Alexander Stuart

Of all the tributes to, and stories about, Lou Reed over the past week, this is one of the most fascinating - even though it doesn't directly concern Reed himself, but rather Herbie Flowers , the legendary British bass player who created the immortal bass line that opens Reed's massive solo hit, Walk On The Wild Side. When I first heard Walk On The Wild Side, it seemed the ultimate late night New York song: a transgender story (which apparently radio stations in the 1970s and since didn't even pick up on, despite the line, " Shaved his legs and then he was a she ") featuring characters from Andy Warhol's Factory , which sounded as if it had been recorded at about 1 am in some smoky lowdown basement hangout in the East Village. The video above reveals the immense influence of Herbie Flowers - who had worked with David Bowie , who produced Walk On The Wild Side and the Lou Reed album it came from, Transformer , on Bowie's own classic breakout s

Very sad to learn from the New York Times that music LEGEND Lou Reed has died at 71, survived by his wife, the equally extraordinary Laurie Anderson. He was so fabulous in concert. Just astonishing music: Sweet Jane , I'm Waiting For The Man , Heroin , Walk On The Wild Side ...and the whole Bowie -produced Transformer album ( Perfect Day is sublime, too)...he is and was a genius. I remember his double album (in the days of double albums) Metal Machine Music - four sides of guitar feedback/white noise, reputedly released to fulfill his contract with RCA Records (they had Bowie and Lou, how I loved them even if he didn't). The New York Times article about his death is here: Courtesy New York Times October 27 2013.