LOU REED'S BERLIN

I've already seen Julian Schnabel's filmic treatment of Lou Reed's Berlin twice now, and will see it again tonight at the Film Forum.

Following this evening's 8:15 showing, Lou Reed himself will be on hand for a Q&A!

I've been thinking long and hard about what question I would like to ask him (that he won't respond to with his legendary dismissiveness).

My thoughts on the film are hard (or maybe uncomfortable) to articulate—the fact of the matter is: upon each viewing I've found myself quite unprepared for the emotions that have been conjured.

Even the upbeat (musically, anyway) songs are sad: watching the Brooklyn Youth Chorus bouncing to the beat during "Caroline Says I" is a startling reminder of how innocence exists only for ruination. The collision of their joyous harmonies against the lyrics ("Just like poison in a vial / She was often very vile / But I thought I could take it all") is vintage Reed.

The downers are similarly devastating. Reed's face during "Caroline Says II" and "The Kids" is incredibly bereft, as though he's carrying the weight of his marginalized characters' shitty lives, their pain having finally caught up with him.

I'm not sure a safe question exists.