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Perfect Day: An Intimate Portrait Of Life With Lou Reed
‘Hey, you! Beautiful!’ The voice was compelling—an order. So I turned around. ‘Yeah, you,’ he said. ‘What are you doing in here? You look normal.’ ‘I am,’ I said.
Bettye Kronstad met Lou Reed in 1968 as a nineteen-year-old Columbia University student; they were married, briefly, in 1973. Their relationship spanned some of the most pivotal years of his life and career, from the demise of The Velvet Underground to the writing and recording of his seminal solo masterpieces Transformer , for which Lou wrote ‘Perfect Day’ about an afternoon they spent together in the park, and Berlin , which draws on tales from Bettye’s childhood. In Perfect Day , Bettye looks back on their initially idyllic life together on the Upper East Side; Lou’s struggle to launch a solo career after leaving perhaps the most influential rock band of all time; his work and friendships with fellow stars David Bowie and Iggy Pop; and his descent into drink and drug abuse following the success of Transformer , which sent him spinning out from gentle soul to rock’n’roll animal and brought a swift and calamitous end to their relationship. The result is a powerful and poignant meditation on love, loss, writing, and music.
Bettye Kronstad met Lou Reed in 1968 as a nineteen-year-old Columbia University student; they were married, briefly, in 1973. Their relationship spanned some of the most pivotal years of his life and career, from the demise of The Velvet Underground to the writing and recording of his seminal solo masterpieces Transformer , for which Lou wrote ‘Perfect Day’ about an afternoon they spent together in the park, and Berlin , which draws on tales from Bettye’s childhood. In Perfect Day , Bettye looks back on their initially idyllic life together on the Upper East Side; Lou’s struggle to launch a solo career after leaving perhaps the most influential rock band of all time; his work and friendships with fellow stars David Bowie and Iggy Pop; and his descent into drink and drug abuse following the success of Transformer , which sent him spinning out from gentle soul to rock’n’roll animal and brought a swift and calamitous end to their relationship. The result is a powerful and poignant meditation on love, loss, writing, and music.
288 pages, Paperback
Published November 8, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 19, 2025
This was written 50 years after the events and a lot of it is dialogue based. To me it seemed poorly edited but maybe that was my reading inability (I am more audio books these days). If the conversations aren't taken literally I suspect the book gives a good sense of her life with Lou. There are facts that are clearly wrong: on page 24 she talks about Cale droning during Lou's last gig with the velvets. It seems a weird fact to have got wrong but then i am a fan and it is something she moved on from a long time ago. The essence of what she remembers is probably correct just not the detail. It was a good read in general hence 4 stars
February 20, 2017
An interesting perspective on Lou Reed's life during the five years he was married to the author. Nothing too shocking or surprising, but I think this is the first time Bettye has ever spoken up about their relationship after almost 50 years. Adds to the complicated picture of the one of the greatest singe/songwriters of our time.
November 25, 2016
Decently written (though sometimes a bit precious) memoir by Lou Reed's first wife, Bettye Kronstad.
A fascinating look into the musician's last days with The Velvet Underground and subsequent launch of his solo career by the person closest to it all.
I found this book to be a credible rendering of one of rock's most complex personalities. The massive ego and the consuming vulnerability; the artistic genius and self-sabotaging antics; the tenderness and the caustic tongue. The man was a walking contradiction - and that's why we love him.
Oddity: Apparently Lou was heavily into cocaine, a drug I have NEVER heard associated with him - and I've been a diehard fan since 1975.
(Heroin gets a casual mention, as does speed. Lou's drug of choice during this era was apparently alcohol. He is depicted as falling down drunk almost constantly.)
A fascinating look into the musician's last days with The Velvet Underground and subsequent launch of his solo career by the person closest to it all.
I found this book to be a credible rendering of one of rock's most complex personalities. The massive ego and the consuming vulnerability; the artistic genius and self-sabotaging antics; the tenderness and the caustic tongue. The man was a walking contradiction - and that's why we love him.
Oddity: Apparently Lou was heavily into cocaine, a drug I have NEVER heard associated with him - and I've been a diehard fan since 1975.
(Heroin gets a casual mention, as does speed. Lou's drug of choice during this era was apparently alcohol. He is depicted as falling down drunk almost constantly.)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews