Life's Good But Not Fair at All

It was my first year in Florida. It was the Fall, I think. It's hard to remember the time of year in Florida as the seasons tend to blend around the word, "hot." As in not so hot, hot, really hot and Man! It's freakin' hot out! I had just moved from Seattle and I saw that Lou Reed was coming to the Sunrise Arena in Fort Lauderdale. The 3,000 seat arena was built, literally, a couple hundred yards from the Everglades and built expecting an population expansion west. Unfortunately, that expansion didn't happen for almost a decade and by 2002, the arena was bought for a song by some born again religious group.

Lou Reed was touring on his "New York" release which remains my favorite Lou Reed album. The people in my circle were, if they were aware of Lou Reed at all, aware by his mega-hit, "Walk on the Wild Side." I hadn't bought tickets yet, but as this was still in the era where venues had a box office where you could actually buy tickets, you know, with cash, if you wanted.

I knew from my label days, that unused prom tickets were usually returned to the venue in the afternoon of the show. With a 7:30 pm start, I showed up to the box office around 4 pm and asked for the best they had. He slid me two and I knew they would be decent. I went and picked up my sidekick and returned to the theater.

Upon arriving, the usher took the tickets and said for us to follow him. We descended down the aisle to the first row with our seats, empty and awaiting, smack dab in the middle of the row. It was that night I saw Lou for the first time live do my favorite album of his. It would also be the last time I saw him.

I was first introduced to Lou Reed through the Velvet Underground and the album, "White Light/White Heat." People talk about LoFi, well, this is the blue print for that sound. The song that made that LP special was first, "Sister Ray," that was being played on the underground FM stations. "I could-could-not-hit-it sideways..." rattles in my head still. Still, on that album it was a song written by Reed but sung by band mate, John Cale that I fell in love with. I think "The Gift," the sad story of Waldo Jeffers. Based on a story that Reed in college, "The Gift" was so original that it still is cutting edge today, 45 years after its release. Forgive me, but the first few times I played the tune, I would burst out laughing.
To me it captured that dark humor that is so New York City. It is that ability to so capture the city that to thousands of his fans, Lou Reed was the representative of the City.

I don't have to tell you readers about the influence that Reed had on every form of Rock. Garage band, Glam, Hard, Electronic and speaking his truth. There are and will be more informed and better writers than I that will do that.

To me, what began as a trickle is now turning into a pretty steady pour of my era's best players and innovators passing into the next life. They will, however,  live on in their youth and brilliance through the music they created and left for us to hear. If there is any antidote to "what a drag it is to get old" it will be returning to our youth by listening to the music of artists like Lou Reed.