Reed: I listen to other stuff. I'm always asking people to keep me up to date, what's going on out there, what's something to listen to that's really great fun. I was listening to a group called Music. It's the symbol for MU. Amazing drums. Amazing. Really interesting. I just was listening today... the Lorraine Ellison thing on this collection, it's the pinnacle. It's illuminating and revelatory. It's unbelievable. You have no idea. I'd give anything if I had a copy here. I'd tie you up and make you listen to this thing. Well, I'd let you do it voluntarily. It's just unbelievable. Maybe I've got a copy over here. Some of the problem here is before we started taping, we've been talking, I've been flying in and out. But even before then, we were talking about different things. We've been officially doing that. There was some peripheral yammering going on...So what's another question?

Velvet Underground, "Heroin" from The Velvet Underground & Nico
(45 second excerpt)

[PLAY] Stereo MPEG (1.08M)
[PLAY] Mono MPEG (541k)
[PLAY] Mono Sun-AU (360k)


ATN: Well, the last question was: Starting in the late '80s, unfortunately, the drug heroin has, as you know become sort of trendy or something. And Alice in Chains, all these bands...I just wonder how you felt about that given that long ago you wrote a song that, at least my interpretation was that it was a warning. At least that's one way it can be interpreted.

Reed: You know, I don't think people take things or don't take things because they heard somebody say something on a record.

[img1]




Reed, years ago, thinking about quitting smoking.
He did it 'cause he wanted to.



ATN: No.

Reed: I haven't noticed that. I stopped smoking and I haven't noticed people stopping smoking because I did it. Quite the opposite. People do what people do. I personally think, generally speaking, you can't tell anybody anything. That's a line, by the way, that pops up in Songs For Drella. Some of the lines are really the way I talk. But it was Andy who in fact said that. But I believe that. About certain things, I just think people do what they do. And banning things and outlawing things and the rest is not going to change it. It doesn't seem to change it. I personally would legalize it. I'd take the profit out of it. That's what I would do. I would have treatment centers funded by taxes, make sure it's pure. No marijuana smoker ever died of cirrhosis of the liver, the last time I looked. It's so helpful for people who are ill. It's a very repressive society.


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