From The Washington Post, “1 thing Democrats and Republicans agree on: Pale blue ties“:”These days, the new power tie, the ne plus ultra of Washington accessorizing is the same for everyone: pale blue.”

Thirty-five years ago Patti Smith was already leading the nation — and Sweden — into this fashion trend with her performance of “Pale Blue Ties,” the Lou Reed-era Velvet Underground song.

The song has long been a favorite for the New Wave and alt-rock crowd, e.g. R.E.M.

We meant to post this last month, but then work interrupted. So Labor Day gives way to Columbus Day, but it’s still a good song.

President Obama’s remarks at the Labor Day union picnic at Cincinnati’s Coney Island prompted us to look for Lou Reed’s “Coney Island Baby,” but that vinyl is long gone. There’s a very nice YouTube video of his 1991 band performing the song, though, with the late, great Robert Quine on guitar. A tenuous manufacturing connection, we realize.

But then the hosts of Sound Opinions, the best rock ‘n roll show there is, did their Labor Day tribute to songs about work and played Lou Reed’s “Don’t Talk to Me About Work.”

And here’s the video from the same 1991 show. Lou at his catchiest.

You’ll be hearing more from Lou as we near the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. His live performance with orchestra a few years back of “Berlin – Live at the St. Ann’s Warehouse,” is a wonderful recording. (His shows last year displayed the signs of age, unfortunately.)

Finally, a Friday Factory Tune with the word “factory” actually in it. And a timely one, too, since the G-20 is in Pittsburgh, the home of Andy Warhol (né Warhola), the subject of this song and live performance by Lou Reed and John Cale, part of the excellent 1990 tribute album, “Songs for Drella.”

Inspirational lyrics:

He was a lot of things, what I remember most
He’d say, “I’ve got to bring home the bacon, someone’s got to bring home the roast.”
He’d get to the factory early
If you’d ask him he’d tell you straight out
It’s just work, the most important thing is work

Clever, too, in that “The Factory” was the name of Warhol’s famous studio in New York City, where Reed and Cale performed in The Velvet Underground. Here’s a good video of Warhol, the band, and the looks-pretty-silly goings on from February 1967.

John Cale last month discussed Warhol’s contributions to work last month on the radio show, “Studio 360,” and performed another Drella song, “Style it Takes.”

Returning to Pittsburgh, we see the wives of dignitaries visited the Andy Warhol Museum. It’s just work. The most important thing is work.