LOU REED DEAD AT THE AGE OF 71
Lou Reed, a songwriter and guitarist who helped shape nearly fifty years of rock music, died today. The cause of his death has not yet been released, but Reed underwent a liver transplant in May.
With the Velvet Underground in the late Sixties, Reed fused street-level urgency with elements of European avant-garde music. As a solo artist, from the Seventies into the 2010s, he was chameleonic, thorny and unpredictable, challenging his fans at every turn. Glam, punk and alternative rock are all unthinkable without his revelatory example. “One chord is fine,” he once said, alluding to his bare-bones guitar style. “Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you’re into jazz.”
Metallica and Lou Reed collaborated on 2011’s Lulu, inspired by German expressionist writer Frank Wedekind’s plays Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box. Although the album was largely rejected by Metallica fans, guitarist Kirk Hammet insists that, Lulu, is one one the band’s best records.
Read more about Lou Reed at Rolling Stone.
Lou Reed was an artist who both embraced and always sought to transcend the label “rock star”. He was about music as a force, and about words being a powerful means of expression. He broke rules and took chances from his earliest days in and before Velvet Underground all the way up through Lulu. He knew he’d be praised, insulted, harassed, ignored, respected, and vilified. Sometimes he cared, a lot of times he didn’t. He was close with Warhol, fought with Bowie, played in the White House, married Laurie Anderson, made a record with Metallica. And more. He led a full life, and will be missed.
R.I.P LOU REED ROCK ON.
Met him in ’79, he looked years older than he was…..1969 caught up to him.
Hey Eddie! Very cool they ran the TMS episode with Lars talking about Lou and them jamming. Nice to see the clips about Lou on VH1CR.
R.I.P. Lou Reed.really like that Lou brought in the muscle(Metallica) for the grand finale album! Like it more&more every listen! Also wanted to mention that heaven got a great bass player recently as well,R.I.P. Lorne Black -those 1st 3 Great White albums were awesome! take care all and live it to the fullest because as you know Life is short!!