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Lou Reed Honoured At SxSW
Rock'n'Roll Animal Lou Reed - the former frontman of legenadary alt forefathers The Velvet Underground - was last night (March 13) honoured in a star-studded tribute at Austin's SxSW festival.
New York's unofficial Poet Laureate was saluted by eleven acts including Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, Yo La Tengo, My Morning Jacket, Dr Dog, Joseph Arthur, Oh No! Oh My! and Moby who all performed versions of Reed's songs ranging from The Velvet Underground to his solo material.
In town to celebrate the release of his new film, 'Berlin', which captures the singer's performance of his classic 1973 album at Brooklyn's St Anne's Warehouse, Reed used his keynote speech to attack the sound quality of digital music by claiming that MP3s were an example of how "technology is taking us backward."
He said: "It's making it easier to make things worse. I don't know what the answer is. People [have] to demand a higher standard.
"Or the other view is to say you're being elitist, and only the people who can afford [high-quality stereo equipment] can get it."
Reed was later moved to join Moby onstage for an extended run through of his 1972 Top 10 hit, 'Walk On The Wild Side'. Concluding the set, Reed told a cheering audience, "I love punk rock and I was the first one."
The bands and their set list was:
- What Laura Says Thinks And Feels - 'Run Run Run'
- Paper Route - 'Vanishing Act'
- Oh No! Oh My! - 'Sunday Morning', 'Candy Says'
- Yo La Tengo - 'She's My Best Friend', 'I Found A Reason'
- Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - 'Heroin', 'New Age'
- Mark Kozelek - 'Caroline Says', 'The Kids'
- 'My Morning Jacket - 'Head Held High', 'Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
- Joseph Arthur - Pale Blue Eyes, 'Venus In Furs'
- Dr. Dog - 'Who Loves The Sun', 'Ride Into The Sun'
- Thurston Moore & the New Wave Bandits - 'I'm Not A Young Many Anymore'
- Moby - 'Walk On The Wild Side', 'Femme Fatale' (with Lou Reed)
Tagged as Collaboration, Live, Tributes
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