Music: Lou Reed's Nightshade Carnival

Classic rock of grim wit and menace

Back at Syracuse University in the early 1960s, Lou Reed was a platoon leader in the campus ROTC unit. He was already dabbling in extreme forms of social behavior and cultivating notoriety like a rare hothouse herb. He also wanted out of his military commitment. To make sure that the authorities would oblige, he recalls holding a gun to the head of his commanding officer. It wasn't loaded, but this was no time to take chances. Lou got the boot.

Since then he has seen quite a few...

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