Lou Reed got me through some tough times. His stoic voice penetrated its way from my stereo, coaxing me to mellow out, to enjoy the ride, to see the poetry in motion. His voice was like the sounds of the railroad trains that passed through my backyard, loud enough to take notice, but quiet enough to lull you to sleep.
His music was avant-garde---from his days spent at The Factory with all the art-school, amphetamine and sex driven cool, from his work as the trailblazer of The Velvet Underground to his solo career that lasted well past the prime of most musicians that were twice as famous. Lou Reed, he stuck it out. He lasted through the silver-60's, the glam and punk of the 70's and the 80's that lets face it was just a strange decade for music. He powered through and stayed relevant to those that knew and loved him. His shades and shaggy hair, his admitted bisexuality, before it was hip to be bi all helped shape the artist that Lou Reed was and aspired to be. Elizabeth Wurtzel, my literary heroine idolized Lou Reed. She built her career off of her Rolling Stone College Journalism Award that received due to the piece she wrote on Lou Reed for the Harvard Crimson. Lou Reed even made an appearance in the film adaptation of her book Prozac Nation, a scene like basically every seen in that film resonates with me profoundly.
Some of my favorites
