Lou Reed's Transformer

Transformer, Lou Reed's most enduringly popular album, is described with varying labels: it's often called a glam rock album, a proto-punk album, a commercial breakthrough for Lou Reed, and an album about being gay. And yet, it doesn't neatly fit into any of these descriptors. Buried underneath the radio-friendly exterior lie coded confessions of the subversive, wounded intelligence that gives this album its staying power as a work of art. Here Lou Reed managed to make a fun, accessible rock'n'roll record that is also a troubled meditation on the ambiguities-sexual, musical and otherwise-that defined his public persona and helped make him one of the most fascinating and influential figures in rock history. Through close listening and personal reflections, songwriter Ezra Furman explores Reed's and Transformer's unstable identities, and the secrets the songs challenge us to uncover.

Ezra Furman is a singer, songwriter and recording artist. She has released seven albums to critical acclaim. She lives in Berkeley, CA.

Introduction
Lou the Queer
Lou the Failure
Lou and Bowie
Side One
"Vicious" - Lou & Hate
"Andy's Chest" - Lou & Warhol
"Perfect Day" - Lou & Bettye
"Hangin' Round" - Lou & Coolness
"Walk on the Wild Side" - Lou & the Underworld
Side Break: Lou in the Closet / Transformer in Code
Side Two
"Make Up" - Lou & Gender
"Satellite of Love" - Lou & Pop
"Wagon Wheel" - Lou & Laziness
"New York Telephone Conversation" - Lou & New York
"I'm So Free" - Lou & Freedom
"Goodnight Ladies" - Lou & Lonliness
Outro: The Man Himself
Enormous Thanks