Pitchfork

We knew Lou Reed was into Tai Chi, but didja know Lou is a big fan of boxing, too? Us either! Apparently, that cool cat snapping pictures and furiously poking at his Blackberry ringside at last month's Sultan Ibragimov/Wladimir Klitschko fight at Madison Square Garden didn't just look like Lou: it was Lou!

Turns out our hero was live-blogging the fight for MSG's Game On! Here's a little sample: "Klitschko needs to throw punches, giving Sultant [sic] too many chances and he's 1 foot shorter." He's also probably the first person in history to have hung out with John Zorn and Vince McMahon in the same night.

Good thing he's got that day job to fall back on.

Speaking of which, Lou's got a mess of stuff on the docket over the next several months, with a two-fer down there at South by Southwest and an intercontinental tour in the spring and summer. Let's discuss.

As you may have heard, there's a big to-do in Austin next week. Lou, as promised, will handle this year's SXSW keynote address March 13 at the Austin Convention Center, because, well, he's Lou Reed, and that just makes good sense.

The previous afternoon, March 12, the Paramount Theatre will host a screening of Julian Schnabel's documentary Lou Reed's Berlin, filmed at a series of December 2006 shows at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse. The flick explores Reed's live exploration of his 1973 solo LP Berlin, with special guests Antony, Sharon Jones, and others.

Not heading to Austin? Perhaps you'll find Lou heading your way this spring and summer as he embarks on a brief U.S. tour to be followed by a lengthier, Berlin-centric European jaunt in the summer. The European tour will include a 30-piece band, a children's choir, and a set designed by Julian Schnabel. More dates on either side of the pond are promised on Lou's very confusing website, so look out for that, Aspirin in hand. He'll also perform at the previously reported SPEAK UP!: A Benefit Concert for Peace in Iraq & Justice at Home, which takes place March 18 at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, the same spot where those original Berlin shows took place.

Also, Lou Reed will induct Leonard Cohen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today. Then they will compete to see who can be sadder.

Lou Reed dates:

03-18 Brooklyn, NY - St. Ann's Warehouse (SPEAK UP! benefit) *
04-20 Northampton, MA - Calvin Theater
04-25 Norfolk, VA - The NorVA
04-26 Richmond, VA - The National
04-28 Durham, NC - Carolina Theatre
04-29 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
04-30 Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre
06-23 Cork, Ireland - Cork Marquee
06-24 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Belfast Waterfront
06-25 Edinburgh, Scotland - Edinburgh Playhouse
06-26 Nottingham, England - Royal Centre
06-29 Paris, France - Salle Pleyel
06-30 London, England - Royal Albert Hall
07-03 Munich, Germany - Munich Philharmonie
07-04 Hamburg, Germany - CCH Congress Centrum
07-07 Copenhagen, Denmark - Copenhagen Opera House
07-09 Stockholm, Sweden - Annexet
07-11 Tallinn, Estonia - Saku Suurhall
07-12 Riga, Latvia - Arena Riga
07-14 Warsaw, Poland - Sala Kongresowa
07-16 Brussels, Belgium - Bozar
07-19 Lisbon, Portugal - Campo Pequeno
07-20 Loule, Portugal - Monumento Duarte Pacheco
07-21 Malaga, Spain - Terral
07-22 Madrid, Spain - Mardid Conde Duque
07-25 Girona, Spain - Portaferrada Festival
07-26 Benidorm, Spain - The Bullring

* with David Bryne, Antony, Laurie Anderson, Blonde Redhead, Scissor Sisters, Moby, Damien Rice