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Posters for Lou Reed/Metallica Album Banned in London

Authorities say promos look too much like graffiti

September 20, 2011 6:10 PM ET
lou reed metallica lulu london underground
Lou Reed and Metallica's 'Lulu'
Courtesy BB Gun PR

Promotional posters for the forthcoming Lou Reed/Metallica album Lulu (out November 1st) have been banned by Transport for London, the body that oversees the London Underground, because they look too much like street graffiti.

While neither Lou Reed nor Metallica are strangers to controversy, they certainly didn't intend or expect the promo posters to stir up a scandal. When asked about the ban, Reed responded to Rolling Stone with a question of his own: "What would Andy Warhol or Jean Michel Basquiat say of this type of frivolous censorship?"

As for the album itself, at least two members of Metallica have claimed that Reed's lyrics moved them to tears.

Related
Metallica and Lou Reed Join Forces on New Album
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