At 68-years-old, David Bowie is showing no real signs of old age.
But a little while back he had what you could call a “senior moment” shortly after the October 2013 death of Lou Reed. According to Reed’s widow Laurie Anderson, Bowie thought Reed’s 2011 collaboration with Metallica, the widely panned Lulu, was not only “genius,” but his “greatest work” and his “masterpiece.”
Anderson revealed the shocking comments over the weekend as she accepted her late husband’s induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Reed was posthumously inducted as a solo performer; his legendary band the Velvet Underground were inducted into the hall in 1996.
Anderson said that Bowie told her after Reed’s death that Lulu would eventually be seen as his masterpiece, and would grow on people much like his 1973 work Berlin had.
“One of his last projects was his album with Metallica,” Anderson said. “And this was really challenging, and I have a hard time with it. There are many struggles and so much radiance.
“And after Lou’s death, David Bowie made a big point of saying to me, ‘Listen, this is Lou’s greatest work; this is his masterpiece. Just wait, it will be like Berlin. It will take everyone a while to catch up.’
“I’ve been reading the lyrics and it is so fierce. It’s written by a man who understood fear and rage and venom and terror and revenge and love. And it is raging. Anyone heard Lou sing ‘Junior Dad’ will never forget the experience of that song, torn out of the Bible. This was rock and roll taken to whole new levels.”
We’ll see.
This year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees included Reed, Green Day, Ringo Starr, Bill Withers, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and others.