RIP: Lou Reed ...

One of the most influential musicians of all time, Lou Reed, has passed away, according to Rolling Stone.
I think I'll put together a tribute show this week on WNHN at 9 p.m. on Wednesday but an hour can't possibly do his output justice.There are so many songs and they mean so much to so many people, including me. He really helped me through some rough times. I could always put it on and be taken somewhere else, even for a short time.
When I heard the news a little bit ago, I came upstairs to listen to some of the tunes. I also thought about all the songs I've covered by Reed and the Velvets over the years, so many great songs ...
"Temptation Inside Your Heart" with Lovers & Other Monsters (LVRS) and my brother singing with us at Thum's in Concord in 1993, a few months before he passed away.
When I was in this band Jet Velvet, we used to play a sloppy, bombastic version of "White Light/White Heat" (we had a female vocalist, so it was a bit different).
Joel Simches and I did "Ocean" at the Middle East one night just the two of us - me singing and strumming acoustic guitar and him on synths - it was simply amazing. I remember that one like it was yesterday, the crowd sitting in silence listening to us play it.
"Heroin" at the Jerry Brown fundraiser at the Middle East in 1992 with LVRS and members of Womb to Tomb, Curious Ritual, and others jumping up on stage with us for a monstrous extended version of the song that seemed to go on forever. Good times, indeed.
When I "retired" from playing out, I would still play Reed/Velvets tunes.
"I Love You Suzanne" was one I would play for my son when he was little, changing Suzanne to his name, while he would dance around the kitchen. I was just playing "Vicious" the other day on the acoustic; I've had "vicious, you hit me with a flower, you do it every hour, you're so vicious" swirling in my head for days. OMW, "Sweet Jane," "Rock 'n' Roll," "Who Loves the Sun," "Pale Blue  Eyes," some of my favorite songs to sit and strum and hum ... tons of fun ... these are just the songs I liked to play, never mind the ones I liked to listen to.
I can't stop weeping. What a effin' drag. RIP Lou. Thank you for everything.