Rebellion always starts somewhere and in the music world of the transgressive teen whether it
be the 1960s of the 2020s The Velvet Underground represent ground zero. Crystallizing the idea
of the bohemian urban narcissistic art school gang around a psychedelic rock and roll band -
a stylistic idea that evolved in the rarefied environs of Andy Warhol's Factory - The Velvets
were the first major American rock group with a mixed gender line-up they never smiled in
photographs wore sunglasses indoors and in the process invented the archetype. They were
avant-garde nihilists writing about drug abuse prostitution paranoia and sado-masochistic
sex at a time when the rest of the world was singing about peace and love. Dylan Jones'
definitive oral history of The Velvet Underground draws on contributions from remaining members
contemporaneous musicians critics film-makers and the generation of artists who emerged in
their wake to celebrate not only their impact but their legacy which burns brighter than ever
into the 21st century.
