Sidney & Lou

As Sidney and Co. took turns smooching Stanley (and congrats to the lot of them, they deserved it, especially Fleury for that final, sensational save) I jumped from hockey to Elvis Costello's talk-show, where the intense Irishman was interviewing Lou Reed. This was the first I'd seen Costello's show, and my very first impression was, he runs a much tighter ship than he needs to.

My second impression was related to Lou Reed, who was once a distant something of a role model for me (romantic, prophetic poet, and all that jazz). I'd always had the impression Reed was a bad interview because he was an incredible asshole. Certainly there is no shortage of evidence when it comes to his capacity in this regard. But as I watched Reed react to Costello -- stifling impatience and reluctantly resorting to his very best behavior -- I began to wonder: does this man even have it in him to do this? I don't believe he does. After all the years he's been Lou Reed and abused (fill in the blank) I don't think he has the capacity to answer a straightforward question. His hard living has eliminated the required "processing" buffer.

The man is a casualty, in other words. He can still lean instinctively toward an apt lyric, but when it comes to mano a mano interaction, he's at a significant loss. The mano is nearly gone.