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“David Bowie’s fans are nothing if not loyal. Boy George is so desperate to go to Bowie’s one-off gig at the London Astoria tomorrow that he’s insisted a BBC recording he’s doing with Culture Club in Golders Green is put forward and the Beeb pay for a taxi bike to whiz him there in time.”
from Matthew Wright at The Mirror (UK)
Excepting the GREAT review of his recent Paris show, the New Musical Express rarely has has a good word to say about Bowie.
So let’s get Bowie to the top end of their poll. Go to the NME website at www.nme.com and click on “NME Readers Poll” under “Specials” at the top right-hand corner. It’s a long voting form, but you only need to fill in the bits that matter!
go VOTE!
Thanks JtF of T.W.
David Bowie and band stole the show during ‘Later with Jools Holland’ Last night at the BBC Television Centre in Shepherd’s Bush. The appearance was David’s second on the show and guests were treated to a truly blistering set of five and a quarter songs. David looked quite gorgeous (I mean that in a manly way) in a green velvet jacket, Blue split-bell-bottom jeans, white V-necked T shirt, black platform boots and tinted glasses.
Against a backdrop that included nine album covers from across the years and a huge reproduction of the ‘hours…’ sleeve, the David Bowie band performed a beautiful rendition of ‘Ashes To Ashes’, the best and most emotionally-charged version these ears have heard of ‘Something In The Air’, the next single ‘Survive’, complete with the addition of seventies style fade-out vocals that are reproduced on the new recording of the song for release next year, and a cracking version of ‘Cracked Actor’, with a saucy lyric change that I couldn’t possibly report on a family site such as this.
As if this wasn’t enough Bowie was obliged to placate the noisy mob with an extra song for fear of the BBC building being razed to the ground. After a false start of 40 seconds worth of a rudely-interrupted ‘Changes’ we were treated to a particularly menacing ‘I’m Afraid Of Americans’. A flu-afflicted Bowie also gave a most hilarious interview that re-introduced an old idea that was a recurrent theme through David’s career in the seventies. Yes, David has unveiled the next in a long line of characters that have included ‘Major Tom’, ‘Ziggy Stardust’, ‘Aladdin Sane’, Halloween Jack’ and ‘The Thin White Duke’. The name of this new character…’Ducky Mir’…
All will be revealed in the broadcast that goes out this Saturday, December 4 on BBC2 that also features Gomez, Elastica, The Brand New Heavies and Diana Krall.
Pictures by Total Blam Blam except for the two live shots which were generously provided by the talented and all-round-diamond-geezer Steve King
Click here for more photos
From our European Correspondent ~ Total Blam Blam
David Bowie appears 3 times in Rolling Stone‘s December 1999 “Behind the Scenes (1967-1999)” issue.
Click on one of the Bowie’s above for a larger resolution image of the original photos, and info about each picture.
go to Rolling Stone‘s Bowie Photo Gallery
photos and info courtesy Rolling Stone
If your lucky enough to be attending the Bowie gig in London on December 2nd (that’s tomorrow), at the Astoria in London’s Charing Cross Road, why not stroll over to the Virgin MegaStore on Oxford Street and get the man himself to sign an autograph for you!
That’s right, David Bowie will be at the Virgin MegaStore on Oxford Street between 4:00pm and 5:00pm on December the 2nd, the day of the Astoria show.
A fair queuing system has been devised, (that’s standing in line for the benefit of our US cousins). Queuing will commence long before the start of the actual signing, as there will be a number given to correspond with your place in the queue. Getting a ticket does not guarantee an autograph, but getting there early does better your placement in the que. The early bird gets the worm here, so if you want to start queueing first thing in the morning, go for it. Only one item signed per person.
This could be your last chance to get a David Bowie autograph this millennium, so even if you aren’t going to the show, get along to the Virgin MegaStore on the 2nd of December, and earn yourself a ‘Bo 99′!
From our European Correspondent ~ Total Blam Blam
To all the Alcatraz Milan concertgoers… Friday Dec. 3 don’t miss the chance to meet the Bowie fans and bowie- netters from all Europe! Velvet goldmine Italian Bowie fan club is pleased to welcome you at our meeting “strangersWhen we meet…
The gathering will be at:
Show up at h. 21.30. Entrance fee is Lire 10.000 (E. 5.16) and includes first drink. Please book your entrance at: velvetgoldmine@libero.it. For more information check the Velvet Goldmine site (in italian).
how to get there:
The place is very near to the Duomo Square, in the very centre of Milan. Underground stop is DUOMO (yellow line and red line).
Click here for a small map showing the location of the cafe.
Queen, David Bowie and Microsoft raise funds in a three-way collaboration to fight AIDS
The newly created video for the Queen/David Bowie collaboration ‘Under Pressure 1999 Rah Mix’ reported in these pages last month is available for download for two weeks from today right here to mark World AIDS day.
David has always been most vocal in his support for the AIDS charities, and visitors to the download can contribute in their own way by making a donation while at the site. Please also visit the site for the UN Aids Message for 1999.
Below are just a few of the more depressing facts posted at the site:
Please pay a visit to the site now.
From our European Correspondent ~ Total Blam Blam
The respected British weekly music newspaper NME isconducting its annual READERS POLL, but this year youalso have the chance to tell them who you think areTHE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!
Visit their website at www.nme.com, and click on NME READERS POLL, under the heading ‘Specials’.
VIRGIN MEGASTORES HAVE THROWN IN £1000 WORTH OF CD’sto be won by one lucky voter chosen at random from allthe entries.
£1000 is $1600, so go vote!
Info courtesy Spaceface
Members of AOL have the chance to do a little bit of Bowie detective work tonight by participating in a live chat with legendary axeman Jimmy Page. You are probably aware that Jimmy played as a session guitarist on the very first David Bowie release from 1964, ‘Liza Jane’ by The King Bees. The group turned in a most exciting version of this old standard with our hero howling out the lead vocal with the enthusiasm of somebody who thought they’d never get a second chance.
So apart from probing Mr Page (that name sounds familiar) about that King Bees’ session, chatters could also ask what the hell the riff was that the talented young guitarist showed David all that time ago, because whatever it was, David claims that he employs that very same riff to this day. This is a question that has been bugging me for a long time now, (it’s been a long time, been a long time, been a lo……Zep lyric Ed) and I would ask Jimmy myself, but I have an appointment at the BBC with the artist formerly known as Jones and a chap called Holland, of which more tomorrow.
Tonight’s chat is to celebrate the release of “Early Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin Volume 1” The band’s first-ever greatest hits anthology. But don’t let a little thing like that stop you from asking the man Bowie-related questions. If you are successful in prising an answer from Jimmy then send your transcript to me at: MrTotalBlamBlam@aol.com with ‘That Riff’ in the subject field and I’m sure we will make room for your answers on this very page…(no pun intended etc…)
To ask Jimmy Page a question and to join in the live event go to Keyword: AOL LIVE on 30th November at 12: 00 midnight.
From our European Correspondent ~ Total Blam Blam
The November 1999 issue (Vol. 14, issue 3) is packed withcurrent stuff: News, Book review, Bowie the artist 2, Digging through the archives part 5, VH-1 Storytellers, ‘Hours…’ reviews, Postcards 2, The Nomad soul, Fanmeeting Travel service, and as always the CD reviews and the Shop.
Go to The Voyeur Online