Sporting shades and cranking out a feedback-heavy sound, the Velvets straddled art and rock, changing popular music forever, sowing the seeds of punk, grunge and inspiring thousands of four-chord wonders. This book explores: The Story: How Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, John Cale and the others emerged from the New York scene, their successes and excesses, and what happened to each in their solo years. The Music: From their 1967 debut with Nico to their 1993 reunion and beyond, via the finest Velvets songs and solo recordings - complete with the tales behind the tunes. Velvet Universe: Everybody who was anybody in the Velvets' world, taking in Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgwick, David Bowie, Delmore Schwartz and Brian Eno. Velvet Goldmine: The "Underground" on screen, the Velvets' New York, the clubs, influences, covers, websites and more.