Lou Reed

I think life is far too short to concentrate on your past. I rather look into the future.

People think that I work out but it's all t'ai chi.

I wanted to be an actor. That was my real goal. But I wasn't any good at it, so I wrote my own material and acted through that. That's my idea of fun. I get to be all these things in the songs.

I don't mind a repetitive chorus; I mind repetitive verse. I mean, it's the same amount of space. Why would you have only three diamonds if you can have six?

Some even claim that I'm a terror, a dictator and they're right.

Music should come crashing out of your speakers and grab you, and the lyrics should challenge whatever preconceived notions that listener has.

I've become completely well adjusted to being a cult figure.

I wouldn't want to hear Beethoven without beautiful bass, the cellos, the tuba. It's very important. Hip-hop has thunderous bass. And so does Beethoven. If you don't have the bass, it's like being amputated. It's like you have no legs.

I can create a vibe without saying anything, just by being in the room.

Music was what bothered me, what interested me.

I'm an artist and that means I can be as egotistical as I want to be.

I think it's pretentious to create art just for the sake of stroking the artists ego.