Highbrow Magazine - lou reed https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/lou-reed en The Factory Factor: Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5652-factory-factor-andy-warhol-and-velvet-underground <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 03/06/2016 - 14:23</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/VelvetUnderground.jpg?itok=zQGSbq6c"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/VelvetUnderground.jpg?itok=zQGSbq6c" width="400" height="400" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p>The long-range impact that the Velvet Underground had on the rock world may best be summed up by an oft-repeated quote from Brian Eno: “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.” Undervalued in their time, still revolutionary-sounding to modern ears, their first album, 1967’s <em>The Velvet Underground &amp; Nico</em>, surely stands as one of rock’s most influential records of all time.</p> <p>And yet, it could have easily been an album that never was. The Velvets’ harsh cacophony of sound – drones, dissonance, feedback, and distortion – was a far cry from the peace-and-love movements sweeping most of the musical cultures and countercultures during that famous Summer of Love. Their lyrics explored the dark sides of urban life: drug use, S&amp;M, paranoia, prostitution, homosexuality, and general sleaze. As far as crafting commercial pop hits was concerned, principal songwriters Lou Reed and John Cale – along with Sterling Morrison on guitar and Moe Tucker on drums – were running on the opposite track and in the opposite direction. They deliberately and defiantly stood against everything rock was, or was purported to be, at that time.</p> <p>In the days before independent labels or DIY recording, it’s a miracle the Velvet Underground were allowed to step foot inside a studio at all. But they were – and for that, we mostly have Andy Warhol to thank.</p> <p>Shortly after they first started playing together, the Velvet Underground got a low-paying residency spot at a club whose patrons were less than enthusiastic about some of the group’s material. After one performance of “The Black Angel’s Death Song,” for example, they were told if they ever played it again they’d be fired on the spot. But for the group, that was part of the thrill. John Cale, a Welsh-born and classically-trained viola player, has described their sound and vision during this period: “We were really excited. We had this opportunity to do something revolutionary – to combine avant-garde and rock and roll, to do something symphonic. No matter how borderline destructive everything was, there was real excitement there for all of us. We just started playing and held it to the wall. I mean, we had a good time.”</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/1velvetunderground.jpg" style="height:600px; width:486px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Paul Morrissey, a close confidant and business manager for Andy Warhol, happened to catch one of their club sets in 1965 and sensed potential. Warhol’s fame in the art world was at critical and popular peak; he’d abandoned painting and had started to venture into experimental filmmaking and multimedia productions. He wanted a rock band for a new performance installment he had in mind, and with the Velvet Underground, he found them.</p> <p>The result was the <em>Exploding Plastic Inevitable</em>, an intentionally assaulting and occasionally insulting show of strobe lights and whip dancers surrounding the Velvets’ musical performance, with Warhol’s films projected on-screen behind them. But Warhol did more than give the band a high-profile gig – or, within a few months of their working together, pay for their studio time. Though Cale and Reed had written many of the songs featured on <em>The Velvet Underground &amp; Nico</em> before Warhol’s entrance, Andy introduced that latter element of the album’s title into the band itself: Nico, AKA Christa Paffgen, a German-born model and aspiring singer. As Morrissey has explained: “The group needed something beautiful to counteract the screeching ugliness they were trying to sell,” and with her tall, stately posture, her flaxen hair and sultry voice, Nico fit the bill.</p> <p>More than introduce an attractive new member, the group’s access to Warhol’s inner circle – the “Factory,” as it was called – provided aesthetic and musical inspiration. “It was like heaven,” Reed said. “I watched Andy; I watched Andy watching everybody. I would hear people say the most astonishing things, the craziest things, the funniest things, the saddest things. I used to write it down.”</p> <p>The relationship between Warhol and the Velvets seems obvious now, in retrospect; solidified in the popular imagination by that iconic peeling banana album cover. But what elements really brought the two together? What appeal did one have for the other? Who was influencing whom here? Warhol’s artistic “pop” sensibility seems antithetical to what the Velvets were trying to do – destroy pop. As rock critic Ellen Willis has described, the Velvet Underground was “too overtly intellectual, stylized, and distanced to be commercial;” their work was “anti-art made by anti-elite elitists.” The same might be said about Warhol’s most famous images: familiar objects like Campbell’s soup cans or Marilyn Monroe’s face made strange through repetition – made cold, somehow, and not like pop at all. “Andy and us were cut from somewhat the same cloth,” Reed said, “and we wanted to shake people up a little bit.”</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/2velvetunderground_0.jpg" style="height:620px; width:443px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p>What links the Velvet Underground with Andy Warhol is their common design to expose the structural elements of their genres. Warhol wanted to break down the highbrow world of art; the Velvets wanted to elevate the lowbrow world of rock. Warhol utilized the most crass of commercial goods to question the sanctity of the art-subject; the Velvets brought grit and urbanity into the naïve teenage daydreams of radio-rock. For both of them, as musicologist Simon Warner has put it, “Ugly was not the new beautiful, but it may have been… the new true.”</p> <p>In their brief tenure together, the whole of which lasted less than two years, Warhol’s most important influence on the Velvet Underground may have been his ability to shield them from outside influence at all. In the studio for their first album, the band had initial difficulties working with producers or engineers who tried to mollify or commercialize their sound. Warhol didn’t know anything about music, but when he came into the sessions as “producer,” the dynamic quickly changed. “Andy was the producer and Andy was in fact behind the board gazing with rapt fascination… at all the blinking lights,” Reed explained much later. “He just made it possible for us to be ourselves and go right ahead with it because he was Andy Warhol. …We’d just walk in and set up and do what we always did and no one would stop it because Andy was the producer. Of course he didn’t know anything about record production – but he didn’t have to. He just sat there and said ‘Ooooh, that’s fantastic,’ and the engineer would say, ‘Oh yeah! Right! It is fantastic, isn’t it?’” In the end, “the record went out without anybody changing anything because Andy Warhol said it was okay. It’s hilarious. He made it so we could do anything we wanted.”</p> <p>As both parties soon found out, however, managing and producing a rock band involves more than a wall of artistic protection. Financial mishandlings and managerial disputes caused <em>The Velvet Underground &amp; Nico</em>’s release to be delayed for a full year after recording; when it finally hit shelves, it sold poorly, and Andy and the Velvets soon split ways. The long shadow of Warhol’s name – a name that featured prominently on the band’s album cover and spine, causing some confusion over who the actual players were – proved too much to overcome. “‘Produced by Andy Warhol,’” Reed once griped; “it was like being a soup can.” Still, without his help, it might have been a can that never got opened at all.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p><strong><em>Sandra Canosa is</em> Highbrow Magazine’s <em>chief music critic.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>For Highbrow Magazine</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><em><strong>Photo Credits: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Velvet_Underground_%26_Nico_publicity_photo_%28retouched%29.jpg">Wikipedia</a> Commons (Creative Commons); <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Velvet_Underground_%26_Nico_publicity_photo_(retouched)_(cropped).jpg">Wikimedi</a>a Commons (Creative Commons)</strong></em></p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/velvet-underground" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">velvet underground</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/john-cale" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">john cale</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lou-reed" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lou reed</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/nico" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">nico</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/andy-warhol" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Andy Warhol</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/factory" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the factory</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Sandra Canosa</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 06 Mar 2016 19:23:26 +0000 tara 6718 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5652-factory-factor-andy-warhol-and-velvet-underground#comments So Long Lou Reed: Keep Walking on the Wild Side https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/3143-so-long-lou-reed-keep-walking-wild-side <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Tue, 10/29/2013 - 10:06</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1loureed%20%28paul%20lowry%20Flickr%29.jpg?itok=MeWe4wpN"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1loureed%20%28paul%20lowry%20Flickr%29.jpg?itok=MeWe4wpN" width="480" height="322" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><em>“There’s a bit of magic in everything/and then some loss to even things out”</em> – <strong>Lou Reed</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>On the morning of October 27, I sat in my kitchen poring over the works of Edgar Allan Poe, a writer who explored through his craft the subterranean depths of human consciousness. I’ve been reading the complete poetry, tales and criticism of Poe since the beginning of the month. This particular morning, I finally made it to “The Imp of the Perverse,” a tale that I had read once previously after seeing a Lou Reed interview (with Dutch journalist Hanneke Groenteman) in which he discussed the work and its place on his 2003 concept album, <em>The Raven</em>, a unique marriage of musical composition and readings of Poe’s work. </p> <p> </p> <p>I listened to the track “The Imp of the Perverse” from Reed’s album as I read the macabre story of the same name, thinking about the similarities between the two personages, that of Reed and that of Poe. In many ways, Reed did for music what Poe did for literature – he was a pioneer, a “fallen angel” in Reed’s own words, who expanded the limits of our minds and changed the scene of American music forever; both also were more highly celebrated in Europe than in the States. It was only hours later that I would hear of the death of Lou Reed.  </p> <p> </p> <p>There are artists whose works we enjoy and there are artists that have such a profound impact upon us that they shift our consciousness and urge us to look at life in a different way. Such was the impact on many (myself included) of the inimitable Lou Reed, rock n’ roll wild child, Warhol collaborator and lead figure of the proto-punk band, The Velvet Underground. The avant-garde band transformed the world of music in a way not at all dissimilar from Dylan or the Beatles, though without the immensely popular followings (of course their subject matter and style were markedly different).</p> <p> </p> <p>The Velvets’ debut album, <em>The Velvet Underground &amp; Nico, </em>is a mind-blowing work of noise, melody, chilling vocals and daring lyrics (dealing with subjects like sadomasochism, drug use and prostitution). Though the popular success of the Velvets was limited in their early career (and though they never reached the level of popularity of other monumental bands of the ‘60s) their impact on emerging artists and on music, in general, is incalculable. It has been said that the Velvets only sold several thousand albums in their early years and that all of those who purchased their albums went on to start their own bands.  Though an exaggeration, this undoubtedly demonstrates the impact of the Velvets on the music scene.</p> <p> </p> <p>With the passing of time, the Velvet Underground’s legacy has been firmly established and so too the reputation of Lou Reed. Though he wasn’t the first of the group to pass (he was succeeded in death by guitarist, and later English professor, Sterling Morrison – a man who was said to have been equally able to have debated the literary merits of <em>Moby Dick</em> and the musical impact of Moby Grape; and Nico – she provided vocals on the debut album at then-manager Andy Warhol’s urging, though was not a member of the VU – passed suddenly at the age of 49 in 1988), he was the figure most associated with the Velvet Underground (in many ways this was Lou Reed’s band) and, along with John Cale, he was the most musically successful after leaving the group.</p> <p> </p> <p>After a much anticipated solo debut album met with little fanfare, Lou Reed came out with a stunning David Bowie and Mick Ronson produced record, <em>Transformer</em>, his magnum opus as a solo performer. The following year he gave us the experimental rock opera <em>Berlin</em><em>. </em>This was followed through the years by many albums of deserved acclaim (<em>Rock n Roll Animal, Street Hassle, New York </em>and his collaboration with John Cale, <em>Songs for Drella</em>, a concept album reflecting on the life of the then-recently departed Andy Warhol) and many not so warmly met, and even hated (<em>Metal Machine Music,</em> for instance, though this has been praised as an album ahead of its time in more recent years). Unfortunately, his later musical career was not as glorious as the beginning. His last album, in particular, <em>Lulu </em>– a cooperative effort with Metallica – can be, at times, a painful listen and was received poorly by critics.</p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/3loureed.jpg" style="height:441px; width:455px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>But through it all, Lou Reed, a man who defined modern rock n’ roll and the beginnings of punk (and metal), will be remembered as a rock legend. He was inducted into the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Velvet Underground in 1996 and all four of the Velvets’ studio albums and Reed’s<em> Transformer</em> and <em>Berlin</em> place in <em>Rolling Stone</em>’s 500 Greatest Albums list. He gave us such hits as “Walk on the Wild Side,” which I had the joy to sing with <em>the</em> Holly Woodlawn (who “came from Miami, F.L.A.”) and a group of complete strangers a few years back. He gifted us with such classics as “Sweet Jane,” “Rock and Roll,” “Pale Blue Eyes” and “Heroin” and explored a whole uncharted territory of music. And, most importantly, if it hadn’t been for the music of Lou Reed, a whole generation of music artists and critics might never have been. Such, Reed showed us, can be the power of music.      </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong><br /> <em>Benjamin Wright is a contributing writer at</em> Highbrow Magazine.</p> <p> </p> <p><em><strong>Photos: Paul Lowry (Flickr); thatspep (Flickr).</strong></em></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lou-reed" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lou reed</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lou-reed-dies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lou reed dies</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/velvet-underground" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">velvet underground</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/andy-warhol" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Andy Warhol</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/death-lou-reed" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">death of lou reed</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/edgar-allen-poe" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">edgar allen poe</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Benjamin Wright </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Paul Lowry (Flickr)</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:06:29 +0000 tara 3753 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/3143-so-long-lou-reed-keep-walking-wild-side#comments