AS HE SETTLED IN TO interview rock legend Lou Reed at the South by
Southwest music conference/festival in Austin, Texas, in mid-March,
film director/music producer Hal Willner offered a concise summation
of Reed's impact on rock music.

"I find that Lou's musical journey is . . . sort of the rock 'n' roll
(equivalent) of what Miles Davis was to jazz . . . more than a half
dozen times what he's done has basically changed the direction of
rock and roll," Willner said. "I mean, you can't deny the influence
of the Velvet Underground or (the album) "Transformer,' which was
recognized in its day, and then other things, from "Berlin'
to "Street Hassle' to "Metal Machine Music.' "

Reed is scheduled to appear Thursday at the Paramount Theatre in
Asbury Park.

Willner's view of Reed as one of rock's great risk-takers and
innovators, and the rare artist who has truly followed his pure
instincts despite the consequences it might have on his popularity,
is shared by many in the music commmunity. And it formed the backdrop
against which Reed reflected on his career, the impact of his music
and, in particular, 1973's "Berlin."

That solo album essentially was what brought Reed to South by
Southwest (SXSW). Last year, the veteran rocker mounted a European
tour in which he performed the entire "Berlin" album. The concert was
filmed by director Julian Schnabel, and the movie that resulted, "Lou
Reed's Berlin," was screened during the film festival portion of SXSW.

Willner noted that Schnabel had praised "Berlin" as the most romantic
album ever made. Reed expanded on that topic, making light of the
backlash that initially surrounded "Berlin."

"To me, it's romantic in the sense of how romantic jealousy is
because it's all about jealousy," he said. "The more in love you are,
the more jealousy there is. In that sense, it's romantic, to feel
that attachment to another person. It turns into physical abuse
because you love them so much.

"That's what "Berlin' is about. So one of the things I always thought
of is I don't know anybody who's never been jealous, no one, ever —
no one, not a monk, no way. So I would think people could relate to
this really easily as opposed to being really offended by it. I
understand that people don't like what you do — I know that. But to
dislike it because of subject matter like that, that's pretty narrow-
minded."

Reed pointed out that he really had only enjoyed two or three periods
of true commercial success, one of which was the hit single "Walk on
the Wild Side." More than once, he noted, he followed the commercial
peaks with records that were viewed as career killers.

Commercial success is hardly the best gauge for Reed's impact on rock
music during the past four decades. The Velvet Underground, Reed's
band from 1965 to 1970, never came remotely close to commercial
success; the critical acclaim for his solo albums "Rock and Roll
Heart" (1976), "The Blue Mask" (1982) and "The Raven" (2003) has
exceeded sales.

During the SXSW interview, Reed also talked about songwriting, noting
he doesn't have an answer to commonly asked query of how to write a
good song.

"I want to know, too, and if I could have done it, I would have
had "Son of Wild Side,' and I'd own an island in the Caribbean or
someplace," he said.

7 p.m. Thursday

— Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park

— $45-$75

— ticketmaster.com or

www.asburyparkconventionhall.com




"To me, it's romantic in the sense of how romantic jealousy is
because it's all about jealousy," Lou Reed said of his "Berlin" album
last month in Austin, Texas. Reed is scheduled to perform Thursday in
Asbury Park.