Lou Reed: NYC Man

Lou Reed was and still is the definition of New York City cool.  The man was a legend and I feel lucky to have seen him.  I never got the chance to see him in concert, but rather I was able to see him as King Neptune in the Mermaid Parade with his wife Laurie Anderson a few years ago.  I was late to the Lou Reed scene, as I considered him just a knock off Dylan.  A good friend of mine turned me on to his music with the Velvet Underground and I quickly realized how deeply wrong I was.  His voice, the lyrics, the glam, and the punk all drew me deeper down the rabbit hole of intense fandom, but it was his connection to New York City that sealed the deal for me.  Lou Reed to me is the essence of why New York City is the coolest place in the world.  He was a walking embodiment of all the greatness of this city.  And he hated Long Island.  That was just another plus for me.

When I saw him at the Mermaid Parade with my friend, I was a relative novice to the man’s work.  I loved the Velvet Underground and Nico, knew all the hits from Transformer, and was in the midst of listening to "Rock & Roll" every other minute.  He was just sitting there on a parade car or something, drinking a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee, looking either bemused or slightly mad.  Me and my friend got as close as we could and started shouting out the lyrics to “Satellite of Love” hoping to draw a response from the legend.  He just keep on moving, not even acknowledging our yelling.  I was slightly disappointed.  I wanted him to react to me and my friend being assholes.  I wanted him to get out of his car and find me in the crowd and punch me in my goddamn face and break my nose.  Or for him to just look me in the eyes and tell me to fuck off.  At the time I wanted a Lou Reed story, but I was also glad I got to see him in person.  Just being in the presence of the man was an honor enough.  He truly is one of the best.  I wish I had been able to see him in concert.

My favorite parts of Lou Reed’s discography are the popular favorites.  I love everything he did with the Velvets, especially the live ’69 versions of “Rock & Roll” and “Pale Blue Eyes”, “I Found a Reason”, “Beginning to See the Light”, and “I’ll be Your Mirror”.  Also everything on Transformer, Coney Island Baby, Street Hassle, the mid-eighties classics of The Blue Mask, Legendary Hearts, New Sensations (“Doin’ the Things That We Want To” is one of Dylan’s favorite tracks), and New York.  "The Power of Positive Drinking", "Billy", "Sally Can't Dance", and Rock N' Roll Animal are also favorites.  I admit I haven’t listened to more than the stray song past the New York album, but I suppose now is a good time to fill the gaps.

Lou Reed is one of the best and one of my favorites.  He’s a true original and gave some of the best interviews and music I’ve ever had the privilege of listening to.  He did what he wanted and let the rest of us catch up to him.  My only regret is that he didn’t break my nose when he had the chance.  We would have both enjoyed it.  The man with the blue mask and the legendary heart will be missed.