Who is Lou Reed singing about in "New Age"? He said to the fat blonde actress You know I've seen every movie you've been in From Paths of Pain to Jewels of Glory And when you kissed Robert Mitchu

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On the "Loaded" version, the lyrics begin:

"Can I have your autograph
He said to the fat blonde actress
You know I've seen every movie you've been in
From Paths of Pain to Jewels of Glory
And when you kissed Robert Mitchum
Gee but I thought you'd never catch him"

Who is the fat blonde actress? If you don't know, take a guess.

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 10 January 2005 02:00 (twenty years ago)

Oops the thread question wasn't intented to look so psychotic.

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 10 January 2005 02:02 (twenty years ago)

That's Doug Yule singing.

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Monday, 10 January 2005 02:03 (twenty years ago)

xpost: It may be a fiction (and I think it's Doug Yule singing too).

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 10 January 2005 02:08 (twenty years ago)

Isn't it about some affair Lou had with a washed-up actress?

― 57 7th (calstars), Monday, 10 January 2005 02:22 (twenty years ago)

Ohhh is it Lou on the live version? Anyway, I know it might not be anyone in particular, but use your imagination(s).

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 10 January 2005 02:30 (twenty years ago)

Marilyn if she lived.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 10 January 2005 02:38 (twenty years ago)

That song always reminds me of the movie Sunset Blvd.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Monday, 10 January 2005 03:10 (twenty years ago)

shelley winters

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 10 January 2005 03:23 (twenty years ago)

Interesting that there's a movie "Paths of Glory" but no movie "Paths of Pain" or "Jewels of Glory." Right? (I'm not sure about that.)

― dlp9001, Monday, 10 January 2005 04:09 (twenty years ago)

>Ohhh is it Lou on the live version?

it's lou on the live 69 and quine tapes versions. completely different set of lyrics save for the chorus. much better lyrics as well.

― tylerw, Monday, 10 January 2005 04:12 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I like the lyrics better on the live version, but they don't mention this mysterious actress.

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 10 January 2005 04:43 (twenty years ago)

Seconding Shelly Winters.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Monday, 10 January 2005 04:45 (twenty years ago)

I have wondered what this song is about as well. Once I went looking for movies by those titles and was rather surprised I couldn't find any. I always assumed it was probably Shelley Winters, too. There is apparently a movie she starred in with Mitchum from '55 called Night Of The Hunter, but I haven't seen it and I don't know if they starred in any other films together.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Monday, 10 January 2005 06:17 (twenty years ago)

Plus wasn't Winters in one of the Warhol films?

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 10 January 2005 06:55 (twenty years ago)

you're thinking of brigid berlin

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 10 January 2005 06:58 (twenty years ago)

Night of the Hunter is an amazing film. I highly recommend it. I once say Bastro play live while it was projected silently above their heads. That was cool too. Coil sampled some of the dialogue from Night of the Hunter on "Love's Secret Domain" also. OK, what are you waiting for?

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Monday, 10 January 2005 07:46 (twenty years ago)

Night of the Hunter is fucking amazing.
Charles Laughton's only film. Financial and critical BOMB at the time; history has justly redeemed it.
It's also where Radio Raheem got the HATE/LOVE schtick from.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Monday, 10 January 2005 07:48 (twenty years ago)

Hmm, why was Winters in the Warhol documentary? I can't remember. I could swear he filmed her, if not in an actual "film" then at least sitting around the pool at a hotel or something.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 10 January 2005 08:29 (twenty years ago)

Well I must check out the film, then. I do think Lou is just trying to be deliberately mysterious with the song, though.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Monday, 10 January 2005 08:33 (twenty years ago)

its frank and nancy on the 69 disc. what was the story, again?

― bulbs (bulbs), Monday, 10 January 2005 09:15 (twenty years ago)

I think the sleevenotes to the box set mention 'Sunset Boulevard', possibly in a Lou Redd interview. I've never seen the film, so I can't comment. And I haven't got the box set box anymore either. I do remember him saying that Doug Yule didn't understand a word of it, so at least we're in good company.

― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 10 January 2005 10:01 (twenty years ago)

Night of the Hunter is freakin' horrifying.

Yea, what's the story with Frank and Nancy, by the way? And the explanation for the lyric changes?

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 10 January 2005 10:41 (twenty years ago)

Sunset Blvd. is a very good movie that holds up well fifty plus years on from it's release. The basic gyst of the story is about a down on his luck screenwriter that becomes the shut-in toy to a aging silent era film queen. It is well worth checking out, if nothing else for the ending.

Night of the Hunter is another great movie. Mitchum plays a total creep.

― earlnash, Monday, 10 January 2005 14:34 (twenty years ago)

Frank and Nancy Sinatra? Maybe Lou saw what happened to Jackie Mason after he made a joke about Frank in Vegas and got cold feet.
Isn't pure speculation fun!

― stew, Monday, 10 January 2005 14:46 (twenty years ago)

Mitchum is terribly creeping in Night of the Hunter, but he's even MORE creeping in Cape Fear. The baddest guy ever to appear on screen -in comparison, De Niro looked like a harmless kid in the remake.
He was really frightening and disturbing and oh, what a great great actor...

― Marco Damiani (Marco D.), Monday, 10 January 2005 16:22 (twenty years ago)

Robert Mitchum also made a calypso record.

― Huk-L, Monday, 10 January 2005 16:46 (twenty years ago)

Oh, maybe Jane Russell? Starred w/ Mitch in "His Kind of Woman"? Jane Greer was so beautiful in her films with Mitch--"Out of the Past" and "The Big Steal." But I don't think she got fat. So yeah, maybe Shelley Winters?

I recommend the Mitchum "Calypso Is Like So." Truly great avant-something or another, and the cover art is priceless.

Mitchum and Lee Marvin--those guys were it in my book for movie tough guys. And both sang!

― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Monday, 10 January 2005 20:44 (twenty years ago)

I've got a Robert Mitchum song on one of the Oxford American discs from a few years back, it's him and, um Lillian Gish??? singing gospel.

― Huk-L, Monday, 10 January 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

Was Shelly Winters fat in 1969?

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 10 January 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

― The Mad Puffin, Monday, 10 January 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

Never mind.

― The Mad Puffin, Monday, 10 January 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

it's him and, um Lillian Gish
Bizarre. Is this some sort of Night of the Hunter tie-in? Do they sing "Leaning On Jesus"? That would be uberbizzare.

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 10 January 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

I was gonna suggest Nico, but the correct answer to this question is of course

Yo Mamma!

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 10 January 2005 23:06 (twenty years ago)

Indeed.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 05:33 (twenty years ago)

i heard frank was gonna fix him some cement shoes

― bulbs (bulbs), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 06:55 (twenty years ago)

Huk-L: I imagine it's "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms", which Mitchum and Gish sing to each other in the creepy climax of Night of the Hunter.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 07:59 (twenty years ago)

Oh yeah, that's the correct title. And I forgot they did that. Still, wouldn't it be creepy even just to listen to the song by itself, as what else would you think about but the movie? I guess it's be like listening to the Wicker Man soundtrack.

xpost:
I'm trying to picture Phil-Hartman-as-Frank giving somebody-as-Lou (guesthost Sigourney Weaver in drag?) a talking to.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:18 (twenty years ago)

I know you're not supposed to, but I prefer both the singing and the lyrics on the "Loaded" version, I also think Dougie was right to ditch the draggy "Let's write our version of Hey Jude" ending that Lou preferred.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:22 (twenty years ago)

Dougie ditched it? I thought it was faded out.

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

I don't mind Doug's vocals either. I'd be a hypocrite if I did because it took me years before the day finally arrived when I was listening to "Candy Says" and I realized "Hey, that's not Lou singing!" Either "Who Loves The Sun" or "Oh, Sweet Nuthin'" was the next to fall.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

Fall quote time again:
Was embarrassed but stuck with them
Walked, at shoulder, down the street, ridicule
They couldn't tell Lou Reed from Doug Yule

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:23 (twenty years ago)

Same here. He has nice blank emotionless quality to his voice which suits the songs. xpost

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:24 (twenty years ago)

He's the gay Nico!

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:26 (twenty years ago)

"Who Loves The Sun" sounds more like Freddie and the Dreamers...

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:29 (twenty years ago)

Fall quote time again:
Freddie and the Dreamers, come on up
Hey you imitators, come on up
Hey little singer, come on up
Show us your house and
Show us your cock

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:33 (twenty years ago)

New strand in thread- Stump The Fall Guy!
Quick somebody throw something else at him!

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:35 (twenty years ago)

Must have stump tripod in the genes
I'm immune to things
In my dreams

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:49 (twenty years ago)

Lou of course ended up marrying a blonde actress, but he was the fatso in that relationship

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

That's fabulous LSTD! If we put a coin in, will you spout off more? I never realized that was what he was saying for that part even though I heard him say "Lou Reed".

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 06:11 (twenty years ago)

seventeen years pass...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Joe_Turkel_in_Tormented_%281960%29.png

so i'm evidently not the first person on the internet to notice that joe turkel, pictured above, resembles lou reed.

but it is interesting that one of his most prominent roles was in "paths of glory" (he wasn't in "jewels of pain" though, heh) -- before better-known roles in "the shining" and "blade runner" (which i re-watched recently and which started me thinking about this. couldn't help but feel that dr. eldon tyrell gave off a very lou-at-sydney-airport vibe).

― budo jeru, Monday, 11 April 2022 05:31 (three years ago)

https://i.imgur.com/qPklXzQ.jpg

― calstars, Monday, 11 April 2022 15:18 (three years ago)

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