Month: December 2000

There is an interesting interview with David Bowie on Film Threat by Phil Hall. David talks about Hollywood, New York, and what you can do to prepare for a role playing a 400 year old man! Click here to read the entire interview.

This is a Low…

In a recent story about new cyber-band Gorillaz I mentioned a “rather successful UK real-world band who have a co-writer credit with Bowie/Eno.” I don’t think I disguised too heavily that the name of that band is Blur. The Blur song M.O.R. was apparently considered indebted enough to ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ to earn the Blur/Bowie/Eno credit.

The January 2001 edition of Uncut has a review of Blur’s brilliant ‘blur: the best of’ that makes even more of the Bowie influence on the band. If you feel a twinge of interest, go here.

Total Blam Blam – (European Correspondent)

The race for Xmas No. 1 is quickly turining into a two horse…um…..race between WestLife and Bob The Builder. For those who don’t know, Bob The Builder is the UK’s current animated “phenomenon” who has a glorious little song out called “Can We Fix It?” Now get this: It samples the mostly excellent Bowie song Let’s Dance! (Only the intro, which it repeats another 2 or 3 times during the song). Also: Early figures put Bob in front of Westlife. It so close, daddy! (yes, daddy!) Thanks, Aleczandah!

Here is the conclusion of Emmanouil’s interview with Emm from October. Way to go, Troll!!

Part III

Part IV

Thanks, Emmanouil!

Check out Dotmusic’s new microsite “Mahir Kisses You”

Our Man in Turkey has made a hilarious full-length video for his new I Kiss You single which Blam told us about recently.

You can buy the single online and there is also a downloadable I Kiss You office game, in which Mahir explains, “you kiss me and you have points”. You get a maximum three points for kissing those infamous swimming trunks…ewww….lol.

There is even a button to click if “your boss, he come”.

Go and have a giggle.

Thanks, Spaceface!

As a follow up to the recent interview we posted with Gail Ann Dorsey, here is another interview by BowieNutter Emmanouil (the Program Director for WRGM, George Washington University Radio) this time with Emm on October 1st. Here is the first half of the interview, with the second half to follow tomorrow.

Part I

Part II

Thanks, Emmanouil!

Seemed a good idea…

Annette Peacock’s new record, An Acrobat’s Heart gets a rave review from Mojo this month. Readers of David’s Journal will remember that she has been working with David on his next studio album.

Chris Ingham has this to say about her :-

(she) initiated ground-breaking synthesizer work in the late 60’s and early 70’s and evolved a fascinating, elliptical style of songwriting. A favourite of David Bowie – and currently collaborating on his new album – Peacock ends a long (12 years) period of silence with a startling song cycle for voice, piano and string quartet. …this is evocative, unsettling music….delivered by Peacock’s curiously blank-eyed but compelling voice. Four years in preparation, this is ultra-rarefied stuff….

For lovers of haunted women stroking a grand piano, Annette is Big Mommy. This is the real deal.

You can read more about Annette and order An Acrobat’s Heart here.

There is also an unofficial fansite about her, here.

Thanks, Spaceface!

Striped with blood and emblazed tattoo…

The January 2001 issue of ‘Dazed & Confused’ caught my eye this month for a cover feature on the ultimate manufactured band, Gorillaz. Worth the cover price alone for the free CD ROM of the band’s brilliant video for ‘Tomorrow Comes Today’. Gorillaz are the new badly-drawn boys in town, fronted by heart-throb singer 2D, that’s him on the right above. Actually they’re drawn really rather well, and one of ’em is a girl! But, there are those that have suggested that some persons from the very horrid real world are actually behind the project, including 2D, whose rather successful UK real-world band has a co-writer credit with Bowie/Eno. Whatever, with all this extra-curricular activity his life must be a Blur right now!

Anyway, I digress, leafing through the magazine I chanced upon a rather stylish full-page advert that struck me as a bit of a rip-off of one of the recent BowieArt splash pages. In fact it wasn’t just a rip-off, it actually was an advert for Bowieart! Simply emblazoned with the legend: ‘FRESH BLOOD’ across the middle of the landscape, the only other text on the ad is the suggestion: BOWIEART.COM and photographer Jeremy Coysten’s credit. This enigmatic advert is the latest push to publicise the wealth of new talent on BowieArt, even if it does seem exclusively worded for Lee Wagstaff!

A piece about the re-launch of the site on benzedrinerecords.com reports how Bowie is managing to agitate the art world yet again after his successful Nate Tate wind up: “In what is sure to become considered a revolutionary and confrontational move in art world circles, Bowieart takes absolutely no commission from any sales made through its site. The usual practice among galleries is to deduct as much as 50% from the artist’s purse on any sale of an artwork.” Great stuff, go check out the new blood over at the ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ of the art world that is BowieArt now!

Total Blam Blam (European Correspondent)

By now you’ve surely heard about David Bowie on MP3.com; all you need do is own a particular Bowie CD and you can add it to a my.mp3.com account for free (enabling you to play them from any location with a ‘putah). Plus there’s two tracks available to anyone for download: “Let’s Dance” and “Ziggy Stardust.”

But, did you know that the cover songs from the Dee Bee Cover Project are on MP3.com as well? Indeed, they are! You can hear them here (hear here)! Congrats again to all participants for submitting such high quality, original work!!!

Seemed a good idea…

You’re all familiar with the sleeve for ‘Never Let Me Down’ pictured above, but look again, you may not be quite as familiar with it as first you thought. In another attempt to release some of the goodies from the vault, this new ‘Spot The Difference’ feature is the first winner in the recent ‘Competition Suggestion’ task we set you.

We’ve had lots of great ideas so far, but a ‘Spot The Difference’ competition was suggested by UK fan Paul Kinder, who actually has a Bowie website of his own. Don’t worry if you feel you have sent in an equally good idea, many of the suggestions received will be used. Only chose this one first as it was the easiest to administer.

Thanks to the wonders of modern image manipulation programs, I have introduced ten subtle differences to the original sleeve of ‘Never Let Me Down’. Simply click on the above image to take you to the before and after versions, the original is on the left. Sorry about the size of the file, but I figured if you are the type who plays ‘Spot The Difference’, then you most likely have time on your hands! };-)

When you think you have spotted all ten ch..ch..ch..changes, and believe me there are ten, then send your list of differences that appear on the version on the right to me at: MrTotalBlamBlam@AOL.Com with a subject heading of ‘Spot The Difference December 2000’. This one is open until December 23rd so that The Random Selector (TM) can notify the winner before the 25th. Said person will get to choose something from the prize list to make their Winter Celebrations that little bit extra special!

Total Blam Blam (European Correspondent)