Known as both a solo artist and the frontman for the cerebral rock band The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed is a cult favorite. The songwriter and performer, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 71, remains part of the zeitgeist today thanks to songs like “Pale Blue Eyes.”
Videos by American Songwriter
But given his status as a musical cult hero, some may wonder what the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame artist has to say about the world outside of his beloved songs. Below, are the 20 best Reed quotes.
[RELATED: Is TikTok Really a Must-Conquer App for Musicians?]
1. “I’ve become completely well-adjusted to being a cult figure.”
2. “I am very emotionally affected by sound. Sounds are the inexplicable… There is a sound you hear in your head, it’s your nerves, or your blood running.”
3. “I’m writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn’t pay any attention at all. Sometimes it’s me, or a composite of me and other people. Sometimes it’s not me at all.”
4. “I don’t know what goes on in the crowd. I’ve had them show up and throw beer cans at me. I caused riots in most of the major cities.”
5. “It’s depressing when you’re still around and your albums are out of print.”
6. “One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you’re into jazz.”
7. “I don’t like nostalgia unless it’s mine.”
8. “These are really terribly rough times, and we really should try to be as nice to each other as possible.”
9. “The music is all. People should die for it. People are dying for everything else, so why not the music?”
10. “I think life is far too short to concentrate on your past. I rather look into the future.”
11. “I think that everything happens for a reason, everything happens when it’s going to happen.”
12. “In the late ’70s I started to search for the perfect sound—whatever that might be, before that, I was mainly interested in drugs, insanity, and the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.”
13. “I can create a vibe without saying anything, just by being in the room.”
14. “I don’t think anybody is anybody else’s moral compass. Maybe listening to my music is not the best idea if you live a very constricted life. Or maybe it is.”
15. “There’s a bit of magic in everything, and some loss to even things out.”
16. “Music should come crashing out of your speakers and grab you, and the lyrics should challenge whatever preconceived notions that listener has.”
17. “Life is like Sanskrit read to a pony.”
18. “I don’t mind a repetitive chorus; I mind repetitive verse. I mean, it’s the same amount of space. Why would you have only three diamonds if you can have six?”
19. “I was a product of Andy Warhol’s Factory. All I did was sit there and observe these incredibly talented and creative people who were continually making art, and it was impossible not to be affected by that.”
20. “I’ve never been super confident about anything. The work is never as good as it could be.”
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
