A Quietus Interview
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Ian Astbury Defends Lulu!?
Ian Astbury Defends Lulu!?
The Quietus
, January 31st, 2012 12:19
...while saying Lou Reed is "deteriorating"
Recently panned across the board, the Metallica and Lou Reed collaboration Lulu has been defended by The Cult's Ian Astbury.
While pondering the "authenticity" and "life credentials" of some critics in an interview with Rolling Stone, Astbury took time to oppose the flack that the album has sustained.
He said that the album was "something I've argued with many people about. You know, everyone's saying 'Oh, it's disgusting, it's an abomination. You know the amount of hate they got for that record. Hate! I think Pitchfork gave it like 1, or 0."
"Lou Reed, he's a 67-year-old man," Astbury continued. "His body of work is stellar, he is one of our greatest laureates. If you know anything about Lou Reed, he's not well right now. He's deteriorating, his body's sick, he's getting frail and fragile. He's chosen Metallica to be his muscle, to be his armor, so he can come out one more time and make a statement of what's happening in his internal life, and he's using this Weimar Republic play, Lulu, to put himself over."
"If you actually listen to the record, there's some phenomenal moments on it, by anybody's standards. 'Junior Dad' for example, I think is a fucking brilliant piece of music." The Cult's ninth studio album Choice Of Weapon, recorded with Chris Goss (QOTSA, U.N.K.L.E.) and Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith), is due for release on May 22.
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danmac
Feb 1, 2012 12:21pm
Feb 1, 2012 12:21pm
The album was in The Wire's Top 10 for the year, and got some good reviews elsewhere, so clearly wasn't 'universally panned. Plus, some of it's pretty good.
John Doran
Feb 1, 2012 12:59pm
Feb 1, 2012 12:59pm
In reply to danmac:
WIRE were clearly 'trolling' their subscribers. Only a genuine mouth breathing idiot would have ranked that album above, say, Wolves In The Throne Room, Obake, Liturgy or Yob...
Feb 1, 2012 2:32pm
In reply to John Doran:
C'mon John, it's not that bad. Also, it is a genuinly unexpected step from both artists, which has gotta earn them some credit.
JRC86
Feb 1, 2012 8:27pm
Feb 1, 2012 8:27pm
In reply to John Doran:
I edit the music section of a newspaper and we chose "Lulu" as the best album of 2011:
http://www.opinion.com.bo/opinion/ramona/2012/0115/suplementos.php?id=2285
And yes, we were trolling. The rest of the list is legit, though.
You might wanna check out the "Latin" list, many of those albums are mighty good.
http://www.opinion.com.bo/opinion/ramona/2012/0115/suplementos.php?id=2288
Dan B
Feb 1, 2012 9:23pm
Feb 1, 2012 9:23pm
Doran's had a total 'mare over Lulu, total breakdown of earnestness that would shame a Mansun fan in 1998.
John Doran
Feb 2, 2012 12:16am
Feb 2, 2012 12:16am
In reply to Dan B:
??? I can read these words and they make grammatical sense but
John Doran
Feb 2, 2012 12:20am
Feb 2, 2012 12:20am
No, no, no. I mean, actually, fair enough and yes, if you feel like that but for me, no. Metallica's Ride The Lightning was the first ever 'extreme' metal and thrash album I bought in the mid 80s after seeing some live footage of them playing the song 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' on MTV round at my mate's house. Likewise when I used to walk to school, Transformer was my soundtrack every single day for a year. And Street Hassle remains in my top ten songs of all time (on a given day). And that's before we get to 'Live In 1969'; 'White Light White Heat' and 'Metal Machine Music'... so no, when I heard Lulu I felt like crying.
JRC86
Feb 2, 2012 6:56am
Feb 2, 2012 6:56am
In reply to John Doran:
I completely agree. Those delusional fans who believe there will be a post-backlash appraisal of "Lulu", a la "Metal Machine Music", are just wrong. I'd be very surprised if such a thing happens, metal is far more advanced into experimental realms than this, for "Lulu" to break a path or something there. It's just gonna be another "Music from the Elder", sorry guys
Rooksby
Feb 2, 2012 11:21am
Feb 2, 2012 11:21am
Lulu's definitely NOT the aural abortion the music press (online or otherwise) would have us believe... it'd probably benefit from a bit of astute trimming, & I'd personally have preferred it if Lou had recruited The Dead C as "muscle" rather than YOUKNOWWHO... It's confused, it's pretentious, it's often rather silly, but at least it's not B.L.A.N.D.
Lou does seem worryingly frail these days though. I saw him on the Berlin tour a couple of years back &, aside from being genuinely startled by how genial he was, he definitely looked like he should've been advertising stairlifts rather than singing about domestic violence & suicide. Fingers crossed he has one GREAT album left in him, eh?
Schmillson
Feb 3, 2012 10:23am
Feb 3, 2012 10:23am
In reply to JRC86:
But it's not "metal" is it? It's a Lou Reed album.
JRC86
Feb 3, 2012 3:11pm
Feb 3, 2012 3:11pm
In reply to Schmillson:
You've got a good point there. But do you see it influencing any sort of music in any sort of direction? I mean, just like you could somehow trace the Spacemen 3, Fennesz and even Sun O))) back to "Metal Machine Music", I just don't see anyone being able to push forward the concept behind "Lulu" in any way. Not even Lou Reed himself. Maybe spoken word performances can get something from it, I don't know. Did you hear Christopher Lee's "Charlemagne" album? There might be a connection there.
That said, I don't think "Lulu" is the godawful stinker they say it is. It's not even Lou Reed's, nor Metallica's, worst album -let alone 2011's or the worst album of all time.
It's nice to be able to debate this album in a mature, non-prejudiced way. Will John Doran ever get back to our chat?
John Doran
Feb 4, 2012 8:44am
Feb 4, 2012 8:44am
In reply to JRC86:
You want me to check out your end of year lists? As soon as I'm off deadline next week I will do. Cheers.
Standish/Carlyon
Vampire Weekend
RP Boo
The Scaramanga Six
Owiny Sigoma Band
Sam Amidon
News Headlines
Jan 31, 2012 6:45pm
good on him!
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