LOU REED'S FINAL 'WALK ON THE WILD SIDE'
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THE GLORIOUS CORNER
By G. H. Harding
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Lou Reed
REED RIP --- I was at the desktop yesterday afternoon working, listening to Coldplay, of all things, when the news flashed that Lou Reed had passed … and, it was like a swift kick in the gut. I was never a Velvet Underground man at first and my first introduction to Reed was for his 1972 song “Walk On The Wild Side,” from his Transformer album; I was playing it on my college-radio show. The lyrics to that song literally gobsmacked me when I first heard then …. Was he really talking about that?
The song was a Top 20 hit and the accompanying album was solid as well. When I finally looked at the artist himself, I remember vividly reading more and more about The Underground (“Sweet Jane”) … and, then I was hooked.
Reed, in his 50-year career was musically adventurous and a restlessly provocative solo artist, from the 70’s into the 2010's; he was thorny and unpredictable, challenging his fans at every turn. Glam, punk and alternative rock are all unthinkable without his revelatory example.
"One chord is fine," he once said, alluding to his bare-bones guitar style. "Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz."
He was a true New York treasure. My two favorite Reed-encounters were, at a movie premiere in New York, I was seated in the third row; I got up and right in back of me were Reed and Laurie Anderson. I looked Reed right in the eye, more surprised than anything else and he gave me the nod. My other favorite moment was when I saw him in Brooklyn, at the St. Ann’s Warehouse when he performed his Berlin album in its entirety (by now, having become a classic), with most of the original band and it was simply stunning (original producer Bob Ezrin conducting in a white lab coat and the brilliant Steve Hunter on guitar). There’s an absolutely terrific DVD from the show, directed by Julian Schnabel; a close Reed-associate.
That’s another thing for me about Reed; he moved effortlessly between the music crowd (David Bowie produced Transformer) and the art-crowd (Andy Warhol was The Velvet’s manager) and was exemplary in both. Make no mistake: a huge, huge loss for New York and the music scene in general.
In no particular order; Lou Reed essentials: Velvet Underground’s “Waiting For The Man” and “Sister Ray”; Reed’s “Pale Blue Eyes,” “Satellite of Love,” “Walk On The Wild Side,” “Vicious,” “Sad Song,” “Sweet Jane,” the entire 1975 album Metal Machine Music, “Street Hassle,” the entire Berlin and Magic And Loss albums; “The Day John Kennedy Died,” “Waves Of Fear,” “I Love You, Suzanne,” and “White Light, White Heat,” and, “Dirty Blvd.,” and “Perfect Day.” No doubt about it ... we've lost a pure original.
FISH FRY --- We caught Broadway’s Big Fish over the weekend and loved Norbert Leo Butz in the title role and the angelic Kate Baldwin as his wife. I do recall seeing the 2004 Tim Burton which the play is based on, as a son tries to learn more about his dying father by reliving stories and myths he told about his life.
The direction, by the estimable Susan Strothman borders on breathtaking as the visuals are just astounding, and Butz is nothing short of amazing. His efforts lift the play to dazzling heights. The second act is the stronger of the two and the songs “Showdown” and “Start Over” tower over the rather lackluster score. Also winning are Ryan Andes (Karl) and Brad Oscar (Captain Calloway), but Butz brings the play to an altogether new high.
CLOSING NOTES: Today's Carson Daly misread it earlier, but Lou Reed grew up in Freeport, New York ...
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