Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013) was an American musician, singer, songwriter and poet. He was the guitarist, singer and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. The Velvet Underground was not a commercial success during its existence, but became regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of underground and alternative rock music. Reed's distinctive deadpan voice, poetic and transgressive lyrics, and experimental guitar playing were trademarks throughout his long career.

After leaving the band in 1970, Reed released twenty solo studio albums. His second, Transformer (1972), was produced by David Bowie and arranged by Mick Ronson, and brought him mainstream recognition. The album is considered an influential landmark of the glam rock genre, anchored by Reed's most successful single, "Walk on the Wild Side". After Transformer, the less commercial but critically acclaimed Berlin peaked at No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart. Rock 'n' Roll Animal (a live album released in 1974) sold strongly, and Sally Can't Dance (1974) peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200; but for a long period after, Reed's work did not translate into sales, leading him deeper into drug addiction and alcoholism. Reed cleaned up in the early 1980s, and gradually returned to prominence with The Blue Mask and New Sensations (1984), reaching a critical and commercial career peak with his 1989 album New York.

Reed participated in the reformation of the Velvet Underground in the 1990s, and made several more albums, including a collaboration album with John Cale titled Songs for Drella which was a tribute to their former mentor Andy Warhol. Magic and Loss (1992) would become Reed's highest-charting album on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 6.

He contributed music to two theatrical interpretations of 19th century writers, one of which he developed into an album titled The Raven. He married his third wife Laurie Anderson in 2008, and recorded the collaboration album Lulu with Metallica. He died in 2013 of liver disease. Reed has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; as a member of the Velvet Underground in 1996 and as a solo act in 2015.

He was also a bi icon.

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Mushroom Hunters

Three hexbears :sicko-hexbear: :sicko-hexbear: :hexwere mushroom hunting in a swamp :shrek:. Two of them while fording a small stream, lost their juul pod cartridge cases :sicko-no:. The three hexbears divided what good juul pod cartridges remained, equally.

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How many juul pod cartridges were divided?

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  • DeathToBritain [she/her, they/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    :wojak-nooo: NOOOO, CHINA IS A DICTATORSHIP, YOU CAN'T HAVE A LEADER WITH CENTRALISED POWER LIKE THAT

    :xi-reactionary-spotted: 大海航行靠舵手

    • comi [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Tbh I hope he doesn’t for people sake

      • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
        ·
        3 years ago

        I think it's pretty clear that Xi, which definitely "in power," is working within a fairly democratic party apparatus that has made a decidedly left turn with broad based support. The party is actively purging itself of reactionary, right-leaning elements and tightening up entry requirements to make it smaller but more dedicated and zealous. All good things—I really feel like China has turned a corner, and long after Xi's death his about face turn to the left will remain.

        • DeathToBritain [she/her, they/them]
          ·
          3 years ago

          Xi has also really focused on closing the wealth gap that Dengism has created. as much as importing more and more free market capitalism into China has been good for building means of production, it has opened up a lot of class antagonisms and disparity, Xi has acknowledged this and had a whole campaign to cut down those at the top but also uplift those at the bottom for 'common prosperity'

          • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
            ·
            3 years ago

            70% right 30% wrong for sure on Deng—productive forces were clearly built, but its effects on wealth concentration and rolling back of things like healthcare sucked, and it's very obvious Xi and his ilk agree and are working towards reestablishing some of the Mao-era egalitarian policies and heavy hand of regulation while not sacrificing the productive effects of the market. Xi Jinping Thought is no paper tiger.

            • DeathToBritain [she/her, they/them]
              ·
              3 years ago

              yeah it's one of the reasons I really like Xi, he's no dogmatist and sees the practicality of Deng's policies paired with very clear actual ideological principles of socialism. a lot of anti China leftists paint the CPC as communist in name only, but I think Xi's policies show that he is a leftist and has a long term goal to bring actual socialism to China

              • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
                ·
                3 years ago

                Yeah say what you want about the current iteration of China as an economic system, I think it's virtually impossible to argue that Xi isn't a dedicated communist who actually believes in its principles and is acting in a way to correct a lot of Deng's mistakes. I don't know if you've ever read the Wikileaks memo from the US State Department on Xi before he became head of the CPC, but it's honestly the most glowing portrait of a leader I've ever read.

                Xi knows how very corrupt China is and is repulsed by the all-encompassing commercialization of Chinese society, with its attendant nouveau riche, official corruption, loss of values, dignity, and self-respect, and such "moral evils" as drugs and prostitution, the professor stated. The professor speculated that if Xi were to become the Party General Secretary, he would likely aggressively attempt to address these evils, perhaps at the expense of the new moneyed class.

                While the professor and his closest circle of friends descended into the pursuit of romantic relationships, drink, movies and Western literature as a release from the hardships of the time, Xi Jinping, by contrast "chose to survive by becoming redder than the red." Unlike the professor and others who shared his Cultural Revolution experience in rural villages, Xi turned to serious politics upon his return to Beijing, joining the CCP in 1974 while his father was still in prison. The professor and his friends were reading DeGaulle and Nixon and "trying to catch up for lost years by having fun," while Xi was reading Marx and laying the foundation for a career in politics. Xi even went off to join a "worker-peasant-soldier revolutionary committee" (note: a label given provincial governing units during the Cultural Revolution), after which the professor had presumed he would never see Xi again. It was an "open secret," the professor said, that it was through the "worker-peasant-soldier revolutionary committee" that Xi got his "bachelor's education." The professor said Xi's first degree was not a "real" university education, but instead a three-year degree in applied Marxism.

                • DeathToBritain [she/her, they/them]
                  ·
                  3 years ago

                  holy shit, he literally studied the blade (Maoism) while everybody was off partying and having sex. based volcel Xi :07: that's MY Chairman

                  • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
                    ·
                    3 years ago

                    I really recommend you read the entire memo, every paragraph is like this. You finish each sentence just mumbling "based," nodding your head :nicholson-yes:. He's a fucking meme in the best possible way.

                      • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
                        ·
                        3 years ago

                        It's what convinced me in the deepest parts of my soul that Xi was the real deal. Combining this assessment by the US State Department with his actions it's pretty obvious what's going on and I love every second of it.

                        EDIT: :LIB: of me to care at all about a Great Man etc etc but god dammit the world fucking sucks we need some hope now and again.

        • comi [he/him]
          ·
          3 years ago

          I hope you are right :shrug-outta-hecks: