Lou Reed - The King of New York - Will Hermes

 

Of course, I've been a Lou Reed fan since Kenne Highland first turned me onto the Velvets by saying that my guitar playing at the time reminded him of Lou's in the VU - which was also about the time that "Walk on the Wild Side" was a surprise AM radio hit. His career is full of chameleon-like changes, and not everything that he has done has been successful (of course) but I am still a fan, some 50-ish years later (as my many writings about him on this blog attest).

Right off the bat, I take exception to the fact that while listing iconic versions of Reed tunes, Hermes ignores Mott the Hoople's classic take on "Sweet Jane" (he does mention it later), while also claiming that Bowie covered "I'm Waiting For My Man" from an acetate before the Velvets' record was released, although he doesn't say how or where Bowie did this (I know that he covered it later, but I've never heard of a version in the mid-60's - again, Hermes explains further later, but it's kinda vague). So, let's see what this book brings...

Of course, there's the obligatory familial background - necessary, for sure, but with limited real interest - before we get to Reed coming of age with rock'n'roll and doo wop. As a teen he gets to record with his thrown-together "band" (two school chums and himself, created for a high school talent show) with none other than Mickey Baker (Sylvia and Mickey) on guitar and King Curtis on sax! Wow! Although, according to this recollection, this mainly simply convinced him to not attempt to imitate the black artists he so admired.

The basic story is the oft-told tales - the shock therapy, Delmore Schwartz influencing his prose writing in college (and alcohol and drug abuse), his homosexual leanings as well as his womanizing, his various bands, and his job as a house-songwriter at Pickwick, which led to the Primitives and "The Ostrich" which leads to meeting John Cale and the formation of the Velvets. The evolution and eventual dissolution is discussed, and, of course, Reed's considerable solo career. Not a whole lot of new info here, but told well and the story flows appropriately, while including a few unfamiliar tidbits.

More than once Hermes claims that the Grateful Dead is a band in the same league as the Velvets, which is, of course, more than suspicious. I know that the Dead are revered and all, but there is no way that they have the credentials that the VU has...Some of his other musical opinions (semi-dissing the Dictators, for instance) and also questionable, including some of his thoughts on Reeds work, but everyone is, of course, entitled to their own opinions.

Obviously, this covers much of the same territory as Victor Bockris' Transformer - how could it not? - although I think that Hermes is more even-handed, since he did not know Reed personally, and. at 400+ pages, he gives a lot of detail. Reed was also still alive at the time of Bockris' book, so there is the sad coda in this one - although Reed worked just about up until the end and was financially secure and in a loving relationship. So, yes, sad that he passed too early, but he was able to do what he loved right until the end.

Definitely a good bio, although maybe not completely necessary if you've read others, but if not, this is one to get!