LOU REED

JUST A SHOOTING STAR

By Madeline Bocaro

We never thought that anything could destroy his beautiful wickedness, but it turns out that Lou Reed was mortal after all.

1960s: Cool handsome black leather swagger, shades all the time, swigging a bottle of Coca Cola in his Warhol screen test, flickering black and white films of the Velvet Underground jamming – slightly sped-up, silent. Staring at Nico. Light shows at the Electric Circus. Exploding Plastic Inevitable. 'Peel slowly and see.'

Lou came into our safe suburban teenage bedrooms singing about sick things we never dreamed of. We were the few who invited him in, because we wanted something real. We were sick of love songs. Lou wrote hate songs. He took us down dark alleys to drug dens and squalid rooms. Lou Reed showed us the wonders of the underworld - the ultimate reality show. His songs were peep shows into secret forbidden places and their inhabitants; hustlers, prostitutes, junkies and transvestites. He taught us all about decadence.

Our subterranean sleuth illuminated a time when New York City was gritty, seedy dangerous and genuine. The good old days.  He enlightened us to gender bending and hustling. He lived it all himself. An equal opportunity guy, Lou had relationships with men, women and trannies. An advocate for deviants and the downtrodden, Lou gave a voice to those who were never heard before. He showed us people just like ourselves, but although they were underground, they were in no way beneath us. We could easily become them.

Lou recalled how, during live concerts people threw their handkerchiefs at The Beatles and their knickers at Tom Jones, “Whereas with me they threw syringes and joints”.

His words and two-chord guitar on 'Heroin' - especially live - sped through our veins, climaxed, then released. 'It's my wife and it's my life.' We could actually feel the amphetamine rush during 'White Light/White Heat' whether we understood what it was or not. Then there is the delicate beauty of 'I'll Be Your Mirror', 'Sunday Morning' 'Pale Blue Eyes' and 'Candy Says' about the heartbreaking life of the beautiful Ms. Darling with the gorgeous innocent line, 'I'm gonna watch the bluebirds fly over my shoulder.'

Then in 1972, Lou went solo, writing musical novellas with strange and often sad characters, some fictional and some real. Caroline and Jim, and the narrator of his creepy cabaret, Berlin. Warhol Factory friends Holly, Candy, Joe, Jackie and the Sugar Plum Fairy in the infamous 'Walk On The Wild Side'.

Inspired by the Beat poets, he kept it simple. Few chords and few words that spoke volumes. Almost Haiku. He once said, 'One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz.' Although Lou affected a detached narrative vocal style, he was fully entrenched in his songs, and was truly intimate with the characters. His voice was endearingly vulnerable at times.

1970s: Black eye makeup and nail polish, shiny black vinyl suits. A bit glamorous, yet weird. The unholy trinity: Bowie, Lou and Iggy shot by Mick Rock. Doo da doo da doo doo da doo doo.' 'Vicious, you hit me with a flower'. Then, the most beautiful songs in the world, 'Satellite of Love', 'Perfect Day' - Lou's ode to heroin. 'You made me forget myself - I wish I was someone else, someone good.' The chilling Berlin album – a haunting tale of human decay and debauchery. Rock N' Roll Animal. Becoming scarier. Emaciated and drugged on-stage, tying off with the mic cord simulating a 'Heroin' injection. Iron Cross shaved into his bleached blonde hair. Visceral verbal battles with the press. “My week beats your year.”

'Street Hassle' was Lou's street opera. Classic. His brilliant stream of consciousness stand-up comedy on the live album Take No Prisoners is priceless. 'Fuck Radio Ethopia man, I'm Radio Brooklyn!'

Lou was always in search of the perfect note. He usually reached it on-stage during 'White Light/White Heat', 'Sister Ray', 'Waves of Fear', 'Kill Your Sons', 'Strawman' and several on Metal Machine Music. His glorious cacophony would break up to reveal that one note - a braying donkey, screeching brakes, a car crash. He would levitate in ecstasy when it came! The veins in his neck would bulge. His audiences sounded like a herd of wounded cows, or as if they were booing, but chants of Looooouuuuuu filled every venue he played.

Ironically, his influences were Bettye LaVette, Doc Pomous, Delmore Schwartz, Edgar Allan Poe, 1950s Doo Wop...somehow it doesn't come out that way, but Lou did it his way. His life was saved by rock n' roll.

“The Lou Reed character, as I see him goes up to a certain point…I’m very aware of what he does and what he’s up to. I separate myself from the act, the creation…I’m very consistent…I’m true to him. I believe in him and what he does. I believe in what I do…It’s one of the reasons I like myself – I’m faithful to it.” 
-  Lou to Flo & Eddie – The Midnight Special

But who was Lou Reed? A crazy cool, sarcastic genius who influenced thousands of lives across several generations. He had a bad rep for a nice guy. Rock n' Roll Animal, Accidental Anthropologist, New York Punk, Author, Photographer, Grumpy Old Man, Tai Chi practitioner. His masterpiece is Berlin. His 20^th and final solo album was Hudson River Wind Meditations (2007). He was finally at peace. Sha la la la babe - now he just slipped away. Hope he reached the kingdom.

Lou Reed. Legendary Heart. March 2 1942 – October 27 2013