Lou Reed: “Video Violence” (1986)

Brother Lou warns us of the evils of television, but most people tuned out.

Kronomyth 19.1: The currents rage so deep inside us.

The trouble with Mistrial, most Lou Reed albums really, is the deafening absence of horns. Apparently. So RCA released a Special AOR Remix (which one hopes is a tongue-in-cheek dig at AOR’s unwillingness to play the kickass album version) with horns in place of the droning dual-guitar attack. Video Violence in any form is still one of the best things about Mistrial. The acerbic wit is classic Reed, captured perfectly in his dead, droll reading of the words “exotic panties.” Somehow (perhaps mercifully), the remix of “Video Violence” has dodged the expanded, remastered clutches and could be lost to the dust of time. Collectors will have interest in this version, but the rest of the world probably doesn’t need to tune into Mistrial, let alone a pretty-pig-in-lipstick remix of its wildest hog.

Original 12-inch single version
A1. Video Violence (Remix Version) (Lou Reed) (4:39)

The Players
Remixing by Lou Reed, Fernando Saunders and Neil Dorfsman; mixing by Bruce Lampcov.

The Plastic
Released on promotional 12-inch single in 1986 in the US (RCA, JR-14420).