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Lou Reed
The King of New York
by Will Hermes
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Oct 03 2023 | Archive Date Oct 31 2023
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Description
“The only Lou Reed bio you need to read.” —The Washington Post
A Rolling Stone best music book of 2023 | One of Pitchfork’s ten best music books of 2023 | A Variety best music book of the year | A Kirkus Reviews best nonfiction book of 2023
“There have been many biographies of Lou Reed, but Will Hermes has written the definitive life . . . He has brought to the assignment a sharp eye, a clear head, a lucid prose style, and a determination to let Lou be Lou, without judgment.” —Lucy Sante, author of Low Life
The most complete and penetrating biography of the rock master, whose stature grows every year.
Since his death in 2013, Lou Reed’s living presence has only grown. The great rock poet presided over the marriage of Brill Building pop and the European avant-garde, and left American culture transfigured. In Lou Reed: The King of New York, Will Hermes offers the definitive narrative of Reed’s life and legacy, dramatizing his long, brilliant, and contentious dialogue with fans, critics, fellow artists, and assorted habitués of the demimonde. We witness Reed’s complex partnerships with David Bowie, Andy Warhol, John Cale, and Laurie Anderson; track the deadpan wit, street-smart edge, and poetic flights that defined his craft as a singer and songwriter with the Velvet Underground and beyond; and explore the artistic ambition and gift for self-sabotage that he took from his mentor the poet Delmore Schwartz.
As Hermes follows Reed from Lower East Side cold-water flats to the eminent status he later achieved, he also tells the story of New York City as a cultural capital. The first biographer to draw on the New York Public Library’s much-publicized Reed archive, Hermes employs the library collections, the release of previously unheard recordings, and a wealth of recent interviews with Reed’s contemporaries to give us a new Lou Reed—a pioneer in writing about nonbinary sexuality and gender identity, a committed artist who pursued beauty and noise with equal fervor, and a turbulent and sometimes truculent man whose emotional imprint endures.
A Note From the Publisher
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9780374193393 |
PRICE | $35.00 (USD) |
PAGES | 560 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
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This would make Lou Reed spin in this grave, but after reading this, I wanted to create a series of inspirational posters about his life and career. A true iconoclast, he never gave up, despite many of his projects being critical and commercial failures when they were released. It's only in retrospect that we are now able to see him as a true genius, someone who wasn't afraid to take big swings and big misses. He wasn't the kindest person, although his behavior fell more along the "crusty old jerk" lines and only occasionally veered into abuse.
This book is very well-researched and well-sourced and was a pleasure to read. It sent me down all sorts of rabbit holes, including commercials for old scooters and bootleg Velvets recordings. Fans of Reed's work and fans of rock in general will dig this.
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Will Hermes has masterfully written what I believe to be the best book to date about Lou Reed.
Lou was many things, multi-faceted, diverse, complex, observant and a collector of the experiences that surrounded him. Mr. Hermes admires his subject but he does not shy away from Reed’s complicated life. His research is extensive and taps into a variety of interviewees (critics, fans) some for the very first time. Reed’s collaborations with Warhol, Andersen and Bowie are shared and bring color and charm into an already creative soul.
The author understands the rhythm of New York, the same rhythm that beat inside of Lou Reed. That rhythm that made him a pioneer of a decades long career.
A well worth and wonderful read.
With thanks to NetGalley, the author and Farrar, Strauss and Giroux for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.