MixedNewsdayLou Reed: A Life” is engaging at the beginning, as DeCurtis is able to tell the story by interviewing high school bandmates and former girlfriends. However, as he moves into Reed’s time in the Velvet Underground, DeCurtis is rarely able to talk to those directly involved. Soon the book’s structure of using Reed’s albums and their critical reception as a lens on his life begins to feel predictable. This ends up making Lou Reed: A Life feel more like Lou Reed: The Work — a worthwhile endeavor, but not one that lives up to the well-reported early and late chapters. At times, you can almost feel the elusive Reed slipping out of DeCurtis’ grasp.
