Month: December 2011

She’d sigh like Twig the Wonder Kid…

I’m sure you noticed the incredible level of media attention that the Kate Moss/Ziggy VOGUE cover that we told you about last week has been getting. (11.29.2011 NEWS: VOGUE HAS KATE MOSS AS YOUNG ZIGGY STARDUST AGAIN)

It got me thinking…if Kate can look that good as Ziggy on a VOGUE cover, then how good would Ziggy as Ziggy look?

Well, now you can make up your own minds, as here’s the result.

Pretty sexy, I think you’ll agree?

Of course, a Bowie VOGUE cover did almost happen back in September 1973, as evidenced by the mock-up below.

In the unlikely event that you don’t already know the story well, you can read Justin de Villeneuve’s recollections here regarding the reason that Pin Ups won out over VOGUE in the battle for the iconic Twiggy & Ziggy shot.

Speaking of Justin de Villeneuve’s and birds trying to look like David Bowie…

Total Blam Blam – (BowieNet News Editor)

Duck and I sway…

Hot-on-the-heels of his photographic retrospective earlier this year, (03.12.2011 NEWS: JUSTIN DE VILLENEUVE EXHIBITION AT THE FTM) Justin de Villeneuve has a new exhibition entitled: PORTRAITS fashion to feathers, now on at the WWT London Wetland Centre.

The exhibition pairs images of models and rock stars with exotic birds and highlights some “striking similarities”. In it, Justin compares his beautiful Bowie portrait with a duck…or to be completely fair, a red crested pochard. (Above right)

That’s not Justin’s duck snap above, though for nearly a decade now he has been photographing birds at WWT London Wetland Centre and more recently at Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory Trust as well as in other parts of Kent.

You can read more about the exhibition which is free to view here.

Personally, if I was comparing Ziggy-era Bowie to a bird it would have to be at least The Greater Bird-of-paradise, below, or perhaps even the pink monkey-bird…which is definitely lesser-spotted!

Total Blam Blam – (BowieNet News Editor)

Me, I’m fresh on your pages…

Just a brief note to remind you that subscribers of the limited edition of Speed Of Life ordering by Dec 6th, will have their name printed in the book’s back pages in recognition of their support and in celebration of the 10-year partnership between David Bowie and Genesis Publications.

I should point out that the cut-off point actually means right up to midnight West Coast time (USA not UK) of Dec 6th…or 8:00am on Wednesday Dec 7th UK time.

Go here for more and it may be worth remembering that Genesis have a three-part payment plan which gives you a three-monthly payments option you may find useful this time of year.

If you wish to take advantage of this payment method, bear in mind that it only shows up on the check-out page and requires one first immediate payment of the three instalments.

Total Blam Blam – (BowieNet News Editor)

Waiting for the gift of sound AND vision…

The BFI is to screen the recently unearthed performance of The Jean Genie from Top Of The Pops which was originally broadcast on January 4th, 1973. (11.28.2011 NEWS: THE JEAN GENIE ON TOTP FROM RUMOUR TO REALITY)

The complete performance of take three of The Jean Genie is scheduled to be shown as part of the ongoing BFI Missing Believed Wiped series.

The footage will be shown at the end of the evening when it will be introduced by the genius that kept it safe all these years, John Henshall. I believe John will be conducting a brief Q&A after the screening too.

If you can get along to the NFT on London’s Southbank on Sunday December 11th, you’re in for a real treat. A shirtless David looks amazing as he shakes maracas and blows on the harmonica while interjecting an occasional yelp of enthusiasm..

The Spiders are also on top form and Ronno uses the opportunity to show everybody how it should be done. Not sure who else was on the show that day, but I feel for anybody that had to follow that!

The performance is closer to the live rendition than the recorded Aladdin Sane version, with David even dipping into the Love Me Do harmonica motif.

It also feels like the song is played a few beats faster than the studio recording with a cocksure energy and confidence obviously bolstered by all the recent success.

Anyway, here’s the full evening schedule…

Missing Believed Wiped – Session 2: Music
Sun 11 Dec 18.15 NFT1 p8
Oh Boy! (Extract) (ABC 1959)
Rolf Harris Show (BBC 1969)
International Guitar Festival (Satellite TV 1984)
Extracts Showtime (ATV 1978)
Extract: Bob Kerr’s Whoopee Band
Top of the Pops (BBC 1973) Extract David Bowie – The Jean Genie
Running Time: Approx. 100min
Introduced by Dick Fiddy.
Joint tickets available £13, concs £9.75 (Members pay £1.50 less).

As I post this there are still plenty of tickets left, so hopefully see you there.

Total Blam Blam – (BowieNet News Editor)

Here comes my Chinese mag…

Hit Music is a Chinese magazine dedicated exclusively to western music. The issue above was published back in August, but it’s still pretty easy to find and I’m sure there will be a few of you interested…if not only for the pictorial content.

It’s a 40-page retrospective entitled The Man Who Saved The World, broken down into various sections from 1964 right up to the release of Reality in 2003.

Here’s a couple of examples of the opening spreads for two of the chapters…

Total Blam Blam – (BowieNet News Editor)