Month: July 2008

Every magazine on every shelf…

We’ve already posted a few very favourable reviews of David Bowie ? Live Santa Monica ?72, (05.24.2008 NEWS: FOUR STAR SANTA MONICA REVIEW IN UNCUT & 06.26.2008 NEWS: NME GIVES LIVE SANTA MONICA ’72 8 OUT OF 10 & 06.30.2008 NEWS: DAVID BOWIE ? LIVE SANTA MONICA ?72 RELEASED TODAY) and here are a few more snippets from a bunch of other enthusiastic reviews published recently.

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Classic Rock – Rob Hughes – 9 out of 10

This is the sound of Bowie peaking furiously. And for all the future shock of this frail English androgyne with the flashing strobes and flame hair, what’s most apparent here is what a great band they were.

The startling staccato of Five Years gives you some idea of how genuinely otherworldly Bowie must have seemed to American audiences weaned on the likes of Doobie Brothers and Carole King…in the words of Hollywood scenester Rodney Bingenheimer, “like seeing music from the future”.

Truly essential.

Rock ‘n’ Reel – Ian Abrahams – Five stars

Here are The Spiders From Mars ? as Bowie says, “high on ourselves”, and delivering a thrilling set.

Bristling with electricity, from the opening ‘Hang On To Yourself’ to the closing ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide’, there’s precious little drawing of breath in this capturing of the pinnacle of Bowie’s musical partnership with Mick Ronson.

This is a major career highlight.

Daily Mail – Adrian Thrills – Five stars

From a frenetic opening Hang On To Yourself to an unexpectedly jazzy Changes, this is the sound of David becoming Ziggy Stardust for the first time. Despite a few bum notes and missed cues, this is classic, rawboned Bowie.

Record Collector – Jason Draper – Four stars

An imperfect, endearing show, the ragged edges prove just how Ziggy influenced punk…it?s obvious why this has been one of the fans? most treasured bootlegs for over 25 years.

Pitchfork – Tom Ewing – 7.7 out of 10

This is at once a snapshot of a hungry group on terrific form, and a fascinating look at an emergent star.

MOJO – Mark Paytress – Four stars

This Gem reveals why Bowie was always taken more seriously than his glam rock rivals.

Ground Control – G. Murray Thomas

This tour was Bowie’s introduction to American audiences, and this album shows clearly how he pulled it off, how he made himself the superstar who would dominate much of the decade ahead.

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Don’t forget our David Bowie ? Live Santa Monica ?72 contest which ends on Monday. (07.06.2008 NEWS: LIVE SANTA MONICA ?72 CONTEST DECISION TIME)

More idols than realities…

Had lots of e-mails from Canadian members (thank you) regarding the televised announcement that next Monday?s first Canadian Idol Top 10 show on July 14 at 8 pm ET, (broadcast live from Toronto?s John Bassett Theatre) will be dedicated to the songbook of David Bowie.

Monday?s expanded 90-minute show will feature each of the Top 10 competitors performing a Bowie hit they have selected. Then, on Tuesday, July 15 at 8 pm ET on CTV, the first Top 10 elimination episode will reveal the single competitor earning the fewest votes.

The Canadian Idol Top 10 is comprised of two women and eight men, ranging in age from 17 to 28 who are poised to become household names this summer. From communities across the country, these 10 finalists represent Idol?s most diverse and musically talented group of individuals. There are four competitors from Ontario, three from Alberta and one each from Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. And come this September, one of them will be the next Canadian Idol.

It’s gripping stuff alright.

We passed upon the stair… (or so Jan reckons at least)

BowieNetter Swebby pointed this one out on the MBs, after he tuned in to Dermot O’Leary’s Radio 2 show on Saturday. Dermot’s special guest was Beck who chose a few of his all time favourite tunes, including A New Career In A New Town from David Bowie’s 1977 Low album.

Beck, (who you may remember remixed Seven for David and has covered both Diamond Dogs and Win) had some very complimentary things to say about DB, including this: “I was a kid and punk and disco hit at the same time, and there was so much junk. There was so much bad music and I remember him being this sort of figure that came through the detritus and the junk that was out there.”.

Dermot and Beck went on to talk further about Bowie before taking a phone call from a lady called Jan. Jan claimed David stayed at her house in Purley in London “for a couple of weeks on and off” in September 1977.

This was supposedly a ploy to escape press attention around the time of Marc Bolan’s funeral.

Again, I thought it wise to check Jan’s story with David before I posted it, as there was something about it that didn’t seem quite right.

It seems my hunch paid off as he described her tale as: “four different kinds of unbelievable multi-levelled tosh”.

So there you have it. Residents of Purley can withdraw their application for an English Heritage blue plaque for the side of Jan’s house..

The Beck interview is still worth a listen. The whole thing starts around half an hour in, but if you rudely want to skip to the relevant Bowie bit, then you’ll be interested from around 50 mins and 30 secs in.

The solid book he wrote can not be found today…or tomorrow…

“Only question…why the hell isn’t it in the news here yet???????,” growled a disgruntled BowieNetter on the MBs at the weekend.

This was in reference to fansite news stories regarding an upcoming release through Insight Editions, apparently entitled: Collaboration: The Bowie Sessions.

Scheduled for a February 2009 publication, the book is a supposed joint effort between photographer Frank Ockenfels III and David Bowie, wherein DB has written the accompanying text to Ockenfels’ pictures…except, he hasn’t.

This was David’s response when I asked him about it: “A nice idea but not a reality. Love Frank O’s work though.”.

Indeed he does. Click on the image above to get to the Frank Ockenfels Gallery in the BowieNet Special Features section, launched in accordance with David’s wishes a long, long time ago.

We’ve got five options, that’s all we’ve got…

OK, you’ve seen what’s up for grabs in our David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72 contest, now all you have to do is decide which of the five items below you’re going for.

It really is that easy to enter, just click on the single item you desire to trigger an e-mail to me with the subject line filled in.

However, if the shortcuts don’t work on your system, copy and paste the item title into the subject line and send it to me at the usual address.

It is important to get the subject line word perfect, as the e-mails are filtered off into the appropriate sub folders of The Random Generator‘s massive data banks, from where the mighty machine spews forth the winners.

Please remember you are only allowed to choose one of the five items. (If you’re choosing the T-shirt, please state which size you prefer: X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, XX-Large.)

OPTION 1: Signed SM ’72 limited edition CD

OPTION 2: David Bowie Live Ziggy Toon poster (unsigned)

OPTION 3: SM ’72 limited edition T-shirt

OPTION 4: SM ’72 limited edition CD (unsigned)

OPTION 5: Signed David Bowie Live Ziggy Toon poster (signed by David Bowie and George Underwood)

As I stated before, we’re mischievously withholding the quantities we have of each item until we announce the winners.

The contest is open until midnight NY time on Monday July 14th…that should give you just about enough time to choose which one to go for.

Usual BowieNet rules apply: Only one entry per BowieNet account and please remember you must enter using your BowieNet e-mail or at least supply your BowieNet user name. If you do neither of these things you won’t be eligible to enter…neither will you be if you enter for more than one of the above items.

While colour lights up your face…

Last week I mentioned that I accompanied George Underwood around the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition in London. (06.27.2008 NEWS: GEORGE UNDERWOOD PAINTING IN RA SUMMER EXHIBITION)

As we browsed this year’s very high standard of work my eyes settled on the very familar visage in the painting above. “Oh that’s a John Bellany,” observed George.

And indeed it is. Entitled David Bowie the painting is one of five of Bellany’s oils in the exhibition and it’s yours for a mere £80,000.

Bowie himself is a keen collector of Bellany’s work and a good friend of the painter, as hinted at in this excerpt from a Scotland On Sunday interview in 2005…

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He would blush, big-style, almost half a century later when Bowie revealed that his home in Switzerland displayed his favourite Bellany next to a Tintoretto. “He told me he thought my work stood up very well in such company. Then his wee secretary from Aberdeen piped up and said she preferred it to the Tintoretto. These kind of things make your head bounce off the walls.”

Among his collectors across the oceans from Port Seton, there are many who love their Bellanys and that?s as far as appreciation goes. Some might be curious enough to look up the village in an atlas or on the internet, but Bowie has delved deeper.

“He comes to Port Seton a lot. He told me he goes with a ?reverent feeling? to try and find out what might have inspired the paintings in his collection. One time he was staying at the Caley Hotel in Edinburgh and he came to our flat for dinner. “I asked him, ?Well, David, what have you been up to the day?? He said: ?I?ve been down to Port Seton again and talk about co-incidence! Right next door to your old house, 8 Gosford Road, is one called ?Dar es Salaam?. The funny thing is I?ve just fallen in love with a girl from Dar es Salaam and you?ll meet her next time I?m here.?” This, of course, was Iman, now Bowie?s supermodel wife.

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If John’s Bowie painting has whetted your appetitie for more, keep an eye out for bellany.com which is currently under construction and will be packed with tons of stuff to interest you.

FOOT NOTE: The first person to e-mail me with the correct reason why I used the lyric quotation in aforementioned George Underwood news story was johnnie_7. “The paintings are all your own…” is a line from Song For Bob Dylan, and whether there’s any truth in the theory that David actually wrote the song for George or not, it is a fact that George took the lead vocal when the song was performed for John Peel’s In Concert programme in June 1971.

He’s in the best selling show…

Had an electronic communication from Mr Jeff Duff regarding a show at his regular haunt, The Vanguard. To save the Chinese whispers, here it is from the horse’s mouth…

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Hi Blam – After countless requests for me to do more Ziggy performances, I’ve gathered a few new faces to present a new show at Sydney’s Vanguard on Aug 22nd.

After a long break from performing the show we played a club on the northern beaches last week and sold out the venue. Since then I’ve been seduced into presenting more shows in and around Sydney.

With all of the different tribute acts currently doing the rounds in Oz, it’s great that my Bowie show seems to be the most popular. The fact that Bowie’s music spans a few generations adds to it’s appeal and popularity. We get all age groups coming to see us…cool! – Jeff Duff

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Click on the poster above for full details and booking information.

We’re choosing the path between the stars…

Adam Dean from Bowie Downunder has been in touch with details of two annual Labyrinth Masquerade Balls in Los Angeles and Melbourne next weekend. Over to you Adam…

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Hi Blam,

Just sending in some news about two annual Labyrinth Masquerade Balls that are occurring next week. Both fall on the same weekend but are on opposite sides of the globe – Los Angeles and Melbourne.

The one in LA is now in it’s 11th year and runs over two nights – Friday July 11 and Saturday July 12.

www.labyrinthmasquerade.com

The one in Melbourne is in it’s second year and occurs on Saturday July 12. As an indicator of the movie’s appeal down here, Labyrinth has become the most popular movie each summer season at Melbourne’s Rooftop Cinema (it is the only movie to be shown twice – and both times are sell outs). The Masquerade event is run by the fans for the fans:

www.guildofthegoldenowl.com

Cheers, Adam

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Thanks Adam, shame I can’t make it to either. Quite fancy myself as Ludo.

Click on the above links for full details and booking information.

Speaking of contact from the other side…

For the crazy child…

Option 4 in our five-part David Bowie ? Live Santa Monica ?72 contest is for an unknown quantity (as with all of these prizes) of the above limited edition CD.

However, wouldn’t it be a bit crazy to go for this one when there’s a signed version up for grabs, I hear you ask?

Well, don’t ask me, but I bet we’re left with none.

Somebody plays my song in iTunes…

Those of you that subscribe to the EMI newsletter and those of you that have already spied the above advert on the front page of the iTunes UK site, will know that for the month of July the following David Bowie albums are available on iTunes at a special price of £4.99!

Best Of Bowie
Hunky Dory
The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
Aladdin Sane
Young Americans
Low
Lodger
Scary Monsters… And Super Creeps
Let?s Dance
Tonight

Click here for the link to the UK iTunes Bowie store.