Audio only
Transformer
A Story of Glitter, Glam Rock, and Loving Lou ReedBy Simon DoonanNarrated by Nigel Pilkington
Length4h 57m
About this audiobook
In this funny and poignant memoir and cultural history, the television personality, columnist, and author of Drag pays homage to Lou Reed’s groundbreaking album Transformer on its fiftieth anniversary and recalls its influence on his coming of age and coming out through glam rock.
In November 1972, Lou Reed released his album, Transformer because he thought it was “dreary for gay people to have to listen to straight people’s love songs.” That groundbreaking idea echoed with the times. That same year, Sweden was the first country to legalize gender-affirming surgery, and San Francisco struck down employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Sometimes an artistic creation perfectly aligns with a broader social and political history, and Transformer—with the songs “Walk on the Wild Side,” “Perfect Day,” and “Vicious”—perfectly captured its time. “Walk on the Wild Side” was banned on radio across the country but became a massive hit when young people threatened to boycott stations that would not play it. The album's cover featured a high-contrast image of Lou, flaunting a new mascara'd glamrock incarnation, shot by legend Mick Rock, thereby underscoring his intention to create "a gay album."
In Transformer, Doonan tells the story of how Lou Reed came to make the album with the help of David Bowie, and places its creation within the course of Reed’s life. Doonan offers first-hand testimony of the album’s impact on the LGBTQ+ community, recalling how it transformed his own life as a 20-year-old working class kid from Reading, England, who had just discovered the joys of London Glam Rock and was sparked by the artistic freedom of Warhol’s The Factory. Transformer was a revelation—hearing Reed’s songs, Doonan understood how the world was changing for him and his friends.
A poignant, personal addition to modern music and LGBTQ+ history, Transformer captures a pivotal moment when those long silenced were finally given a voice. As transgender icon Candy Darling, highlighted in his lyrics, told Reed, “It’s so nice to hear ourselves.”
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
This book would make a great gift for any music lover, LGBTQ+ activist, or history buff looking to learn more about the cultural impact of Lou Reed's Transformer album on the world.
Audiobook details
GenreBiography and Memoir, Other, Humor
Length4 hrs 57 mins
Narrated byNigel Pilkington
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateNov 8, 2022
LanguageEnglish
Left for DeadEbony Canion5h 34m$17
Invisible StormJason Kander6h 48m$24 · $0.00
Forever BoyKate Swenson9h 27m$29 · $0.00
You Are Worth ItKyle Carpenter, Don Yaeger8h 53m$29 · $0.00
The Happiest Man on EarthEddie Jaku3h 48m$7 · $0.00
MotherlandJulia Ioffe17h 52m$40 · $0.00
Evidence Not SeenDarlene Deibler Rose11h 11m$29 · $0.00
A Bridge Not Too FarDeepak Ohri4h 55m$15
Where Cowards Go to DieBenjamin Sledge8h 42m$20 · $0.00
Will You Love Me?Cathy Glass9h 5m$29 · $0.00
Designing Terry Pratchett’s DiscworldPaul Kidby3h 52m$20 · $0.00
HostageEli Sharabi5h 25m$24 · $0.00
A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealings With George Müller (The Complete Four-Volume Edition)George Müller43h 39m$2 · $0.00
Finding MeViola Davis9h 15m5 (1)$29 · $0.00
The Boys and MeMark Miller8h 32m$23
The Dangerous Truth about Today’s MarijuanaLaura Stack CSP, MBA9h 57m$20 · $0.00
Birdie & HarlowTaylor Wolfe7h 50m$26 · $0.00
The Lives of BrianBrian Johnson9h 45m$29 · $0.00
I Am The StormJanice Dean9h$8 · $0.00
Black History CollectionFrederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois27h 9m$18 · $0.00
The Book of Proverbs (2020 Edition)Brian Simmons4h 48m1 (1)$10 · $0.00
The Holy Bible - 1 SamuelKing James2h 13m$3 · $0.00
KJV Holy BibleBroadStreet Publishing Group LLC96h 16m$10 · $0.00
Book of ColossiansUnknown Author16m$8
The American Standard Bible — The Gospel of MatthewMatthew3h 56m$2 · $0.00
Everyday Chanakya | Time Management S01E08Radhakrishnan Pillai42m$4
Bad Fat Black GirlSesali Bowen6h 32m$24 · $0.00
The King James Audio Bible New Testament CompleteChristopher Glyn20h 2m5 (1)$12 · $0.00
Faiths CheckbookCharles Spurgeon12h 44m$11 · $0.00
Be Wild Be FreeAmber Fossey26m$7 · $0.00
My Favorite Husband, Vol. 1Hollywood 360, CBS Radio5h 40m$14
Designing Terry Pratchett’s DiscworldPaul Kidby3h 52m$20 · $0.00
The Chosen Book OneAmanda Jenkins, Kristen Hendricks, Dallas Jenkins3h 8m$10 · $0.00
The Lives of BrianBrian Johnson9h 45m$29 · $0.00
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the HorseCharlie Mackesy58m$11 · $0.00
Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of LukeJ.C. Ryle27h 13m$18 · $0.00
CrossroadsKaleb Dahlgren7h 56m$26 · $0.00
Across the RiverKent Babb11h 40m$29 · $0.00
Brain Training for RidersAndrea Monsarrat Waldo5h 56m$19 · $0.00
My Effin' LifeGeddy Lee17h 11m5 (1)$40 · $0.00
What If? 10th Anniversary EditionRandall Munroe7h 29m$23
Welcome to PawneeJim O'Heir6h 24m$24 · $0.00
Going PostalTerry Pratchett13h 36m$33 · $0.00
Mapp & Lucia: Complete SeriesE. F. Benson59h 54m$2 · $0.00
Woman UninterruptedBrodie Kane7h 1m$24 · $0.00
Hot Cowgirl Sh*tLacie Evans2h 15m$15
The Complete Novels of Mark Twain - 12 Books in One Volume (Illustrated Edition)Mark Twain155h 29m$2 · $0.00
You Will Get Through This NightDaniel Howell6h 56m$24 · $0.00
My Dear HamiltonStephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie23h 7m$46 · $0.00
Chronicles of BarsetshireAnthony Trollope149h 48m$2 · $0.00
The Night Before Christmas at Dunder MifflinBrian Baumgartner, Ben Silverman6m$4 · $0.00
Pride & PrejudiceJane Austen14h 52m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of SakiSaki, H. H. Munro52h 37m$2 · $0.00
Jungle UpNick Pirog10h 8m$20
The 13½ Lives of Captain BluebearWalter Moers16h 10m$28
Damon Runyon OmnibusDamon Runyon27h$2 · $0.00
Don Quixote (illustrated & annotated)Miguel de Cervantes44h 11m$1 · $0.00
WotchaKev Saunders14h 41m$8 · $0.00
BufferingHannah Hart5h 55m$24 · $0.00
The Office BFFsJenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey8h 26m$26 · $0.00
You may also like
The Royal WeRoddy Bottum9h 14m$23
Glory GuitarsGogo Germaine7h 2m$17
Mick JaggerPhilip Norman24h 5m$53 · $0.00
Picasso and the Painting That Shocked the WorldMiles J. Unger15h 27m$23
The Proud HighwayHunter S. Thompson27h 14m$30
My LifeHavelock Ellis25h 38m$2 · $0.00
The Mystique of EnlightenmentU. G. Krishnamurti7h 57m$1 · $0.00
Secret HistorianJustin Spring17h 2m$28 · $0.00
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - The Original Book Edition of 1916James Joyce10h 36m$1 · $0.00
The Very Last InterviewDavid Shields2h 21m$15
DealBill Kreutzmann13h 4m$23 · $0.00
Against Interpretation, and Other EssaysSusan Sontag12h 6m$20
Mary JaneJessica Anya Blau9h 45m$29 · $0.00
The House of Hidden MeaningsRuPaul7h 7m$24 · $0.00
The Long Hard Road Out of HellMarilyn Manson, Neil Strauss9h$29 · $0.00
The WavesVirginia Woolf9h 22m$2 · $0.00
Don't Skip Out on MeWilly Vlautin8h 5m$26 · $0.00
Narcissus and GoldmundHermann Hesse10h 37m$20 · $0.00
Thomas Reid (Summarized Edition)Alexander Campbell Fraser2h 23m$2
The Curious ClassroomHarvey “Smokey” Daniels6h 7m$23