Lou Reed: Many bigger-selling artists dream of his influence
Charles Shaar Murray, The Independent, 28 October 2013
LOU REED WAS, in no apparent order, a hugely influential singer, songwriter and musician whose impact on both rock's scope of subject matter and its sonic palette was far greater than his sales figures would ever suggest; a frontline member of rock's "Awkward Squad" who delighted in giving interviewers as hard a time as humanly possible; and an iconic presence whose side-of-the-mouth deadpan drawl and impenetrable shades provided several generations of punks with an archetypal posing template.
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