A biography for Lou Reedhasn’t been written yet.
“I always thought martial arts was the most modern choreography we could have right now, and I always wanted to put it to music.”
“If it has more than three chords, it's jazz.”
“I always believed that I have something important to say and I said it.”
“Perfect Night has that magic and it has the raw energy that grabs you by the throat.”
“I can create a vibe without saying anything, just by being in the room.”
“Take a walk on the wild side.”
“One of my rules is: Never listen to your old stuff.”
“Meditation doesn't have to be complicated. What I do is about as simple as you can get. You could just count the beads, one, two, three, with your eyes closed or open, whatever makes you happy.”
“But I'm also talented and I know when I created something great and Perfect Night is something great, no doubt, no but.”
“How can anybody learn anything from an artwork when the piece of art only reflects the vanity of the artist and not reality?”
“I don't know what goes on in the crowd. I've had them show up and throw beer cans at me. I caused riots in most of the major cities.”
“I don't like the word rock opera, but I'm trying to write on that level that's reserved for plays still, or novels.”
“I'm an artist and that means I can be as egotistical as I want to be.”
“I wanted to be an actor. That was my real goal. But I wasn't any good at it, so I wrote my own material and acted through that. That's my idea of fun. I get to be all these things in the songs.”
“I wouldn't want to hear Beethoven without beautiful bass, the cellos, the tuba. It's very important. Hip-hop has thunderous bass. And so does Beethoven. If you don't have the bass, it's like being amputated. It's like you have no legs.”
“It's depressing when you're still around and your albums are out of print.”
“I don't mind a repetitive chorus; I mind repetitive verse. I mean, it's the same amount of space. Why would you have only three diamonds if you can have six?”
“The music business doesn't interest me anymore.”
“You can't beat 2 guitars, bass, and drums.”
“I don't really think about what the subject of my next album will be. I just know that I'm going to make another album.”