Lou Reed Lives On

Kinda amazing about how much conversation and messaging I'm having with friends and acquaintances about Lou Reed's personal influence on all of us.  And media as mainstream as last night's PBS NewsHour had a nice remembrance and interview.  And zillions of tweets, of course, including this one from Whoopi that caught my eye:

Lou Reed, RIP (Rock in Peace), continued

Just saw that KCRW -- arguably the best radio station in the known universe -- has a terrific blog post in tribute to Lou Reed's passing.  The post includes links to KCRW interviews with Lou Reed and an incredible Henry Rollins two-hour show of Reed performances and covers that you can hear online now:

http://blogs.kcrw.com/musicnews/2013/10/rip-lou-reed-a-tribute-from-kcrw/

Lou & Antony

The beat goes on.  Friend John just passed this along for my notice.  Never heard it before, but I have been totally taken by Antony (Antony and the Johnsons) ever since I heard his cover of Leonard Cohen's If It Be Your Will  ...



Lou Reed, more than a legend.

Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson

Found the 1995 Annie Leibovitz photo of Lou Reed and his widow, Laurie Anderson (one of my very favorite artists in her own right) at Coney Island:

photo by Annie Leibovitz

Farewell, Lou Reed

One of my early favorites during his Velvet Underground years and solo beyond, Lou Reed passed away today.  I will probably never forget some of his work, particularly Sweet Jane, Walk on the Wild Side, and of course Heroin. So let's see if we can find some performances:

circa 1972?

1982, live:

circa 1967 (Velvet Underground & Nico)?
from Rock n Roll Animal (there are at least three or four distinctly different versions of Sweet Jane)


Brian Eno is to have said that even though very few people heard his first album, almost all of those who did, formed a band. Lou Reed, rock on.

Stairway to Heaven, Heart Cover

Ann and Nancy Wilson beautifully cover the Led Zeppelin classic at the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors event, while the surviving band members, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones  , along with the Obamas, look on.   (Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zep member, John Bonham, plays drums in this performance.)

 

Hear comments by the Wilson sisters here about the experience.

 A tribute to the band by President Obama:

 

 And here is an early live rendition by LZ in 1973: