LOU REED A Life

ROLLING STONE magazine contributor Anthony DeCurtis has written a subtly drawn portrait of Lou Reed, the man generally credited to have created alternative rock. Narrator Peter Coleman delivers a nuanced, passionate performance, and the overall listening experience is as dark, jagged, and contradictory as Reed himself. Reed died at age 71 in 2013. The iconic, complex musician who encouraged listeners to "take a walk on the wild side" reinvented his personal and performance lives many times. There's pain, beauty, and drug-induced illness in both the words and timbre of the listening experience. Without doubt, this is a must for Reed's fans, but others will need a strong interest in rock as art to appreciate the decadence and decay of Reed's story. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2017]