The Art of the Straight Line

February 1, 2023

Rock legend Lou Reed died in 2013, but he had one last creative work up his sleeve. Outside of his musical genius, Reed was an advanced practitioner of the Chinese martial art tai chi, which he credited to relieving health issues and giving him the stamina to continue to perform shows as he aged. An evangelist of tai chi, Reed left behind notes for a book he wished to write, which have been fleshed out by those closest to him, especially his wife Anderson. While Reed is the credited author, this book is additionally a love letter from Anderson and those closest to him. It is a new style of biography that takes readers inside the life of Reed in his later years. It contains lengthy quotes from a number of well-known musicians, actors, writers, and artists who saw what tai chi did for him. Central to the book is Reed's close relationship to his tai chi teacher, Ren Guang-Ji. VERDICT It is not necessary to be a fan of Reed, the Velvet Underground, or the martial arts to appreciate the beauty and serenity the book provides.--Brett Rohlwing

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2023
The late, great musician and associates recount his passion for an ancient martial art. "I have to say, it's strange and wonderful to collaborate with someone who's been dead for almost ten years," writes Reed's longtime partner in life, artist and musician Laurie Anderson, who takes Reed's sketchy notes on tai chi and blends them with interviews and contributions from others who share his ardent love of what practitioners call "playing." One of them is actor Michael Imperioli, who writes that "martial arts was a gateway for me into a spiritual path." Certainly it was for Reed, who emerged from his years with the Velvet Underground with serious addictions to alcohol and drugs and remade himself through decades of nearly daily practice. Reed writes appreciatively of his teachers, most of them Chinese immigrants who brought the Wu and Chen traditions to New York. The gentle Wu helped him acquire better emotional health, while the explosive Chen gave him the joy of stomping about. Along the way, practitioners and peers such as Iggy Pop (a serious devotee of qi gong) and Tony Visconti discuss the physical, mental, and spiritual elements of the martial arts, with Visconti allowing that the youthful excesses that felled so many of their peers were ameliorated by the time spent in practice: "Tai Chi is a life saver." Throughout the book, bits and pieces of Reed's wisdom, often delivered with a sting--everyone agrees he wasn't always the nicest guy--drop into the reader's lap--e.g., don't be afraid, be alert to bullshit, and "be as tender as possible." The Reed-ian snarl and sneer are always in evidence, too, as when he says with faux dismissiveness, "I mean if being an auto mechanic was actually healthy for you, maybe I'd have done that." A pleasure for students of tai chi and fans of Reed's music alike.

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