Remembering Lou Reed

I agree he was one of the greats & his music (both with & without the velvet underground) influenced many other musicians. He will be remembered fondly for generations to come.   

I've been a Lou Reed fan since the first Velvet Underground album came out. During the hippie era, I'd get dirty looks whenever I sneaked a Lou Reed album onto the stereo I shared with my college roommates. It didn't matter that, at the time, my hair was just as long as theirs. It was the live album Rock and Roll Animal that finally got  a couple of my buddies to lighten up on poor Lou. What a band! I'm pretty sure I saw him live once, at something like the Universal Amphitheater, but I might just be putting two & two together to make 6,000.

Lou Reed interview, Australia 1974. 

https://youtu.be/RbE2zNoWPFw

It would have been nice to see him capture some of the magic that was evident in the early velvet underground years (songs like pale blue eyes, venus in furs) but he still had his moments later in his career.   He had a very difficult childhood if I'm not mistaken.  I'm not a psychologist but I wonder if that took its toll in later life.  

One of the things I will remember is that he always seemed to surround himself with really good musicians (like the guitarist on the intro lead to sweet jane - I can't remember his name).  His bass guitar player was with him a long time (Fernando?).

I was fortunate to have seen him play twice in the 80's.  I even recorded both of these shows on my Walkman Recorder and still have the master tapes.  He was really great!  I lost appreciation for him later on as he released some real turds and became more and more self-absorbed, but now I see it more clearly.  I also miss him.  

Radio Free Brooklyn!  "Give me an issue I'll give you a tissue, you can wipe my ass with it." 

Berlin stands as one of the great records of all time. Not bad for someone who only wanted to do a Dodge commercial.  

I always liked Lou Reed, but was not a huge fan.  Then I went to see him
at the Bottom Line in NYC and was blown away.  It was the late show, starting around 1 A.M. so the audience was extremely happy let's say.

The Bottom line is a small place and it was standing room only, so I'm standing at the bar maybe 15 feet from the stage halfway back and on the left.  There is an empty table in front of me with "reserved" on it.
Anyway, just before the show starts Andy Warhol comes walkin' out and
sits at that table with some outrageous female company.

Lou was playing to Andy at times. Essentially playing to me as well.
Great evening, great memory.

Very cool Barts! Very jealous:)

"The first Velvet Underground LP only sold a thousand copies. But everyone who bought it went out and started a band." - a quote from Jim and Greg of the Sound Opinions radio show on PBS. 

I peeled off the Banana Peel sticker from my first edition Velvet Underground LP, thus ruining its collector value. Then again, I played that LP so much, the jacket soon  became a cardboardy ruin, anyway. I was turned on to Lou Reed and the band because Heroin was a playlist regular on one of L.A.'s pioneering underground FM stations. I can't remember which, but it might have been the one that eventually changed its name to KROQ..

I listened to New York a couple of days ago and made a mental note to play it more often.

Life's good but not fair at all

Yes, cheers to Lou. I agree with the OP: I also loved the good and the bad Lou. My favorite "bad" album is probably Rock and Roll Heart, but he knocked us all on our butts with Street Hassle a couple years later. That album was a statement. I saw him a few times, with one particularly great night playing with the brilliant Robert Quine to a relatively small crowd. Lou made intense eye contact with a number of us, penetrating.  

I bought the release from this past RSD with Lou Reed & Kris Kristofferson @ The Bottom Line and it surprised me at how good the SQ is. It's a historical record ( pun intended) to boot!