Lou Reed Rock ‘n Roll poet

Between 1972 and 1977, Gijsbert Hanekroot photographed the American rock musician Lou Reed (1942-2013) on seven occasions in Amsterdam, during concerts and interviews. An extensive selection of these impressive images can be seen in the beautiful photo book Lou Reed in Amsterdam 1972 – 1977. Sebastiaan Vos provides an informative reference to the early years of Lou Reed’s solo career and offers an excellently documented description of Hanekroot’s photographs of Reed. In 1972, Lou Reed released his first solo album after leaving the legendary rock band The Velvet Underground two years earlier. He also went on tour. Reed has a contrasting image of sex, drugs & rock ‘n’ roll, and doesn’t hesitate to fool his audience and insult journalists. In these early years, Reed’s solo career has already become erratic and reckless but that doesn’t affect his rising popularity. In the mid-seventies, he seemed to find his true form on stage and the rock ‘n’ roll animal disappears from view to make way for a more ‘ordinary’ Reed. Musically and lyrically, Reed is a poet. He shows, however, that he is also one of the greatest artists in rock music. From the photographs Gijsbert Hanekroot took of Lou Reed in Amsterdam during concerts and interviews an extensive selection is now published in a beautiful photo book. Sebastiaan Vos provides excellently documented descriptions of Hanekroot’s photographs of Reed.…