Velvet Underground is a 2021 documentary film directed and produced by Todd Haynes

I can't wait to see this!

Fucking light weight and so clean.

Me too. Lou Reed was an an obsession for me. Walk on the Wild Side. I was with the Cockettes and thought he was the next big thing.

It was interesting how they just sort of established Lou was a junkie and was gay. And I don't think he ever talked about being either in his lifetime.

Are you kidding, R4? Of course he did.

Not as much as he did about not being gay, r5.

It was a horrible mess. I couldn’t get past the first 30 minutes

He never hid either his drug use or his sexuality. In fact, he said his parents were talked into getting him shock treatment to curb his gay feelings when he was young.

Saw it in a theater the other day and I’m really glad I did; Haynes’ use of montage and split-screen alongside the incredible music really envelops you.

This home-made documentary about Maureen "Mo" Tucker's drumming is the best thing I've seen for a while. It's also a really illuminating look at the band's career. A revelation.

So, why did Reed kick out Cale? Was it all about wanting to be more commercial (that appears to have been a factor) or was it out of spite at Cale getting involved with Nico? Both of them ultimately rejected him sexually, though Nico had a brief affair with Reed early on (which inspired Reed to write those beautiful songs for her to sing on the first album).

Does anyone else like Nico?

I absolutely love Nico and her first album is almost another Velvet Underground album as a lot of the band wrote and played on it.

But I love her voice even though some people hate it.

I remember Lou re-closeting himself in the 80s (like Bowie did) and marrying a woman. Granted, Laurie Anderson isn't the most feminine woman on Earth, but he wasn't publicly with a man.

He didn't want to be with a man, R12. He wanted to be with Laurie Anderson. She was hardly his beard.

If you think Lou didn't make a calculation in his head about how he would be perceived by being publicly gay, you're a fool. Anyone who wears a wig that long cares about how he is seen.

R14, Lou Reed was hardly a study of the closeted gay rock star. But it sure seems to chap your ass, Mary. Do you go after Bowie, too, for marrying Iman?

Unlikely, OP. I hated Lou Reed, hated Nico, hated Andy Warhol, hate hate hate hate hate that whole pretentious miserabilist “art” scene.

Who care how you feel, R16? Anyone who hates Velvet Underground is an asshole.

Every time I see Christine Vachon's name attached to a project I know it's going to be at least interesting, possibly brilliant.

R9 it was awful

I really liked it. But I like The Velvet Underground.

The documentary was pap.

I thought it was good but a little too messy in style and not messy enough in gossip.

I went into it interested in Lou Reed and came out thinking John Cale was the much more interesting person.

I know. Andy's diary is a torrent of gossip about these people and there was zilch. Frankly not a lot about their songs either.

Good, not great. A for effort for attempting to make a documentary as visually engaging and dynamic as his feature films, and for centering Reed's queerness as part of his identity as an artist.

However Reed defined his own sexuality, he was queer and it shaped his songwriting as much as his drug use and his work as a poet.

Lou Reed was into chicks with dicks

R11 Not the racist, antisemitic, an awful person part. But I love her voice.

[quote]he was queer

Could you not?

I watched the Mo Tucker documentary r10 linked to last night and really enjoyed it, especially the technical demonstrations of her drumming styles.

I was a hardcore Velvet Underground fan in high school. They were my "gateway" band that opened the floodgates to me discovering a whole other world of music. I hadn't heard of this documentary previously, but saw that Criterion was releasing it this month. I bought it sight-unseen and watched it last night. I enjoyed it, though it didn't provide much information that I wasn't already aware of. All of the rare footage throughout was fantastic to see, and well-presented. Lou Reed came across like an asshole as usual, but all that footage of him in his youth was a sight to behold. Perhaps not as handsome as John Cale, though. I sort of never realized until watching the film just how beautiful of a man Cale was—very mysterious and unique looking. Stunningly.

R29 I agree, I had no idea Cale was that HAWT back then. He looked like a beautiful vampire, and he aged amazingly well (he's 80!) for a guy who had severe drug and drinking problems.

He was way hotter to me than Lou, perhaps because I'm already a self important skinny Jew, I don't find other ones attractive.

I also agree the documentary was more for a casual fan than one who knew a bunch about the VU. It was cool to see all the footage in good quality and to hear from who's left of the crowd, but the actual information has been covered in tons of books and articles. I loved it though, it succeeded in what Haynes seemed to be aiming for: enmeshing the audience into the world and style of THE influential "alternative" cool band.

Nico is my icon plus she got to sample Alain Delon in his prime although in a case of be careful what you wish for he denied fathering the child that grew up to look very much like him.

R30 a “beautiful vampire” is a good description. There is something extremely sexy about him that had never really occurred to me until I was watching this film. Out of all of the footage and people involved, he stood out to me for his beauty more than anyone else. I don’t know why I’d never noticed. He seems quite heterosexual, but I have to wonder if he and Lou ever played around during their time working together (talk about rare footage is REALLY want to see).

Dreamy John

R32 Lou was more than likely in some kind of deep lust with him. In John Cale’s autobiography, he talks about Lou (who oddly seemed way more comfortable with his sexuality during the Factory days than later on, another thing the doc emphasized) making endless passes at him, partially to scandalize him, but I also think he was serious about it. Lou was certifiably nuts so it’s not easy to tell.

Cale also called their relationship a “non-sexual love affair that ran its course”. I think he is essentially straight but it wouldn’t surprise me if they messed around.