"Lou Reed - Godfather of Punk" Premium Unisex T-Shirt

The Graphic Says "Godfather of Punk." Here's Why That's Not Wrong.

Lou Reed didn't set out to start punk. He set out to write songs that read like literature. He studied poetry at Syracuse under Delmore Schwartz — one of the most celebrated and troubled poets of the American mid-century — and arrived in New York wanting to do something in rock and roll that hadn't been done yet.

What he built with John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Moe Tucker was the Velvet Underground: a band managed by Andy Warhol, performing inside the Exploding Plastic Inevitable — films, lights, dancers, and music unlike anything in American rock venues in 1966. The first album had a banana on the cover and songs about heroin, sadomasochism, and street life. It sold almost nothing. It influenced everyone who would go on to make punk, post-punk, alternative, and indie rock for the next four decades. The lineage runs directly through it.

So when the Ramones played their first show, when the Sex Pistols formed, when every art-school kid with a guitar in 1977 decided they could do it too — Lou Reed had already shown them it was possible to make rock that was raw, literary, and confrontational without apology. That's the claim on the shirt. It holds up.

His solo career ran from Transformer (1972) to Berlin (1973) to Metal Machine Music (1975) to New York (1989) and never stopped moving. He died in 2013. Lou Reed always sounded like Lou Reed.

More from the New York underground: Explore our full Classic Rock collection.

Premium Quality

• Bella + Canvas 3001 — Premium unisex tee, true to size
• Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton — Exceptionally soft from the first wear
• Classic unisex fit — Relaxed, versatile, works for everyone
• Tear-away label — Clean comfort, all day

Made to Order

For environmental and quality reasons, this tee is made specifically for you after you order. Please allow approximately one week for production. Tracking information will be sent as soon as it ships.