From minute 4:16 to 4:48 of this video, the statement that describes the essence of Lou Reed and his music to me.
“Since I first started making records, I wanted to make records that would appeal to an adult, so that when you listen to the record you don’t have to turn off the intelligent part of your mind. Because there’s lots of other music that you can enjoy yourself too in many ways, and I like that music too, but for my own particular records I wanted to do something that engages you not only physically but emotionally and intellectually.”