#summer of lou

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Laurie Anderson / Lou Reed / John Zorn - Jazz Middelheim, Antwerp, Belgium, August 13, 2009

It’s a new year, but the Summer of Lou rolls on, headed for the finish line. Last time, John Zorn joined the Lou-niverse! This time, Lou (and Laurie) go deep into the Zorn Zone! This festival date is an improv extravaganza, with the trio creating a magnificent swirl of sound. Sometimes it’s as gentle and lovely as a Belgian summer breeze, sometimes it’s a maelstrom of intense, challenging noize, with Lou’s screaming feedback and electronics leading the way. 

As with any long-form spontaneous composition of this kind, there are moments that might test the listener’s patience. But your patience will be rewarded, I promise. This is Lou getting back in touch with his avant-garde roots, casting his mind back to those pre-Warhol days at the Filmmakers’ Cinematheque, when he, Sterl, John and Angus conjured up unearthly sounds. Turn it up and let it wash over you. Happy Lou Year. 

Lou Says (2009): There has to be truth. If you don’t believe it’s true, it’s a waste of time. You have to believe the person singing is capable of what they’re singing, [that] they’re telling the truth. Why else would you be doing it? In my stuff, the guy is … what’s the word I’m looking for … flawed.

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Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Trio - Royal Festival Hall, London, England, April 19, 2010

A night of deep noise! Will this tape of Lou’s Metal Machine Trio ease your worried mind? Maybe, maybe not. But here it is if you need it. In the mid-2000s, Lou joined forces with Sarth Calhoun and Ulrich Krieger to bring his classic 1975 double LP Metal Machine Music to the stage — at long last! Like last week’s Zorn/Anderson collab, this is Reed reclaiming his avant-garde roots, leaving songform behind for the moment and heading straight into the heart of the sun. 

How’s it sound? Pretty good! It’s intense and ominous, the three musicians generating wave after wave of rippling, reverberating vibrations. This isn’t just free improv; there’s a focus, an intention. Metal Machine Music is indeed invoked, but the music here is often something different altogether, sometimes calling to mind the doomy drones of Sunn O))) (Hey, Lou used Sunn amps for a bit back in the Velvet Underground days, right?). Suffice it to say, after an hour of punishing sonics, Lou and co. do not encore with “Sweet Jane.” 

But the crowd generally seems to dig it! According to the Guardian, it was a star-studded event, with Nick Cave and various Bad Seeds, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields all in attendance. Shields in particular probably loved it; he had just been doing a similar thing during “You Made Me Realise” with the reunited MBV. 

Lou Says (2010): I'm just a rock and roll person who likes loud guitars and feedback, so what could be better than lots of guitars feeding back? I'm so simple, it's actually scary. Believe me, it's not as complicated as you think. I didn't really consider Metal Machine Music to be a brave thing to do. I just thought — I know — just float in a sea of guitars. Won't that be amazing?

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Lou Reed - Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 14, 2012

Holy Sister Ray, Batman! We’ve made it to the end of our epic Summer of Lou journey, which started all the way back in May 2020. Forty years of live Lou! I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling the way Reed is looking in the above pic. It’s been fun, though, right? Lou Reed — what a crazy guy, with a career that was weirder than any other career. Case in point: the dude went out on Lulu, a truly singular collaboration with Metallica. Lulu was deeper, darker, stranger and more unpleasant than anything Lou had done before. The greatest disappointment? No! I kinda like it!

Lou kinda liked it too — and he took the much-maligned Lulu on the road in the summer of 2012 for his final tour. Metallica was not with him, however. In their place: a big band consisting Tony “Thunder” Smith, Rob Wasserman, Kevin Hearn, Tony Diodore, Aram Bajakian, Ulrich Krieger, Sarth Calhoun and Joan “As Police Woman” Wasser. It’s a pretty flexible collective; they can handle the simple, pure VU material (check out the monomaniacal extended version of “I’m Waiting For The Man”) as well as the grinding, thrashy Lulu stuff (”The View” sounds uncannily like Black Sabbath). They can strip things down for the ballads and rev things up for the rockers. They even pull of what is likely the most faithful-to-the-original live arrangement of “Street Hassle.” No mean feat! 

And how about Lou himself? He sounds both fragile and defiant, raging against the dying of the light, full of passionate intensity — surely some Revelation is at hand! He also sounds like he’s enjoying himself, especially on the Lulu tracks, spitting out those incredibly nasty lyrics with glee. But the quieter moments are great, too — Magic and Loss’s “Cremation” is given an almost Irish folk feel, Lou venturing into the slipstream: “The coal black sea waits for me,” he sings, perhaps knowing that the end is near. And then there’ “Junior Dad,” Reed’s final statement. Bizarre, beautiful and undeniably moving — “And the sun came down and the moon was out, and the sea was quiet” he whispers at the end, over a rich drone. “The greatest disappointment.” Goodbye, Lou. 

Lou Says (2012): I like conflict — it’s balance.

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Lou Reed - Festival Des Vieilles Charrues, Carhaix, France, July 17, 2011

The summer of 2011 was a heady time for Lou watchers, with rumors flying about Lulu, our hero’s unexpected collab with a little band called Metallica. A more innocent time, right? Sort of. Lulu was in the can, but LouLou himself stayed busy with a European tour. He didn’t debut any new tunes, but he did have an interesting new band configuration: old pals Tony “Thunder” Smith and Rob Wasserman were onboard, as was Barenaked Lady Kevin Hearn. But there were also some youngsters lending a hand: guitarist/violinist Tony Diodore, guitarist Aram Bajakian and Metal Machine Trio sax-man Ulrich Krieger.

Thanks primarily to Krieger’s honking, the overall sound is kinda like a throwback to the Take No Prisoners / Everyman Band days. The setlist at this outdoor festival gig adds to the vibe as well; after a curveball opening “Who Loves The Sun,” Lou leads the band into some very rarely played 1970s numbers: “Senselessly Cruel” from Rock and Roll Heart and “All Through The Night” from The Bells. The latter tune, stretched out over 12 minutes, is a mindless endless boogie, just a vamp repeated on and on into infinity. Pretty good, though! “I wanna take you higher!” Lou bellows at one point, really feeling it.

At this stage, Lou is sounding (and looking) pretty craggy and shaggy. His health was failing and he didn’t have much time left. But he’s still engaged and passionate and he manages to bring the heat during most of this show, even if he lets his band do most of the heavy lifting, instrumentally speaking (extra props to Bajakian for his Quine-tastic skronk solo on “Waves of Fear”). Especially good are the quieter moments when he puts down his guitar to croon through a few fragile VU numbers. They’re far from from pristine renditions, but they’re deeply vulnerable, kinda like late Billie Holiday or something. Can it be that we’ve almost made it to the Summer of Lou’s conclusion? Stay tuned, Lou Freaks! 

Lou Says (2011): I’ve been a fan of rock—all kinds of rock—forever. But I never remember the name of anybody—except maybe Al Green.

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Lou Reed - The Highline Ballroom, New York City, May 5, 2008

John Zorn drops in on the Summer of Lou! The saxophonist sits in for most of this NYC gig — and it’s great, likely the best Lou jazz crossover since the Don Cherry days. Zorn brings some intense heat to the proceedings; check out the extended “Ecstasy,” slithering menacingly until Lou engages him in a fuzzed-out duel. Or his screaming sheets of sound on “I Wanna Know (The Pit and the Pendulum) — though drummer Tony “Thunder” Smith steals the show here with his powerful call-and-response vocals. And then there’s an amazing “Magic & Loss” which burns slow and hot for 15 minutes, leaving room for lots of LouZorn interplay. There’s actually a pro-shot video of this song that you definitely want to check out. 

Zorn isn’t the only new addition to the Louniverse in 2008 ... On keyboards, we’ve got Kevin Hearn, co-founder of one of the (if not the) most Velvet Underground-influenced groups of all time: Barenaked Ladies, the pride of Canada. Gotta say that his presence during the final years of Lou’s performing life is one of the odder developments we’ve yet encountered on the Summer of Lou adventure. But what the hell! He sounds fine and Lou seems to like him; Hearn even gets a lead vocal showcase on “I’m Sticking With You,” a tune that was then experiencing a bit of a revival thanks to that terrible movie Juno. Welcome aboard, Kevin! This recent convo between him and Laurie Anderson is worth a listen...

And speaking of Laurie, she and Lou had just tied the knot around the time of this Highline Ballroom gig, and Lou pays passionate tribute to her with a beautiful “Power of the Heart.” “And she said yes!” he exclaims at the song’s end, sounding genuinely happy. Aww.

Lou Says (2008): My work goes from “Pale Blue Eyes” to “White Light/White Heat” and all stops in between. Generally speaking, you wouldn’t figure that one person is going to write both those songs. But I haven’t a clue about my influence. I mean, I really don’t. Someone will say, “Have you heard that so-and-so sounds like you?” Why? Because they sing out of key?

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Lou Reed & Laurie Anderson - Teatro Verde, Venice, Italy, June 15, 2002

For most of our Summer of Lou odyssey, we’ve featured Lou in fairly standard rock band formats. But in the 2000s, he started to bust out of the guitars-bass-drums zone into more unusual and avant settings. His ladyfriend (soon-to-be-wife), the extraordinary Laurie Anderson was a key influence — and on this 2002 tape, we get to hear a full-fledged collaboration between the pair. 

Some songs on the setlist will look familiar, but don’t be fooled. On something like “Halloween Parade,” the lyrics remain the same, but they’re now accompanied by droning violin and electronics and dark electric guitar riffage. For the closest analogue to this approach in the Louniverse, we’d have to go all the way back to “It Was A Pleasure Then,” which featured Reed and John Cale conjuring up a disquieting backdrop for Nico’s haunting vocals. So we’re in unusual, unknown territory for the most part — and it is pretty cool. Challenging and weird, but cool! 

This is very much a collaboration, too. Anderson performs her own stuff (some of it in Italian!), with Lou providing restless, distorted textures in the background. And they team up on several Edgar Allen Poe pieces, a preview of Lou’s next magnum opus, The Raven. Best of all, they trade tunes: Reed recites Anderson’s “Dark Angel” and Anderson takes on Reed’s “The Bells” (a perfect followup to Poe’s “Imp of the Perverse”). This was clearly a relationship based on deep mutual respect. All in all, this is one of the more interesting and unique gigs we’ve listened to so far! More than three decades in, that’s really saying something. 

Lou Says (2002): I think in an interview what they essentially want to know is how big is your dick. Everything else is superfluous. It’s like, “Just tell us that, now.”

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Lou Reed - Crobar, New York City, April 5, 2005

Hey there, Summer of Lou-sers! Still with me? We’re in some kind of homestretch here, although the journey may last into 2021. Still plenty of adventures to share with Uncle Lou. 

Anyway — 2005! Our hero is in the wilderness now, off the major label treadmill, but still on the road. This show, a hometown warm-up for a European trek, is loose and friendly. And after a few drum-less years, Tony “Thunder” Smith is back behind the kit, thundering away. Complementing the sound, we’ve also got "Sweet” Jane Scarpantoni on cello, back from the 2003 Raven tour, and mainstays “Forever Fretless” Fernando Saunders and Mike “The Guitarist” Rathke. 

Lou’s rapport with these musicians feels strong, and he takes advantage of that strength by playing a show that’s full of curveballs and rarely played numbers. This is maybe the deepest of deep cut setlists we’ve seen so far, leaning heavily on recent material from Set The Twilight Reeling, Ecstasy and The Raven. No VU tunes (not even “Sweet Jane”!) and only two dips back into the 1970s (a great “Charley’s Girl” and the closing “Perfect Day.”) 

If that doesn’t sound exciting to you, you’re missing out! This is a very cool show, with Lou in what seems to be a great mood. Check out the long version of “Ecstasy” here, with some great Take No Prisoners-worthy digressions (”Why aren’t I on the cover of Hip Hop magazine?! I’ve been fucking rapping since 1965!”) and a wonderfully skronked out Lou solo. Or the gorgeous “Vanishing Act,” with an instrumental coda that seems to knock even Reed out. “That was really beautiful!” he exclaims. Maybe the only disappointment here is “The Blue Mask” which struggles to take off, all tension, no release. Oh well! 

Lou Says (2005): If you want to understand music, you have to play. To find out that the songwriter actually beat his wife, sodomized his dog and is in jail for 99 years doesn’t help you appreciate the song. Doesn’t! That applies to someone trying to figure out Ulysses. 

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Lou Reed - State Theatre, Sydney, Australia January 20, 2007

Even as he entered his twilight years, Lou was still willing to go big. Case in point — the most ambitious undertaking of his career! In late 2006, Reed brought Berlin back in a big-budget, big-band setting and then proceeded to tour all over the place with it in ‘07. Horn and string sections! Bob Ezrin and Steve Hunter from the original album! Antony and Sharon Jones! Schnabel visuals! A freakin’ children’s choir! 

Musically, it’s all pretty great — faithful to its source, but even more dynamic and powerful, perhaps. I especially love the longer outros, wherein Hunter and Reed get into some fuzzy guitar duels, accentuated by horn stabs and Tony “Thunder” Smith’s powerful drumming. As a concept album, I’m still not sure how I feel about Berlin. Mainly, it’s the “Sad Song” finale, with its Hollywood strings and soaring guitars ... “Somebody else would have broken both of her arms,” sings the abusive speed freak of the woman he’s driven to suicide as he walks into the sunset. Huh? Oh well, as always, Lou is not going to provide us with easy answers or make us feel all comfortable and cozy. Forget it, Jake, it’s Berlin. 

There’s a welcome dose of sunshine in the encore during “Sweet Jane,” however, when Lou hands over the lead vocal mid-song to Sharon Jones, who effortlessly blows the house down. Goddamn, she was good! Don’t get too happy, though: Lou closes the night with a typically brooding and unsettling “Rock Minuet.” “He pictured the bedroom where he heard the first cry / His mother on all fours, with his father behind / And her yell hurt so much, he had wished he'd gone blind” ... “Goodnight, folks, thanks for coming, drive safe!” 

Lou Says (2007): Do you know what writing is? What acting is? It sounds pretentious, but I thought about Othello. Now you’re talking about jealousy. Iago and Desdemona. How can Berlin be a twig on that tree? If you want to know about jealousy, go read Othello, or get a DVD of it. Don’t ask me.