

- #One named singer with the velvet underground in the 1960s how to
- #One named singer with the velvet underground in the 1960s series
His female lovers were unconvinced that he was strictly gay, though he never publicly spoke about the possibility of being bi. He was rumored to have had a number of same-sex lovers throughout the 1960s and ’70s, and though they were well known at the time, they remain unconfirmed. Reed often tried to downplay his bisexuality. In his biography, Notes from the Velvet Underground: The Life of Lou Reed, he was recalled as saying, Being gay, I found that so many women - deluded creatures that they are- are attracted to you because you’re not interested in them… it came across as the ultimate cool. The album gave us “Walk on the Wild Side," one of his greatest hits, which hit number 10 on the Billboard 200.ĭuring the next few years, Reed struggled to recreate his previous success, and it took him until his 1989 album, New York, to work his way back into the limelight.Īlthough Reed is sometimes considered the first out rock star, Reed’s bisexuality was only implied - albeit heavily implied.


Transformer was the album that really put Reed on the map and was a milestone for glam rock. 1972’s Transformer was produced by none other than David Bowie and brought Reed the success he hadn't achieved with The Velvet Underground. Although the band was not a huge commercial success while it was together, it has since become known as one of the most influential underground and alternative rock bands.Īfter 1970, Reed continued with his career and released twenty albums of solo work. The “Velvets” released five albums before Reed’s departure in 1970. It featured a yellow banana sticker that said: "peel slowly and see." When the sticker was peeled off, a pink peeled banana illustration was found underneath. Warhol also designed the famous banana album cover. She would record a number of songs with The Velvet Underground, and she and Reed were briefly lovers. Warhol also introduced Reed to the German Singer, Nico.
#One named singer with the velvet underground in the 1960s series
He incorporated them into the Electric Plastic Inevitable (a series of live events put on by Warhol). The band soon came to the attention of Andy Warhol.

Lou Reed formed the band that we would come to know as The Velvet Underground in 1964 and acted as the main songwriter, singer, and guitarist. He claimed that his parents consented to ECT because of his homosexual feelings, though his suspicions aren’t corroborated by his sister, with who he was close, or any other family members. Reed blamed his father for the torturous treatment and later wrote about the experience in the 1974 song, "Kill Your Sons." The songwriter states that he suffered great trauma and memory loss because of the ECT. Reed’s parents took him to a psychologist who, unfortunately, convinced them that they were simply bad parents and that electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, would be the best treatment for Reed’s "condition."
#One named singer with the velvet underground in the 1960s how to
Lacking a formal music teacher, Reed learned how to play the guitar by listening to the radio and quickly developed an interest in rock and roll and rhythm and blues.Ĭollege was especially hard for Reed, and he had frequent breakdowns, becoming depressed and anxious as well as distancing himself from his friends and family. Reed was an anxious and awkward youth, suffering panic attacks and "possessing a fragile temperament," as remembered by his sister Merrill, but music helped him focus his mind and find an outlet. Lewis Allan Reed, known professionally as Lou Reed, was a singer, songwriter, musician, and poet best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist for the alternative rock band, The Velvet Underground.
