Lou Reed is Cozy

So, my friend Daniel works for Richard Foreman’s theater company the Ontological in New York, and we went to see the new show a few weeks ago when we were there.  The show is called “Zomboid!” and it’s actually pretty good, but a more thorough analysis must come later.  What I must share now is an evolving phenomenon called “Lou Reed is Cozy."

Lou Reed, as you may know, used to be in the Velvet Underground…you know “Take a Walk on the Wild Side,” “Pale Blue Eyes,” and a lot of other songs about being a junkie and living in seedy New York City in the 1970’s.   I guess in my mind, in person this guy would be so grizzled and edgy, dressed all in black, covered in tats, and hiding all the secrets of his rock and roll past in his wrinkled, leathery face.  Also, he’s either married to or in a long, long term relationship with performance artist, Laurie Anderson, which in my mind makes him even cooler.  What do they talk about when they go home?  Fascinating.

Anyhow, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson were seated right in back of us in the theater.  This time they were in a place where I could actually turn around and get a good look, so I did.  And, lo and behold, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson were dressed in what looked to be Old Navy Performance Fleece.

I’m contemplating whether this can be one of those things where they’re so cool they can get away with looking frumpy, because they simply don’t care what you think, when Stephan leans over and says “The King and Queen of the New York Avant Garde are cozy.”  This pushes me over the edge.

Also, this is the third time in a row that Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson have been seated behind us at a

New York

show.  This happened several years ago at the Ontological, then again in

Brooklyn

recently.    Really, this is happening so frequently, I go up to Laurie Anderson after the show and say “didn’t we see you the other night in

Brooklyn

?  We must have the same taste in theater,” to which she smiles and replies “See you tomorrow night!”

Such a clever response that for a moment I forgot that The King and Queen of the New York Avant Garde looked like they could be my parents.