Lou Reed, revered as an icon of New York's underground rock scene, was notoriously scathing about several of his contemporaries, including the New York Dolls, whom he dismissed as a "glitter trash band" despite trying hard to like them. The former Velvet Underground frontman had a reputation for arrogance and aloofness within the scene he helped shape, and his harsh assessments of fellow musicians reveal that admiration for his own legacy was not always reciprocated with generosity towards others.

The article cites a 1974 Melody Maker interview in which journalist Chris Charlesworth asked Reed about the New York Dolls, expecting a favourable response given their shared scene. Instead, Reed said he only liked their song titles, calling them "just another glitter trash band" and adding "it's such a shame." This is set alongside Reed's long-running feud with Television's Tom Verlaine, whom he accused of imitating his style without credit, illustrating a broader pattern of Reed's difficult relationships with New York's punk and underground musicians.