People

When Lou Reed Wore a Lanyard

Are you surprised to learn that two immensely creative and influential musicians, Lou Reed, who died last week, and his wife, Laurie Anderson, spent their first date in 1992 at a conference, the Audio Engineering Society Convention?

The pair “spent a happy afternoon looking at amps and cables and shop-talking electronics,” Anderson writes in Rolling Stone, and after coffee, a movie, and dinner that same day, were never really apart.

I don’t want to take away from Anderson’s moving tribute to Reed by calling out the industry, but it is nice reminder that, while meetings are all about business, they bring people together to share their passions as well.

Barbara Palmer

Barbara Palmer is senior editor and director of digital content.