Lou Reed has hit out against US President Barack Obama and MP3 culture, but spoken out in favour of masturbation.
In his first public appearance since undergoing a liver transplant, The Velvet Underground icon was talking at a press conference at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity over the weekend, when he claimed that he wasn't a fan of digital music distribution.
“It’s this whole idea that starving artists stay starving artists,” he said of services such as Spotify. “Meanwhile you have Damien Hirst selling for a million dollars.
"I understand young people were brought up on downloading and Steve Jobs tried to make it into some kind of business which benefits Apple but you get about a sixteenth of a penny. You used to make a record but they reduced the size of it and put it in this plastic that breaks immediately, it’s like, what? You realise they are really fucking with you, so people didn’t want to pay for anything."
He continued: "But meanwhile the musician doesn’t get paid anything. Now making a record is kind of a promotional thing."
Reed also added that he was 'speechless' following the revelations of the NSA spying scandal in the US: “One, how did someone that young have access to something that heavy?
"He released some of the heaviest secrets available. It’s very disturbing that a lot of things Bush would’ve done, Obama’s continued.”
At the end of the conference, Reed was asked what he does to stay creative. He responded: "I masturbate every day.”
Below: Lou Reed Plays London's Apollo