Do Angels Need Haircuts?

by Lou Reed

In August of 1970, a 28-year-old Lou Reed quit the Velvet Underground, moved home to Long Island, New York, and embarked on a fascinating alternate creative path: poetry. Do Angels Need Haircuts? is an extraordinary snapshot of this turning point in Reed’s career. Gathering poems, photographs and ephemera from this era (including previously unreleased audio of the 1971 St. Mark’s Church reading), and featuring a new foreword by Anne Waldman and an afterword by Laurie Anderson, this book provides a window to a little-known chapter in the life of one of the most singular and uncompromising voices in American popular culture.

Genres: Poetry, Music, Art, Nonfiction

80 pages, Hardcover

Published April 23, 2018

About the author

Lou Reed was an influential American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. He first came to prominence as the guitarist and principal singer-songwriter of The Velvet Underground (1965-1973). The band gained little mainstream attention during their career, but in hindsight became one of the most influential of their era. As the Velvets’ principal songwriter, Reed wrote about subjects of personal experience that rarely had been examined in rock and roll, including bondage and S&M ("Venus in Furs"), transvestites ("Sister Ray" and "Candy Says"), drug culture ("Heroin" and "I'm Waiting for the Man"), and transsexuals undergoing surgery ("Lady Godiva's Operation"). As a guitarist, he was a pioneer in the use of distortion, high volume feedback, and nonstandard tunings.

Reed began a long and eclectic solo career in 1971. He had a hit the following year with "Walk on the Wild Side", though for more than a decade Reed seemed to willfully evade the mainstream commercial success its chart status offered him. One of rock's most volatile personalities, Reed's work as a solo artist has frustrated critics wishing for a return of The Velvet Underground. The most notable example is 1975's infamous double LP of recorded feedback loops, Metal Machine Music, upon which Reed later commented, "no one is supposed to be able to do a thing like that and survive." By the late 1980s, however, Reed had won wide recognition as an elder statesman of rock.

Reviews

[Nikolas Kalar · Rating 4 out of 5]

With just over a dozen poems stretched across its 80 pages, Lou Reed's "Do Angels Need Haircuts?" is more of an objet d'art than it is an actual poetry collection. But, really, what do you expect from New York's reigning crossover 70s St. Mark's son? And, as an object as opposed to a collection, it is absolutely beautiful. Bound in sturdy, textured fabrics with a great wraparound, embossed text, thick stock which changes based on what is being printed and the incredible color and formatting on "The Murder Mystery," "Do Angels Need Haircuts?" is a prize to hold and display.

This is good because it seems like more pages in this are dedicated to introductions, afterwords, archival material, and photographs than the actual work, which is fine. Because if you're diving headfirst into the early Lou Reed poems of 1971 -- the year between the end of his time with The Velvet Underground and his debut solo album, the year where he contemplated abandoning music to be a full-time poet -- you are probably already enough of a sycophant to be interested in the marginalia as much as the actual poetry.

It is almost a prerequisite because not everything in here is a hit. Which can be troubling with only 13 poems, the longest of which is simply the lyrics to an existing song. I much prefer the shorter poems in this collection ("He Thought of Love in the Lazy Darkness," "This is Not the Age of Curtsy, Barely Civil Strangers Passing") than I do the ones that run multiple pages and seem to get lost in their attempts to move from the "pop-art" world of music to the "serious-art" world of poetry. The poems collected here are indeed from a young Reed, and you can tell he is still trying to convince himself (and others) that the music and the lyrics are just as serious as more traditional art forms.

Of course, we all now know that Lou Reed was one of the great American poets of his time and an innovator of musical writing with his droning "ostrich" technique. But in 1971, pre-cult status, it seems he didn't know it or didn't trust his audience to see it, which can be a bummer.

And maybe I just miss the music.

Another work that has me wishing for half-stars.

3 1/2 for the poetry, 4 for my love of the man.

[Bettina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book with poems by a young Lou Reed.
Everything about the book shows it was made with love.
The cover, the photos the for and lovingly written afterword by Laurie Anderson.
The book filled me with happiness it shows an unknown side of Lou.
Love the little notes which each poem by Lou from back in the day when he performed them on stage at a poetry reading.
It's really special.
The poems show his great writing skills and humor.
The book made me miss him.
But so glad this came out. I hope the Lou Reed Archive will release more from the vaults.
Thank you Laurie Anderson for doing this.
The first edition comes with a 7” vinyl. On which you can hear Lou read a couple of Poems. What a beautiful bonus.
A must have for any Lou Reed fan.

[Katharine Ramshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really love lou reed x

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was wonderful. Reed’s young poetry reminds me both of the Velvet Underground and the weeks worth of hours that I have spent at poetry readings. There’s an intro by Anne Waldman, notes by Don Fleming, and and afterword by Laurie Anderson. Wonderful stuff!

[marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

jak ja czytam te wiersze to mam przed oczami glos lou reeda i ta jego energie uwodzicielska kusicielska i biseksualnosc i mnie to wzrusza i raduje serce

[Jessie Berry-Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a remedy. Best consumed quick. Keep it under pillow for easy access. Poems hit hard and funny. Feeling more than sentimental. The captured chatter between poems: I'd like a text of just this. Example: "This is because I always wished somebody made black lipstick and then I saw a friend of mine that wore it and I said, Where’d you get it? and they said, Oh man, everybody’s wearing it. I said, I thought I came up with something new. They said, No, man." On finishing: it's almost like he's not missing. He sounds in the mood for a chat. Laurie Anderson's final note is a heartbreak. My thinking-voice now sounds of his. The line: We are the thoughts of sorrows. It lands. I miss Lou Reed.

[charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m just barely familiar with The Velvet Underground—I bought DO ANGELS NEED HAIRCUTS? as a gift and ended up reading it first out of curiosity—but this book does an excellent job reproducing text and ephemera from an important artistic moment. The packaging and format is aesthetically pleasing, and the brief commentary is thoughtful and evocative without being grossly over-sentimental. Reed is also a funny and incisive poet and I was surprised by how much personality was captured in these pages.

[ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don’t know how to like,,?? commentate on poetry very well but lou reed has my heart <33 he has so much personality, even in this haphazard bits of poetry (and art, really - some of it i won’t label as poetry because it all just feels like art) his very unique person shows through. the highlight is clearly the wonderfully bizarre “the murder mystery” which i don’t fully understand on my first read but am awestruck by either way. “lipstick”, “since half the world is h20”, and “the spirited leaves of autumn” are all lovely poems along with the namesake of the book “do angels need haircuts?”

once again i don’t know that i’ve entirely processed this volume or interpreted it in the right way but whatever way i DID interpret it i absolutely adored it and i feel very privileged to own a copy <3

[danielle; ▵ · Rating 2 out of 5]

slightly appreciated the sound of some mostly meaningless phrases at best and will have no memory of this book after a week at worst

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the set of poems Reed read in 1971 when he contemplated quitting music to be a poet - it's a lively, interesting set with transcribed between-poem banter. The Murder Mystery (VU) is there at the end in all its madness and experimental glory. There are some nice lines elsewhere, and the shape of the poet is obvious here. Some great essays for context (Anne Waldman, Laurie Anderson) and some lovely photos make this a beautiful posthumously-released coffee-table poetry volume. So worthwhile for fans.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1970, fed up with bad management and internal squabbles, Lou Reed left the Velvet Underground (his final performance is captured on the great "Live at Max's Kansas City" album) and decided to commit himself to writing poetry. Though his retirement from music was short-lived, he remained passionate about poetry and continued to write and publish small pieces. "Do Angels Need Haircuts?", published a few years ago under the auspices of Reed's archives, is a handsome volume devoted to his brief hiatus from music, with material

[MAPLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

poems from a young Lou Reed, the Lou who was still a student but had all the tough guy makings of the leather jacket wearing bad boy we know and love. It’s often harder to see through his New York exterior into the vulnerability and piscean heart beneath, but his poems lay it all out for you here. The truth is in the poetry.

[Jake McGrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snapshot of Lou's post Velvet Underground life, as he dived into the NY Poetry scene. This has a bunch of his writing, mixed with photography, clippings, and write-ups by people close to him. My favorite was "We Are the People".

Also, quotes like this cannot be topped:
"And the Beatles had just come our with 'I Want to Hold Your Hand', so I came out with 'Heroin'".

[Kheir · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant short poetic portrait of Lou Reed shortly after the end of the Velvet Underground and before the beginning of his solo career. The book's typographical presentation of "The Murder Mystery" is the best I have seen so far. Hopefully The Lou Reed Archive will publish more of these.

[Brad Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really a fun book if you’re a fan! Includes a nice little piece by his widow, Laurie Anderson.

[Laurian · Rating 1 out of 5]

So just meh.

[Willim Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read my way through these works not once ,not twice , not thrice. Some pieces grow with re-reading and continue to grow thereafter. I have enjoyed it immensely.

[Robert Napolitano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book of Lou's early poetry.

[Elf in Norwegian · Rating 5 out of 5]

These poems ripped me apart.

[Ryan Bry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A happy poetry collection of little rebellion and optimistic danger. It will make you fall in love with Lou Reed, especially because you are already acquainted.

[Adair Deurmire · Rating 5 out of 5]

confusing. i loved it

[Max]

"The Beatles had just come out with 'I Want to Hold Your Hand.' So I came out with 'Heroin.'"

[Andrew Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of Lou Reed’s earliest works, and it shows. Genius shines through but other works can be clunkers

[ripfranzkafka · Rating 4 out of 5]

lou reed lou reed lou reed

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsessed with his writing style - Could read his poems all day

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This interesting book of poems by Lou Reed is a must have for any rock n roll fans who love Reed's interesting form of story telling.