Lou Reed: The King of New York, Will Hermes

POP TRANSCENDENCE

Lou Reed: The King of New York, Will Hermes

I remember the late '80s when the alternative music scene was born. There were a lot of bands coming out on the radio for the first time in 1987, thanks to REM getting airplay. Around this time, my buddy gave me an album to borrow from The Velvet Underground. I was an art school student, and I was intrigued by Andy Warhol. I had no idea there was an album that encapsulated some of the manic artistic integrity of the time. I needed clarification on the album because it had a big banana on the front and Andy Warhol's signature. Other than that, I needed help figuring out what the album was supposed to be about. The album's flip side was even more confusing because it was like a psychedelic art stage, with live music and film. I was very intrigued by this. However, it needs to be clarified that this album was released through MGM, which I considered a wholesome film company. What would this label have anything to do with Andy Warhol and the psychedelic art scene in the pop world of the Silver Factory he was known for? On top of that, there were songs in here about sex, drug addiction, and a track called "Heroin," which made it all seem more daft.

This new book, Lou Reed: The King of New York, by Will Hermes. Answers all of those questions and more. It is a prolific work that illuminates the intellectual and artistic musical genius of Lou Reed. He is an iconoclastic musical force of nature, the genius behind The Velvet Underground and their deep intellectual sound. This book, the size of a Bible, meticulously dissects all of Lou's work, song by song, and delves deep into the inspiration behind the music. It is not a light read for the casual reader but a scholarly exploration of POP Art and alternative music sound.

When we look at the POP Art Movement in the early sixties and Warhol's torrential influence on culture, we know there was a soundtrack. But who does that soundtrack belong to? The other question that often arises is, who inspired who in the pop world during the pop art movement? Was it Warhol influencing Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, or was it the other way around? This book delves into these intriguing dynamics, offering a fresh perspective on their relationship. 

The exciting thing about the pop art movement in New York City in the mid-'60s and late '70s is that it required someone with a flair for historical significance and a genuine love of the craft of investigation. This author drives deeply into Lou Reed's iconoclastic life and does it very efficiently.

I had an incredible near encounter with Lou Reed in the 90s before he passed away. I was cutting through Chelsea, New York, on the way to a job, and it was in the morning time. The snow crunched hard under my boots as I strolled down through the empty, chilling streets one January morning when a loan figure walked in my direction in a black coat with his hands in his pockets and his head down. It was Lou Reed, and I was stagestruck because I recognized him immediately. He was determined to walk through me, and I had to step out of the way so he could pass. An exciting thing about Lou was his determination and fierce vision, which he carried in his artistic life, music, and daily existence. 

The Warhol Years and the Velvet Underground 

Lou Reed: The King Of New York follows the introduction to Lou Reed's musical partner, John Cale, at 16. Cale's intro to music was an introduction to music from his mother, who taught him piano after she battled breast cancer. He mastered Viola in grammar school and studied orchestra. From there, he won a scholarship to the prestigious Classical Music Academy in Massachusetts. Cale had exceptional exposure to composing Aaron Copeland and Eric Satie and was well-versed In classical training. He had a very academic view on eccentric musical sources such as La Mont Young and Ornette Coleman up close. It would be John Cale's dedication to music theory and eccentric orchestrations paired with loose, dark, and introspective literary observations that would put the V.U. into a whole different class of music.

This colorful cast of characters follows Lou Reed to the Lower East Side, where, in 1966, he is introduced to amphetamines by the incredible Andy Warhol and the intriguing Christa Paffgen, otherwise known as Nico. Her solid musical ambition led her to go to New York and eventually become obsessed with Bob Dylan. Nico later meets Andy Warhol in pop girl 1965 Edie Sedgwick in a Paris nightclub during a gallery festival. Director Paul Morrissey, a group friend, suggested Nico and The Velvet Underground create music together. Putting Nico at the center stage of Velvets meant that she would become the face of the band, which didn't go over well with Lou Reed initially. Later, she would become the band's chanteuse.

It is also interesting to note that the Velvet Underground was not a commercial success, and the labels they dealt with, MGM and Verve, had to learn how to market them appropriately. But how? The V.U. picked unpopular thematic material and didn't appear like any other band of their era. In short, they needed to be more marketable and this lack caused their commercial success to flounder. The other thing is that the audience wasn't quite ready for this world of depravity with drugs, transsexual people, misfits, and street people. This class of people welcomed Andy Warhol, and they accepted him, and he seemed to gravitate freely to these types. Together, their music never really entered the Billboard 200 at a high level. The V.U. entered the billboard at 199.  However, Detroit journalist Lester Bangs was captivated by them and wrote some favorable reviews this rambunctious band. 

We also journey into the strange world of Union Square, where the 6th-floor building houses Warhol's Silver Factory, his art Studio. The Silver Factory was a hangout for aspiring filmmakers, artists, drug addicts, and revolutionaries. The Silver Factory was an incredible hub that attracted the likes of a young David Bowie, who had not made it yet in America, as well as Jim Morrison and The Doors.  It was in this location where Warhol was shot in the stomach by crazed aspiring film actress Valerie Solinas. She had played a bit part in one of Andy Warhol's films for $25 and wrote a manifesto called SCUM which stands for The Society of Cutting Up Men. The results of this unfortunate and repugnant act led to Warhol limiting who could come into the studio. The free-spirited vibe ended as the Factory became more business-oriented. "Business is the new art!" Andy exclaimed. The dynamic completely changed as Lou Reed's music career became more and more independant from the dominating Warhol. He would later feud with Lou Reed over the commercial success of his music career and even called him "A rat!".

Along this incredible journey, you will meet a young Jimi Hendrix, a fan of Reed and his band. Beautiful accounts of cultural icons are coming head to head in Boston and San Francisco, including Detroit's MC5 and the Grateful Dead. Reed had a particular disdain for Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead despite their artistic similiarites. The two bands alternatively opened for each other during scheduled gigs and frequently tried to outdo one another in front of a live audience. Reed ultimately took the focus on the live audience by doing 30 minute renditions of his songs pushing the limits and patience of audience and stage crew.

What I like most about the book is that it digs deep into Warhol's participation in producing The Velvet Underground. It also goes into the live performances with the show they did together, The Exploding Plastic Inevitable. This artistic show is multisensory and has large projections of film and liquid-colored oil on the walls, with people dancing on stage with the band. These shows made the most sense when performed live at the Dom, where the band had a residency. But these live Lou Reed shows in the beginning lost momentum, and they were taking the road to places like San Francisco, Boston, and even Ann Arbor, Michigan. The audiences in those cities didn't really know what to make of the Andy Warhol sensation that rocked the art crowds of New York City. Some of the manic artistic integrity lost its momentum once it was taken out of NYC and presented to a mainstream audience.

The book examines the commercial flops and digs deep into how the legends were built around the pop art movement. It's an incredible study because it explores the relationship between Warhol and Lou Reed, which at times was problematic, creatively, and emotionally challenging. Yet, through all the turmoil and drama, there is a challenging and engaging narrative here. 

It's interesting to note here for all you rock and roll historians that this new book goes into the press reviews and newspaper accounts of what the critics really thought about the Plastic Exploding Inevitable rock and roll shows. We also examine Lou Reed's performance using the Billboard charts and audience reactions. Sometimes, it's easy to be misunderstood when trying to create a new aesthetic and bring a spiritual and literary Transcendence into pop music. For instance the song, "White Light White Heat" was inspired by a Japanese meditation technique called Johrei which can bring down intense, pure white light into your astral body. The powerful meditation intertwines musically into a cacophany of multi sensual bombardment. I was highly interested in finding out how much detail work Lou Reed put into his his guitars, his meticulous attention to tone, and his ability to get the right speaker vibrations to carry forth his electric poetic messages. 

This book has so many stories that it can be overwhelming. But you will be left with an intriguing desire to go back and read more because the pages within this text are hypnotic and spell-binding. It also brings back the manic, powerful, and exploding momentum in the pop world of that time.

GOOGLE PAGE 1 - IN 5 DAYS