In an interview with Neil McCormick at the UK-based Telegraph, LOU REED and METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich discussed their controversial Lulu album, which has been bathed in negativity and has the vast majority of Metallica fans asking "Why?" An excerpt is available below:

By Neil McCormick

“Who cares?” snaps Reed when I mention the critics. “I never wrote for them then, I don’t write for them now. I have no interest in what they have to say about anything. I’m interested in whether I like it. I write for me.”

Reed is a notoriously difficult interviewee, with a reputation for being uncommunicative, insulting, evasive, dour, bad-tempered and sometimes just monosyllabic and boring. Journalists approach with trepidation, sharing war stories about times he has walked out or refused to speak at all. Still, we return for more punishment. The man is a genius, after all, founder of the hugely influential Velvet Underground, a collaborator with Andy Warhol and among the most innovative lyricists and artistically adventurous musicians of the rock era. So what if he’s also obnoxious and weirdly insecure?

“You know a lot of time these guys that interview us, they think they’re more literate than I am. That would be a real bad mistake,” he snarls, having misinterpreted a question to locate offence where none was intended. “Don’t kid yourself about me, you know what I’m saying? I’m not a good guy to f---- with.”

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The Darren Aronofsky-directed video for 'The View', from Lulu has premiered. Watch the clip below:

"The first time I heard 'The View' I was stunned," said Darren Aronofsky. "I had never heard anything like it. Half was all Lou. The other half all Metallica. It was a marriage that on the surface made no sense, but the fusion changed the way I thought about both artists and morphed into something completely fresh and new. I couldn't stop listening to it. Lou's crushing lyrics, and the band's incredible licks. It's so original and that's why I wanted to work on it."
"I am very excited about working with Darren Aronofsky on our powerful video 'The View,'" said Lou Reed. "I feel Darren understood the power and range of the emotions fueled by the fire of Metallica. His strength and spirit are on display in every frame and I think he has caught the anger, rage and anguish at the bottom of the soul of real rock. A literate man for a literate song. As exciting as the music and that's a big compliment. Possibly the best video ever made. Black and white filmic noir."
"To have a song like 'The View' visualized through the eyes and magic touch of Darren Aronofsky is beyond my wildest dream," said Metallica's Lars Ulrich. "The marriage between images, music, and words in this video is indescribably thrilling and I am so next level psyched to be involved in a project that brings together the creative minds of Darren Aronofsky, Lou Reed ... and The 'Tallica."

A collaboration between Reed and Metallica, Lulu includes a set of extended songs inspired by German expressionist Frank Wedekind's early 20th century plays Earth Spirit and Pandora's Box, and were a rewrite of Edgar Allan Poe's, The Raven, which emerged as a graphic novel on Fantagraphics Press.

Lulu has been panned by critics around the globe and sales have been dismal. Check out BraveWords.com's take on the album here.

As previously reported, Warner Bros. have confirmed a December 13th release date in the US and the 20th in Canada for the two-disc vinyl version of the Lulu album. Check out Amazon pre-orders below: