I'm not for a second going to pretend like Lou Reed had any sort of real effect on my life.
I knew he was an incredibly influential musician and that many of today's greatest artists looked to him as an inspiration.
But for me, he was just that guy with a cool voice. So I took the news of his weekend death with the kind of somber nod of respect to a fallen star that accompanies the passing of any artist I don't feel a connection to.
All that said, what I can't deny is that Reed had a gift. And when I think about him, I think of The Velvet Underground's Heroin.
The song, off the band's 1967 debut album, takes you through a hit of smack, from the slow yearning to the frantic high to the melancholy come down. This is a track that makes you think you don't need to be a junkie to go down that road. Check out the song on YouTube: http://youtu.be/ffr0opfm6I4
