."
On page 54 of Will Hermes’s Lou Reed The King of New York, the book mentions Lou Reed and Delmore Schwartz hearing “I wanna hold your hand” for the first time in early 1964 and playing it on the jukebox several times in a row. They then walked out of the bar into the snow and continued singing it
"In heaven the British greet you at the door, the Italians provide the entertainment, the French do the cooking, and the Germans organize everything. In hell the French greet you at the door, the Germans provide the entertainment, the British do the cooking, and the Italians organize everything."
@@chickentwisties2298 no he said he liked their earlier stuff before too. Take what he says in any given interview with a grain of salt.hes known to make bipolar statements. Have to double check but been listening to a Lou reed biography audio book and think I heard he was fond of the song Doctor Robert. That's why I say a bit.
In reality, the English supergroups were far better than the Americans. Music, lyrics, imagination, musicianship. Pink Floyd, The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones to name a few.
The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Velvet Underground, CCR, Eagles, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Talking Heads, Van Halen, Guns N Roses, REM, Metallica, Nirvana... I can go on
Honestly never considered that perspective but from his point of view I totally get it! 😅 It's going to be hard not to adopt this mindset going forward (I am obviously American)
Ya but without the Beatles there would be TONS of artists who never even got influenced 🤷🏻♂️ sure it’s fine to not like them but must respect what they did for music! They didn’t just change music, they transcended it, and changed the entire culture! Far as I’m concerned Lou’s just an old jealous prick 😂 sure your opinions are subjective but what the Beatles did is FACT and they still have the most number 1 hits of any music artist and they’ve been broken up for over 50 years
I was actually surprised at how open and cooperative Lou was in this interview. I've read more interviews with him than I've seen in video, but he never seemed to enjoy giving them. I had to laugh at "I don't want to come across as pretentious or negative" because there's no other way to describe - the Beatles are junk, British rock is junk, Broadway show music is junk lol. I'm betting that if that same guy would have asked those same questions 6 months later or 6 months earlier, he would have heard a completely different Lou Reed. He says his songs are simple 2 or 3 chord rock, but his 5th studio album, Metal Machine Music was sheer ear torture, without a hint of chords OR music. I read once where he said he didn't like lead guitar, or lead guitar players in his band. Yet IMO, he made possibly the greatest live album ever - Rock N Roll Animal, which had TWO legendary guitar players trading extensive leads- Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner. I chalk it all up to a guy who marched to a different drum, did some amazingly great work, some pedestrian bland work, and some horrible work...but did it all the way he wanted. Some might call that the description of.... a genius
Some might call it arrogance 🤷 but hey..: I’ve found most artists that are great have some of that. Without the necessary confidence to be a rock star, you ain’t gon be one!
Lol Lou is my favorite musician of all time, hearing him complain about all these characteristics in music he calls "junk", what was "Berlin"? lol, and I really like Berlin
its understandable why he hated the early doors ('66-'68).... they were one of the few in the same early dark zipcode, yet jim got more of andy's girls & made more $.
@@foljs5858 … early on you have a point… but hotel and la woman were more mature and more street then early doors poetic and realism wise…. They were only more commercial b/c of their popularity… material wise they were as strong as VU (who by the way I like and respect)… re early pretension, reed and his being couched w/ Warhol factory had its own dose of facade. And reed, son of a long isl accountant, was no man of the streets upbringing wise anymore than the admirals son.
@@foljs5858 never thought of them as pretentious, if you werent around then i guess it sounds pretentious. I tell you that period of time was very crazy in new york, I think Lou was just singing was going on....very hard to understand in today's tame scene.....kids today can't believe some of my stories about the village then...people in the village can, but i dont live there anymore.....yeah, it was not pretentious
@@foljs5858 They also sounded an awful lot like The Animals with Eric Burdon, and even Them with Van Morrison. They simply had a psychedelic conceit to go along with the bedrock of R&B that they happened to play. That and the notoriety of their frontman really set them apart.
@@clc-gl4jn I very much doubt that since he stole from those movements himself. Besides, art is all about "stealing", so that'd be just stupid to think. Especially when it comes down to mere chord progressions rather than unique hooks or riffs.
@@preciousmousse no. When you literally grew up in the country literally around the artists, that's not called stealing. That is called rubbing off on another person because they grew up around it..The British just stole mostly from it that is for damn sure. Mind you my favorite band is British called The Who. So it is no bias against the British. It is just truth
@@clc-gl4jn I guess you need some sort of national pride, that's only your view on things. If you take things like this you might as well say whites have no business playing rock 'n' roll since they "stole" from the blacks. Lou's arrogance exceeds the topic. Rock 'n' roll is a feeling, not an individual's ego masturbation. Now, Sir, let us stop stealing England's language, mind you.
@@preciousmousse again, English was something I grew UP on and was part of my American culture that was rubbed off on everyone here from the colonials. Music IS about origin and culture. As far as countries go, if you grew up in the origin and culture, you are already involved in what it was as aforementioned. If you weren't born into it, you would be a copycat poser. It's like if I were born in China and made my life all about Italian things and stole versions of Italian cuisine and got famous for how good it was. Sure it was good - but who originated it and was I anywhere near involved being around that culture?... No! I would be a poser culture vulture that stole from another origin and upbringing. The British had NO involvement with blues/rock music as their culture and origin whatsoever. None. Zip. Nada. They blatantly were using Americans originated music and getting famous and money off it themselves and not being original. That is the damn truth and I have a feeling you know it deep down. Edit was only for a typo
"Lou, let's talk about all your hits. Walk on the Wild Side, Sweet Jane.....did I say Walk on the Wild Side?" Said Howard Stern on his live broadcast to I would imagine a not too pleased Lou Reed at an 80's radio station convention. Howard knew how to put people in their place back then that needed a little "tuning up". If anybody deserved a little comeuppance, it was Reed, who was a complete tool a lot of the time.
@@pedroparamo7351 His son made the rest of the world go through that in 1975 with Metal Machine Music. He's always been ashamed of being a nice middle class Jewish boy hence the cosplay street punk routine ever since. Throw in misogynistic woman beater into the mix, add a dash of racism and despite his own Jewish faith, antisemitism et voila, something that would even get evicted from a petri-dish. Shame really, as a lot of his music is really good
@@exitthelemming145 It's very probable that Louie was a poser and a bad person. So what? I just care about his music, not his personal/private life. As for metal machine music, you are completely right, that lp is a piece of shit. The worst of Louie. But there's everything in his catalogue: from the sublime to the execrable.
Love Lou Reed, but his interviews are absurd. I'm sure he never liked the Beatles or British Invasion bands. It's purely coincidental that post-Brit Invasion, Lou formed a rock quartet with mop tops, black clothes, Beatle boots, Vox amps, and played a Gretsch Country Gentleman (like George Harrison).
@MrGobsmack Explain why the Beatles dropped their English accent when they sang. The Beatles like all the bands in Liverpool at the time got their inspiration from Black American artists of the 50s and early 60s. This is well known history. Yes, they took it to the next level but to many Americans listening to, say, Twist and Shout, it sounded like white boys pretending they were black
@omegajrz1269 It certainly goes back and forth but the British Invasion of the 60s mainly consisted of Brits imitating Black American artists. Of course it went way beyond that eventually. I was only pointing out the grain of truth in Lou's otherwise over-the-top statement.
Most of the great British bands were inspired by American rock'n'roll in the first place so I guess it's understandable where Lou is coming from. But I'd say The Who could definitely could play it.
@@jotwee63 I love British rock and bands etc. but what was Britain’s answer to the doors? Or too the seeds? The garage rock scene was strictly US originally. The US psych in general was mostly superior. Not pop psych.
Beatles, stones, zeppelin, the who, Clapton, animals, kinks, hollies, Elton, E.L.O, clash, pistols, straits, sabbath, floyd, T Rex, queen, purple….yeah like Lou said the British are awful 😂😂
He calls other people's music junk which were much more popular than his and were commercially much more successful. The velvet underground was the back water not vice versa.
Either Lou was a charlatan, or he wasn't Aware of the hypocrisy at the core of a lot of his positions. He promoted himself as an authentic, real guy but here he displayed pure hypocrisy, disappointingly. It's easy to see when you read between the lines, putting critical reasoning together. He says he didn't like anything from Britain, yet he's not only showed that John Lennon was 1 of his idols, by saying mother, jealous guy and the plastic Ono band "in general" are some of the best things in history and playing at John Lennon's tribute concert, but also he's worked with Bowie and from interviews in the past, , from both him and Bowie, it's clear to see that he has loved Bowie's work and even in collaboration gave Bowie complete artistic licence in the direction of the project.Either he is Predisposed towards Anglophobia, or he's just conditioned by some patriotism, or maybe he's just not aware of it. This is very disappointing, because it makes me question the whole authenticity of the persona of Lou. But maybe he simply wasn't aware of the falsity of some of his predispositions.That's the best thing I can say about the situation without being More harsh,because most people would consider this pure hypocrisy at the core of his being, just like he accuses so many others of
But I think it's supposed to be like that, it's a persona, isn't it? I don't really think he would ever claim not to be a hypocrite, or to be the prophet of truth and straight forwardness, because it s all a big show, an act. I'll bet you in his head he knows exactly what the paradoxical double standards of his positions are, and I'd go so far as to say that he chooses to promote those positions precisely to achieve a surreal sort of sense of larger than life judgemental ego in what Lou Reed the artist means.
![Lou Reed • Interview • 1983 [Reelin' In The Years Archive]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
