From rock and roll rebel to revered iconoclast, Lou Reed left an indelible mark on international pop culture. His experimental work was influential beyond the standard measure of commercial success. Musician Brian Eno observed, "Only a few thousand people bought the first Velvet Underground, album, but every one of them formed a band. I should know. I was one of those people."
Reed pursued an adventurous aesthetic throughout his storied career. At the turn of this century, Reed's reimagining of Edgar Allen Poe's verse debuted as a theatrical production, POEtry, under the direction of Robert Wilson. A double album followed, with guest vocals by David Bowie, Steve Buscemi, Willem Defoe, Amanda Plummer, and Laurie Anderson. A decade later Reed and Fantagraphics Books commissioned Italian cartoonist Lorenzo Mattotti to illustrate his interpretation of The Raven.
Lou Reed. 1942 – 2013.
