Lou Reed is still morose

This has nothing to do with Anderson, with Indiana. I like Lou Reed's music. I once had a copy of Berlin and it was depressing thing. New Sensations was where I really got to like Reed and I kept listening through New York and Drella. Lately, it seemed a good question about whether he was still amongst the living or not. Well, the U.K.'s Telegraph had an interview from last Sunday.

And is that the beginning of wisdom?

Reed shrugs. 'I don't know. I'm afraid to commit to saying anything that aggressive, that I know what wisdom is. But I'm trying. And at least I know the area I'm trying in now. I was doing this thing with Pavarotti - this is five, six years ago - and James Brown was there. I'd met him before. So we got to talking. This is James Brown, for Chrissakes. James! Brown! And he says, "You know, Lou" - he calls me Lou, right; last time before that we met, he says, "Hey, Wildside" - and I say, "Yes, Mr Brown," because you always call him "Mr Brown"; he says, "Well, Lou, you know what the difference is?" And I say, "No I don't, Mr Brown, what is the difference?" And he says, "The difference is, now we know why we're doing what we're doing."

'Now I happened to know what he meant. At that point I'd come far enough down the road to know what he was talking about. He'd figured out why he was out there doing music. Why he's out there in the middle of God knows where doing this thing; why Luciano is out there doing It's a Man's World with him. That was amazing. James Brown and Pavarotti singing together, with an orchestra. Then Pavarotti did Perfect Day with me. And when we'd done he said, "Oh, Lou Reed, you wrote such a beautiful song." '

And do you know why you're doing what you do, I ask.

Lou Reed looks at me. 'Not as well as James Brown did,' he says, then pauses.

Make of this what you will.