LOU REED DEAD AT 71
Rock and Roll legend Lou Reed died today at the age of 71 from complications due to a liver transplant in May.
What can I say about Lou? The man shaped my life. I first learned about him in 1974. I was 14 years old, in my first year of High School. It was a rough time for me. I had a really hard time adjusting, I was bullied mercilessly. To say that I was unhappy would be putting it mildly. Suicidal was more like it. Then I found Lou, and The Velvet Underground. Oddly enough, their often depressing music somehow cheered me. I learned, no matter how bad my life was, it could be worse. I learned there were other misfits out there, just like me...shadow people who didn't fit in to "regular" life. I met fellow fans because of them, and I made friends outside of school. I even met the man I've been with for the past 35 years because of Lou.
Yeah, Lou was often a prickly blowass. He insulted his fans and acted like a dick. But he was real. Underneath it all was a beautiful, deeply sensitive soul who spoke to me in my darkest times.
What can I say about Lou, except that, my life was saved by Rock and Roll.
RIP, Lou. I'll miss you. You turned around and broke my heart today.
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