The singer that Lou Reed believed no one could imitate
(Source: Far Out / Sony Music Entertainment)
More than most, Lou Reed was an artist who always strove for originality. Even in his early years, performing with doo-wop groups in high school, Reed always seemed to favor the weird and wonderful side of the music world. Of course, the songwriter later became a defining figure in the alternative world, forming The Velvet Underground with John Cale, a band that would change the era of rock and roll forever. Even outside of his own discography, Reed had certain standards he had to uphold in his listening habits.
While growing up in New York, Reed quickly found himself drawn to the vibrant world of music, taking a particular interest in the revolutionary new world of rock’n’roll, as well as jazz and R&B. Of course, Reed was not alone in these influences. Countless young people around the world found their musical calling in the early rock of artists such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. However, the future Velvet Underground lyricist was infinitely individualistic, always favoring those artists with truly unique voices or performance styles.
As the rock and roll scene became more widespread and popular, a number of pretenders to the throne inevitably began to gain ground. Soon, the American music scene was flooded with various rip-off artists and plagiarists riding on the success of earlier artists. In all honesty, the same could be said of Reed’s later work, as the tracks he created with The Underground or during his early solo career were endlessly imitated by a flood of unoriginal alternative rock bands.
As expected, however, Reed has always had a unique ability to see through that gloss of originality and find the truly original voices in music. By all accounts, it took a lot to impress Lou Reed, but the songwriter always had an appreciation for those artists who played by their own rules without caring about mainstream expectations. This attitude probably explains Reed’s own career, which was often known for seemingly odd artistic choices and an openly confrontational attitude toward critics.
Speak with TURN Back in 2008, the “Perfect Day” singer reflected on his own career and motivations, saying, “I’m part of the first generation that still wants to make my own material and not tour around as an oldies act,” probably referring to the original material that Reed was still producing even in the short time before his death in 2013. According to the songwriter, there are few other artists who could do that, but Chuck Berry is certainly one of them.
“You know, Chuck Berry is still playing,” Reed said. “Nobody can play his music like he can. My stuff is the same.” While comparing yourself to such an important icon of rock and roll is a little egotistical, and it’s difficult to draw clear parallels between “Johnny B. Goode” and “Venus In Furs,” no one can deny the representative originality of Berry and Reed.
It sounds like Reed takes pride in how difficult it is to imitate or reproduce his own discography. He continues: “Someone will say, ‘Have you heard that so-and-so sounds like you?’ Why? Because they sing off-key?” According to the songwriter, it is this quality that connects him to the distinctive sound of Chuck Berry’s groundbreaking rock ‘n’ roll.
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