[EP 399] The History of the Velvet Underground with Richie Unterberger

Booked On Rock with Eric Senich · Jul 25, 2026 · 1h 4m · transcript

The Velvet Underground may not have sold millions of records during their early years, but few bands have had a greater impact on the history of rock music. In this episode of Booked On Rock, author Richie Unterberger discusses his new book, Do What You Fear Most: The History of the Velvet Underground, exploring the band's remarkable journey from New York's underground art scene to becoming one of the most influential groups of all time.

We dive into Lou Reed's songwriting, John Cale's avant-garde influence, Andy Warhol's real role in the band's success, Nico's place in the group, the…