Velvet

I don't like to borrow things. My boyfriend owns things, stuff, has these collections I drool over and admit to insane jealousy over what he OWNS and I can either borrow or set out to buy for myself. Seems silly to buy when it's right there but I don't like to borrow, I like to own. If I must take out a loan it's for one work day and I return it otherwise it could make it's way to my place and he found the last LP that did that and it was embarrassing.

He got the Velvet Underground Live at Max's Kansas City before I did. I finally got my own copy and play it over and over. I could hear the Velvets all day,never grow bored or tired of their music: The Velvet Underground and Nico, White Light/White Heat, The Velvet Underground and Loaded. This Live at Max' cd is awesome, Reed's voice through my headphones at work and all the live noises, it makes the day pass pleasantly if not faster. I make it last I guess by going back and hearing a track over and over then move on to the next when I had my fill. First the lyrics, once more for Reed's voice, once more for the shatter in the background, once more cause I love the song, again cause I love the song, one more time cause I'm getting a mood and don't want to wreck the feelings coming through, one more, last time, one more time and so on.

Though I love all conversation and information that turns to the Velvets, I can't get technical about the music or speak of the social scene with confidence despite reading books on Nico and one on Reed, and quite a few on Warhol and even one on Edie, not quite... but never mind. I'm bad with facts and dates and dissecting and de-constructing and connecting and comparing and contrasting to other bands of other eras and all but I love to hear it all in the music. I understand it and get it and can hear their influence in what came after but I can't put it into words very well. Passion gets in the way, becomes nothing but adjectives and I end up feeling stupid. I can better do it by pointing out certain points of interests and swoon. I can say, and be truly heartfelt when I say it, they are genuine and nothing I have ever heard them disappoints me because they are simply my favorite band of all time. I love the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks and a number of others... but The Velvets are my favorite band.

I'd love to own Peel Slowly&See but there's always something. When I do finally buy it I'll have to take the day off and sit in my dark and cool apt and just lay there and soak it all in, demos and chatter and all. I heard or read once that only 1000 people bought the first album, that appeals to me for some reason even though I don't know if I would have been one of the thousand to own a copy back then. Maybe.

PS to WM: The Creem issue I want to own is the one from 1987 :>