Lou Reed Never Compromised

 Words like "iconoclast" and "trailblazer" tend to be overused in obits for artists of all types, but they fit no one if they don't fit Lou Reed. From the Velvet Underground to his own solo releases to his fabulously combative interviews to his extra-musical efforts, Reed's life was him doing exactly what he wanted and advocating that everyone else do the same. More remarkable—reassuring, even—is that he changed the world by doing that (cue the canard about everyone who bought the first Velvet Underground album starting a new band); he connected by refusing to compromise.

What's also remarkable is how he kept at it till the end. Reed's among our first and best examples of how to age gracefully as a rock star, which is to say by not trying to be graceful at all. By continuing to make noise.

read article by Spencer Kornhaber