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Lou Reed ...


Diesel

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I thought it was strange that there hadn't been a thread about this yet. Maybe there's been some discussion in the deathpool thread. 

 

 

The news came as a surprise to me but I hadn't been aware of his liver transplant and other health problems. There was an incredibly shitty article in the daily mail criticising his lifestyle which seems completely unnecessary to do the day after his death but that's what the daily mail does I suppose. Anyway I think he's obviously going to be remembered as an extremely important person is the history of rock music.

 

Although perhaps not with everyone, one girl I know had this reaction to the news, "Awww no, was that the mambo no.5 guy?"

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Not much going on in the Dead Pool thread other than the usual puns, which also surprised me. Although I'm not much help... I have the much celebrated first Velvet Underground album somewhere, and enjoyed it well enough, but never got why it was so revered and supposedly influential. Ahead of it's time in the alt- artiness maybe but again, not really against a backdrop that included Hendrix and Dylan.

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Steve Albini on Lou Reed:

 

I didn't have the kind of epiphany many people did to VU or Reed's music. I liked some of it, loved some of it, and didn't care for some, but the arc of his whole thing is just undeniably great and inspirational. 50 years of following his muse, whatever it happened to be at the moment. His music will either hit you or not, but one thing ought to matter to anybody who thinks music or art is worth pursuing for its own sake; Lou Reed, he did not give a fuck. Did not give a single fuck. I think of myself as not giving a fuck most of the time, but once in a while I wish to christ I could give not a fuck as thoroughly as Lou Reed.

 

:rockon:

Edited by Paranoid Android
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Steve Albini on Lou Reed:

 

 

:rockon:

 

What does that bit about not giving a fuck even mean though? And it "ought to matter to anybody who thinks music or art is worth pursuing for its own sake"? So you're supposed to not give a fuck what people think about your music, or not give a fuck about your music, or just, like, not give a fuck maaann? Sounds like Albini being a bit of a pretentious tool tbh.

 

edit: I don't know what this copy-paste has done to my font... and I don't give a fuck.

Edited by scottyboy
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What does that bit about not giving a fuck even mean though? And it "ought to matter to anybody who thinks music or art is worth pursuing for its own sake"? So you're supposed to not give a fuck what people think about your music, or not give a fuck about your music, or just, like, not give a fuck maaann? Sounds like Albini being a bit of a pretentious tool tbh.

 

edit: I don't know what this copy-paste has done to my font... and I don't give a fuck.

 

Do you think much of the good music would be around if people didn't go through periods of not giving a fuck what people thought about their art?

 

To use 2 of your examples:

Jimi Hendrix was kicked out of a few bands for his guitarring and had to move to the UK before people appreciated him, then split up his very successful band and moved in a direction that at the time was very unpopular.

Bob Dylan was called Judas by his own fans for going electric - and has changed his sound umpteen times, alienating huge chunks of his audience.

 

I'd also argue that neither of the above artists were as massively influential on the music that followed in terms of change. 

 

Lots of guitar heroes and sensitive/political singer songwriters for sure, but I wouldn't say that the music they inspired really moved things forward a great deal.

 

Without Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground you don't get Glam/Art Rock or Punk.

 

The key to Albini's quote is "50 years of following his muse, whatever it happened to be at the moment." I don't really like a lot of Lou Reed's music, The first VU album, some of his later solo albums and Songs for Drella is about it - but I appreciate that he did exactly what he was feeling at the time and didn't pay a huge amount of heed to commercial considerations.

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No, I got your point - I just disagree with it.

 

Right. You responded to "What does that bit about not giving a fuck even mean though?" with "Do you think much of the good music would be around if people didn't go through periods of not giving a fuck what people thought about their art?"

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What does that bit about not giving a fuck even mean though? And it "ought to matter to anybody who thinks music or art is worth pursuing for its own sake"? So you're supposed to not give a fuck what people think about your music, or not give a fuck about your music, or just, like, not give a fuck maaann? Sounds like Albini being a bit of a pretentious tool tbh.

 

edit: I don't know what this copy-paste has done to my font... and I don't give a fuck.

He made what he wanted to make at any one time without giving a fuck about commercial gain, critical acclaim or what anyone thought is what I think he meant. And given some of Lou's diversions i tend to agree with that assessment. I guess there aren't that many artists who have followed that line over so many years. Tom Waits, Dylan and Neil Young probably the most obvious.

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I'm sure I read somewhere that they spent a lot of time on the road touring and avoiding the NYC scene because they didn't think they were appreciated and they weren't making much headway commercially which doesn't suggest to me that they didn't give a fuck.

 

I've always felt that I should probably like the VU but i could never really get into any of the albums though I did like a few songs here and there.

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I'm sure I read somewhere that they spent a lot of time on the road touring and avoiding the NYC scene because they didn't think they were appreciated and they weren't making much headway commercially which doesn't suggest to me that they didn't give a fuck.

 

I've always felt that I should probably like the VU but i could never really get into any of the albums though I did like a few songs here and there.

Great source.

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Right. You responded to "What does that bit about not giving a fuck even mean though?" with "Do you think much of the good music would be around if people didn't go through periods of not giving a fuck what people thought about their art?"

 

What's wrong with that? It's a valid question, especially since I then gave examples of artists not giving a fuck about what people thought and making groundbreaking music, AND THEN drastically changing their style to criticism from fans/journalists - using 2 artists from your previous posts.

 

Admittedly then I went off into a bit about how relevant Lou Reed was when compared to those 2 artists - but I did finish strongly in the last paragraph when I said that Lou reed made music that he wanted to regardless of commerical concerns. Which in context with the whole of Steve Albini's quote makes perfect sense about not giving a fuck.

 

People that don't read all of a post before dismissing it = fannies.........

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