Thursday, December 8, 2011

Lou Reed & Metallica: Lulu is for literate people, says Reed



Lou Reed claims he doesn’t care what anyone thinks.

The grumpiest guy in rock continues to defend “Lulu,” the album he made with Metallica, despite the love- it-or-hate-it reaction its received to date.

“Who cares?” Reed tells the Telegraph when the mere mention of the critic’s reaction to the project. “I never wrote for them then, I don’t write for them now. I have no interest in what they have to say about anything. I’m interested in whether I like it. I write for me.”

“You know a lot of time these guys that interview us, they think they’re more literate than I am,”
rants Reed. “That would be a real bad mistake. Don’t kid yourself about me, you know what I’m saying? I’m not a good guy to f--- with.”

Part of the tough guy mask Lou wears to protect himself from letting others know he actually does care what people have to say about his work shows a crack when he blurts out, “Are you gonna savage this when you leave the room?” out of the blue. “I think we did a sensual thing. Music is magical, it can make you feel good, it can make you feel bad, and then you put some serious words to it, not just 'I got released from rehab this week, yay.’ Let’s say you go a little bit past there. In my conceit, I thought what if Tennessee Williams had got a crack at this? Can’t it be A Streetcar Named Desire that’s a rock record? Why isn’t anyone doing it? Instead of writing the trash that is out there. I wanted to do something on that level, always. I came close on Berlin. Pretty close. But this one, for me, from beginning to end, this is it.”

As much as Reed asserts disdain for criticism, the Telegraph interviewer suspects he has been upset by the reaction to "Lulu."

“I think this thing needs a champion. This is for people who are literate," says Reed. "This isn’t 'I cry in my beer cos you f---ed him and ran your truck through my bar.’ You can write 30 of those and move to Nashville. These words – every time I see them I get thrilled because it does it to me. It may do it to no one else, I don’t care. I can’t try any harder. I can’t do any better. And my heart was pure and my soul was pure, too. I went in there to make music with the best guys I could find. And we did.”




See also:

AUDIO: Metallica issues second unreleased track
VIDEO: Metallica rocks second 30th Anniversary show
Metallica rocks opening night of 30th Anniversary shows
AUDIO: Metallica issues unreleased song from Death Magnetic
Shakira is a huge Metallica fan
VIDEO: Lou Reed & Metallica – The View
Metallica add 2 more European dates
VIDEO: Lou Reed & Metallica perform on French TV
Metallica announce more 2012 European dates
VIDEO: Ad for Black Sabbath & Metallica at Download
VIDEO: Lou Reed & Metallica perform on Italian TV
Metallica: India concert promoters released on bail
VIDEO: Metallica says The Mini-Band rocks
VIDEO: Lou Reed & Metallica on Jools Holland pt. 2
VIDEO: Watch full Lou Reed & Metallica 1Live webcast
Metallica to play Black Album at Download 2012
VIDEO: Metallica share Banglore, India footage
Metallica: India concert promoters seek bail
VIDEO: Metallica share Abu Dhabi footage
VIDEO: Lou Reed & Metallica perform on Later with Jools Holland
Metallica: Cancelled India show promoters placed in judicial custody
Lou Reed & Metallica announce live radio broadcast/webcast
Danko Jones was joking about selling his Metallica collection
Metallica: Gurgaon ticket refund details announced
Lou Reed: Metallica fans are threatening to shoot me
Lou Reed & Metallica, Megadeth lead this week’s new releases
Metallica: Indian promoter blames fans for Gurgaon cancellation
VIDEO: Metallica rocks Bangalore
VIDEO: Bangalore India prepares for Metallica
VIDEO: India TV interviews Metallica prior to concert cancellation
Metallica: Cancelled Indian concert promoters arrested
Metallica: Gurgaon, India show cancelled
VIDEO: Metallica fans riot in India
VIDEO: Lou Reed & Metallica interviewed on Norwegian TV
VIDEO: Lou Reed and Metallica press kit for Lulu
VIDEO: Metallica rock United Arab Emirates
Danko Jones slams Lou Reed & Metallica project
Lou Reed & Metallica streaming full Lulu album
AUDIO: Lou Reed Metallica album preview available
Metallica turned down Quentin Tarantino film
VIDEO: Lou Reed & Metallica talk about Lulu
VIDEO: Lou Reed and Metallica - Lulu promo
VIDEO: Metallica rally behind Virginia Tech football
Enter the Lou Reed & Metallica NYC listening party contest
AUDIO: Lou Reed and Metallica - without Lou Reed
VIDEO: Lou Reed and Metallica press kit
VIDEO: The Mini Band rock Metallica, Guns N’ Roses
Ramones bassist turned down Metallica twice
VIDEO: Metallica guitarist interviewed at Rock In Rio
VIDEO: Watch full Metallica set from Rock In Rio 4
Metallica announce 30th Anniversary shows
VIDEO: Big 4 - Watch full Metallica set from Sweden