John Cale, the Velvet Underground’s other musical genius, thought his often appalling behaviour was rooted in “fears about [his] sanity” that drove him to “purposefully [try] his darnedest to set people off. That made him feel he was in control, rather than living in a state of uncertainty or paranoia. [He was] perpetually seeking a kind of advantage for himself by bringing out the worst in people.”

On Lou Reed