Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band The Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Although not commercially successful during its existence, the Velvet Underground came to be regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of underground and alternative rock music. Reed's distinctive deadpan voice, poetic and transgressive lyrics, and experimental guitar playing were trademarks throughout his long career.
For the Welsh rugby player, see Lou Reed (rugby union).
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed
March 2, 1942
New York City, U.S.
Freeport, New York, U.S.
October 27, 2013 (aged 71)
East Hampton, New York, U.S.
- Musician
- singer
- songwriter
- composer
- photographer
- Vocals
- guitar
1958–2013
Having played guitar and sung in doo-wop groups in high school, Reed studied poetry at Syracuse University under Delmore Schwartz, and served as a radio DJ, hosting a late-night avant garde music program while at college. After graduating from Syracuse, he went to work for Pickwick Records in New York City, a low-budget record company that specialized in sound-alike recordings, as a songwriter and session musician. A fellow session player at Pickwick was John Cale; together with Sterling Morrison and Angus MacLise, they would form the Velvet Underground in 1965. After building a reputation on the avant garde music scene, they gained the attention of Andy Warhol, who became the band's manager; they in turn became something of a fixture at The Factory, Warhol's art studio, and served as his "house band" for various projects. The band released their first album, now with drummer Moe Tucker and featuring German singer Nico, in 1967, and parted ways with Warhol shortly thereafter. Following several lineup changes and three more little-heard albums, Reed quit the band in 1970.
After leaving the band, Reed would go on to a much more commercially successful solo career, releasing twenty solo studio albums. His second, Transformer (1972), was produced by David Bowie and arranged by Mick Ronson, and brought him mainstream recognition. The album is considered an influential landmark of the glam rock genre, anchored by Reed's most successful single, "Walk on the Wild Side". After Transformer, the less commercial but critically acclaimed Berlin peaked at No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart. Rock 'n' Roll Animal (a live album released in 1974) sold strongly, and Sally Can't Dance (1974) peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200; but for a long period after, Reed's work did not translate into sales, leading him deeper into drug addiction and alcoholism. Reed cleaned up in the early 1980s, and gradually returned to prominence with The Blue Mask (1982) and New Sensations (1984), reaching a critical and commercial career peak with his 1989 album New York.
Reed participated in the re-formation of the Velvet Underground in the 1990s, and he made several more albums, including a collaboration album with John Cale titled Songs for Drella, which was a tribute to their former mentor Andy Warhol. Magic and Loss (1992) would become Reed's highest-charting album on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 6.
He contributed music to two theatrical interpretations of 19th-century writers, one of which he developed into an album titled The Raven. He married his third wife Laurie Anderson in 2008, and recorded the collaboration album Lulu with Metallica. He died in 2013 of liver disease. Reed has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: as a member of the Velvet Underground in 1996 and as a solo act in 2015.
Biography[edit]
1942–1957: Early life[edit]
Lewis Allan Reed was born on March 2, 1942, at Beth-El Hospital (later Brookdale) in Brooklyn and grew up in Freeport, Long Island.[1][nb 1] Reed was the son of Toby (née Futterman) (1920–2013) and Sidney Joseph Reed (1913–2005), an accountant.[3] His family was Jewish and his grandparents were Russian Jews who had fled antisemitism;[4] his father had changed his name from Rabinowitz to Reed.[5] Reed said that although he was Jewish, his "real god was rock 'n' roll".[6][7]
Reed attended Atkinson Elementary School in Freeport and went on to Freeport Junior High School. His sister Merrill, born Margaret Reed, said that as an adolescent, he suffered panic attacks, became socially awkward and "possessed a fragile temperament" but was highly focused on things that he liked, mainly music.[8] Having learned to play the guitar from the radio, he developed an early interest in rock and roll and rhythm and blues, and during high school played in several bands.[9]
Reed was dyslexic.[10]
Death, legacy, and honors[edit]
Reed had hepatitis and diabetes for several years. He practiced tai chi during the last part of his life.[59][123] He was treated with interferons but developed liver cancer.[123] In May 2013, he underwent a liver transplant at the Cleveland Clinic.[124][125] Afterward, he wrote on his website of feeling "bigger and stronger" than ever. On October 27, 2013, however, he died from liver disease at his home in East Hampton, New York, at the age of 71.[126] He was cremated and the ashes were given to his family.[127][128]
His widow, Laurie Anderson, said his last days were peaceful, and described him as a "prince and a fighter".[123] David Byrne,[129] Patti Smith,[130] David Bowie, Morrissey, Miley Cyrus, Iggy Pop, Courtney Love, Lenny Kravitz, and many others also paid tribute to Reed.[131][132][133] Former Velvet Underground members Moe Tucker[134] and John Cale made statements on Reed's death,[135] and those from outside the music industry paid their respects such as Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi.[136]
On October 27, 2013, the day of Reed's death, Pearl Jam dedicated their song "Man of the Hour" to him at their show in Baltimore and then played "I'm Waiting for the Man".[137] On the day of his death, the Killers dedicated their rendition of "Pale Blue Eyes" to Reed at the Life Is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas.[138] My Morning Jacket performed a cover of "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" in California,[139] while Arctic Monkeys performed "Walk on the Wild Side" in Liverpool.[140] That same night, Phish opened their show in Hartford, Connecticut, with the Velvet Underground's "Rock & Roll".[141] Lana Del Rey has said that Reed was supposed to record backing vocals on her single, "Brooklyn Baby", on the day of his death.[142] On November 14, 2013, a three-hour public memorial was held near Lincoln Center's Paul Milstein Pool and Terrace. Billed as "New York: Lou Reed at Lincoln Center", the ceremony featured favorite Reed recordings selected by family and friends.[143] On March 14, 2014, Richard Barone and Alejandro Escovedo produced and hosted the first full-scale tribute to Lou Reed at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas, with over twenty international acts performing Reed's music.[144]
Reed's estate was valued at $30 million, $20 million of which accrued after his death. He left everything to his wife and his sister.[145]
Reed's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist was announced on December 16, 2014.[146] He was inducted by Patti Smith at a ceremony in Cleveland on April 18, 2015.[147] In 2017, Lou Reed: A Life was published by the Rolling Stone critic Anthony DeCurtis.[148]
Asteroid 270553 Loureed, discovered by Maik Meyer at Palomar Observatory in 2002, was named in his honor.[149] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on June 2, 2015 (M.P.C. 94391).[150] Spiders with furry bodies are known as velvet spiders and one which was recently discovered in Spain is named Loureedia, because it has a velvet body and lives underground.[151]
An archive of his letters and other personal effects was donated to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, where it can be viewed by members of the public.[152] In June 2022, the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center hosted the "Lou Reed: Caught Between the Twisted Stars", the first exhibition drawn from Reed's archive.[153][154]
In 2015, in the unofficial biography Notes From The Velvet Underground, biographer Howard Sounes described Reed as having been misogynistic and violent toward women he was in relationships with[155] and racist, having called Donna Summer and Bob Dylan racial[156] and ethnic slurs.[157]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Reed at number 107 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[158]
In 2023, Laurie Anderson edited The Art of the Straight Line: My Tai Chi.[159] The critically acclaimed book covers Reed's deep love and commitment to tai chi and meditation, as told by Reed and his friends and family.
Equipment[edit]
Guitars[edit]
Reed's main guitar during the Velvet Underground era was a 1964 Gretsch Country Gentleman, which he modified extensively, to the extent that it became unplayable.[160][161] He played various stock Fender Telecasters, later favoring models that were built specifically for him, such as the Rick Kelly 'Lou Reed's T' Custom Telecaster and the Fender Custom Shop Danny Gatton Telecaster.[161] He has played various other electric guitars throughout his career: