Lou Reed: Metallica Collaboration "Maybe the Best Thing Done by Anyone, Ever"

Speaking to New York magazine, Lou Reed revealed some of the details of his recently announced collaboration with metal legends Metallica.

Reed revealed that the musicians have re-recorded some of the music he wrote as a score for a musical version of German playwright Frank Wedekind's Lulu.

Speaking on the collaboration, Reed said, "The version of the Lulu music I did with Metallica is awe inspiring. It’s maybe the best thing done by anyone, ever. It could create another planetary system. I’m not joking, and I’m not being egotistical."

Reed also said the tone of the material was heavily influenced by his most recent project, a Poe-insired graphic novel called The Raven, based on his 2003 album of the same name. "It’s the psyche of Poe, the great psychic marauder, applied to Lulu," Reed added.

As for a release date, Reed was confident that the material would see the light of day by November.

You can read the full interview here.

Josh Hart

Josh Hart is a former web producer and staff writer for Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado magazines (2010–2012). He has since pursued writing fiction under various pseudonyms while exploring the technical underpinnings of journalism, now serving as a senior software engineer for The Seattle Times.