Lou Reed, Covered and Recovered

Keith, Mary Gauthier, Rosanne Cash, and Joan Jett Lead the Pack

The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed, had me with its opening track: Keith Richards' version of "I'm Waiting for the Man." The seminal Velvet Underground song (and one has to watch the way one uses "seminal" with Lou Reed) is about a white guy who goes up to Harlem to connect with his heroin dealer. Do you think Keith Richards is on solid ground selling this song to the listener? You better believe the needle marks and scars tattooed on his brain, if not his arms. I couldn't stop laughing from the moment I heard about it. It is the best rock and roll joke since Lou performed "Foot of Pride," the most obscure Dylan song he could find at the time, at the 30th annual Bob Dylan celebration concert in 1992. "Foot of Pride"? Son, you must be joking.