Lou Reed; The King of New York

“The only Lou Reed bio you need to read.” — The Washington Post

A Rolling Stone Best Music Book of 2023 | One of Pitchfork’s Ten Best Music Books of 2023 | A Variety Best Music Book of the Year | A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2023

“There have been many biographies of Lou Reed, but Will Hermes has written the definitive life... He has brought to the assignment a sharp eye, a clear head, a lucid prose style, and a determination to let Lou be Lou, without judgment.” —Lucy Sante, author of Low Life

The most comprehensive and insightful biography of Lou Reed—an artist whose influence continues to grow.

Since his passing in 2013, Lou Reed’s legacy has only deepened. A visionary who fused Brill Building pop with the European avant-garde, he transformed American culture. In Lou Reed: The King of New York, Will Hermes delivers the definitive account of Reed’s life and impact, chronicling his dynamic, often combative relationships with fans, critics, and artistic icons like David Bowie, Andy Warhol, John Cale, and Laurie Anderson.

Hermes delves into Reed’s signature mix of deadpan wit, streetwise grit, and poetic brilliance, tracing his evolution from Velvet Underground frontman to solo icon. He explores Reed’s lifelong artistic ambition, his penchant for self-destruction, and his deep literary influences—including his mentorship under poet Delmore Schwartz.

As Hermes follows Reed’s journey from gritty Lower East Side apartments to cultural legend, he also paints a vivid portrait of New York City as an artistic epicenter. Drawing from the New York Public Library’s newly accessible Reed archive, never-before-heard recordings, and fresh interviews with those who knew him best, Hermes uncovers a new side of Reed—a trailblazer in writing about nonbinary sexuality and gender, a fearless artist equally devoted to beauty and chaos, and a complicated, deeply human figure whose impact still resonates.