Lou Reed

Musician, songwriter, and performer; a key figure in the history of American music -- via NPR. Where do I begin? A founding member of the Velvet Underground. Created "Berlin" and "New York," two of the greatest albums of all time.

His parents gave him shock therapy because he was gay. He hooked up as a student with Delmore Schwartz, one of my favorite poets. He had a vision that rock could communicate much more than teenage lust, ditty-bop ectstasies, or groovy trips. It could examine life as thoroughly as Baudelaire, Poe, Celine did. He was brave enough to be honest about himself and what he witnessed.

And he fucking rocked. He even imposed Metal Machine Music on us, with perverse rigor and absolute no concern for the audience whatsoever.

He wasn't a pretty boy. He was nervous and confused, like us. He was a junkie; he wasn't. He was gay, he was straight, he was gay, he was straight. Didn't matter.  Lou, you made it OK to be a freak and question everything, especially oneself! Thank you for all the dark magic.