Gone but never forgotten! ♥ ♥ ♥ Lou Reed and his majestic legacy! #loureed

I woke this morning to the sad news that the music world had lost one of its greatest visionaries. Lou Reed was a poet, a musical messiah of sorts. Hearing this news took me on a rollercoaster of nostalgia as I remembered just how great a part of my teenage years his work really was. I have always adored music, but have never had a particular style of music that I like. I like to say I have no taste in music....I like to try it all.

 In my teens I gorged myself on album after album of random music. I was hungry for all genres, all decades, all aspects of music. I accidentally discovered Lou Reed and consequentially The Velvet Underground when his epic song "Perfect Day" featured on the soundtrack of the movie Trainspotting. I adored his voice, I adored his lyrics, they were profoundly simple. The song reached me on a really visceral level, crying like a little girl the first time I heard it. 

This version that Lou performed on Jools Holland with Anthony Hegarty would bring a tear to a glass eye. It brings together two of the most unique artists of their own times, worlds apart style wise but perfectly attuned to each others quirks and nuances.

Paying tribute to an artist like Lou Reed is a daunting task, but I can safely say that including him on my little musical adventure in my teens was one of the best decisions I never made. Through him I discovered the wonders of Andy Warhol, Reed never failed to mention Warhol when asked to cite inspiration. Lou Reed opened my eyes to all of the pretention involved in being a music fan, and taught me to forget about it and just like what you like and never be ashamed of it. 

"One of these days, 

And it won't be long, 

You gonna call my name, 

And I'll be gone."

 ♥ ♥ ♥ R.I.P. ♥ ♥ ♥