Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 1 - July 2019 Lou Reed - The Blue Mask

This I did not know. I did know he was pretty comfortable with including trans people as characters in his songs or taking on that persona. That all over Transformer. I wonder what made him what to tell these stories?
I've read that Walk on the Wild side was inspired by the trans women he was exposed to by Andy Warhol.

But I was going off of album covers on iTunes.

I see at least four where he is wearing makeup, Rock N' Roll Animal,The Blue Mask, Transformer, and The Bells; and three that could be a little suggestive of male pin up pictures, Lou Reed Live, Street Hassle, and Rock n' Roll Heart.
I always assumed that Transformer was just the Bowie/glam influence, but I really don't know.
 
Lou was famously bisexual and in a relationship with a trans woman called Rachel. The track Coney Island Baby includes a dedication to her. He was one of the first mainstream artists to highlight trans people and deal with their lives with sensitivity, take Candy Says for example. This is why trans artists like Anhoni, who had a major career boost through Lou’s patronage (and his amazing appearance on Fistful Of Love) identify him as a ground breaker in pushing for minority rights. By the Blue Mask era he was married to Sylvia, and thus at the time Women was an eyebrow raiser, as much as average guy was. Lou Reed, however much he argues against it, is still Lou Reed. And I would like to think that in our more enlightened times Lou’s words are still apt, Rachel is as much as woman as any other.
 
I've read that Walk on the Wild side was inspired by the trans women he was exposed to by Andy Warhol.


I always assumed that Transformer was just the Bowie/glam influence, but I really don't know.

I mean Bowie/Ronson played on & produced it but then they weren’t approached, from my knowledge Bowie sought it out because of how much he loved the Velvets.
 
I mean Bowie/Ronson played on & produced it but then they weren’t approached, from my knowledge Bowie sought it out because of how much he loved the Velvets.

Yes Bowie was a massive fan and had the VU & Nico album from early 66. He went to New York to see the Velvets but only met the Doug Yule incarnation and mistook him for Lou initially. After the VU breakup Lou returned to his patents house and worked in accounting for a while. Oh, how history could have been different.
 
Yes Bowie was a massive fan and had the VU & Nico album from early 66. He went to New York to see the Velvets but only met the Doug Yule incarnation and mistook him for Lou initially. After the VU breakup Lou returned to his patents house and worked in accounting for a while. Oh, how history could have been different.

This is part of why I love Bowie so much. Not only am impeccable pop chameleon. Not only impeccable taste. Doesn’t only go into bat for his impeccable taste but actively goes out and helps it create and promote itself too. We really were not worthy.!
 
Back
Top