Extraordinary cyberconference to be held on CompuServe September 11at 10PM EST.
August 26, 1996 — In an unprecedented move, DAVID BOWIE andVirgin Records willbe releasing his recently recorded song “Telling Lies” exclusively on theInternet through the official David Bowie web site,http://www.davidbowie.com, beginning Wednesday, September 11 at 10 PM(Eastern).
Not available in any store or distributed to any radio station, fans willbe able to access “Telling Lies” from the official David Bowie web sitevia Progressive Networks’ live streaming RealAudio, Macromedia’s Shockwave,or as a downloadable CD quality stereo file.
To launch “Telling Lies,” Bowie will host an extraordinary cyberconference inCompuserve’s Convention Center and on the web athttp://www.compuserve.com/bowie. The event will feature Bowie, plus twoimposters and a chat whereby users can ask questions, as well as vote onwhich Bowie answer is the real David Bowie answer (the other two will be”telling lies”). Because of the anticipated high demand, the entireevent will be rebroadcast for those users who are unable to attend theinitial launch.
“Telling Lies” was originally recorded in New York and premiered liveat European festivals this summer. With the song, Bowie continues to breaknew musical ground, yet at the same time the song remains unmistakablyand quintessentially Bowie. A distorted vocal haunts a dark, broodingbacking track and deep bassline, with the flanged drum arrangement addingto the overall psychedelic effect. There will be three mixes of “TellingLies” released on the Internet, including Bowie’s “Feelgood” jungle mix,the “Paradox Mix” from A Guy Called Gerald, and the “Adam F” mix.
According to Bowie, “My first working encounter with the Internetwas at the beginning of the ‘Outside’ tour in Boston. It produced agreat response, so I am only happy to take the whole thing to anotherlevel and actually release a song on the Web.”
Nancy Berry, Executive Vice President of Virgin Records, Worldwide,states, “It is only natural that our first Internet release should comefrom an artist as cutting-edge and influential as David Bowie. Virginis always looking for exciting and innovative ways of promoting our artistsand getting music to listeners. So clearly, we’re keen to explore thepotential of the World Wide Web.”
The details of the online conference are as follows: As questionsare asked by those attending, Bowie will answer truthfully, while thetwo imposters will be “telling lies.” Users will then be able to votefor who they think the real David Bowie is after each answer. Users willbe able to email their questions a full week in advance of the event, aswell as ask their questions live. The conference will also featurelive images of Bowie from hisrecent Phoenix Festival performance, plus stillsfrom the film Basquiat(Where Bowie executes his criticallyacclaimed impersonation of Andy Warhol) and other Bowie visuals. “TellingLies” will be released immediately upon conclusion of Bowie’s on-lineconference.
This international Internet event will take place in-between Bowie’smuch-anticipated four east coast sold-out ballroom shows, which he’sscheduled for fun on weekends while continuing to record his next album.