10 Artists Who Slated The Beatles
7. Lou Reed
In 2012, PBS launched Blank On Blank, a series that animated lost and forgotten interviews from legends of the worlds of film and music. A rediscovered Lou Reed interview was one of 2015’s most captivating episodes. Speaking in 1987, Lou talks about The Velvet Underground’s attempts to “elevate the rock ’n’ roll song,” the literary influences on his songwriting and threatening college kids with a shotgun.
Interviewer Joe Smith asked what Lou thought of The Beatles and the Velvet Underground songwriter is typically direct and to the point. “I never liked The Beatles. I thought they were garbage.” Though he did later go on to praise Lennon’s solo work and cover his songs Mother and Jealous Guy.
If this quote ever found it’s way back to the remaining Beatles, hopefully they didn’t take it to heart. After all, Lou is famous for his fiery temperament and The Beatles were far from the only subjects of his disdain. With Lou also known to have slagged off Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Roxy Music and Pete Townshend amongst others, The Beatles were in good company. In fact, in the same Blank On Blank interview Reed explains, “If you say, ‘Who did you like?’ I liked nobody.”