I was an impressionable 17 year old when I stumbled upon Lou Reed again. Sure, I knew “Walk On The Wild Side,” who didn’t? But it was a chance listening to The Velvet Underground & Nico that got me back on an even keel with him. “Sunday Morning” being the particular song that has meant the most though I still really don’t know why. But that was Lou Reed’s style…dare to be different, re-write the rule book or just make your own. David Bowie certainly got the taste of that when he and Reed recorded the Transformer album just a few years after The Velvet Underground had called it a day. Reed also had a very simple yet pragmatic dress sense, making everything he wore look cool. Julian Casablancas of The Strokes certainly follows in those footsteps. But it was Reed’s artistry that got me hooked again. “Perfect Day,” “Satellite Of Love,” “Vicious” plus all the Velvet Underground numbers gave everyone a chance to have that ice cool persona that Reed oozed throughout his career — a career which is now sadly gone but will be never ever forgotten for as long as anyone lives.
Thank you, Lou Reed. Thank you for making me, and countless others, cool again but in our own little way.
— Mark Sharpley | @MarkSharpley1
