Strange fascination, fascinating me…
1616 16th Street 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
A catalogue/book containing the artworks featured in FASCINATION is available at the exhibition, including work by Cliff Hengst, Caitlin Mitchell-Dayton, Gary Indiana, Jim Winters, Jason Mecier, Douglas Coupland,
The catalogue also contains small essays by many writers including Doug Coupland, Rick Moody, Eileen Miles, our very own KelmarSuperVixen and this by Rex Ray:
My own discovery of Bowie occurred in 1973 while I was still in high school in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Suddenly, I could hear in Bowie’s music and see in his persona something that was totally strange, and yet seemed so hauntingly familiar, something in this extremity which felt like, dare I say, home. I knew no other Bowie fans, and I never revealed my obsession to my peers. Living in the cultural vacuum of America’s midwest suburbs, I was surrounded by teenage kids who listened only to Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. I knew that becoming a Bowie fan set me further apart from this world in which I had grown up. And I couldn’t wait.
From a distance of nearly 30 years, I can now say that Bowie was the first light that shone under my closet door. Along with Warhol, I can think of no other artist that has held my fascination for so many years.Obviously I am not alone.
This exhibition, book, play and cd of covers are all the result of a drunken conversation I had with friends at an opening about a year ago. In previous years several of us had participated in 2 other “tribute” exhibits in San Francisco, Glen Helfand’s Prince show Pop Life at New Langton Arts in 1993, and Rick Jacobsen and Wayne Smith’s Yoko Ono show, “This is Not Her,” at Kiki in 1995. The idea was to do homage to our beloved icons by both paying tribute and poking fun.
Organizing “Fascination” has shown me how many people also have intensely personal experiences around David Bowie. If pop music is the soundtrack of our lives, Bowie has provided the pivotal moments when the plot twists and the music swells.
-Rex Ray
If you’re quick, there is also a version of the catalogue that contains a free limited edition CD called AFTER LOW, which is basically a reworking of LOW from start to finish, including musicians such as, Matmos, Tom Recchion, The Foibles, The Gentle Leader and obscenely talented BowieNetter Derek Donovan, who has recorded a wonderful version of ‘Be My Wife’ with his outfit
Of course, being the generous chap he is (thanx so very much for the beautiful birthday present luv), Rex Ray has donated five copies of this very limited CD version of the catalogue for a competition right here, right now…. and it’s a very easy one too. Simply name three Bowie CD album covers that Rex Ray has designed. All the usual rules apply.
Send your answer to me at MrTotalBlamBlam@AOL.com with a subject line of: “I Want The Fascination Catalogue” – Please note this is not my BowieNet account as BowieNet e-mail is down right now. The competition will end about this time next Monday, and I’ll announce the winners later that same day.