Will Hermes was born in Queens, in the city of which he writes. He is a senior critic for Rolling Stone, and also writes for the New York Times and Pitchfork. He was co-editor of SPIN- 20 Years of Alternative Music.
Meticulous yet vivid . . . Hermes expertly conjures the difference scenes Reed inhabited, placing him amid a rich cast of collaborators, friends and lovers * Guardian * A sympathetic portrait of a vastly talented but difficult man * Mojo * No matter how well you know the man and his music, there’s so much more to him that’s never been revealed until now. This book has the menace and allure of Reed’s finest work * Rolling Stone * Plenty has been written about Reed, but only Hermes, to my mind, has gotten Reed’s peculiar balance, of person and poseur, exactly right . . . This biography is as beautifully researched as it is written * The Washington Post * Fans will likely devour many of these stories and want to live inside of them * The Atlantic *