Lou Reed never lacked for an opinion. His foremost opinion was that he was great and everybody else wasn’t. That’s Lou talking, no interpretation necessary. Didn’t bother him either that too few people saw it the same way–that lots of people had the nerve to think even the Beatles were as good as Lou and the Velvet Underground. (“I started out with that in mind,” Reed says.) Fortunately there were many who did think Lou Reed was a pretty great artist. That’s why his opinions are being trotted out as part of the Blank on Blank series at PBS Digital Studios.
“I know this sounds pretentious, but I just thought the other stuff couldn’t even come up to our ankles.” Reed says of the Beatles, The Doors and some other acts he didn’t think highly of. “Not up to my ankles, the level we were on compared to everyone else. They were painfully stupid and pretentious.” Reed proudly points out in the interview that he had a B.A. from Syracuse University–in English. So, you know, take that John and Paul! Uneducated slackers.
