"WHO THE HELL IS LOU REED !!!???"

"Can You Believe This Type of Response?"

This is the question poised to me from my aunt who grew up in the ... 60's of all things. I was born in the 60's but I never knew who Lou was until much later. As a kid all I knew was Playschool and Top Cat.

Warhol and the Velvets would enter my life much later.

LOU REED AND THE VELVET UNDERGROUND was where it was at as far as I was concerned. It defined a period of art. It also described a time when..... the entire art world was about to crack open and explode its vision all across the universe. Not that its a big deal but that is a far more significant achievement than anything dribbled out of the mouths of mealy singers like the Offspring and ... so many other forgettable crappy bands.

This deliberate stand off between what was accepted and what wasn't was apparent in their sound. Even a few years ago Lou was interviewed about his latest music session on KCRW. He was making music out of a mop handle and a rubber strap -- this was his minimalist instrument. And I thought it was significant enough to mention. Lou did too.

This stuff really did define a period even if it was right or wrong. I think there was a time when early Pink Floyd did this type of "happening" entertainment as well. I liked what the VU biographer said when the street trash, junkies, pop journalists, film makers, and art critics all got together for these events. I don't expect much wisdom to tumble out of the mouths of these junkies but you have to admit that it was interesting.

THE MUSIC MISSION GETS LOST
Today we got professional Wrestling. WHATS THE DIFFERENCE? Its one mans dirt for anothers really. There are a lot of miserable routes available today in which one can entertain ones self. However, they do not have a considerable amount of street quality to them. This stuff made sense because it used a very unique sort of street sensibility.

Confrontation is what made this band interesting. It made a lot of people interesting back in the day. It made Lenny Bruce interesting. It made the Sex Pistols interesting. It made Dice interesting. It made a lot of people interesting. There was a significant amount of destruction centering around these individuals and some people connected to these pop icons died due to their own chaotic direction. I don't suggest that dying for art is a worthy or noble aspiration. But this type of thinking has racked up a very different type of life.

And it continues to fascinate.....

Cantu posted this on June 6, 2007 at 6: 30 PM