New York singer/songwriter Lou Reed has been named as keynote speaker for SxSW 2008.
Reed, the self-appointed rock and roll animal, started his career more infamous than famous in the legendary Velvet Underground. The band formed in the mid 60s and sang about topics such as transexuals, drugs and S&M.As a solo act, the Reed legend cemented with the rock and roll classic 'Walk On The Wide Side'. The album the song came from, 'Transformer', was produced by David Bowie.
Another pivotal Reed album was 1989's 'New York', where his lyrical content revolved around the American city and is colorful characters and crime.
This year, Reed went into the studio with The Killers and recorded the song 'Tranquilize' for their 'Sawdust' album.
2008 will see the release of the movie 'Lou Reed's Berlin', a concert performance capturing his 2007 tour where he performed his 1973 album 'Berlin'. The movie will also be screened at SxSW.
Reed will speak at the Austin Convention Center on Thursday March 13.
SxSW is on from March 12-16, 2008 in Austin, Texas.
