Lewis Allen "Lou" Reed
2 March 1942 - 27 October 2013

Jenny said when she was just five years old
There was nothing happening at all
Every time she puts on the radio
There was nothing goin' down at all, not at all
Then one fine mornin' she puts on a New York station
She couldn't believe what she heard at all
She started shakin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by Rock 'n' Roll!

Despite all the computations
You could just dance to a rock 'n' roll station
And baby it feels alright, it was alright!

("Rock And Roll", from Loaded, Velvet Underground 1970)

Lou was a rock'n'roll animal, glam rocker, avant-gardist, human transformer, arty-farty artist, dreadful boring musician, brilliant innovator, banal lyricist, exhilarating songsmith, drug addict, clean health freak, inspirator for the Czechoslovak velvet revolution, grumpy old man, charming and caring of those who stood close to him. The list could go on forever... Best of all: he was completely unpredictable. He seldom made the career moves the record industry wanted him to do.

I met him swiftly once, lining up in a long queue in a bookstore in downtown Oslo. He was not in the best of moods, but signed the booklet of my Velvet Underground box in addition to the expensive book of his mediocre New York photos I had to buy to obtain it. But it was well worth the price, and the wait. Lou was never able to surpass what he and the rest of the Velvets achieved with the debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. But hell, no one could. It was and is the best rock'n'roll album of this world!

I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are, in case you don't know
I'll be the wind, the rain and the sunset
The light on your door to show that you're home

I'll be your mirror (reflect what you are)
I'll be your mirror (reflect what you are)
I'll be your mirror (reflect what you are)
I'll be your mirror (reflect what you are)

("I'll Be Your Mirror", from The Velvet Underground & Nico, Velvet Underground 1967)

Copyright © 2013 JP