The deadpan voice and transgressive poetry behind the Velvet Underground and 'Walk on the Wild Side.'
MOODS · deadpan · transgressive · literary · gritty · experimental · poetic · downbeat · defiant · urban · raw · glam-tinged · avant-garde
BIOGRAPHY
Lewis Allan Reed (1942-2013) began as a pop songwriter for Pickwick Records before co-founding the Velvet Underground in 1965 with John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Angus MacLise. The band became a fixture at Andy Warhol's Factory, serving as his house band, though it found little commercial success during its existence.
Reed's solo career produced twenty studio albums. Transformer (1972), produced by David Bowie and arranged by Mick Ronson, brought him mainstream recognition via 'Walk on the Wild Side' and became a landmark of glam rock. Berlin (1973) was panned by Rolling Stone on release but later included in the magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums; Metal Machine Music (1975) stood as an hour of manipulated feedback and effects that alienated many listeners.
WHY THEY'RE COOL
Reed's deadpan voice and transgressive, literary lyrics turned New York's after-hours bars, alleys, and drug dens into dignified subject matter rather than exploited spectacle. The Velvet Underground, though commercially unsuccessful at the time, is now regarded as one of the most influential bands in underground and alternative rock, a lineage running through punk, post-punk, and grunge. Brian Eno famously observed that nearly everyone who bought the band's debut album went on to form one of their own. Reed was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: with the Velvet Underground in 1996 and as a solo artist in 2015.
GEORGE'S PLAYS
George has played this artist 5 times.
PLAYED ON WOKE1
