When Lars Ulrich and Lou Reed almost came to blows
As the central and longest-standing creative leader of The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed was known to have a rather incendiary personality. As heard in his lyrics and interviews, Reed was full of evocative and provocative language and, depending on his mood, could sometimes come across as a little bitter. Consequently, Reed’s peers occasionally complained that he was challenging to work with, thanks to his forthright, unwavering opinions and dry sense of humour.
Just how difficult Reed was to work with is a matter of conjecture among fans, but he managed to maintain close friendships with his Velvet Underground peers and many subsequent collaborators, despite a few ups and downs. One of Reed’s most valued musical partners was David Bowie, who was among a very small contingent of Velvet Underground fanatics during their sluggish rise to prominence in the late-1960s.
After performing together at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1979, Bowie, Reed and some of their band members piled into the Chelsea Rendezvous restaurant. During the meal, Reed asked Bowie if he’d like to produce his ninth solo studio album, The Bells. Bowie accepted but said he would, but only on the condition Reed sobered up, as he had done himself in Berlin two years prior.
Though the injunction came from a friendly place, Reed took it as a personal insult as an intoxicated rage overcame him. Lurching across the table, he grabbed Bowie by the scruff of the neck and dropped a few punches on the Starman’s face. “Don’t you ever say that to me! Don’t you ever fucking say that to me,” Reed said.
Reed was eventually peeled away from Bowie and escorted from the building as a de-escalating verbal exchange replaced the violence. “It should be noted that this verbal bantering also continued into the night back at the hotel — with Bowie in the hallway demanding that Reed ‘come out and fight like a man,'” Chuck Hammer, who was present that evening, once recalled in an interview with Uncut. “Eventually, it all quieted down as Lou never reappeared to continue the fight and was most likely already fast asleep.”
This violent outburst wasn’t an isolated occurrence. Lars Ulrich, the Danish drummer of Metallica, once found himself in Reed’s crosshairs while collaborating on the 2011 experimental collaborative album Lulu. The album was almost ubiquitously panned by critics and fans alike.
Addressing the negative reaction to Lulu in 2012, Ulrich told Spin: “It was more spiteful than anyone was prepared for, especially against Lou. He is such a sweet man. But when Metallica do impulsive riffing, and Lou Reed is reciting abstract poetry about German bohemians from 150 years ago, it can be difficult to embrace.”
Later in the interview, Ulrich recounted one occasion when he saw Reed’s short-tempered side. The interviewer asked, “Did Lou ever give you his what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you stare?”
“One time, I had to point something out to him about how things were functioning in the outside world, and he got hot and bothered,” Ulrich replied. “He challenged me to a street fight, which is a pretty daunting proposition because he’s an expert in martial arts and is never too far from a sword.”
“The good thing about me is I can do the 100-meter dash faster than most other 48-year-old musicians,” he added humorously.
Listen to ‘Brandenburg Gate’ from Lou Reed and Metallica’s collaborative album below.
