Episode #122 | 3.21.23
Lou Reed (An Origin Story) Pt. 1
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In this episode
Lou Reed is one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll characters of all time, one known to lie and exaggerate his own mythology during interviews about his past. In this special 2-part episode, Lou’s origin story with the Velvet Underground runs straight through Manhattan transgressions, murder mysteries, drug abuse, and all the other crimes, criminals, and antisocial behavior depicted in Lou’s legendary lyrics.
Sources
Up-Tight: The Velvet Underground Story, by Victor Bockris and Gerard Melanga
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk, by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
The Velvet Underground (2021, dir. Todd Haynes)
Lou Reed Was a Jealous, Misogynistic 'Prick' Who Acted Obnoxious to Sell Records (Vice)
Wild Stories About The Insane Life Of Music Pioneer Lou Reed (Ranker)
Here Are Some Things You Don't Know About Lou Reed (Vice)
Inside the wild, debauched world of Lou Reed (NY Post)
Who Was the Real Lou Reed? (NY Times)
Lou Reed remembered by Moe Tucker (The Guardian)
Lou Reed Described Bob Dylan as a ‘Pretentious Kike’ (The Daily Beast)
Lou Reed’s “Take a walk on The Wild Side” - Cafe Society (Straight Dope)
Disgraceland is a podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. It melds music history, true crime and transgressive fiction. Disgraceland is not journalism. Disgraceland is entertainment. Entertainment inspired by true events. However, certain scenes, characters and names are sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes.
Music
Hosted and written by Jake Brennan.
Copy editing by James Sullivan.
Score by Jake Brennan.
Mixed and Engineered by Matt Beaudoin.
Chris Anzalone as the voice of Lou Reed.
Additional music by Scott Janovitz.
Additional music and score elements by Ryan Spraker.
Additional music services by Bryce Kanzer.
Ad music composed by the late, great Ian Kennedy.
Disgraceland theme song, "Crenshaw Space Boogie" written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor. Score by Jake Brennan.
*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak