Trey, on meeting Lou Reed

Monday 10/31/2011 by Lemuria

TREY, ON MEETING LOU REED

We did this gig with Lou Reed in Germany. I was getting ready to go on, and I was walking across this field behind the stage. It was this kind of cool outdoor venue, and there was Lou Reed sitting there. So I went up to talk to him, introduce myself and everything, he was really nice, and I asked him a couple of questions about what he’s up to these days, blah-blah-blah. And then he was standing there and we went to go onstage, and as I was walking onstage he said, ‘Show ‘em how to rock and roll. After all, we invented it.’ I said, “Oh, okay,” and walked onstage. And as we started playing I got really confused and couldn’t tell if he had meant Americans or the Velvet Underground. I thought both statements could be true. So I spent the whole set trying to figure that one out. I still haven’t figured it out. I still sit there scratching my head every night while we’re playing: Did he mean Americans…?

A story from Trey about meeting Lou Reed, from the 10-31-98 Phishbill

3 comments - Link: http://phi.sh/b/4e968342

Comments

2011-10-31 10:22 am, comment by cletus22

Reed could have been referencing their song "Rock and Roll" which they wrote (invented) and was trying to persuade Trey and the guys to pull off a particularilly rocking version of said song that evening. I don't think he was referring the Velvet Underground inventing rock and roll. Rock was "invented" in the 50's, long before they were a band. More likely he meant that Americans invented rock and with him being born in Brooklyn and presumably he was able to deduce that Trey was American from his accent or prior knowledge of the band or possibly it came up in the discussion that Trey was in fact American born and bred. Seems sort of obvious and the whole story makes Trey seems sort of silly. Maybe he was really stoned.

Score: -3

2011-10-31 10:23 am, comment by Blackeydsloth

HaHAHA!!! I laugh every time I read that. It's great.

Score: 1

2013-10-27 2:40 pm, comment by fhqwhgads

@cletus22 said:

Reed could have been referencing their song "Rock and Roll" which they wrote (invented) and was trying to persuade Trey and the guys to pull off a particularilly rocking version of said song that evening. I don't think he was referring the Velvet Underground inventing rock and roll. Rock was "invented" in the 50's, long before they were a band. More likely he meant that Americans invented rock and with him being born in Brooklyn and presumably he was able to deduce that Trey was American from his accent or prior knowledge of the band or possibly it came up in the discussion that Trey was in fact American born and bred. Seems sort of obvious and the whole story makes Trey seems sort of silly. Maybe he was really stoned.

Damn it, Bobby.

Score: 0