The One-Man Velvet Underground

There’s a man who hangs out in downtown Portland who looks like the Velvet Underground.

He doesn’t just look a little like Lou Reed or a tad John Cale, he looks like the whole band – exactly.

He is Nico tall, Lou Reed skinny, Sterling Morrison’s mouth pouts while I’m pretty sure that under the giant Jackie O shades he wears – he has John Cale’s eyes. To complete the whole picture, he wears (everyday) an Edie Sedgewick boatneck striped shirt and tops it all off with a Warhol mop.

I have often wondered if it was all intentional, or if this guy (easily mid-40’s – the age you have to be to really pull this look off with success) is a person that only I can see. Yesterday in the library I was in the music section deciding on the next rock bio to read when The Velvet Underground approached the section and immediately went to the V’s.

I hear under his breath: “Velvet…velvet...velvet...AH!” and happily plucked the Velvets bio from the shelf and started thumbing though the pictures.

I left quietly, knowing that even though his persona isn’t a happy accident, at least there’s a guy in Portland who is at least keeping Warhol’s factory days alive and kicking.

It just made me happy, that’s all.

J.