Bluebear's Music Vault: Lou Reed

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Lou Reed

As a teenager Lou Reed was subjected to electro-shock therapy to thwart his homosexual behavior:

They put the thing down your throat so you don't swallow your tongue, and they put electrodes on your head. That's what was recommended in Rockland County to discourage homosexual feelings. The effect is that you lose your memory and become a vegetable. You can't read a book because you get to page seventeen and have to go right back to page one again

After moving to New York City in 1963 Reed went to work as a songwriter for Pickwick Records where his employers soon realized his potential and formed a band called The Primitives around him. The band also included John Cale who has done numerous collaborations with Lou over the years.

Reed and Cale went on to form The Velvet Underground, which although never commercially viable, was eventually recognized as perhaps the most influential band in the underground music movement.

Gritty and topical, Reeds lyrics run the gamut from drug addiction to transvestitism – stories of life on the streets of the city.

Here then is a collection of his works with some collaborations with other artists. Heck there’s even a video of Lou as chicken soup plus an interview with Lou from Amsterdam. (Mostly in English)

Website

Wiki

Direct links to the videos:

A Walk on the Wild Side