In late-1964-early-1965, Lou Reed wrote to the poet Delmore Schwartz, his creative-writing professor at Syracuse University, and described his life in New York City since graduating the previous ...

Long before the experimental rock deity fronted the Velvet Underground and shook up the New York music scene, Lou Reed was a self-taught musician, shy and searching for his sound. A Long Island teen, ...

Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music was more than an hour of feedback and noise with no noticeable structure. A new tribute album called Metal Machine Muzak interprets the spirit behind that work. LOU REED ...

This is FRESH AIR. Lou Reed, who died in 2013, would have been 80 this year. In part to commemorate that, some crucial, previously unreleased music by Reed has just been issued. Titled "Words & Music, ...

Lou Reed can’t help but laugh after announcing the title of a new song, “Heroin,” on a demo recording from May 1965. He then gives a surprisingly folky, almost Dylan-esque performance of the tune, ...

Lou Reed was indisputably one of the most provocative musicians the rock world has known, releasing songs about heroin abuse and sadomasochism on his very first album (“The Velvet Underground and Nico ...

To be clear, these are not professional recordings; they’re loose versions of the songs sung into a cheap recorder, and consist of Reed on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica while Cale sings ...