Neither Lou Reed Nor Metallica Concerned With Bad 'Lulu' Press

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Here's something that will come as a surprise to, oh, no one: Lou Reed doesn't care what people think of his music. That attitude came in handy during the making of 'Lulu,' the controversial new album he made with Metallica.

"I don't have any fans left," Reed said in a recent interview with USA Today. "After 'Metal Machine Music' (1975), they all fled. Who cares? I'm essentially in this for the fun of it."

While "fun" isn't a word everyone would associate with 'Lulu,' an album based on a series of rather dark plays by German playwright Frank Wedekind, Reed seems to have enjoyed the experience of working with Metallica.

"They are my metal blood brothers," he said. "They're very brave, and they can play. I'm not easy to play with. Some of ['Lulu'] that sounds easy is actually really hard. A lot of cool players can't do that. Academia drove it out of them."

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich also sat in on the interview, and while his band is perhaps more mindful of its fans, despite its history of throwing stylistic curveballs, he puts the recent flack over 'Lulu' in perspective.

"In 1984, when hardcore Metallica fans heard acoustic guitars on 'Fade To Black', there was a nuclear meltdown in the heavy-metal community," he said. "There have been many more since then."

Watch the Trailer for 'Lulu'