Lou Reed Is Dead

At least, that’s what Rolling Stone is telling us today. Lou Reed is 71, so I suppose his death shouldn’t be surprising. But you know how sometimes a person is old as shit, and you’re not ready for them to die? I was late to the Lou Reed/Velvet Underground party. It wasn’t until after I moved back to LA from Santa Barbara that I really started to listen to them. I think it was when I read Denis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son that I listened to that landmark Velvet Underground and Nico album. It hit me like a ton of bricks. When the album first came out they said not a lot of people bought it, but all of those who did formed a band. I don’t want to believe that Lou Reed is dead. But I suppose that is the case.