We almost lost arguably the single most important person in the history of left-field rock music. A few weeks ago, Lou Reed, 71, underwent a life-saving liver transplant surgery in Cleveland, as his wife Laurie Anderson told the British newspaper the Times last week. “I don’t think he’ll ever totally recover from this, but he’ll certainly be back to doing [things] in a few months,” she told the newspaper. And in a post on his own website, Reed himself, in poetically badass language, claimed that he’s doing well, and he invoked the tai chi he’s been practicing lately: “I am a triumph of modern medicine, physics and chemistry. I am bigger and stronger than ever. My Chen Taiji and health regimen has served me well all of these years, thanks to Master Ren Guang-yi. I look forward to being on stage performing, and writing more songs to connect with your hearts and spirits and the universe well into the future.”