WTTW will air a special in memoriam broadcast of “Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart” at 11 p.m. Saturday on its WTTW Prime subchannel, 11.2.
In 1998, PBS’ “American Masters” series produced the critically lauded documentary about the rock legend, who died Sunday at age 71 as a result of liver disease.
“Lou Reed music was the backbeat to our lives and his lyrics were our conscience,” said “Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart” filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. “His death is a blow, not only to New York City, but also to the world.”
This film explores Lou Reed’s achievements, including his role as lead singer/songwriter for the Velvet Underground and his rock opera collaboration with director Robert Wilson. The program also looks at rare behind the scenes footage, clips and vintage material. Reed talks candidly about his career and there are some 30 interviews with the likes of David Bowie, Patti Smith and Penn Jillette, among others.
Sundance Channel will re-broadcast the episode of the interview series “Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…” featuring the rock icon at 6 p.m. (Central) Saturday.
“Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…”, a Sundance Channel series which originally debuted in 2008, centered around interviews between host Costello and his guests and rare musical performances. In the episode encoring Saturday, Reed speaks about his love of R&B, New York, art and the mysteries of writing and creativity. Lou’s close friend and collaborator (on the film “Berlin”), Julian Schnabel, joins the fray mid-show.
