All Of It – Lou Reed's Solo Career and Final Years (Full Bio)

Podcast: All Of It
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Will Hermes (Author, Lou Reed: The King of New York)
Date: December 21, 2023

Episode Overview

This episode of All Of It is a deep dive into Lou Reed’s solo career, his artistic legacy, and his final years, guided by music journalist and Reed biographer Will Hermes. As part of the Full Bio series, the conversation covers Reed’s creative partnerships, his views on success, ventures into photography, the enduring impact of his music—including the Berlin rock opera—and his relationship with artist Laurie Anderson.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lou Reed’s Solo Allies and Creative Partnerships

[05:05–08:41]

• David Bowie as Champion and Collaborator:
  • Bowie was Reed’s most dedicated ally, discovering and championing the Velvet Underground before their debut was released.
  • Bowie produced Transformer (1972), bringing in guitarist Mick Ronson and arranging "Walk on the Wild Side," leading to Reed's commercial breakthrough.
  • Despite deep friendship, their relationship soured after Reed, during a drunken episode, slapped Bowie, offended by Bowie’s advice to clean up his act. They reconciled years later.
  • Quote:
    “He [David Bowie] was the reason that album was so successful, and Lou knew it. I think he was a little… reluctant to admit it.” – Will Hermes [07:16]
  • The book's title, “The King of New York,” comes from Bowie’s introduction of Reed at his 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden.

2. Attitude Toward Success and Commerce

[08:41–11:29]

• Reed deeply cared about financial and critical success—even as an avant-garde artist.
• While radio airplay wasn’t his financial mainstay, licensing music to filmmakers and for advertisements (“Walk on the Wild Side” for Honda scooters) became lucrative.
• The diversification in revenue streams allowed creative freedom:
  • Quote:
    “Making money that way… allowed him to be a little less concerned about whether radio was going to, like, play a song from his song cycle about Edgar Allan Poe.” – Will Hermes [11:00]

3. Sampling, Hip-Hop, and Cultural Exchange

[11:29–13:54]

• The sampling of “Walk on the Wild Side” by A Tribe Called Quest (“Can I Kick It?”) sparked legal wrangling—Reed withheld partial rights, ultimately securing 100% of the publishing share.
• This episode reflects the changing landscape of copyright and the cost of sampling in hip-hop.
• Quote:
  “No one understood sampling… Those were the wild west years… but at the time, Lou was like, that’s my song. Let the lawyers sort this out.” – Will Hermes [11:49]
• Reed grew to appreciate hip-hop, recognizing its poetic lyricism.

4. Lou Reed as Poet and Literary Figure

[14:43–18:41]

• Reed wrote poetry since high school and deepened this practice at Syracuse University under renowned poet Delmore Schwartz, whom Reed called “the greatest man I ever met.”
• Reed contributed to small literary journals even during Velvet Underground years and considered pursuing poetry instead of rock after the band split.
• Laurie Anderson’s influence as a multidisciplinary artist rekindled Reed’s literary ambitions.
• Quote:
  “He never stopped identifying as a poet… he would still publish things from time to time and speak with great pride about publishing poems on his own.” – Will Hermes [17:14]

5. The Photography Passion

[18:41–22:33]

• Reed’s love for photography paralleled his music career. Inspired partly by Andy Warhol and his circle, Reed started photographing his travels and New York’s street scenes, later producing several photobooks.
• He approached photography with the same experimental, hands-on style as his guitar work—embracing technical imperfection and creative manipulation.
• Reed even composed ambient guitar music for Tai Chi practice, packaged alongside his photography.
• Lou Reed, on his photographic journey:
  “It seems like a short time, but that short time is about 15… plus years… You go to this really place most people don’t have access to… the natural question is, I really wish I’d had a camera for this.” – Lou Reed [21:38]

6. The Redemption of “Berlin”

[22:33–25:17]

• Berlin was Reed’s ambitious, initially maligned 1973 album.
• Decades later, artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel helped Reed realize his dream of staging Berlin live as a rock opera, with elaborate sets and filmed performances. The project vindicated an album once deemed a failure.
• Quote:
  “Seeing Lou Reed present Berlin on European stages was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen… the greatest vindication.” – Hal Willner (via Will Hermes) [23:54]

7. Lou Reed & Laurie Anderson: New York’s Artistic Power Couple

[25:17–28:24]

• Reed’s final marriage, to performance artist Laurie Anderson, became a legendary partnership in the arts.
• Their creative equality, mutual support, and shared passion for the avant-garde cemented their place as New York’s “king and queen” of the arts.
• Quote:
  “It was the love story of a lifetime… They were both creative equals… That relationship made Lou, maybe a better artist and a better human.” – Will Hermes [25:42, 27:40]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bowie and Levels of Fame:
  “They were friends, but they were not famous on the same level… Bowie had Madison Square Garden, Reed had the Bottom Line.” – Will Hermes [07:52]
• On Sampling and Hip-Hop:
  “Once everybody got lawed up in hip hop, sample usage became so expensive that the art of sampling kind of withered…” – Will Hermes [13:21]
• On Lifelong Creativity:
  “He was a multidisciplinary artist ultimately, and I think meeting Laurie Anderson really helped bring that out in him later in life.” – Will Hermes [17:55]
• On the Impact of Partnership:
  “If they’re here, this is obviously the place to be.” – Will Hermes [27:08]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:05 – The Bowie/Reed friendship, collaborators, and the story behind “The King of New York”
• 08:41 – Lou Reed’s hunger for commercial and artistic success; licensing and revenue
• 11:29 – The A Tribe Called Quest sampling incident and Reed’s relationship with hip-hop
• 14:43 – Lou Reed as poet; Syracuse years; Delmore Schwartz’s influence
• 18:41 – Photography’s place in Reed’s life and creative expression
• 22:33 – Berlin: From flop to vindication as a staged rock opera
• 25:17 – The creative and personal partnership of Reed and Laurie Anderson
• 29:15 – Closing tribute: Laurie Anderson honors Lou Reed

Conclusion

This episode paints a nuanced, affectionate portrait of Lou Reed as a restless experimentalist, fiercely protective of his work yet embracing myriad forms of expression—music, poetry, photography. His collaborations, especially with David Bowie and Laurie Anderson, shaped both his art and personal evolution. Will Hermes and Alison Stewart explore Reed’s contradictions and enduring influence, culminating in a recognition of Reed’s (and Anderson’s) unique legacy in the New York arts scene.