If you hadn’t heard, Lou Reed was hospitalized the other day due to dehydration. The Velvet Underground singer was rushed to Southampton Hospital from his home in East Hampton after feeling ill. He recently underwent a liver transplant surgery in May, and has been recovering since; though he did attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June. Today, he was released from the hospital and is apparently recovering nicely.
On another note, Reed, who is also an author, photographer, and the co-host of New York Shuffle on Sirius XM radio, has written a commentary of the new Kanye West album Yeezus, which, for all intents and purposes, he finds to be a work of epic proportions:
“Kanye West is a child of social networking and hip-hop. And he knows about all kinds of music and popular culture. The guy has a real wide palette to play with. That’s all over Yeezus. There are moments of supreme beauty and greatness on this record, and then some of it is the same old shit. But the guy really, really, really is talented. He’s really trying to raise the bar. No one’s near doing what he’s doing, it’s not even on the same planet.”
While Reed praises the album, and the concept, he does offer some criticisms as well:
“But why he starts the album off with that typical synth buzzsaw sound is beyond me, but what a sound it is, all gussied up and processed. I can’t figure out why he would do that. It’s like farting. It’s another dare — I dare you to like this. Very perverse.”
The contradictions:
“‘New Slaves’ has that line ‘Y’all throwin’ contracts at me/ You know that niggas can’t read.’ Wow, wow, wow. That is an amazing thing to put in a lyric. That’s a serious accusation in the middle of this rant at other people: an accusation of himself. As if he’s some piece of shit from the street who doesn’t know nothing. Yeah, right — your mom was a college English professor.”
The juxtaposition:
“…vocal tones on ‘Blood on the Leaves’ is incredible — that pitched-up sample of Nina Simone singing ‘Strange Fruit’ doing a call-and-response with Kanye’s very relaxed Autotuned voice. That is fascinating, aurally, nothing short of spectacular. And holy shit, it’s so gorgeous rhythmically, where sometimes the vocal parts are matched and sometimes they clash. He’s so sad in this song. He’s surrounded by everyone except the one he wants — he had this love ripped away from him, before he even knew it. ‘I know there ain’t nothing wrong with me… something strange is happening.’ Well, surprise, surprise — welcome to the real world, Kanye.”
It’s a very interesting take from a well-respected musician and voice in the music community, on another musician that is teetering on the brink of alienating himself from the world around him. For the full review of Lou Reed’s take on Kanye West and his album Yeezus, which appeared on The Talkhouse, click here.