You're not an idiot. I am a huge Velvet Underground fan and consider The Velvet Underground & Nico one of the best and most important albums ever recorded. I think Nico's albums Chelsea Girl and Desertshore are beautiful and tremendous, and though I think less of her albums Drama of Exile and Camera Obscura, they are not without their charm and are pretty great in their own right. So I love Nico, and I think she's great and wonderful and beautiful and important. And I hate this album with a passion.

Nico was a Heroin addict and an inveterate racist who said "I hate black people" before nearly carving out the eye of a mixed race female singer at Max's Kansas City.

Her version of The Door's The End on Kevin Ayer's June 1, 1974 with Eno providing backup synth is pretty durn good.

But The Marble Index? You're on target. And Cale is overrated as well.

Stick with Lou for your post-Velvets music.

You're not an idiot. My parents knew Nico in the 60's when she just started modeling and before she started hanging with Warhol and that crowd. She invited them to see her sing in a club where she sang "Speak Low" completely out of key. Couldn't carry a tune in a bucket that night.

Not an idiot. I am sort-of interested in Nico and enjoy some of the material (depending on what you mean by 'enjoy' I guess..) but in my life I have bought, tried, and then given away to charity shops, two copies of this record. No third chance.