Talk:Lou Reed/Archive 1

Suggested split of solo discography
I tagged the solo part of the discography pargraph for splitting. A Lou Reed discography article with chart positions, certifications etc is in my opinion a must... Roger Workman (talk) 16:38, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

The Ostrich
I think describing this as a "hit" is overstating things. It didn't chart. Pickwick liked it, it got a very small amount of airplay and a band was formed to perform it at low key events but that's about it. Tigerman 2005 15 Oct 06

Shock therapy
Wasn't Lou Reed, as a teenager, submitted to electroconvulsive therapy by his parents, who feared he was homosexual? David.Monniaux 11:56, 29 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Yes, i read this in a few music magazines (rather from the "Rolling Stone" shelf) that this is true.--M. Alexander 15:44, 31 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Doesn't he sing about it in "Kill Your Sons" as well? Also, he is mentioned in the list of famous people who have undergone ECT. I have not enough information besides this to add it, so I'll leave it to some one else, though.

Absolutely he did. The top paragraph has it right. I have a Lou Reed bio which has the details so if I find it I will edit. Technically it was for "anti-social behaviour/characteristics" which was code for his parents fearing he might be gay and other rebellious things like joining a rock band.

What people forget is that Lou was a Warholian and Warhol encouraged everyone to make up stories and the more outrageous the better. so while he may very well have had ECT, take everything he said in the early days with a grain of salt. And the writer who wrote about it in detail is Victor Bockris who's written an incredibly biased and questionable biography filled with errors.Sukie310 (talk) 23:11, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Lost Highway
Lou Reed has a song on the Lost Highway soundtrack (1997) ("The Magic Moment") Sajt 00:52, 11 Jan 2005 (UTC)

If you've seen the movie "Prozac Nation" (Which, in fact, has Lou Reed in it). You'll notice the main character writing a paper on Lou Reed, in which she states that the song "White Light/White Heat" was loosely based on his shock therapy treatment. Whenever he had to endure the therapy, he would see a white light.

Faraway, So Close
Some mention should probably be made of his appearance in Wim Wenders's Faraway, So Close! --Squiddhartha 22:20, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Birthplace
According to Victor Bockris' "Transformer", Reed was born in Brooklyn, and his family moved from Brooklyn to Freeport in 1955.

-Can i ask was Lou Reed from an upper middle class background, because ive read that his dad was an accountant and his mom was a former beauty queen and that they lived in a pretty upper middle class neighbourhood. Its just out of curiosity that ive always wondered this.
 * What difference does is it supposed to make? Do his songs suggest otherwise? Ccoll 13:27, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

-Its interesing to note, because my friend and i were discussing this that people always get slack in the UK specifically for their background and roots if its anything middle class, and me and him were talking about artists who prove this theory completely wrong, So me and him mentioned people such as Miles Davis and Lou Reed as musically venturing into new alleys and being very innovative. Its not out of criticism of Lou Reed, its out of admiration i asked.

anything written by Victor Bockris should never be used as a source. They hated each other and his books are full of discussion, that he was never in the rooms of to hear, that he prints as gospel. Very biased, (Although Lou was born in Brooklyn and raised in LI. ) This source is also incredibly full of errors:. ^ Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side: The Stories Behind the Songs, Chris Roberts & Lou Reed, 2004, Hal Leonard, ISBN 0634080326   First of all Lou was not a cowriter and that is how you have it listed. It says that Lou has a sister Elizabeth and a younger brother. He does have a sister but her name is not Elizabeth and out of privacy will I will not print it. He does not have a brother. The name Elizabeth is from one of Lou's songs mentioning a sister named Elizabeth, but it is not about his life. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sukie310 (talk • contribs) 22:52, 8 December 2007 (UTC)


 * In the shock therapy quote, he says it was used to discourage homosexuality in Rockland County. Was he living in Rockland County at the time, because Rockland County isn't on Long Island?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.221.133.96 (talk) 00:08, 28 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Rockland County is the former site of the Rockland Psychiatric Center

Needs image
I didn't know much about Reed (embarassed myself the other day about his race), so it would help me, at the least. An album crop might do, or a free publicity still. -- nae'blis (talk) 17:19, 26 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Here are some pictures of him already existing, the cover of Street Hassle might be a fair choice.


 * Added a small one from one of the fan sites linked from his official site so that it shouldn't be a problem. Could certainly find him looking more outrageous, but that should probably be placed in context within the article. --Ccoll 08:52, 9 January 2006 (UTC)

PFFFFFFT
When did lou reed sing punk or anything resembling punk?! This article is severely WRONG in many things. First: The Godfather of Punk is Iggy Pop's NICKNAME.
 * Well, he is on the cover of Punk #1. That said, I would rather the article focus on what Lou Reed himself did, rather than immediately jumping to what he influenced. And it should be obvious that a nickname is hardly formal. It could be said rightly or wrongly about anyone. So I don't mind losing it from the article, but not because Iggy or someone else "is" the Godfather. Ccoll 01:29, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

birthplace, shock treatment
Wasn't Lou born some where out on the island (long island)? I thought not in brooklyn but somewhere in long island, and yes, according to a concert brochure at wolf trap where I saw Lou perform, he was subjected to schock treatment as a kid for suspected homosexuality.

Born in Brooklyn, however his family moved to Freeport, Long Island when he was 12.

Congratulations and thanks...
...to everyone who contributed on what seems (to this non-expert) to be one of the better articles we have. --bodnotbod 21:16, 5 February 2006 (UTC)

Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground "gained relatively little notice during its life" ?? I thought it gained plenty of notice -- just didn't sell many albums.
 * relatively. Joeyramoney 20:50, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

Nico
Someone recently edited the text about Nico to point out that he and Reed were "gay lovers" rather than "lovers" as it said before. Anyone else think this is just gratuitous and should be removed? Aguerriero ( talk ) 13:19, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
 * It's a true fact. Frankly I think that without the mention the text is misleading to those who don't know who Nico is. --Sindri 14:03, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
 * I know it's a fact; it just seemed like someone was going in there and saying, "They were not standard lovers, you see. They were gay lovers." as if it's something different. It is already mentioned earlier in that paragraph that Nico was a male model.  No biggie, it just struck me as borderline "commentary" rather than just stating the fact.  Aguerriero  ( talk ) 14:13, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Nico was a woman. I've never seen anything to suggest she was ever anything other than female - she had a son with Alain Delon. --ajn (talk) 14:28, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
 * My bad, I assumed it was true sinche someone posted a complaint about mentioning gayness instead of just removing vandalism. --Sindri 14:31, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Heh, sorry about that misunderstanding. I am a member of the Counter-Vandalism Unit and not all that familiar with Lou Reed. I had actually just looked up Nico and was coming back here to fix the vandalism.  Aguerriero  ( talk ) 14:58, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, with Reed's bisexuality and his circle of cross-dressers and transsexuals it's never easy to tell (Lester Bangs writes about meeting Reed's "girlfriend" Rachel, and noticing a five-o-clock shadow). Nico had a fairly deep voice, but I think that was due to cigarettes rather than male hormones.  My recollection is that Reed doesn't believe in bisexuality - he thinks you're either gay or straight, and that he was gay for several years in the seventies and is straight now.  I can't remember if I own Victor Bockris's biography of Reed, or if it's discussed in VB's biography of Warhol.  --ajn (talk) 15:09, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

Yes, Nico was undisputibly a woman. Wwwhhh 08:30, 27 July 2006 (UTC)

LMAO Nico was a woman, not a man. Lou Reed is bisexual not gay or straight and it's rather well known he was in a relationship with a Transwoman or drag queen named Rachel in the 70s. http://www.glbtq.com/arts/reed_l.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.16.0.24 (talk) 09:41, 10 February 2011 (UTC)

Busking?
The latest edit mentions Lou Reed having been a busker during "his formative years." Is there any source for this? And as the article is written currently, I think we need a more specific date; I'm not sure the point fits where it was placed. Ccoll 18:53, 2 June 2006 (UTC)

Reed and Cale did busk during the early days of their friendship but it isn't overly relevant IMHO. Tigerman 2005 15 Oct 06

Updating this article
This article could use a good and a clean re-editing and some proof reading. It would be great if this article could further expand on the time from 1990 or 1991 for when Lou Reed got around to writing Magic and Loss concerning Doc Pomus. It would be great if it could all lead up to The Raven for 2003. Lou Reed has seemed to have a tremendous and a focused spike of new inspiration and talent during all of this time. www.geocities.com/berniethomas68 14:17, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Laurie Anderson
Someone added an unsourced statement to the Laurie Anderson article that she and Lou are now married. I cannot find any source to verify this so I removed it from that article. I assume if Reed and Anderson had married there would be some press coverage of this fact. If anyone can offer a reputable source confirming this, however, please feel free to add it to Laurie's article. (PS. an IP is showing up in my signature as I got logged off; this message was left by User:23skidoo.) 23skidoo 15:07, 29 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Agree with removal - I looked around and could'nt find anything either. Though he was married previously, the claim is probably false - Coil00 12:24, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

MTV says "married"
On the other hand, no less a source than MTV (via MTV News) considers them to be married: In addition to working with star actors, Reed recruited a roster of gifted musicians including David Bowie, folk duo Kate and Anna McGarrigle, his wife Laurie Anderson and gospel pop group Five Blind Boys of Alabama. --http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459300/20021226/reed_lou.jhtml Doesn't make enough difference to me to bother to change the article, though...and of course it would be better to get something like a NY Times clipping about the deed... --starfarmer (talk) 07:16, 13 December 2007 (UTC)

Recent Photo
Is there not a more recent and a permissible photograph of Lou Reed from 2006 to use rather for than what was 32 years ago at the top of the article to use ? http&#58;//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Berniethomas68 19:19, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree, and have written at least one note about it in the edit summaries. I had an 80s head shot, much more representative of what the man has actually looked like for most of his career, at the top of the page for some time, until it was replaced by the "animal" look, which is appealing but not really as informative.Ccoll 05:33, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * We really need a good free photo of him. The present one is in breach of fair use and will have to come down. --Guinnog 04:54, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Someone has been working on this article over time and it seems to be quite cleaned up, congratulations go out to those who worked on it. http&#58;//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Berniethomas68 19:17, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

The Shades?
I believe the Doo-whop group that Lou Reed belonged to was called "The Jades" - there's a single with two songs: "Leave Her for Me" backed by "So Blue" that are attributed to him. -- John 18:40, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

Propositioning John Cale for sex???
Found in one of the paragraphs:

"....according to Cale's memoirs, Reed demonstrated little interest in Cale's musical pedigree and continually propositioned him for sex, which Cale grudgingly accepted."

This doesn't sit well with me. Cale, according to all sources I've checked, was unambiguously heterosexual. Furthermore I've been unable to find any online reference to subtsantiate the above claim. Accordingly I will be removing it, as it is, in my eye, little more than codswallop and puerile vandalism of the first order. TydeNet 05:32, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

Junkie
Lou Reed was a junkie and he made it fashionable to wear black ALL THE TIME. Maybe if it was not for Lou Reed we would not be so hot in the summer and Axl Rose would not be so much of a social phenomenon Michaeldrayson 17:23, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

lou reed was not a junkie (altho' no doubt he may have indulged),  if anything he was a speed freak. Just because he wrote about Heroin, doesn't mean anything. He is a writer and a poet and as such he is a commentator on what he sees around him. Little slices of life. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sukie310 (talk • contribs) 23:05, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Lou Reed was indeed a hardcore heroin addict "junkie". I recently went to the Andy Warhol museum located in Pittsburgh, PA. There was a section about Warhol's relationship with the Velvet Underground. There was a quote on the label that read "Andy asked me to write some songs about the feeling of being high on heroin and the horrible withdrawal from heroin. Shortly afterward we began to write songs like "Heroin" and "Run Run Run"" ~Lou Reed. Yes, Reed took speed like many other Factory regulars, but his drug of choice was in fact heroin. --KineticRic (talk) 23:05, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

Well he's included here: http://www.thatspoppycock.com/library/list_of_opiate_addicts.htm And I doubt writing several songs about heroine use "doesn't mean a thing". Those weren't comments on what he saw around him but what he saw happening to himself.

I think the article should have a section about his addiction history and more personal detail. Where did he live when, how did he get by. --88.64.190.185 (talk) 16:17, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

His drug past was more exaggerated than it really was, he was once on the 'list' most likely rock musician to die young. However it was part of his act. I was once at a concert where he was balancing on the edge of the stage high and drunk, everybody was waiting for him to fall of, it was probably an act. Later in the end of the seventies and beginning 80's he did a number of public information messages on national TV warning kids against drugs 'say no to drugs' and was also 'campaining' these statements. So his drug past must have been only very short and in the beginning of the seventies. He has not used drugs ever since. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.251.80.110 (talk) 09:57, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

He has had serious problems with alcohol, heroin and amphetamines. Although substance abuse is far from unusual, especially for rock musicians, such information is very relevant to Reed's life and work. Therefore, even if he has been completely clean for years now, it should still be mentioned on this article. F W Nietzsche (talk) 02:55, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

Ambiguity regarding Reed/Cale/Nico relationships line
"Despite his initial resistance, Reed wrote several songs for Nico to sing, and the two were briefly lovers (a distinction later shared with Nico by Cale)." What does this mean? That Cale and Nico were lovers or that Cale and Reed were lovers? The syntax is impenetrable. 206.218.218.57 21:01, 9 November 2007 (UTC)
 * That's what happens with edits like the parenthetical phrase which was added to the sentence I wrote. It only confuses the reader, especially since this is the Lou Reed article, not the Nico or Cale articles. This article has taken a turn toward too much Velvet Underground info at the beginning and too much trivia at the end.Ccoll 05:05, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

Unsourced Bowie comments
"It is the general consensus that the punch Reed threw was over Bowie's attempt to produce his next album, but it is not unikely that Bowie made him a more licentious offer. The two would not formally collaborate again until 2003's The Raven" Not only was the first sentence NPOV and unsourced ("licentious," indeed), but the sentence mistakely leaves the impression that the two didn't reconcile until "The Raven." Though they may not have officially written or recorded anything together before then, they have performed together and reconciled sometime befotre the Raven. (At the very least, Reed had performed with Bowie at the latter's 50th Birthday concet in 1997.) 206.218.218.57 21:05, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Category: Gay
Can someone clarify for me why the Lou Reed page does not have attached to it "Category:Gay musicians"? He is known to have a number of men as lovers, transsexual or not, and just because he apparently views homosexuality as an on/off condition doesn't remove the fact that he has a history as a gay person. To leave him out of the list seems pandering. I was going to simply add the category, but figured I'd save myself the fight by hashing it out here first. --starfarmer (talk) 04:24, 13 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Having a history of male sexual partners doesn't make you gay. He seems to have "recanted" his homosexuality, somewhat along the lines of Little Richard, who is also now straight. Per WP:BLP, wikipedia is not to categorize or label people in ways they don't agree with - if he says he's straight, he's straight. See  for more on Lou and his "one-time besexuality". -- SatyrTN (talk / contribs) 19:46, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

- Why put a label on the guy? More importantly - who gives a shit? He's been involved with a number of women over the years and he can't be categorized as 'gay'.

LGBT or ex-gay
This article, which is part of LGBT studies, should be in at least one 'non-straight' category. Little Richard, mentioned in the above section, is in the ex-gay category. The reference above is from 2004 - does he currently claim to be straight? Werdnawerdna (talk) 04:00, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Lou Reed is NOT 'ex gay' he's bisexual and it's as well known documented fact. http://www.glbtq.com/arts/reed_l.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.16.0.24 (talk) 09:37, 10 February 2011 (UTC)

Poetry
"My Dedalus to your Bloom was such a perfect wit." If he'd said "my Abbott to your Costello" it might have made more sense. It is a tragedy that his toughguy leatherman image is made so laughably lame by his cloth ears (inability to use rhyme and meter more skillfully than the average fourth-grader.) Should there be a section on his poetry? Pliny (talk) 20:09, 14 August 2009 (UTC)

How exactly do his supposedly poetically awkward song lyrics contradict his "toughguy leatherman image"? Are macho tough guys known for their poetic turns of phrase? You ought to be more coherent when slamming Lou so gratuitously, and that throwaway quote and silly hyperbole does little to establish your claim.74.196.214.250 (talk) 06:58, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

Birthname
Allmusic gives Reed's birthname as "Lewis Allen Rabinowitz". Any idea if this is true? If it is it should obviouosly be in the article, but if it isn't it possibly should be in there too, even if just to be debunked as the "Firbanks" theory is. JimmyGuano (talk) 06:57, 9 January 2011 (UTC)
 * As no-one's objected I've added this to the article JimmyGuano (talk) 12:45, 12 February 2011 (UTC)
 * But now it gets even more confusing. The "Early life" section states: "Contrary to some sources, his birth name was Lewis Allan Reed, not Louis Firbanks(that name was a joke started by Lester Bangs for Creem magazine).", while using this as a reference. What to do now? --186.82.60.241 (talk) 22:37, 26 February 2011 (UTC)


 * "Rabinowitz" is absolutely untrue. Actually, it is so untrue that it is friggin' hilarious.  His father's last name was Reed as well.96.255.213.107 (talk) 01:56, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

Actually, in an interview in Punk magazine #1, Lou states that his family name is Rabinowitz. 66.68.80.64 (talk) 22:57, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Please put sources for the article here
Please put sources for the article here. They don't belong in the External links section. If they aren't appropriate, or have been used up, you can just cross them off like this. Thanks. --Leahtwosaints (talk) 06:44, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Lou Reed Complete Discography and Concerts
 * Lou Reed Italian website
 * Lou Reed Tai Chi website
 * Berlin - The Film
 * Lou Reed reading his poetry in Barcelona, at Canal-L
 * Berlin - The Film
 * Lou Reed reading his poetry in Barcelona, at Canal-L
 * Lou Reed reading his poetry in Barcelona, at Canal-L

It's mentioned four times that he married Laurie Anderson
I know it's important, and I, too, highly respect Ms. Anderson, but isn't it a bit repetitious if not excessive? I reckon it is a long article, but 2 mentions (of which one would grudgingly come in the lead) should suffice. Thoughts? --Mareklug talk 23:19, 31 October 2011 (UTC)

Associated Acts: KISS
KISS should be added, he worked with them on their album "Music From The Elder". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.229.114.180 (talk) 06:04, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

Early career
Could be expanded. Will try and get round to it, but I'm busy elsewhere on Wikipedia at the moment. -- Hillbillyholiday talk 14:27, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

Death reported
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lou-reed-velvet-underground-leader-and-rock-pioneer-dead-at-71-20131027 Theroadislong (talk) 17:23, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

Lock this page
Much as I wish 'No No Never' was the answer here, Mr Reed has sadly passed away...Martyn Smith (talk) 18:21, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

Really? Looks like it is a hoax: http://en.mediamass.net/people/lou-reed/deathhoax.html Awernham (talk) 18:44, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

Nope that site seems to have made the story of it being a hoax up - Google "“He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet,” to see numerous other stories of celeb deaths with EXACTLY the same quote from agents. --C Hawke (talk) 19:19, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

''The news was confirmed on Sunday evening by his UK music agent. "Yes I'm afraid it's true," Andy Woolliscroft told the Guardian. "I'm very upset."'' http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/27/lou-reed-velvet-underground-dies --Dethorin (talk) 18:51, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

Genres
There should be nothing here which is not mentioned and referenced in the body of the article. --John (talk) 20:14, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

Tributes
Can we be judicious about which tributes we include here? The ones we have so far are fine but everybody and their dog will be eulogising Reed in the next few days and not all of them will be notable. --John (talk) 20:12, 27 October 2013 (UTC)
 * It would be good to mention John Cale's tribute on his official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJohnCale --Marek Koudelka (talk) 20:20, 27 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Not unless it is published in a proper source. --John (talk) 20:26, 27 October 2013 (UTC)
 * indeed. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:32, 27 October 2013 (UTC)
 * That's very interesting! Thanks. --John (talk) 20:48, 27 October 2013 (UTC)
 * John Cale's reaction source --Marek Koudelka (talk) 21:25, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

Lulu on the bridge
If we can't edit, someone should include "Lulu on the Bridge" (1998) in his filmography, as "the man with the whore". thanx109.13.221.244 (talk) 21:04, 27 October 2013 (UTC)


 * ✅ Going with the character name "Not Lou Reed", as sources suggest. Thanks. &mdash; MusikAnimal talk 21:27, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

Lou Reed died on Long Island, New York
Lou Reed died on Long Island, New York, today. Events happen ON islands and not in them. It is amazing how writers cannot get the simple use of prepositions correct. Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled ON Elba and ON St. Helena, and not in them. In 1940, the Luftwaffe made attacks ON Great Britain and not in it. On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy made an attack ON Oahu and not in it. People are born ON Prince Edward Island and ON Newfoundland Island and not in them. Mt. Etna is erupting ON Sicily and not in it.98.67.108.42 (talk) 21:38, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

- It's also the full name of the location. Things happen on an island, but if the island is called "Rhode Island," you can be in "Rhode Island." No need to be pedantic. No one on earth says "I was born on Prince Edward Island." Ludicrous. (edit: Additionally, making attacks "on" a country is an entire different manner. You can also say someone made an attack on "The United States," not because it's an island, but that's just how it's done. If you consider Great Britain an island, is there a way to determine when a particular land mass seizes to be an island? Perhaps a particular surface area?) --68.147.225.213 (talk) 22:10, 27 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Um, can you show us where the problem is in the article? And by the way, Great Britain isn't "an island" is only one single island "geographically" (allegedly), meaning that all the other little component island exist only "politically", which is quite sad, really. Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:18, 27 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Actually it is. --John (talk) 22:36, 27 October 2013 (UTC)
 * so is that just one rock or a whole collection?? (..... get's a bit lonely out here...) Martinevans123 (talk) 22:59, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

Re: Dion and final quote
I've known this even before his death, but after reading the article realized I didn't see it mentioned. Reed assisted and appeared on Dion's 1989 album, Yo Frankie, as well as inducting Dion into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that same year. See: and. Thanks! 74.62.92.20 (talk) 19:07, 27 October 2013 (UTC)


 * I see the collaboration with Dion mentioned under the discography. Not the benefit concert or induction though in the 80s/1989 section.

Also, the last quote/sentence in the Death section is missing a " at the end. A minor fix, but thought i'd mention it. ("generous, encouraging and thoughtful. Working with him sometimes could be trying to some people, but never to me. I guess we learned from each other. We all learned from each other.) Thank you! 74.62.92.20 (talk) 03:11, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

Front page?
Why isn't his death mentioned in the news on the front page? Surely, it is of as much importance as that fellow who won the Grand Prix? --- The Old Jacobite The '45  00:50, 28 October 2013 (UTC)


 * See In the news. Personally, I'd suggest that Reed "was widely regarded as a very important figure in his or her field", and accordingly his death merits a front page slot. I'm not familiar with all the ins-and-outs of the Main Page though - perhaps someone who is could start the process? AndyTheGrump (talk) 01:52, 28 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Actually, I see that Reed has now been added to the 'recent deaths' section of 'In the news' at least. AndyTheGrump (talk) 01:55, 28 October 2013 (UTC)
 * The question of whether he should have a "full blurb" is still under discussion here, so you could add your voice. Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:22, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 28 October 2013
Page: Lou Reed A citation for the assertion that Reed grew up in Freeport, NY would be in. I was on the staff of the yearbook, and recently sold those two editions to a fan of Reed's for $700 each. The yearbook is probably archived in the Freeport Public Library, or in the school system there.

Andylyke (talk) 11:19, 28 October 2013 (UTC)
 * ✅ —  Reatlas  (talk)  12:05, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

Introduction
Intro needs work and expansion. The only post-VU album mention is his most notoriously terrible album and a quote about it. That doesn't make sense.Cosprings (talk) 16:37, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 28 October 2013
The part about his death is wrong, the evidence can be found here: https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/264466_10152055138388455_63079482_n.jpg  You're welcome...

PiperTheGreat (talk) 20:31, 28 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Which part exactly? And in which way is that link evidence of anything at all? Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:42, 28 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done:. You're right, Martin, it isn't. It's just a forum. The section is in any case too large and should probably be reduced to just the first three sentences on the basis of WP:NOTMEMORIAL. --Stfg (talk) 21:26, 28 October 2013 (UTC)


 * phew, that's a relief! I thought it was just a hurried photoshopped copy of a forum... Martinevans123 (talk) 22:43, 28 October 2013 (UTC)


 * actually, I think you're right. (Why are we whispering?) --Stfg (talk) 23:30, 28 October 2013 (UTC)


 * (Heavenly wine and roses, seem to whisper to me when you smile) Martinevans123 (talk) 23:38, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

Personal life
A personal life section is needed for this article.  Caden  cool  08:28, 13 November 2012 (UTC)


 * Seconded, I came to this page hoping to read more about his personal life, I already know about his career I was more interested in him as a person.Gymnophoria (talk) 14:26, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 29 October 2013
The Arctic Monkeys played Walk on the Wild Side in honour of Lou Reed at Echo Arena, Liverpool, a day after the musician's death.

Seblaise (talk) 20:03, 29 October 2013 (UTC) http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/arctic-monkeys-cover-lou-reeds-walk-on-the-wild-side-20131029


 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: Not notable. Please see WP:NOTMEMORIAL. --Stfg (talk) 20:16, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

Re: Bowie reaction
To: John (talk) and anyone else interested in editing this section. (John, I posted on your page as well - just wanted to post it here too for anyone else interested and in the hope that you would see this). The "death" section mentions reactions from Elijah Wood, Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Adams...But not from David Bowie who was Reed's personal friend, sung with him on multiple occasions, and produced his second album "Transformer" jointly with Mick Ronson in 1972, who was the guitarist in Bowie's band, The Spiders from Mars. I added a link to Bowie's reaction, sourced to Bowie's website, but was rebuked on the grounds that a secondary source was needed, so I would like to know what secondary source would be needed to confirm the edit. Thanks! -- TheGreatTweedsmuir (talk) Friends past... - http://rockimages.centerblog.net/10674-lou-reed-david-bowie - http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lq1aa43I0A1r1vo8so1_500.jpg And present... - http://www.brooklynvegan.com/img/music/bowiereedgallery.jpg - http://www.davidbowie.com/news/rip-lou-reed-52171 — Preceding unsigned comment added by TheGreatTweedsmuir (talk • contribs) 23:17, 27 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Also, I think it's rather inappropriate to mention Miley Cyrus. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.202.171.200 (talk) 01:36, 28 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Rightly of wrongly, you can hold USA Today responsible for Miley Cyrus: . We are just echoing what they report. I suspect that in a few days we will be able to sort the more considered and relevant reactions from the Twitter-drek, and will manage without her. AndyTheGrump (talk) 01:47, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

maybe you shouldn't echo USA today then? One more request to dump miley from that list. - IIIIIIIII (talk) 21:58, 28 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Maybe you could add Rufus Wainwright. He was a personal friend. He talked about Reed on [[Newsnight] ] and posted something on his website .--[[User:Sylvia Anna|Sylvia Anna]] (talk) 22:38, 31 October 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 2 November 2013
Lou Reed died at his home in East Hampton, not Southampton.

209.140.35.75 (talk) 20:16, 2 November 2013 (UTC)


 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done for now: There seems to be conflicting evidence. The statement in the article has five citations (!) and they go as follows:
 * FN58 (N.Y. Times): Amagansett, which I believe is East Hampton;
 * FN59 (Rolling Stone): Just says Long Island;
 * FN60 (Guardian): Southampton;
 * FN61 (BBC): place not stated;
 * FN62 (cleveland.com): place not stated.
 * We seem to need better sources for this. Have you anything please? --Stfg (talk) 20:46, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

Liver transplant
There is some difference of opinion on when Reed had his liver transplant. For instance, the NY Times says "April." Rolling Stone says "May." Both and others are given as the sources in the story. Only one, presently undetermined as to which, can be right.

Unless and until this is resolved neither should be in the article, in my opinion. I changed it to "Spring" which covers the both months, but some other editor was unhappy with that, though they retained the contradictory sources. I'm putting "spring" back in, which is a legitimate characterization no matter which month is correct, and hope that others can resist guessing in the absence of documented fact.

The mortality rate for liver transplants is fairly high. One assumes that Reed was compliant with anti-rejection drugs if he continued to do Tai Chi and was in close communication with his hepatologist. So we don't know precisely why he died. Countless others, including David Crosby, have been saved by that intervention.

It's really a shame that he died of the condition so many years after getting sober, as I assume the underlying condition was probably Hepatitis C, endemic among IV drug users. That virus frequently produces cirrhosis and often hepatic cancer, the latter of which is almost always fatal. If HCV caught early enough in an otherwise healthy and sober victim, before substantial damage is done, it can usually be cured through treatment with anti-viral drugs and interferon.

Lastly, in order to be considered as a transplant recipient, certain criteria are applied. Advanced age, a compromised immune system, continued substance abuse, likelihood of non-compliance, etc., are negative factors. I'm actually surprised that Reed got a transplant, as I would assume that he would not have been rated as a legitimate candidate due to his age. I wonder if the criteria might not be rigorously followed, because some victims of liver failure such as Mickey Mantle, never did stop abusing their new liver. Fame or money should not be a prime qualification for becoming a recipient, as there are far more victims needing livers (and other organs) than there are available livers. Activist (talk) 22:03, 28 October 2013 (UTC)
 * We can't say "spring" as it breaches WP:SEASON. I say go with the BBC source which says "April". If the Rolling Stone is the only source which says "May", perhaps it is wrong? If there is real uncertainty about the month we would have to say "early 2013" or just "2013". --John (talk) 06:33, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
 * This source, which states "May", is probably the best one we have for the date of the transplant procedure, though of course it's likely if not certain that he was hospitalized for treatment beforehand, in April. We should stick to May if we are referring to the operation specifically, rather than the treatment more generally. "Spring" is inappropriate, as John says.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:38, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
 * I just found and posted a Cleveland Plain Dealer June 11th account that seems rather definitive as to when the procedure took place, that it was in fact in early May. ABC News misreported this as "April" as recently as yesterday, perhaps following the otherwise excellent NY Times obit. The confusion may have been brewed because his hospitalization likely began in April. Activist (talk) 16:37, 31 October 2013 (UTC)
 * I did reach the NY Times reporter. Much of the obit material there had been developed by the Obit writers. He thought that someone from that department had contacted the surgeon who did the transplant, but was going to check back. Activist (talk) 22:28, 3 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Re medical criteria/candidacy for transplant: doesn't healthcare in the US work in a slightly different way? Was this procedure privately funded? Or is this irrelevant? Martinevans123 (talk) 10:49, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Different than WHAT? Each country is probably different. I can't imagine that there aren't some places where a recipient can't buy a kidney from some poor soul. In the U.S., there are criteria for candidacy, waiting lists, etc. A kidney donor might be found from a relative or other person with a suitable match, outside of the lists. Reed was old enough to receive Medicare, assuming he had enough Social Security "quarters," for public funding for about 80% of approved medical costs. Activist (talk) 22:28, 3 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Please forgive my ill-fitting blinkers. And thanks for the info. Martinevans123 (talk) 00:12, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

Redundant references
I removed the references to psychedelia as no reasonable arguments are given to support this claim. Jayaguru-Shishya (talk) 23:12, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 27 January 2014
In the text under the photo, the word sixties should not be capitalized.

Pama73 (talk) 07:09, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

✅ by some-one else early this morning - Arjayay (talk) 15:36, 27 January 2014 (UTC)