There’s a lot of love out there for Transformer, with many citing it as Lou Reed‘s finest solo record. Among its 11 tracks, you’ll find the likes of Walk On The Wild Side, Satellite of Love and Perfect Day, all of which are cited as bona fide classics that have more than stood the test of time in the 52 years since the LP was released.
It’s an album with what I’d classify as a novelty song in its midst. Side Two, Track Four. It’s one which dates from the Velvet Underground days, having been aired live in 1970, albeit never recorded in a studio. Like many novelty songs, it is catchy and annoying in equal measures. But I like it!!!
mp3: Lou Reed – New York Telephone Conversation
I’ve read somewhere that it was written as a send-up of Andy Warhol‘s diaries. If so, it was kind of careless of the artist to leave them lying about.
JC
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
I always thought that song was a bit annoying on an otherwise tremendous LP. I do remember that when folks used to have answering machines they’d often use parts of it for the message.
Everyone in NYC back in the day has a Warhol story, since he seemingly never left town and was based in the Factory on Union Square. I never met him but I did run into him, literally. It was at Studio 54, which was insanely loud and crowded. I’d have enough and, to get out, had to do it at a bit of a run. I emerged just as Warhol was entering and knocked him down. That wasn’t hard to do–guy couldn’t have weighed more than 100 lbs. Everyone leapt to upright him and I just kept going. Not much of a story, I guess, but not much of a song, either.