Lou Reed 2

In the week that Lou Reed died

“...I hope it's true what my wife said to me,

She says 'Lou it's the beginning of a great adventure,

Lou, Lou, Lou, beginning of a great adventure”

I can't remember ever falling out of love with music. I can't remember a time when the first thing I've wanted to do anytime, anywhere, is to get something playing. Often it's a need more than a want. Unless and until there's some music on, I'm in a total funk, unable to function, in a sort of panic. On the cricket tour, as soon as I'd got into my room in the hotel, I was scrambling about for the mini speakers to hook up to the netbook, and I'd already slipped the iPod from the rucksack and plugged in the earpieces. Into the car: music on. Into the office: music on before normal hours when the phone starts ringing. In the kitchen: stereo playing. It started a long, long, time ago, and has been constant.

“...but remember that the city is a funny place

Something like a circus or a sewer

And just remember different people have peculiar tastes

and the -

- Glory of love, the glory of love

the glory of love, might see you through”

Of the first Velvet Underground album, The Velvet Underground and Nico, the one with the Andy Warhol banana on the cover, Brian Eno said something like: “only about 30,000 people bought a copy when it was originally released, but every one of those people formed a band.” Influence that it is impossible to underestimate.

“I am tired, I am weary

I could sleep for a thousand years

A thousand dreams that would awake me

Different colours made of tears”

Apparently, on that album, on certain songs John Cale was playing a viola fitted with guitar strings, they used 'ostrich' guitars, with all the strings tuned to the same note, and Cale had guitars tuned down a scale for a meatier, lower, growlier sound he described as 'more sexy'.

“Give your hungry, your tired, your poor

I'll piss on 'em

That's what the statue of bigotry says”

Reed majored in English, I don't know whether he completed his studies, but the writers cited as his favourites come through in the lyrics of his songs: Hubert Selby Jr, William S Burroughs, Chandler, and there must be a huge dollop of Bukowski in there too. People with smart, sharp mouths often write the sharpest, funniest lines.

“There's a girl from Soho with a teeshirt saying "I Blow"

She's with the "jive five 2 plus 3"

And the girls for pay dates are giving cut rates

Or else doing it for free

The past keeps knock knock knocking on my door

And I don't want to hear it anymore”

Rock 'n' roll heart. That's what you need. There's no 'new' rock 'n' roll, not business, not politics, none of those ridiculous claims:

I refer you to Lou Reed,

for all the evidence you could ever need.