Antony says 'Lou Reed was like a father' in tribute; watch some videos of the two performing together
As David Byrne pointed out, Lou Reed never lost his drive to search out and experience new music. Lou discovered the relatively unknown Antony Hegarty via producer Hal Wilner in 2002 while Hal and Lou were working on Lou’s 19th solo album, The Raven, for which Antony ended up contributing vocals along with names like David Bowie, Laurie Anderson and Lou himself.
Through the years Lou and Antony continued to collaborate, on stage and on record. Lou performed on a track on the Antony & the Johnson EP The Lake, and often joined Antony on stage as Antony rose to fame. Antony often returned the favor.
One of those special moments came in 2005 when Lou joined Antony for a rendition of “Candy Says” on stage at Antony’s Carnegie Hall show that year, a show that Jimmy Scott was also a guest at. The above picture, which we last posted in 2005 was taken backstage at the show as four of The Raven‘s vocalists reunited and posed alongside Bette Midler and Jimmy.
Antony just posted the same photo along with along with this statement to his Facebook:
Lou was like a father to me. I have never felt so perceived and loved for who I actually am by a man than by Lou Reed. He fought tirelessly for me to have a place in the daylight culture. My career would never have taken off without Lou’s tremendous influence. Those close to Lou knew him as a lion-hearted and intensely caring friend. When discussing death a couple of weeks ago, he told me that I was focussed on the wrong thing. His goal especially recently has been to exercise his mental discipline to stay in the present and not be held hostage by fear of an illusory future. He faced death with dignity and courage, and even then remained a teacher and mentor to me. i miss him with all my heart. It is hard for me to reconcile that such a giant could really be gone. Antony October 28th 2013
Other artists who have also written tributes to Lou include David Bowie, Iggy Pop, David Byrne, John Cale, Patti Smith, and more.
Watch some videos of Lou and Antony performing together below…
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Antony and Lou Reed – Candy Says (Legendado)
Lou Reed – “Caroline Says Pt. II” from ‘Berlin’ shows at St. Ann’s Warehouse in 2006
Lou Reed & Antony – “Sweet Jane”
Antony and the Johnsons – “Fistful of Love” (feat. Lou Reed)
