LOU REED AND THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.

Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer

Lou Reed may be an American Master - but that doesn't mean you have to like him.

Reed, the New York rock 'n' roller famous as a co-founder of the Velvet Underground and for his solo hit ``Walk on the Wild Side,'' is now the subject of a PBS documentary.

Filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders just laughs when asked if he had a tough time finding anyone to say anything nice about the cantankerous Reed, who dislikes the press so much that most writers expect to be hung up on by the 55-year-old singer.

``Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart,'' part of WNET's ``American Masters'' series, traces Reed's evolution over three decades, from the formation of the Velvet Underground through his solo work to his most recent project, a collaboration on the futuristic rock opera ``Time Rocker,'' based on H.G. Wells' ``The Time Machine'' with director Robert Wilson.

Greenfield-Sanders, a well-known fashion and celebrity photographer for Vanity Fair and the New York Times Magazine and a longtime friend of Reed, was given unprecedented access, following the rocker in performance and rehearsal and at readings around the world. This is his first film.

``I must've spent 10 months convincing Lou it was a good idea - and that wasn't easy,'' Greenfield-Sanders said. ``He's a private person, and on top of that I had never made a film. Once I got him to agree to it, I jumped into full-time production and interviewed about 35 people.

``One of the problems I had was Lou doesn't like to talk about the past. He doesn't want to sit around talking about (model-chanteuse) Nico and the Velvets and (Velvets benefactor Andy) Warhol. And I'm dying to hear about it. But we got the people that were there to talk about it.''

Circle of friends

Among those interviewed were David Bowie, David Byrne, Patti Smith, Suzanne Vega, Dave Stewart, Philip Glass and members of Sonic Youth. In one interview, Vaclav Havel, president of the Czech Republic, credits Reed and his music with having had a ``special social role'' in his country's development.

``Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart'' will be broadcast on ``American Masters'' at 10 p.m. Thursday and again at 11 p.m. May 2 on KCET (Channel 28). A 75-minute video version will soon be available for purchase.

``I've been asked so many times that I thought, `Why not?' '' a characteristically sullen Reed said in a six-minute, mostly monosyllabic phone call. ``We talked about the different people he could talk to.''

Along with the documentary, Reed last week released a new album, ``Perfect Night Live in London,'' recorded at the Royal Festival Hall during the annual Meltdown Festival, produced last year by Reed's girlfriend, artist-musician Laurie Anderson.

There's also a remastered re-release of Reed's seminal 1973 album, ``Berlin'' (RCA) due soon. Reed is currently putting together a revised edition of his collected lyrics to be titled ``Pass Thru Fire.'' He also makes a cameo appearance in ``Lulu on the Bridge,'' a new film by writer Paul Auster.

``I don't find it hard to keep inspired, '' Reed said. ``The world keeps moving.''

Secret revealed?

Greenfield-Sanders says his film reveals that Reed actually has a sense of humor.

``Nobody knows that,'' the director said. ``Also, the film shows the real breadth of this man's body of work. When you say Lou Reed to most people, they say `Walk on the Wild Side,' but they may not know `Berlin,' `Songs for Drella' or `New York.' ''

The film has been screened at both the 1998 Sundance and Berlin film festivals. It's the first documentary about Reed, who's credited with bringing rock 'n' roll into the avant-garde.

While still in college, Reed developed a friendship with poet Delmore Schwartz, who became his mentor. Reed's career started in 1965 when the Long Island native joined the classically trained violist and pianist John Cale, bassist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker to form the Velvet Underground.

With the imagery and tone of songs like ``Heroin,'' ``Sister Ray'' and ``Venus in Furs,'' the band provided more than just a gritty alternative to the prevailing '60s culture of hippies and flower power. Produced by Andy Warhol, the Velvets quickly became a fixture at Warhol's legendary Factory, the center of Gotham's avant-garde arts scene in the '60s and '70s.

After five years and four albums with the Velvet Underground, Reed embarked on a solo career that presaged glam-rock and punk. His lyrics continued to examine adult subjects and the urban underground.

In ``Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart,'' Bowie says, ``The nature of his lyric writing had been hithero unknown in rock ... he supplied us with the street and the landscape, and we peopled it.''

Greenfield-Sanders, whose portraits are hung in numerous museums and collections including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum, the Whitney Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, said the first Velvet Underground album changed his life.

``After I heard it, I came to New York and went to Columbia (University),'' he said. ``I was never so much involved in the persona of Lou Reed, but his music was always part of me.''

The director said he tried to avoid the cliches of rock documentaries.

``Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll is the biggest cliche of all,'' Greenfield-Sanders said. ``What I tried to do was show why this guy is an American Master, why he's such an influence, and why he's a genius.''

THE FACTS

What: ``American Masters: Lou Reed - Rock and Roll Heart.''

Where: KCET (Channel 28).

When: 10 p.m. Thursday, repeated 11 p.m. May 2.

What: A look at the life and career of the New York rocker featuring interviews with Reed, his friends and band members. Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: `I don't find it hard to keep inspired. The world keeps moving.'

Lou Reed

profiled in ``American Masters'' documentary