Lou Reed is sort of an art snob. He was trained by poet Delmore Schwartz, whom most of us have never heard of, and he writes soundtracks to films about obscure Nelson Algren novels that never come to fruition. He records Top 20 hits, grows disenfranchised and releases double albums of distortion. He puts out brilliant rock operas, stylized renditions of the works of Poe and, more recently, meditation music inspired by the Hudson River.
Lou Reed isn't appealing to your tastes, and that's what makes him appealing.
The former Velvet Underground frontman and notorious curmudgeon will be playing at The Calvin Theater in Northampton Sunday, April 20 with Sonic Youth frontman and NoHo resident Thurston Moore. Reed is embarking on a brief U.S. tour with Moore and, later, the rest of Sonic Youth before heading transatlantic to promote the recently released Julian Schnabel documentary "Lou Reed's Berlin," according to Pitchfork Media.
It is difficult to say what to expect from Reed's tour, as his last studio album, "Ecstasy," came about in '00. Since then he's kept himself busy with rock operas, aforementioned projects on Poe and a diary published in The New Yorker magazine. But Reed's repertoire - ranging from songs written with The Velvet Underground to his solo rock-opera masterpiece "Berlin" and his more recent delving into meditative soundtrack - is more than enough to fill a solid set of the avant-garde.
Schnabel's documentary focuses on the live performance of "Berlin," Reed's third solo album. Following the success of the David Bowie-/ Mark Ronson-produced glam rock hit "Transformer," made famous by the Nelson Algren-inspired song "Walk on the Wild Side," Reed's "Berlin" tells the tale of two star-crossed, drug addicted lovers in the city of same name.
Reed's diverse (sometime odd) discography is evidence that his output has been focused on art, and not hits. While most artists will say they aren't in it for the money, few (save for Neil Young, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits and a few others) will fly in the face of convention, whether the market is there or not.
Mentored as an undergraduate at Syracuse University by poet Delmore Schwartz, Reed was encouraged to speak colloquially in his writing, in the tradition of Schwartz and famed American poet William Carlos Williams.
In a 1987 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Reed said his goal as a musician was to bring the sensitivity of the novel to rock music; he did that with "Berlin."
Reed's output, both pre- and post- Underground, has influenced every angry, snotty, realist musician since. Moore, who along with My Morning Jacket played at the South by South West (SXSW) tribute to Reed in March of this year, will be performing with Reed this Sunday at the Calvin. Moore will be joined by his Sonic Youth bandmates later in the tour.
The show will start at 8 p.m. at the Calvin Theater in Northampton, and is being put on by Iron Horse entertainment Group. Tickets prices range from $35 and $55.
S.P. Sullivan can be reached at spsulliv@dailycollegian.com.
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