Legendary sixties experimental band the Velvet Underground have revealed in a rare and intimate question and answer session that the only reason they were ever signed to a record label during their beginnings in the New York City pop art scene was that executives believed Velvet mentor Andy Warhol to be a member of the band.

Lou Reed, Doug Yule and Moe Tucker, who formed in New York City in1964, reunited for the occasion at the New York Public Library on Tuesday the 8th of December in front of a live audience.

The band lends their commercial success to Warhol, who discovered them in 1966. In 1968, he added German singer Nico to the line up and produced their legendary release Loaded, as well as providing the infamous Banana cover work.

Now considered rock royalty, the band used the Q&A session to mostly focus on their relationship with Warhol, with Reed explaining that while he wasn’t a musician, he was still an integral part to the band’s success.

“Warhol was one of the greatest people I’ve ever met in my life,” Reed explained. “Without him, we were kind of inconceivable.”

The Velvet Underground soon became a key fixture in Warhol’s infamous Factory setup, where they featured as both the house band and as a part os his Exploding Plastic Inevitable events, which were a showcase of Warhol’s multimedia art and films.

Aside from their involvement with Warhol, the band who have been renowned for feuding over the years, shared their deep respect for each other, with Reed declaring that Tucker was the “most talented drummer I have ever worked with.”

The band have not appeared together since 1996 when Reed and founding member John Cale played “Last Night I Said Goodbye To My Friend,” a tribute to Jim Morrison when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Patti Smith.

- Katherine Allan