Lou Reed

The King of New York

De: Will Hermes

Narrado por: Will Hermes

Long-listed, Washington Post Best Books of the Year, 2023

Long-listed, NPR Best Book of the Year, 2023

Long-listed, Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, 2023

This program is read by the author.

"There have been many biographies of Lou Reed, but Will Hermes has written the definitive life . . . He has brought to the assignment a sharp eye, a clear head, a lucid prose style, and a determination to let Lou be Lou, without judgment."—Lucy Sante, author of Low Life

The most complete and penetrating biography of the rock master, whose stature grows every year.

Since his death ten years ago, Lou Reed’s living presence has only grown. The great rock-poet presided over the marriage of Brill Building pop and the European avant-garde, and left American culture transfigured. In Lou Reed: The King of New York, Will Hermes offers the definitive narrative of Reed’s life and legacy, dramatizing his long, brilliant, and contentious dialogue with fans, critics, fellow artists, and assorted habitués of the demimonde. We witness Reed’s complex partnerships with David Bowie, Andy Warhol, John Cale, and Laurie Anderson; track the deadpan wit, street-smart edge, and poetic flights that defined his craft as a singer and songwriter with the Velvet Underground and beyond; and explore the artistic ambition and gift for self-sabotage he took from his mentor Delmore Schwartz.

As Hermes follows Reed from Lower East Side cold-water flats to the landmark status he later achieved, he also tells the story of New York City as a cultural capital. The first biographer to draw on the New York Public Library’s much-publicized Reed archive, Hermes employs the library collections, the release of previously unheard recordings, and a wealth of recent interviews to give us a new Lou Reed—a pioneer in living and writing about nonbinary sexuality and gender identity, a committed artist who pursued beauty and noise with equal fervor, and a turbulent and sometimes truculent man whose emotional imprint endures.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

©2023 Will Hermes (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Music journalist Will Hermes narrates this history in a pleasing tone with consistent clarity while capturing his subject's moody cynicism. His vocal character works well with his insightful writing about Reed's mental health and drug issues, sexual complexity, and pull-no-punches songwriting.... With his strong performance and research, as well as his suave storytelling, Hermes holds listeners close for the entire production." (AudioFIle)

"Hermes shrewdly probes Reed’s complex personal and professional life . . . Hermes’ strength is in identifying and articulating the transformational brilliance of Reed’s songwriting and performances within the context of the 1960s and ’70s music scene. Reverent about his artistry, he’s also discerningly cognizant of Reed’s temperamental shortcomings . . . An engrossing, fully dimensional portrait of an influential yet elusive performer."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Hermes, a superb writer, does poetic justice to the complicated life of his difficult subject . . . [He] offers a fresh and deep immersion in Reed’s world in all of its weird and wonderful, curmudgeonly glory . . . Powerful . . . [A] biographical magnum opus."—Booklist (starred review)

"There have been many biographies of Lou Reed, but Will Hermes has written the definitive life. He has probed into every corner, talked to people the others overlooked, dug up every last clipping and tape, but above all he has brought to the assignment a sharp eye, a clear head, a lucid prose style, and a determination to let Lou be Lou, without judgment."—Lucy Sante, author of Low Life

The most in depth Lou Reed bio

If you are a Lou Reed/Velvet Underground fan then you need to hear this. One of the more complex individuals in rock music brought to life through some great and not so great personal recollections from people who were closest to him. Like most great artists, Reed was ahead of his time.

Can’t imagine a better bio about Reed

Hermes does such a great job of covering Reed’s extraordinary life in a way that is not over indulgent in myth, but none the less captivating. I didn’t want to say goodbye to Lou after the finish of this book. Luckily I won’t have to with his albums at my side.

fantastic!

This will probably be the only book you'll ever need to read on Lou Reed.

Engaging and interesting. Didn’t want it to end.

Excellent look at a complicated man and a great artist. Very well done. Get it!

Best Biography I’ve Ever Read

Will Hermes’ brilliant writing offers a reader the chance to be a fly on the wall throughout one of the most fascinating lives ever lived. This book reads more like a screenplay than a chronological recounting of events. I now feel like I knew the complex and incredible being that is Lou Reed. A must read for any fan of the arts, New Yorker, or simply a lover of a good story.