Originality and ownership belong to the idea of music as a commodity. The VU are part of a story that did not begin with them and is far from over. They were a seismic event though ... mind-blowingly large. My hype comment is that their influence and worth can't be overstated.
I first heard ‘heroin’ in 1991 as a 13-year-old because it was on the soundtrack to oliver stone’s doors movie. I remember that I assumed at the time that it was a track from a then-contemporary band. the idea that it was *also* from back in the crusty old 60s like the doors just did not even occur to me. it sounded so immediate and relevant and, well, mind-blowing, that I just automatically presumed that it was some of-the-moment weirdos. and, yet another three decades on, here I am still talking about it. so, yep, seismic.