Lou Reed Gone Two Years Today

I was lucky enough to know Lou and spend a lot of time with him since 2002 when we met (officially) for breakfast on Yum Kippur--of course we broke bread on the only day Jews like he and I are supposed to fast and refrain from eating--it was the day to meet my hero for God's sake.

Fast forward several years, our friendship blossomed and we became quite close both through music and studying tai-chi.  My brother Danny and our friend/tai-chi teacher--RenGuangYi--would also round out the group.  For us, the Lou we knew was sweet, sensitive, cared about how we were doing, our families and we worked through many ups and downs in the 11 years we knew each other.

He will be most remembered for his song writing and cannon of work--Walk on the Wild Side, Sweet Jane, Rock and Roll, Heroin, Sister Ray, Perfect Day, and so on for almost 700 original songs.  The Lou I remember had a killer sense of humor, a laugh that would rise above the din of the noisy restaurant chatter, a sixth sense for recognizing and comforting people that were hurting and in pain.

He gave a voice and understanding to the "outsiders".  I saw Lou the day before he died in the Springs on October 26th--and we spent hours together talking, doing the 21 tai chi form in the pool and saying goodbye.  I am happy for that day but miss him every day.

I wrote this and delivered this eulogy at Lou's Memorial service at the Apollo Theater in December, 2013.