Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)

Subject: Obit: Lou Reed
From: Cllr
Date: 27 Oct 13 - 03:04 PM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24697765
I remember listening to Lou Reed before i got into folk music
RIP

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Oct 13 - 03:08 PM

Was it the booze?

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed
From: GUEST,Gern
Date: 27 Oct 13 - 04:15 PM

This one really hurts. I've spent much of my life digging Lou. How often does our culture produce such honesty, such spit-in-the-face sincerity? His drugs and sneering self-destruction grew out of the Beat Poets' doomed quest to explore the unknown underbellies of our minds. For Lou the result was taut poetry, great music and primal screams that expelled demons for us all. Having lost Vonnegut, George Carlin and now Lou Reed, just who is left to tell us the truth?

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed
From: GUEST,michaelr
Date: 27 Oct 13 - 04:31 PM

The NY Times obit says he was sober since 1980. His publicist notes that Reed had a liver transplant earlier this year.

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed
From: GUEST,GUEST
Date: 27 Oct 13 - 06:35 PM

Yep, our generation is on it's way out big style!

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed
From: Leadfingers
Date: 27 Oct 13 - 06:57 PM

BBC Link

Thanks Mike

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed
From: Bobert
Date: 27 Oct 13 - 09:12 PM

Bad year...

First J.J. Cale and now Lou Reed...

Sucks...

B~

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: GUEST,Fyldeplayer
Date: 28 Oct 13 - 03:45 AM

A big influence pre acoustic days. Ironic that I have arranged Afterhours in last few days - will play as tribute ASAP at Marlow session.

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 28 Oct 13 - 05:56 AM

Last night I tried to pick my way through "The Kids" on concertina - I think it could work well, in a gruelling sort of way. The ninth chords are a bit of a sod, though. (At least, I assume they're ninth chords. The tab I'm using has an A9 but also an "Aix", which baffles me slightly - minor 9 (A/C#/E/G/B)?))

Sad loss, anyway. A friend asked me once who I thought had made the single biggest contribution to popular music. These days I'd probably nominate Dylan, but back then I said John Lydon. My friend looked genuinely surprised & said he'd thought there was only one candidate - Lou Reed. I think he had a point.

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: GUEST,Musket curious
Date: 28 Oct 13 - 06:00 AM

There are few people who have picked up a bass guitar for the first time without seeing if they can. .........

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 28 Oct 13 - 06:03 AM

Incidentally, when Phil Oakey of the Human League sang

"I believe, I believe what the old man said
Though I know that there's no Lord above
I believe in you, I believe in me,
And you know I believe in love"

(in the middle eight of "Love Action")

"the old man" was Lou (who was actually only 13 years older than Oakey - at the time of "Love Action" he was all of 39!).

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: Mick Tems
Date: 28 Oct 13 - 06:42 AM

Lou was a great and leading influence in my youthful years; he formed The Velvet Underground and brought in the mysterious and beautiful Nico (who, in the words of rock journalist Charles Shaar Murray, had a voice like a German 'cello.) The Velvet Underground, who also included Port Talbot-born John Cale, were managed by Andy Warhol. Lou recorded the groundbreaking solo album Transformer, which produced hits like Perfect Day and Walk On The Wild Side. The last time I saw him was on Jools Holland's Later; Rest In Peace, Lou.

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: Mick Tems
Date: 28 Oct 13 - 07:01 AM

Sorry - limp words like "hits" don't do justice to songs which burned themselves on the world's memories.

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: GUEST,Stim
Date: 28 Oct 13 - 03:52 PM

Brian Eno said about the Velvet Underground, "Their first album sold only 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band." I was one of those, and for all those years since, there have always been a few Lou Reed tunes in my set lists.

His music was a lot more sophisticated than it seemed, and he could write any kind of song. People associate him with minimalist/grunge music, and he certainly did that, but he wrote wonderful melodies, "Like All Tomorrow's Parties" as well, and, though he showed a lot of the dark, raw, and ugly parts of life, in
"I'll Be Your Mirror" he said:


When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you


So sorry that he's gone, but his music will stay with us forever.

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 28 Oct 13 - 04:35 PM

A force. Died young. Would like to thank the survivors of the liver donor, too.

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: Mick Tems
Date: 29 Oct 13 - 10:31 AM

From John Cale:
"The news I feared the most, pales in comparison to the lump in my throat and the hollow in my stomach. Two kids have a chance meeting and 47 years later we fight and love the same way - losing either one is incomprehensible. No replacement value, no digital or virtual fill...broken now, for all time. Unlike so many with similar stories - we have the best of our fury laid out on vinyl, for the world to catch a glimpse. The laughs we shared just a few weeks ago, will forever remind me of all that was good between us."

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: PHJim
Date: 30 Oct 13 - 01:41 AM

"It always bothers me to see people writing 'RIP' when a person dies. It just feels so in- sincere and like a cop-out. To me, 'RIP' is the microwave dinner of posthumous honors."
Lou Reed

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: Cllr
Date: 30 Oct 13 - 02:12 PM

phjim yes i saw that on stephen frys twitter feed
sorry lou it was sincere though...

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: GUEST,roderick warner
Date: 30 Oct 13 - 07:21 PM

Screw Stephen Fry - a pompous bore - sad to see Lou go but he had a good run, considering - and he was part of imo the best rock and roll band ever, then continued to make challenging work down the years. Unlike many of his generation and most musicians celebrated here (imo). Kumbayah... A challenging personality - I was lucky enough to come to the Velvets and his collaboration with Cale, Nico, Mo Tucker, Sterling Morrison on that first truly seminal album early in the UK by finding the banana album in a cut out bin in West Ealing way way back on a weird afternoon. 50p! The music sounded like nothing else being laid down in the 'rock' world, nearer to free jazz and other wild sonics- and the revelation goes on imo ... can't say that about many other bands/musicians of the time in the rock or folk genres... I won't make any of those cloddish remarks about 'He's playing with whoever in another, better place now blah blah' as that would be an insult to the intelligence he displayed in his life, let alone my own... But rip Lou...

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: Catamariner
Date: 30 Oct 13 - 08:03 PM

Many have died and many more will of Hep C, which can lie undetected for years while it slowly ruins your liver, and is incredibly hard to clear, so often also ruins your transplanted liver. I'm glad he had the chance to try again with a transplant, and that he knew long ago where this would probably end and was able to contact old friends, make peace, give and receive love, and that Laurie was with him. Estimates of the people born between 1940 and 1968 who do not know they are infected vary from 5% of the infected population to 50% of the infected population. For this reason: "In 2012, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added a recommendation for a single screening test for those born between 1945 and 1965." Good idea to get checked, and if it turns out that Lou Reed saves your life, thank him with music!

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: Ron Davies
Date: 30 Oct 13 - 09:42 PM

Heard a fascinating interview on "Fresh Air" on him a few days ago--think it was with his publicist (interesting he had one).

Seems he had a complex relationship with lots of folks.

Despised "Rolling Stone" since it was based on the West Coast and had, he thought, no respect for NY musicians--but wanted to be on the cover (too much listening to Dr. Hook?). And got his wish about 1989.

Also, as everybody knows, very close to Warhol---but realized that Warhol sometimes used people.   Especially uneasy with Warhol's constant taping and taking pictures.

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 01:26 PM

I'd have first enjoyed Lou Reed's "Transformer" LP not too long after it was released when I was about 14 or 15
because of the Mick Ronson / Bowie connection..............

In my early 20's, some 30 years ago, I gave a girl I'd just started 'seeing'
the budget priced "Transformer" cassette for her 21st birthday present.

It was a tried and tested arty 'new wave' students'
late night 'back to your room for a drink and a shag' background music tape.

She's now my mrs... it's still her favourite album....

Subject: RE: Obit: Lou Reed (1942-2013)
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Oct 14 - 10:58 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziYus0j85oM

Songs for Drella, a concept album that Lou Reed and John Cale did in memory of their friend Andy Warhol.