The definitive oral history of The Velvet Underground--one of the most
influential bands of all time--with contributions from remaining
members, contemporaneous musicians, critics, film-makers, and DJs, from
New York Times bestselling author Dylan Jones.
Rebellion always starts somewhere, and in the music world of the
transgressive teen, there is nowhere to look but The Velvet Underground.
In the '60s, The Velvets crystallized the idea of the bohemian, urban,
narcissistic art school gang, a stylistic idea that evolved in the
rarefied environs of Andy Warhol's Factory.
The first major American rock group with a male and female line-up, The
Velvets never smiled in photographs and wore sunglasses indoors,
inventing the archetype that would be copied by everyone from Sid
Vicious to Bobby Gillespie, Chrissie Hynde, Bono, Kim Gordan, and Fall
Out Boy. They were avant-garde nihilists, writing about drug abuse,
prostitution, paranoia, and sado-masochistic sex at a time when the rest
of the world was singing about peace and love.
In that sense they invented punk. And then some.
With contributions from Lou Reed, John Cale, Mo Tucker, Andy Warhol,
Graydon Carter, Nico, David Bowie, Diane von Furstenberg, and more,
music journalist Dylan Jones breaks down the band's whirlwind of
subversion and, in a narrative rich in drama and detail, proves why The
Velvets remain the original kings and queens of edge.
