My husband just informed me that today is Lou Reed's 67th birthday! (If you don't know why this is notable I feel very, very sorry for you. And I also urge you to consider ingesting some culture, any culture and no, sitting vacuously in front of television-machine does not count. Lazy minds are not inexcusable.)
Lou was the principle songwriter for The Velvet Underground (Andy Warhol helped put this rag-tag ever-evolving team of Nihilists on the map and secured them as the house band at Max's Kansas City) but went on to much success as solo artist. Among his achievements were such classics as Walk on the Wild Side (the 1972 urban anthem chronicling transsexuals, oral sex, narcotics and other "seedy" things that make life so wonderful), Perfect Day (heroin music at its best), Coney Island Baby (every under-achiever's wet dream) and Sweet Jane. Lou also acknowledged the devastation of the 80's AIDS crisis in New York with his song Halloween Parade (a reference the annual parade through Greenwich Village, a fixture of New York's LGBT community).
Lou is a Syracuse University drop-out (although he was later granted an honorary degree in English), however his time there was well-spent, as he forged an important relationship with notable poet Delmore Schwartz (you know... In Dreams Begin Responsibilities... that guy) who undoubtedly influenced Lou's writing sensibilities.
And the list of his accomplishments goes on. Happy Birthday, Mr. Reed - the world wouldn't be nearly the dark and moody place it is without you.
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