Book Description
Lou Reed has been art-rocker, iconoclast, contrary noice merchant, and junkie, yet he's always been fascinating. Only David Bowie, arguably, has re-invented himself as many times as Reed, while ensuring that each image was potent, edgy, and dangerous. It's a tribute to Reed's standing that even punk rockers, with their scorched earth policy towards all pre-punk music, had a healthy respect and regard for him. Velvet Underground is one of the all-time greats; but in many people's eyes, Reed has produced his best work solo after the demise of that band. This groundbreaking book will analyze and celebrate the willful intellect, fierce intelligence, and literary merits of Lou Reed's post-Velvet Underground music. Chris Roberts has written about music for fifteen years for The Guardian, Melody Maker, Sounds, and Uncut. He was also the editor of Idol Worship (Harper Collins), a collection of writings by pop stars (Bono, Thurston Moore, etc.) that has been hailed in some quarters as "The best book about rock 'n' roll ever."
Lou Reed: Walk on the Wild Side: The Stories Behind the Songs FROM THE PUBLISHER
In the 80s, he found a new voice in The Blue Mask and, after a period of giving MTV what it wanted, regained critical favour with the literate genius of New York. Now one of the rock genre's most revered elder statesmen, he's still wilfully provocative, still seeking a kind of perverse purity. Opening with a recent interview by Chris Roberts with the legend who has set the spirit of Burroughs and Selby to three or four chords, Walk On The Wild Side goes on to examine every Lou Reed solo album, probing the motivations, mania and mystique that have pumped up his rock and roll heart. It explores his early involvement with Andy Warhol's Factory scene, his curious procession of muses, and his evolving personas, from trash-worshipping gutter-poet who challenged every stereotype to stern and earnest academic.
Art & Photography
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