“It’s odd dancing around death, odder still if the death you are dancing around is that of a legend. You just never know what’s appropriate and what’s not, what to share and what to keep inside. There is no blueprint. I loved Lou and we were friends. The last thing I would want to do is turn his life into an opportunity, but at the same time, what better way to honor the man and his music than to celebrate it and sing it and record it?
Death, like life, works with your resistance and finally it wears you out and breaks you down and then you are too tired to do anything but face it. I was home alone and there was nowhere to go. I set up some mics. A Coles ribbon mic and a Wunder mic which is a version of a U47 (I used those two mics on the whole record). The ribbon gives it silk and warmth, the Wunder makes it hi-fi. The first song I tried was “Coney Island Baby.” And I liked how it came out. But I also liked getting to hang out with Lou again. This was the only way to get close. I did another song and another still. I made a rule: No drums or electricity. Lou was electric.” – Joseph Arthur
This excerpt taken from the liner notes of the upcoming album Lou embodies the spirit in which Arthur set about to record his own interpretations of his favorite Lou Reed songs. Lou, performed, recorded and produced by Joseph Arthur in his home studio, will be released on May 13th.
