RIP Lou Reed

The eternally cool Lou during his younger days in The Velvet Underground.

The music world recently lost a true visionary and pioneer when Lou Reed died yesterday at the age of 71.  I myself was shocked to read of his death in the many tributes to him from fellow musicians on Facebook.  Not only was Reed the founding member of the hugely influential band The Velvet Underground, he also had an impressive solo career that included team ups with David Bowie that helped usher in a new age of edgy rock music.  Reed wasn't simply a rock guitarist, he was a poet whose lyrics unapologetically reflected the often seedy underbelly of life on the streets in his hometown of New York City.  Lou Reed was the quintessential New York musician and his music reflects the frantic energy, swagger and charisma of the city.  I'll admit, I haven't amassed quite the collection of Reed's work that I hope to someday own, but I feel I'm familiar enough with his work, particularly the Velvet Underground, to talk about his impact on the music scene.  In addition to being influenced by the sub-culture of New York in the sixties, such as the burgeoning art scene led by Andy Warhol, Reed was also heavily influenced by the Beats, particularly William Burroughs.  I've also heard Reed mention the work of Leonard Cohen as a primary influence, most notably in his novel Beautiful Losers.  All of these influences were smashed together and blasted out of speakers in a cacophonous explosion of unrelenting primal madness that assaulted the listeners ears, usually accompanied by a light show that dazzled the eyes. 
The VU were about more than just music; their shows were a sensory experience, one which no doubt must've bordered on the transcendent.  Their iconic debut album, The Velvet Underground and Nico, released in 1967, was produced by Andy Warhol as part of his efforts to merge visual art with music in a show he called the Exploding Plastic Inevitable.  While Warhol's images flashed on stage, the Velvet's music would build to a wall of screeching electronic sound, ultimately bubbling over in a crescendo of atonal caterwauling like it was the end of the world.  The Velvet's music isn't just random noise however.  Much of their appeal lies in the blending of beautiful melodies, deeply poetic lyrics and down and dirty rock and roll, sometimes beneath their experimental sonic barrages.  Unlike their west coast contemporaries, The Velvets and Reed in particular, weren't afraid to step into the shadows and explore the gritty aspects of life in 1960's New York with unflinching honesty and directness.  Among other things, Reed's lyrics cover the highs of heroin use, Sado-masochism, drag queens, pimps, prostitutes, murder, madness and the malaise of life in the 21st century, delivered in Reed's monotone New York drawl.  On of their best songs, "Heroin", is the musical equivalent of a mainline shot of H, slowly building over 7 minutes until it explodes into a blissful oblivion like a hundred wailing firecrackers going off at once.
In the band's early days, the Nordic goddess Nico stood on stage like a statue, shaking a tambourine and singing in her hypnotic monotone voice.  In a time of bright, flowery and often polished rock music, the Velvets were raw and real, gritty and visceral and they made an indelible impact on everyone who heard them.  It's been said that not many people listened to the Velvet Underground, but everyone who did started a band.  Even during a time of great musical innovation and creativity, the Velvet Underground managed to remain totally distinctive and much of that is due to Lou Reed visionary approach to songwriting and music.  The Velvets don't fit neatly into any one category and that's what makes them so timeless and fresh.  They weren't psychedelic yet they were highly experimental, incorporating instruments such as electric viola alongside screeching guitars and pulsating tom toms.  They weren't a pop band, yet they had many beautifully melodic songs, such as "Sunday Morning" or "I'll Be Your Mirror", and although they helped lay the foundation for the punk movement more than ten years prior, they're not a punk band; ultimately, they're a little of all these things and none of them.  Considering how "underground" they were initially, it's amazing that some of Lou Reed's songs such as "Sweet Jane" are now considered rock and roll standards. 
After The Velvet Underground split, Lou Reed released many notable solo albums, among them Transformer, produced by David Bowie, in which he continued his exploration of alternative lifestyles and music styles.  The album yielded the radio hit "Walk on the Wild Side", a catchy tune replete with drag queens, junkies, whores and hustlers, although most people only remember the catchy "Doo do doo do doo" chorus.  The album has several other gems such as the driving opener "Vicious", the classic "Satellite of Love" and the beautiful "Perfect Day".  As the album's title implies, Lou Reed was a musical shape-shifter capable of embodying a multitude of outcasts and outsiders, both male and female.  Like all great artists, Lou Reed's work sheds an honest light on those facets of life deemed "undesirable" or simply overlooked and finds commonality by being unashamedly honest and open.  These days, words such as legendary and classic are thrown around quite loosely and often it can be hard to tell if an artist's work will stand the test of time, but in Lou Reed's case, it's beyond question that his work has already secured its place in eternity.  Sadly, Lou Reed now belongs to the ages, but his music has belonged to the ages for quite some time now.  RIP Lou and thank you for filling this life with such honest and joyful music.