Liz Phair was set to release Soberish, her first new album since 2010's Funstyle, last year, but the pandemic upended those plans. We got a glimpse of what was to come with her 2019 single “Good Side,” and now Phair’s shared a brand new song off her upcoming record.
“Hey Lou” finds Phair imagining what legendary rock couple Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson’s relationship must’ve been like, sung from Anderson’s perspective – with a very catchy chorus, to boot. You can see Phair’s signature observational wit in the lyrics, as she imagines Anderson lovingly keeping Reed in check while he’s “acting like an asshole, spilling all the drinks, talking shit about Warhol.”
The video for the song features Reed and Anderson as puppets, making the song even more comically endearing.
Here’s what Phair has to say about the song in the virtual liner notes sent to The A.V. Club Tuesday night: “Have you ever wondered what love looks like for your favorite celebrity couple behind closed doors? ‘Hey Lou’ imagines a day in the life of two music legends, whose union was an inspiration for rock bands and a source of curiosity for die hard romantics.”
Phair’s also marking a big milestone this year, performing her first ever streaming event called “Hey Lou Hey Liz” on March 3. You can see her play the new songs and beloved classics with her producer and longtime collaborator Brad Wood, and join them for a Q&A.
18 Comments
but is she gonna break a guitar?
“Good Side” was nice, but unremarkable. This feels like the Liz Phair I’ve missed.
Agreed – “Good Side” got a lot of hype from her fans in large part, I think, because of a hunger for new Liz (I can totally relate!), and it’s okay to good, but feels like an outtake from the self-titled album. This one feels more like where she’s heading with new material. I’m happy she’s back with Wood and you can hear it on this.
My favorite Lou Reed story is perhaps this show in Paris:The band plays an absolutely epic intro to Sweet Jane, but not because that was the plan. A coked up Reed was just being a prick and refused to get on stage until he felt the build-up was sufficient.I miss him. He was by all accounts – including his own – an insufferable cunt, but I grew up on his music and he is pretty much one of the most influential rock musicians of all time. After a point in history, rock is basically repeating what The Beatles, The Velvet Underground and The Stooges did.
I read a different account of that night which was he wanted a very long intro so they couldn’t use it as a single – and of course that legendary intro by the guys from the Alice Cooper band and the rest of the song would become one of the few Lou Reed songs you hear to this day on the radio. My understanding is he absolutely knew they were recording this, much like the live album where he basically stays in insult comedian mode the whole time.I fully believe the coke story as well though. Like you, I miss him even though he was clearly a huge asshole at times. Although by the end of his life he was only a huge asshole maybe half the time so there’s that.
My sister once broke through Lou’s miserable cunt facade. When Mistrial came out, he did a signing in a small local record store. My 13 y.o. sister insisted on coming with me. He shows up late and barely acknowledges anyone as he signs their records. I hand him my VU record, he signs it without looking up, and then my sister, an obvious Duran Duranite, gets to the table and hands him her cassette copy of Mistrial. He sees her out of the corner of his eye, does a double take and looks up at her. She starts gushing about his album as only a Duran Duran fangirl could, even going so far as to tell him she knows all the lyrics. He pauses again as she goes on and actually smiles, asks her name and how she got into his music (MTV and give me some credit) then signs the inner part of the cassette to her and stares while we walk away.Then the asshole behind us hands him a Lou Rawls record, bringing back the scowl. To Lou’s credit, he signs it without looking up or commenting.
Cool story. It must be so weird at times for an artist to see who they reach. Because he just records his music and sends it out into the ether, not really knowing who is receiving it.
Years ago I was walking my friend’s dog in the West Village. There was a cafe with tables on the sidewalk and a group of guys were sitting there, talking about putting together a live album or something… I didn’t really pay much attention. I walked past the table to the corner, told the dog, “Sit, Lazlo.” From the table I hear, “Hey! Is that dog’s name Lazlo?” I look over and it’s Lou Reed. I tell him, yes the dog is named Lazlo and he says, “Huh. Alright.”
That’s my Lou Reed story.
oh my god, those dudes’ faces!
This pleases me. I had an interaction with Laurie and Lou in early 90’s NYC when they stopped to ask me about a street fair and a brief discussion followed. Pretty much what you’d expect…she was doing most of the (thoughtful) talking and he was reticent and trying to pull her along, but he half-laughed at certain thing she said. They radiated “coupledom” but not in that gross clingy kind of way—more a connected energy thing and ease of being around each other.
lou reed dated louie anderson?
They were married for a long time
Laurie, not Louie.
I wish Lou Reed was still around to weigh in on things; just to balance out David Crosby.
The song itself is a pass for me at least. My guess is he would hate it with a passion. Wouldn’t be surprised if Laurie Anderson was none too pleased either. Just seems to miss the mark on multiple fronts. Plus I had seen him so many times and had approached him enough to think that he may have reacted in a way that would indicate agitation. My two cents from one of his two bits friends..
OK but that is clearly the PSTD Vietnam puppet from that Bill Hader SNL sketch.
I misread the headline as a tribute to Louie Anderson.I like my version better.