Objective Proficiency p 50. Lou Reed, Lead Singer of Velvet Undergound, Dies Aged 71. Extra Cloze

Musician and his New York group influenced generations of bands with mixture of European and US styles of sound and art

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/27/lou-reed-velvet-underground-dies

by Sam Jones and Shiv Malik

The Guardian, Sunday 27 October 2013 18.41 GMT

Lou Reed, lead singer of the Velvet Underground, veteran chronicler of life's wilder, seamier and –(1)- desperate side and one of the –(2)- influential and distinctive songwriters of his generation, has died at the age of 71.

He had been suffering from liver failure and received a transplant earlier this year.

Reed's literary agent, Andrew Wylie, said the musician died on Sunday morning in Southampton, New York, of an illness related –(3)- the transplant. His UK music agent, Andy Woolliscroft, confirmed the news to the Guardian earlier on Sunday night, saying: "Yes I'm –(4)- it's true. I'm very upset."

John Cale, his longtime friend and a founding member of the Velvet Underground said: "The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet … I've lost my school-yard buddy."

Tributes from –(5)- musicians and writers were quick to appear –(6)- Twitter.

Iggy Pop –(7)- it "devastating news"; Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth wrote: "So sorry to hear of Lou Reed's passing—this is a huge shock!" The chef and author Anthony Bourdain quoted the Velvet Underground's song Sweet Jane: "'Heavenly wine and roses … seem to whisper to me … when you smile' … RIP Lou Reed." Lloyd Cole wrote: "Without Lou there is no Bowie as we know him. Me? I'd probably be –(8)- maths teacher." Ryan Adams said only: "Lou Reed."

The writer Salman Rushdie opted –(9)- commemorate the singer in a message heavy –(10)- references to his songs: "My friend Lou Reed came to the end of his song. So very sad. But hey, Lou, you'll always take a walk on the wild side. Always a perfect day."

Fans also piled on to Reed's Facebook page to leave tributes. "One of the greatest men I ever met and one of the kindest and –(11)- loving – and that's from someone –(12)- worked with him and knew him –(13)- the 1960s," wrote one.

–(14)- said: "A sad day, –(15)- a perfect day at all. RIP., Lou. You'll never know –(16)- your words and music did for me and –(17)- an influence you had on the way I think."

Although the Velvet Underground never achieved great commercial success,

–(18)- idiosyncratic mixture of harsh guitars and smooth melodies sung by Reed

–(19)- model Nico proved enduring.

The band's influence on rock, art rock and punk was memorably summed –(20)- by Brian Eno's observation that –(21)- the first Velvet Underground album may have sold only 30,000 copies in its first few years, "everyone –(22)- bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band".

After –(23)- his name with the Velvet Underground and forming part of Andy Warhol's Factory scene in New York, Reed entered the similarly decadent orbit of David Bowie and Iggy Pop in the early 1970s and recorded a series of seminal and sometimes challenging solo albums,–(24)-Transformer, Berlin and Metal Machine Music.

A heavy drinker and drug user –(25)- many years, Reed had a liver transplant this year at the Cleveland Mayo Clinic.

In June, –(26)- wife, Laurie Anderson, revealed just –(27)- ill he had been. "It's

–(28)- serious as it gets," she told The Times. "He –(29)- dying. You don't get it for fun."

–(30)- his illness, however, Reed –(31)- appeared to make a rapid recovery. "I am a triumph of modern medicine, physics and chemistry," Reed wrote on his website a few weeks –(32)- his surgery. "I am bigger and stronger than ever. My chen tai chi and health regimen has served me well all of these years … I look forward to being –(33)- stage performing, and writing more songs to connect with your hearts and spirits and the universe –(34)- into the future." But he also admitted that old age was taking its toll on his body. Appearing –(35)- the Cannes Lions international festival of creativity four months ago, Reed remarked on his increasing frailty. "How could time go that quickly? It never ceases to amaze me," he said. "The other day I was 19, I could fall down and get –(36)- up. Now if I fall down you are talking about nine months of physical therapy. Make sure you take your vitamins."

However, he also found time to rail against the quality of digital music,–(37)- he said sounded "like shit," and at the amount of money artists received for music downloads.

Neither age –(38)- illness ever succeeded in blunting Reed's confrontational edge. Reacting to details of the NSA surveillance programme revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden, he said it was "beyond belief" that the then 29-year-old could access the data and was –(39)- to release it.

"Wow. Does that speak –(40)- for our security or what?" he said. "It's so shocking. Obama of all people having that thing going on … That's our guy who did that. It's very disturbing. A lot of the things [George W] Bush would have done, Obama has continued. How did that happen?"

Reed, –(41)- lack of patience with the press was legendary, could not resist laying into the "parasitical side" of journalists who were, he said, "very problematic.

–(42)- they really want is something controversial." Asked by one reporter –(43)- he stayed creative, he shot back: "How do I stay creative? I masturbate every day. OK?"

KEY

1. more
seamy: /ˈsiːmi/ unpleasant and immoral. E.g. a seamy sex scandal. The seamier side of life.



2. most



3. to



4. afraid
Schoolyard: (Am E) an outdoor area of a school for children to play in. Playground.



5. other



6. on



7. called



8. a



9. to



10. with



11. most



12. who



13. since



14. another



15. not



16. what



17. what



18. their
idiosyncratic: /ˌɪdiəsɪŋˈkrætɪk/ peculiar. describing a person's particular way of behaving, thinking, etc, especially when it is unusual. E.g. His teaching methods are idiosyncratic but successful.



19. or



20. up



21. although



22. who



23. making



24. including
seminal: /ˈsemɪnl/ very important and having a strong influence on later developments. E.g. a seminal work/ article/ study. His book on social policy proved to be seminal.



25. for



26. his



27. how



28. as



29. was



30. Despite



31. had



32. after
regimen: /ˈredʒɪmən/ a set of rules about food and exercise or medical treatment that you follow in order to stay healthy or to improve your health. E.g. a strict regimen. A daily regimen of exercise




33. on



34. well
take its toll (on somebody/something)/ take a heavy toll (on somebody/something) to have a bad effect on somebody/ something; to cause a lot of damage, deaths, suffering, etc. E.g. Illness had taken a heavy toll on her. The recession is taking its toll on the housing markets. 



35. at
remark: to say or write a comment about something/ somebody. Comment. E.g. the judges remarked on the high standard of entries for the competition.

frailty: /ˈfreɪlti/ weakness and poor health. E.g. Increasing frailty meant that she was more and more confined to bed.



36. back



37. which
rail (at/against something/somebody): to complain about something/somebody in a very angry way. E.g. She railed against the injustice of it all.



38. nor
blunt something: to make something weaker or less effective. E.g. Age hadn't blunted his passion for adventure.

edge: An intense, strong, sharp, or striking quality. E.g. a flamenco singer brings a primitive edge to the music. There was an edge of menace in his voice. Her show now has a hard political edge to it.  



39. able



40. well



41. whose
lay into somebody/something (informal) to attack somebody violently with blows or words. E.g. His parents really laid into him for wasting so much money.



42. what



43. how
Shoot: to direct something at somebody suddenly or quickly. E.g. shoot something at somebody Journalists were shooting questions at the candidates. She shot an angry glance at him. Shoot somebody something She shot him an angry glance.

Lou Reed, lead singer of Velvet Undergound, dies aged 71

Musician and his New York group influenced generations of bands with mixture of European and US styles of sound and art

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian

by Sam Jones and Shiv Malik

The Guardian, Sunday 27 October 2013 18.41 GMT

Lou Reed, lead singer of the Velvet Underground, veteran chronicler of life's wilder, seamier and more desperate side and one of the most influential and distinctive songwriters of his generation, has died at the age of 71.

He had been suffering from liver failure and received a transplant earlier this year.

Reed's literary agent, Andrew Wylie, said the musician died on Sunday morning in Southampton, New York, of an illness related to the transplant. His UK music agent, Andy Woolliscroft, confirmed the news to the Guardian earlier on Sunday night, saying: "Yes I'm afraid it's true. I'm very upset."

John Cale, his longtime friend and a founding member of the Velvet Underground said: "The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet … I've lost my school-yard buddy."

Tributes from other musicians and writers were quick to appear on Twitter.

Iggy Pop called it "devastating news"; Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth wrote: "So sorry to hear of Lou Reed's passing—this is a huge shock!" The chef and author Anthony Bourdain quoted the Velvet Underground's song Sweet Jane: "'Heavenly wine and roses … seem to whisper to me … when you smile' … RIP Lou Reed." Lloyd Cole wrote: "Without Lou there is no Bowie as we know him. Me? I'd probably be a maths teacher." Ryan Adams said only: "Lou Reed."

The writer Salman Rushdie opted to commemorate the singer in a message heavy with references to his songs: "My friend Lou Reed came to the end of his song. So very sad. But hey, Lou, you'll always take a walk on the wild side. Always a perfect day."

Fans also piled on to Reed's Facebook page to leave tributes. "One of the greatest men I ever met and one of the kindest and most loving – and that's from someone who worked with him and knew him since the 1960s," wrote one.

Another said: "A sad day, not a perfect day at all. RIP., Lou. You'll never know what your words and music did for me and what an influence you had on the way I think."

Although the Velvet Underground never achieved great commercial success, their idiosyncratic mixture of harsh guitars and smooth melodies sung by Reed or model Nico proved enduring.

The band's influence on rock, art rock and punk was memorably summed up by Brian Eno's observation that although the first Velvet Underground album may have sold only 30,000 copies in its first few years, "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band".

After making his name with the Velvet Underground and forming part of Andy Warhol's Factory scene in New York, Reed entered the similarly decadent orbit of David Bowie and Iggy Pop in the early 1970s and recorded a series of seminal and sometimes challenging solo albums including Transformer, Berlin and Metal Machine Music.

A heavy drinker and drug user for many years, Reed had a liver transplant this year at the Cleveland Mayo Clinic.

In June, his wife, Laurie Anderson, revealed just how ill he had been. "It's as serious as it gets," she told The Times. "He was dying. You don't get it for fun."

Despite his illness, however, Reed had appeared to make a rapid recovery. "I am a triumph of modern medicine, physics and chemistry," Reed wrote on his website a few weeks after his surgery. "I am bigger and stronger than ever. My chen tai chi and health regimen has served me well all of these years … I look forward to being on stage performing, and writing more songs to connect with your hearts and spirits and the universe well into the future." But he also admitted that old age was taking its toll on his body. Appearing at the Cannes Lions international festival of creativity four months ago, Reed remarked on his increasing frailty. "How could time go that quickly? It never ceases to amaze me," he said. "The other day I was 19, I could fall down and get back up. Now if I fall down you are talking about nine months of physical therapy. Make sure you take your vitamins."

However, he also found time to rail against the quality of digital music, which he said sounded "like shit," and at the amount of money artists received for music downloads.

Neither age nor illness ever succeeded in blunting Reed's confrontational edge. Reacting to details of the NSA surveillance programme revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden, he said it was "beyond belief" that the then 29-year-old could access the data and was able to release it.

"Wow. Does that speak well for our security or what?" he said. "It's so shocking. Obama of all people having that thing going on … That's our guy who did that. It's very disturbing. A lot of the things [George W] Bush would have done, Obama has continued. How did that happen?"

Reed, whose lack of patience with the press was legendary, could not resist laying into the "parasitical side" of journalists who were, he said, "very problematic. What they really want is something controversial." Asked by one reporter how he stayed creative, he shot back: "How do I stay creative? I masturbate every day. OK?"