“BOWIE TAKES ON ALL THE YOUNG DUDES” This morning’s Daily Mirror
is just one of many publications applauding David Bowie in the UK today.
In The Heat Of The Evening…
The announcement yesterday of the inclusion of ‘Heathen’ in the list of nominees for this year’s Mercury Music Prize for album of the year, has captured the imagination of the UK press this morning. Most of the broadsheets and a couple of the tabloids have large pieces about the award, now in its 11th year, and generally respected as an important indication of what is “happening” in Britain. The Mercury Music Prize is seen by many as the musical equivalent of The Turner Prize here in the UK.
When informed of the album’s place on the Mercury shortlist, David was reported to have said “Time to get a new suit, then. I?ll be phoning McQueen pronto!”
At 6:1 ‘Heathen’ is second favourite to win, but the eventual winner is almost always a controversial decision, as these things often are. Chairman of the judging panel who chose the 12-strong shortlist, Simon Frith, said: ?Speaking personally, I think Bowie has always had a quality in his voice that no other singer has ever had. That?s what this record is all about ? it?s about singing, not hiding the voice under guitars.”
At 4-1 ‘The Last Broadcast’ and ‘Original Pirate Material’ are joint favourites to win. Here’s the full list of nominees in alphabetical order:
THE BEES Sunshine Hit Me
GUY BARKER Soundtrack
DAVID BOWIE Heathen
THE CORAL The Coral
DOVES The Last Broadcast
MS. DYNAMITE A Little Deeper
ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE Holes In The Wall
GEMMA HAYES Night On My Side
BEVERLEY KNIGHT Who I Am
JOANNA MACGREGOR Play
ROOTS MANUVA Run Come Save Me
THE STREETS Original Pirate Material
The award ceremony takes place on September 17th and will be broadcast on BBC2, BBC4 and Radio 1. Seeing as how he is rumoured to be in the country doing “other things” around the time. This date coupled with the ‘new suit’ statement from David is a hint that he may even attend.