The Music Beat
Eric Friedland of Los #3 Dinners met Lou Reed at a Velvet Underground gig in Austin in 1969
Music news from the Express-News. Lou Reed says ‘hello’ to Los #3 Dinners founder...
Music news from the Express-News. Lou Reed says ‘hello’ to Los #3 Dinners founder...
SAN ANTONIO - Musician Eric Friedland came to face to
face with Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground in Austin in Oct. 1969 at
the Vulcan Gas Company, a rock venue on Congress Avenue.
He was there to see the Velvet Underground (a rare Texas
sighting) and to support his friends in the opening act, the Water
Brothers.
“We were waiting, waiting, waiting because were all
excited, right. They were big heroes of ours,” said Friedland, frontman
for Los #3 Dinners whose song “Take a Walk on the West Side” is based on
Reed’s 1972 hit.
“They come walking in the back door kind of, like, in a
line led by Lou. He’s No. 1, right. They’ve got the shades on, all
dressed in black, pasty-faced lily white skin.”
Friedland tried to make small talk with the surly Reed.
“He just looked at me and said, ‘(Expletive) off,’”
Friedland recounted proudly. “He didn’t even slow down. He just walked
past me. At least I got a (expletive) you out of Lou Reed.”
Friedland recalled that the gig was “louder than airplanes” and “touched on subjects that were just taboo.”
Don Evans was in the Water Brothers who opened that Austin show on Oct. 24, 1969. It was his 20th birthday.
“It was one of the high points of my life,” said Evans,
who sings with Ultra. “They just jammed that night. I remember being
knocked out by ‘em.”
Reed would make notable returns to Texas.
In March 2008, Reed made a memorable keynote appearance at the 22nd annual South by Southwest Music & Media Conference.
“I’ve got a B.A. in dope, but a Ph.D. in soul,” said
Reed who described his early songs as Samuel Beckett-inspired monologues
with music.
“Nobody was doing that, and it was kind of a field day,” he added.
In May 2010, Reed made an appearance at the Marfa Film Festival to promote his short documentary, “Red Shirley.”
REST IN PEACE