Lou Reed Definitely Has A Lot Of Football In Him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPHbbvQEA1E

“Lou Reed seems like there’s some football hidden in him. His name, Lou Reed, sounds like the name of a football coach — you can imagine a trophy or a plaque named after him. And as he’s aged, the weather-beaten sports coach inside has slowly revealed itself. His face reflects a combination of Vince Lombardi’s knowing gaze and Larry Brown’s mirthless grimace.”
 — Over at the Classical, Devin Mcintyre writes a nice post about how the songs on the Velvet Underground’s first album predicted the coming of this year’s Jesus-loving sports phenom Tim Tebow — way back in 1967. It’s the type of argument I am always ready to be convinced of. But Mcintyre needn’t rely on the sound of Lou Reed’s name, or his resemblance to Vince Lombardi as evidence of his football credentials. One of Reed’s best solo songs, the title track to his Coney Island Baby album, (which came out in 1975 — a spooky thirteen years before Tebow was born!) has a long and gorgeous preamble about Reed’s days as a high-school football player. He was little too lightweight to play linebacker, apparently, so he ended up playin’ right end. (There’s a great picture of Lou in his old football jersey that was included in the artwork to, I think, The Between Thought and Expression box set. But is unfortunately, and surprisingly, not to found on the internet. By me, at least.)