Thursday, March 28, 1996

Prickly? Is that a label?

There are some rock stars who just shouldn't grant interviews and the notoriously prickly Lou Reed, who plays Massey Hall tonight, is definitely one of them.

At least not on this particular day.

Interview, by definition, means "a meeting or conversation between a journalist and a person whose views are sought for publication." At least according to Oxford.

But views or information is not something that Reed -- the former leader of the hugely influential Velvet Underground and recent Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee -- easily shares. Or if he does, he only occasionally elaborates.

For example, when asked who or what was the inspiration for his hilarious rant on right-wing politicians, Sex With Your Parents from his new album, Set The Twilight Reeling, Reed says: "I don't know. One specific incident, one specific person, no. Just what was going on in general."

Okay.

Maybe Reed -- on the phone yesterday from Cleveland where he played last night -- is just not a morning person. It's before noon and he says he's just woken up.

Maybe not.

When asked why he dedicated Twilight to his girlfriend, the immensely talented avant-garde performance artist Laurie Anderson, Reed shuts down again.

"Why don't you guess?" he says, sounding annoyed. "I think albums should always be dedicated to people you care about it. Just like books. I dedicated it to her 'cause I think she's a Western goddess."

Reed will at least allow that he's written about her on Twilight -- "I would say there are songs all over the place" -- and while Anderson isn't accompanying him on the current tour, he wouldn't have minded.

"Sure. Why not? Get out that violin."

As for the material he's playing this time out, Reed says sarcastically: "It's a wonderful mixture that will leave everyone weeping with joy."

He then adds more seriously, "It's heavy on the guitars and it's loud and it's fun."

Reed last played here in 1992, although he claims not to remember.

"Have I been there before? Somebody told me I was there once. It's that small country to the north right? The French secede yet? Everybody has problems, see. How cold is it in Toronto?"

Reed is finally starting to warm up after bristling minutes before over the suggestion that he and his contemporary Iggy Pop have simultanously released albums clearly more upbeat than their earlier work that dealt with drugs and sex and death.

"How about people who have a wider range of interests as opposed to something as cliche as 'explored the dark side of life,' " said Reed, 54.

"How about something more along the lines of have wide ranging interests and a sophisticated palette and don't write about the cliche-ridden sh-t that everybody else does? How about that? I mean, you must be tired of moon and June sh-t by now, aren't you? Don't you think it's a little more interesting to have a little more interesting take on things?

"Then let's not just call it the dark side. I think it's a narrow-minded view. I just think labels are something to be done away with."

Finally, an opinion.

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