Last Great American Whale - Lou Reed

Whenever I don’t listen to Lou Reed for a stretch and then come back to him, I can't believe I've been living without him. I love his weird, conversational songwriting and the way he mostly just talks and narrates rather than sings in any traditional sense. He’s writing poems and short stories with a great sense of rhythm, style, and humor.

He has a reputation for being an asshole, which I don’t doubt, but he wrote so beautifully and vulnerably about loss, time, and grief, especially as he got older, which I find touching and moving. He put words to the feelings that are hard to put words to, which is what good art can do (Turning Time Around, Tell It to Your Heart, Hello, it's Me, Magic and Loss)

Lou Reed was the perfect soundtrack to my angsty high school years in NY. Been listening to New York, Songs for Drella, and Animal Serenade the past few weeks. He's got his haters, but I love the guy.