Velvet Underground (Musical group)

Music critic Anthony DeCurtis has written a new biography of Lou Reed who was also his friend.

"In Lou Reed's world, when you were Lou's friend you knew it," his longtime publicist Bill Bentley tells Terry Gross. Fresh Air dedicates an entire hour to the transgressive and transcendent Velvet Underground co-founder, with music and commentary by original Velvets John Cale and Maureen Tucker.

The singer Nico recorded inimitable songs on solo records and with the Velvet Underground in the 1960s, beginning with 1967's Chelsea Girl.

World music critic Milo Miles reviews the 3 CD set, The Velvet Underground Bootleg Series, Vol. 1: The Quine Tapes. Its music recorded in 1969 by Robert Quine who later became part of the New York punk rock scene in the 1970s.

Cale was the violist, keyboardist and bassist of the 1960s avant garde band, The Velvet Underground. Since the breakup of the group in 1968, he has had a career as a solo artist. Most recently, he collaborated with former Velvet Underground member Lou Reed, on "Songs for Drella," the 1990 tribute to artist Andy Warhol. This past month, he released "Seducing Down the Door: A John Cale Collection," which is a compilation of his post-Velvet Underground solo recordings.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles The Velvet Underground. Sponsored by Andy Warhol, the band was a favorite of the jet-set crowd but reviled by the hippie culture that couldn't comprehend their music. The band featured Lou Reed and violist John Cale. Their best known songs include "Waiting for the Man," "Heroin" and "Sister Ray."

Moe Tucker, drummer for The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed's band that won cult status in the mid-70s.