Month: July 2002

Velvet Goldmine…

As we mentioned last week when we set the competition to win promos, (06/21/02 NEWS: BUY ZIGGY 30TH, HEAR SNIPPETS, WIN THE PROMO AND MORE!) the EMI release of ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ 30th Anniversary Special Edition double CD is out next Monday July 8th in the UK and the following Tuesday July 16th in the US.

Don’t forget, you can pre-order via the BowieNet Store, and if you purchase the CD from the store before July 12th, you will automatically be entered for a contest in which you could win one of 30 Ziggy-related prizes, not to mention 10% off all subsequent purchases in the BowieNet store for the month of August.

Ziggy Promo Winners
Now for those five winners, who each win a copy of the highly-collectable and extremely limited, promotional only, double CDR of the 30th Anniversary ‘Ziggy Stardust’ . We asked what track was originally recorded during the ‘Hunky Dory’ sessions, but was eventually released on ‘Ziggy Stardust’ instead?

This was a very popular competition to which we had hundreds of entries, surprising really, as looking back at the question, it ain’t easy. Actually it is. In other words, ‘It Ain’t Easy’ is the answer we were looking for, and here are five of you who supplied the correct answer and were randomly selected by TRG?:

stoneghosts@davidbowie.com
jakkes@davidbowie.com
stardustdaydream@davidbowie.com
jpcaille@davidbowie.com
isolar1976@davidbowie.com

If you five lucky beggars send your address to MrTotalBlamBlam@AOL.com with a subject line of “Hunky Ziggy track winner”. We’ll send you your prize as soon as postmistress SusanS has finsihed gallivanting about Europe! (Hope you’re having fun luv…well, I know you are, seeing as you’re giving me hourly updates!)

Ziggy 30th Anniversary Special Edition Competition
In celebration of the anniversary of Ziggy’s Last Stand at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, 29 years ago today, and the fact that the DVD isn’t out for a few months yet, we are giving away five copies of the finished EMI release of the ‘Ziggy Stardust’ 30th Anniversary Special Edition CD to five BowieNetters who can answer this question:

The version of ‘Moonage Daydream’ on this CD was mixed especially for a TV/cinema ad…what was that advert?

MrTotalBlamBlam@AOL.com with a subject line of “Ziggy Stardust 30th Anniversary CD”. We’ll announce the winners on Monday. If you need a clue for this one, we have given the information in a previous news story, and you could do worse than check out the jolly splendid ZSC which has just been updated with details on this very release.

The European cannon is here…

David Bowie’s twenty-song set at the Olympia Theatre in Paris last night was recorded by ARTE television for broadcast sometime in the near future. Eye-witness reports described David as particularly animated and in very high spirits.

The show began with a scorching rendition of ‘Stay’ and the set included a five-song encore ending with a version of ‘Ziggy Stardust’ that sent the highly appreciative audience into a frenzied delirium of joy…or something similar.

This was the first show, outside of a TV environment, that deviated from the ‘Low’/’Heathen’ set performed at The Roseland in NY and the RFH in London. Here is the complete set list from last night’s show:

Stay
I’ve Been Waiting For You
Breaking Glass
Cactus
Slip Away
China Girl
5:15 The Angels Have Gone
Fashion
Be My Wife
Ashes
Afraid
Changes
Fame
“Heroes”
Heathen
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Everyone Says Hi
Hallo Spaceboy
Let’s Dance
I’m Afraid Of Americans
Ziggy Stardust

Some of the UK press printed pictures of David boarding the Paris-bound Eurostar yesterday. Looking rather spiffing in his ‘Heathen’ clobber, complete with lightly battered leather suitcase and trilby, David posed for pictures at London’s Waterloo Station on Sunday afternoon. What a stylish sort of chap our very favourite rock god is!

As you all know, we are in the process of updating and moving the web servers. This total system upgrade will no doubt unearth several problems and create new ones as well. Please be patient with us as we get the pieces back into place. If you identify technical issues, please post them in the TECHNICAL SUPPORT message board.ThanksThe BowieNet Staff

I heard the news today, oh boy…This morning’s press here in the UK is unanimous in its praise of David Bowie’s return to the London stage, after his show at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday. Here are a few excerpts:

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The Guardian – A half-page, five star review by Maddy Costa under the headline of “THE EXTRAORDINARY MR STARDUST”, with a large colour shot from the show.

“…Bowie’s closing gig feels like an extraordinary event. Thirty years on from Ziggy Stardust, Bowie looks more like an alien being than ever. It’s not his clothes – In fact, his luxurious white shirt and unknotted tie give him the air of a debauched dandy. It’s the way he seems so ageless, flashing a toothy grin as he snakes his lithe, angular body about the stage.

His vocals are as spine-shivering as ever. When he clambers over the line “Don’t you wonder sometimes” in Sound and Vision, or quivers through the chorus to I Would Be Your Slave, his voice appears to emerge from a part of the body the rest of us didn’t know existed.”

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The Daily Telegraph – By David Cheal, with a headline of “ALIVE, ANIMATED AND FOCUSED, BOWIE IS A HERO AGAIN”

“…this has to be up there with the best. He was alive, animated, focused, evidently having the time of his life, and he was backed by a singularly awesome band…Sensational, and unforgettable.”

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The Times – Another half-page, five star review. Reviewed by David Sinclair, who ironically gave ‘Heathen’ a less positive review recently. Headline: “A STAR WHO WILL NEVER FALL TO EARTH” – includes a huge black and white shot from the show, with the following caption: “A resplendent vision of ageless cool, David Bowie remains a natural performer and a supremely gifted musician”

“…Looking, at 55, like David Beckham?s (slightly) older and better-groomed brother, he strode on in black waistcoat and white shirt, a resplendent vision of lithe, ageless cool…whatever changes Bowie has weathered, he remains a natural performer and a supremely gifted musician.”

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Daily Star – By Ben Todd, with a headline of “BOWIE’S STILL GOT DRIVE” Includes three colour pictures of David, one large live shot, one backstage with Kylie and one being kissed on the cheek by Bono. (See above) The cryptic headline is explained in the story which doesn’t mention the show itself, but instead details how David had to get a taxi to the gig because the tour manager got stuck in traffic and couldn’t pick him up!

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Daily Mirror – With a headline of “BONO RECKONS BOWIE GIG WAS HUNKY DORY” Includes a large version of the same shot of Bowie and Bono. With a quote from David regarding the show: “I can’t remember a time when I was received so warmly. It was fantastic.”

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The Sun – Used a small mono pic from the show and gave the gig a thumbs up with the conclusion: “At 55 the Thin White Duke still looks and sounds great.”

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Daily Record – Used a backstage shot of David and Charlene Spiteri, of the band Texas…and while we’re on the subject of celebs at the show, here’s a quick roll-call of those I know of, though I’m sure there were tons more:

Bono
Kylie Minogue
Brian Eno of Roxy Music };-)
Robert Smith of The Cure
The Dandy Warhols
Supergrass
Simon and Yasmin Le Bon, Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran
Charlene Spiteri of Texas
Sex Pistol Paul Cook
James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers
Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie
Toyah Wilcox

I’ll post more pix and Meltdown stuff over the coming days, meanwhile, I hope all of you at the Paris show tonight have a great time, and please let us know how it went.

Due to all the system upgrades and maintenance, we have decided to post the winners on the site without having an email confirmation. The new BowieNet email system still is being tweaked up, and we wanted to make sure that all the winners were notified.

SO —

Without further adieu, we proudly announce the winners for the Quart Festival in Norway and the Horsens Ny Teater show in Denmark.

We are hoping that all the winners are able to attend. If you are able to attend simply show up at the venue with some form of ID.

Click here to see the list of winners for NORWAY

Click here to see the list of winners for DENMARK