Lou Reed R.I.P.

The term legend is often bandied about to all and sundry. To Lou it applies.

K, and Naim according to Stu!

G

       It was my great pleasure to work with Lou over the last decade of his life on a variety of projects.   He was a massive music fan and took great pleasure in hearing music well reproduced at home, which is not always the case with working musicians.     He was, for what it is worth, a big Naim fan, and it was the Naim electronics more so than the other components in his systems that formed the common thread among them.  

       I was fortunate to be around him enough to enjoy his sense of humor and sharp mind on many occasions.   He was always very gracious and generous with me and my colleagues at our store- a real prince among men in my experience.    My favorite moment with him came when I first played him the differences between a 252/300 system and a 552/500 system.    He looked at me with a wry smile and simply exclaimed that this was patently unfair, which I am sure sums it up for a great many music lovers all over the world.   He will be missed here in NY.  

        If you have not heard it, I would encourage music fans to take a listen to his Animal Serenade live album from some shows in LA in 2003.    This is my favorite of his latter era records, and it nicely captures his persona as both a rock poet and a musician with the sort of excellent band he brought on the road in the last decades of his life.    He will, of course, be best remembered for his work in the 60's and 70's, but he had found a way to age gracefully while still clearly being a rock musician which many of his peers had not navigated so nicely.

RIP Lou,

Bruce

Lovely post Bruce.

Jason.

+1.

Thank you for that insight Bruce.

Graham.

R.I.P. Lou

Playing his album "Magic & Loss " at the momment, seems appropriate somehow.

I'm scanning for a UK TV tribute but nothing has emerged yet. Please do shout if any spots one.

Great post Bruce. Thank you for that.

Magic and Loss is a great album. I saw Lou in the late seventies, sat in the wings and all I could hear was drums and bass. Friends in front of the stage said he was amazing. RIP Lou 

Anyone seen BBC2's Newsnight on L.R.? Rufus Wainwright among of all people... Bowie was not available apparently!

Not too surprising, he didn't bother going to Mick Ronson's funeral either.

A few years ago whilst waiting outside the Royal Albert Hall for the doors to open for Lou's gig. I realised that we were right by the stage door. Sure enough a black people carrier pulled up and the driver got out and addressed the few fans standing in line, "Lou will sign autographs, but you must not on any account touch the car or use  flash photography!"
All went swimmingly until the inevitable happened, a young man pulled out a camera and off fired a flash. Lou froze. He seemed to recede into the vehicle and shrivel. The young man was admonished and banished.

"Just what exactly did he not understand about the words no and flash?" Asked our hero.

When it came time for me to thrust my ticket into the car for signature, I said  in all innocence,"Thanks for making the music Mr Reed!"

He shot me a look that most certainly was meant to kill. but with the prevailing wind and my ability to duck, only slightly maimed. Then he glanced at me looking very puzzled , realised that I was no threat and signed my ticket.

That evening Lou was most certainly a creature of the night, dazzled by the white  light. 

As he shuffled off into the stage door I remember being quite disappointed that he was wearing a beige anorak.

The resulting gig was heavy on guitar noodling, dirge like, and Lou was evidently very unhappy. It was as if it were a test and we were all unworthy.

Some weeks later at The Shepherds Bush Empire he delivered a stunning set of songs, shouting to the audience "Not bad huh!"

Not bad indeed, "Thanks for making the music Mr Reed"

Chris