Syracuse University alumnus and music legend Lou Reed will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2015. The Daily Orange spoke with Theo Cateforis, chair of the department of art and music histories and who teaches a class on rock music, about Reed’s influence in the industry and what makes him an iconic figure in rock music.

The Daily Orange: What can you say about Lou Reed and his upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Theo Cateforis: Well I certainly think it’s a worthy honor and award for him. He’s of course being inducted separate from the Velvet Underground, since he’s already a member of that group. But if you look especially at the albums and the works that he released in the ‘70s and the ‘80s when he was most active, these are the types of things that get you into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The D.O.: How would you describe Lou Reed’s influence in the music industry?

T.C.: In terms of his influence and what I think what people recognize in his work, a couple things stand out. One is that we very much associate him with New York, New York City, with the kind of urban environment there in the ‘70s and ‘80s when punk was flourishing, and someone who kind of depicted different vignettes and scenarios in the city and the kind of things that he was writing about. Here’s someone who was unafraid to write about the dark underbelly and the kinds of characters that we associate with New York City — whether it be prostitutes or drug dealers — and to give them a sense of personality and not just caricatures. So I don’t think it’s any surprise that one of his best-received albums from the ‘80s was simply called “New York.” Those are the strongest associations we have with Lou Reed. Certainly as a composer, songwriter, an artist and musician, we associate him especially with New York and the punk scene at the time.

The D.O.: How did Reed’s band, Velvet Underground, affect the music industry at the time?

T.C.: I would say one of the strongest effects that they had was with the genre that you might call “art rock,” which is to say that they were crossing over into the visual arts. Obviously with their collaborations with Andy Warhol, and that they had an effect that rock music could be avant-garde, it could be daring, it could be multimedia. It could be more serious and intense than just the pop music that you would hear on the radio.

The D.O.: How is Reed’s influence seen in the music industry?

T.C.: He’s seen as someone who is unafraid to take chances. He played in a number of different styles, and one of his most notorious albums was “Metal Machine Music,” which was just an album of almost all complete feedback and noise. So he was someone who made very confident, sometimes abrasive decisions but had a strong sense of integrity with his artistry. That’s one thing I think he’s remembered for in the industry. Also he’s someone who plays around with his identity, dealing with issues of androgyny, sexuality. So again, just a very strong personality. That’s something that people always look for in the music industry, that you have a persona kind of presence.

The D.O.: What would you say makes Lou Reed a legend and deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

T.C.: I would say the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame certainly values people with lasting careers, and between the Velvet Underground, which he was a part of for years, and his solo career, you’re looking at someone who was active for many decades, who enjoyed many strong collaborations with people like David Bowie, for example. And he was an active touring artist, recording artist, and just an iconic figure in rock music and punk and underground music. A number of people looked up to him as someone who had been a trailblazer in the late ‘60s and continued to deal with very edgy things in his writing throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s and into the ‘90s.

Published on December 17, 2014 at 9:05 pm

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu