The Day Lou Reed Dropped By Athol Guy’s House - Noise11.com
Athol Guy Photo by Ros O'Gorman

Athol Guy. Photo by Ros O'Gorman

The Day Lou Reed Dropped By Athol Guy’s House

by Paul Cashmere on April 7, 2018

in News

Can you imagine Lou Reed dropping over to Athol Guy’s house for a BBQ? It really once happened.

The Seekers legend Athol Guy has confirmed for Noise11.com that he once had a visit from Lou Reed.

“I had a phone-call. I had a property up near Kyneton. My sister and her husband had been visiting. My sister was an astrologer and studied it as a science,” Athol told Noise11.com. “Someone in the industry rang one afternoon and said ‘we’ve got this young bloke called Lou Reed in town. He is just starting out. He knows you live here and he knows a bit about The Seekers. He has heard your sister is very good at palmistry and astrology and he is very much into that’. I told him she was with me for a day or two and he asked if he could come up”.

The year was 1974. Lou Reed was on his first Australian tour. Velvet Underground never happened in Australia in its day and Lou had only had a cult hit with his ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ in Australia two years earlier. Meantime, Athol with The Seekers had already had three Top 20 albums in the UK and two in the USA as well as a no 4 hit in America with ‘I’ll Never Find Another You’ and number two hit with ‘Georgy Girl’ as well as eight Top 20 hits in the UK by this stage. He was a big star. Lou was relatively unknown.

“About an hour out of Melbourne, up they came,” Athol said. “I didn’t tell my sister anything. I said ‘I’ve got a musician pal from overseas, would you do his story for him’. He was looking at my collection of Gold records. He went “wow, my music is a little bit different from yours but we share the same philosophical views’. He said, “I hope I get a wall of those some day”.

As it turned out Lou was having second thoughts about travelling and believed he was going to be killed in a plane crash during the tour. His Australian tour manager needed to get Lou’s confidence back fast or the Australian tour was about to become cactus. Athol’s sister was the tour’s lifeline.

“My sister did his chart and wrote him some notes and I’ve got to tell you, she was right on the money,” Athol said. “She said ‘this guy is very different, very quirky, but he is going to be huge’. She didn’t know of him. She had never been in the pop world. She gave him some confidence. It was a lovely moment”.

Of course, Lou Reed did go on to reach legendary status, but forever remained the quirky personality who Athol Guy first met.

Athol is in the midst of writing his autobiography. Lets hope the story gets some more meat on the bone.

The Seekers released the historic ‘The Seekers – The Legendary Television Specials’ DVD this week.

Athol Guy will also perform a special ‘Athol Guy & Frieds – The Seekers Story’ show at The Lorne Hotel on 6 May 2018.

For news as it happens follow Noise11 on Facebook

Noise11.com

Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio

Related Posts

Connie Francis Who's Sorry Now
Connie Francis Dies At Age 87

Legendary singer Connie Francis has died aged 87. Connie's passing was confirmed on Thursday by Ron Roberts, who is president of the late musician's label Concetta Records. The news comes as Connie had recently enjoyed renewed chart success after her 1962 track Pretty Little Baby went viral on TikTok.

2 days ago
Robert Plant and Saving Grace
Robert Plant Has A New Band Saving Grace, A New Song and A New Album On The Way

Robert Plant will release a new album ‘Saving Grace’ in September with the album title also the name of his new band.

3 days ago
Stevie Wonder photo by Ros O'Gorman
Stevie Wonder Awarded Welsh Honor

In a truly memorable moment, music icon Stevie Wonder was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) during his concert at Cardiff's Blackweir Fields. The prestigious accolade was presented on stage by RWCMD Principal Helena Gaunt and Director of Music Tim Rhys-Evans, marking a significant recognition of Wonder's monumental impact on the world of music.

4 days ago
Ronnie Wood Anthology
Ronnie Wood Has His Own Anthology To Do

Ronnie Wood will release his first anthology, ‘Fearless: Anthology 1965-2025’, covering his entire career including his time with Jeff Beck, The Faces and The Rolling Stones.

July 12, 2025
Paul McCartney in Santiago October 2024 photo by Karen Freedman
Paul McCartney Announces North American Got Back Tour 2025

Sir Paul McCartney has announced a second North American leg of his Got Back tour.

July 11, 2025
Bob Dylan at the Hollywood Bowl 31 July 2024 photo with thanks to Richard Gilkerson
Bob Dylan To Continue Farewell Tour With Dates In UK and Europe Announced

Legendary songwriter and musician Bob Dylan will return to the UK in 2025 for a string of dates presented by ITB.

July 11, 2025
Paul Simon and Sting at Mt Duneed Winery 2015
Paul Simon Postpones Show after Back Surgery

Paul Simon has postponed a gig after undergoing surgery for "severe" back pain.

July 4, 2025