Month: March 2001

dotmusic.com has posted an official denial by David Bowie to a story they posted yesterday. So I’m afraid BowieNetter Electric Blue will have to forget about opening up her spare room to house the exodus of Bowie fans that will not now be travelling to Wales in May. The original nonsense headed “BOWIE PUTS HIMSELF FORWARD FOR FESTIVAL” ran like this:” David Bowie has taken the unprecedented step of inviting himself to take part in this year’s Hays Festival in Wales. The annual event takes place on 25 May and features selected experts in different fields of art and culture, who are invited to perform, read and talk about their art.

Bowie, who is widely recognised as one of the most influential people in popular music, took the unusual step of putting himself forward for the festival after he heard Sir Paul McCartney and Beth Orton would be talking about their lyrical skills at the event. Bowie contacted organisers and asked if they’d like to invite him too.

“He just wants to talk to people about his art,” says a source from the festival.”

David’s reaction to this ‘story’ follows:

“Phoney. I’ve never heard of this Festival. As much as I love Wales, the thought of going to some festival to ‘talk’ about my ‘art’ makes me all giddy with horror. I think that the Festival’s PR person is trying to drum up interest. Anyway, isn’t Hays in Middlesex??”

So now you know…sorry EB, perhaps you’ll get another chance to see us all when David invites himself to the annual Welsh Sheep Dog Trials…They’re not guilty I tell you!

Total Blam Blam – (European Correspondent)

I should have thought of that…

Another popular one this. Not too many of you had a problem with identifying Auguste Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’, the only problem was choosing the right song that contained the word “Thinker”. The three most popular choices, in ascending order, were:

‘Win’ – “Secret thinker sometimes listening aloud”
‘Conversation Piece’ – “I’m a thinker, not a talker, I’ve no-one to talk to, anyway”
‘Cygnet Committee’ (or Lover To The Dawn) – “The Thinker sits alone growing older, And so bitter”

The answer we were looking for was the most popular one, ‘Cygnet Committee’. Although we did include ‘Lover To The Dawn’ among the correct answers that were fed into The Random Selector, in future we will only include songs that have had an official release. Go here for the lucky name that TRS has selected, and this month’s competition picture.

Total Blam Blam – (European Correspondent)

CNN World Beat will air its Tibet House Benefit Concert coverage this Sunday at 12:00 AM with replays at 4:30 AM and 3:30 PM EST. The half-hour program airs on all feeds of CNN International, CNN Domestic, and on CNN Airport Network.

By now you know all about how the U.S. Tibet House Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall and how fabulous David’s performance was. Either you were there in person and saw it for yourself or you’ve read reviews, memoirs from your fellow BowieNutters and even seen a few pix. Now we are delighted to bring you something you haven’t seen yet:

Yummy Crummies from rehearsal with David and the gang just before the show, including a beautiful rendition of Heroes!

Enjoy! And stay tuned, because we may even have a bit more in the days ahead.

BOWIENET MEMBERS ONLY
For information on becoming a member
click here.

Our love will outlive this earth

Congratulations to Lilith and Pepijn who were married today! Brought together by their passion for David Bowie, we are proud that the happy couple first met right here on the pages of BowieNet.

On behalf of David and the BowieNet Staff, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

CNN World Beat will air its Tibet House Benefit Concert coverage this Sunday at 12:00 AM with replays at 4:30 AM and 3:30 PM EST. The half-hour program airs on all feeds of CNN International, CNN Domestic, and on CNN Airport Network.

Well, that’s choice, isn’t it?

I’d like to be a gallery, Put you all inside my show…

Don’t forget to tune into BBC2 in the UK tonight at 19:20 GMT for Stanley Spencer: Omnibus which we reported on Bowienet earlier in the week. (02/26/01 NEWS: DAVID NARRATES STANLEY SPENCER DOCUMENTARY) Narrated by “Spencer enthusiast and collector David Bowie” the program is choice of the day in the current Radio Times television guide. Here’s a bit of what they say:

“This is an affectionate film, narrated by avid collector, rock singer David Bowie, which cannot fail to make you tumble headlong in love with the man and his work. Anyone who can paint that most prosaic of things, a hot-water bottle in a memorial chapel, and not make it look out of place, is deserving of our undying respect. Masterful.”

Don’t touch that dial, because following Omnibus at 20:05 is an hour-long documentary tribute to singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, who was tragically killed in a freak boating accident recently…check it out, Kirsty was a much under-valued talent. And then it’s an hour and a half of the next instalment of “I Love The Eighties” which looks back fifteen years to 1986.

Mrs Bowie wannabe Patsy Kensit recalls the year when: “big spec’s and white stilettos were in…” – She will doubtless be taking a look at the film ‘Absolute Beginners’ in which she starred as Crepe Suzette alongside Colin played by Eddie O’Connell and that shifty geezer Vendice Partners played by an unknown British actor with odd eyes. };-)

In case you missed these first crummies from rehearsal for the Tibet concert, here they are again (David with Tony Visconti, Philip Glass, Sterling Cambell, the Gomang monks and strings). Stay tuned, more to come!

&nbsp	Low	High
“Bar 65”
David and Philip Glass
Philip Glass with Monks
Heroes

The karma’s still flowing and so are the stories and pix submitted to the BowieNutters’ Tibet Page!

BOWIENET MEMBERS ONLY
For information on becoming a member
click here.

This page isn’t going anywhere so you still have time to submit your own memoirs. If the planets align correctly we may even be able to summon a taste of rehearsal soon…

Chances are you’ve seen all the press, but if you’ve missed any of it here are some links:

Rolling Stone

NME

Billboard.com

The New York Times

The New York Post

Yahoo!

I’m stuck with a valuable friend…

George Underwood’s official website is now up and running. You all know George through his association with David, via paintings, album sleeves and anecdotes of their time together as friends since childhood. Apart from the stuff you would expect to see, this site shows another side of George through a short biography, and part one of a brand new interview conducted by Kevin Cann, from which follows a couple of lines about the painting from The Man Who Fell To Earth below:

A lot of your most recent work is in oils, have you always worked in this medium?
“No, I started painting in oils around 1972 (see Tryptych under ‘paintings’ page 4) but my first oil painting for a job was The Man Who Fell To Earth book jacket.”

A painting you featured in your solo About Face exhibition a few years back…
Yes, it’s one of my favourites of David, and David now owns it. He loaned it back to me for the show.

Keep your eye on the site for part two of this interview, and while you’re there check out some of George’s other work. If you aren’t already familiar with it, it truly is magnificent stuff and it also makes the failure of Calvin James’ career in music seem not such a bad thing. After all, had Calvin been successful, George may never have had the urge to pick up his brushes quite so frequently. If that makes no sense to you whatsoever, check out the interview and all will become as clear as turpentine.

Total Blam Blam – (European Correspondent)