Lou Reed

I've always been fascinated by Lou Reed's enigmatic persona, and this audiobook delivered a nuanced and deeply informed exploration of his life. Peter Coleman's narration is solid, if not particularly flashy – which is actually a strength, as it lets DeCurtis's writing take center stage. One of the things that struck me was the way DeCurtis contextualizes Reed's work within the broader cultural landscape of the 1960s and '70s. My only quibble is that the book sometimes gets bogged down in overly detailed discussions of Reed's later solo work, and I felt that some of the interviews with Reed's contemporaries could have been more tightly edited. Still, this is a compelling and authoritative biography that will reward fans of Reed and anyone interested in the evolution of rock music.