Month: August 1996

Extraordinary cyberconference to be held on CompuServe September 11at 10PM EST.

August 26, 1996 — In an unprecedented move, DAVID BOWIE andVirgin Records willbe releasing his recently recorded song “Telling Lies” exclusively on theInternet through the official David Bowie web site,http://www.davidbowie.com, beginning Wednesday, September 11 at 10 PM(Eastern).

Not available in any store or distributed to any radio station, fans willbe able to access “Telling Lies” from the official David Bowie web sitevia Progressive Networks’ live streaming RealAudio, Macromedia’s Shockwave,or as a downloadable CD quality stereo file.

To launch “Telling Lies,” Bowie will host an extraordinary cyberconference inCompuserve’s Convention Center and on the web athttp://www.compuserve.com/bowie. The event will feature Bowie, plus twoimposters and a chat whereby users can ask questions, as well as vote onwhich Bowie answer is the real David Bowie answer (the other two will be”telling lies”). Because of the anticipated high demand, the entireevent will be rebroadcast for those users who are unable to attend theinitial launch.

“Telling Lies” was originally recorded in New York and premiered liveat European festivals this summer. With the song, Bowie continues to breaknew musical ground, yet at the same time the song remains unmistakablyand quintessentially Bowie. A distorted vocal haunts a dark, broodingbacking track and deep bassline, with the flanged drum arrangement addingto the overall psychedelic effect. There will be three mixes of “TellingLies” released on the Internet, including Bowie’s “Feelgood” jungle mix,the “Paradox Mix” from A Guy Called Gerald, and the “Adam F” mix.

According to Bowie, “My first working encounter with the Internetwas at the beginning of the ‘Outside’ tour in Boston. It produced agreat response, so I am only happy to take the whole thing to anotherlevel and actually release a song on the Web.”

Nancy Berry, Executive Vice President of Virgin Records, Worldwide,states, “It is only natural that our first Internet release should comefrom an artist as cutting-edge and influential as David Bowie. Virginis always looking for exciting and innovative ways of promoting our artistsand getting music to listeners. So clearly, we’re keen to explore thepotential of the World Wide Web.”

The details of the online conference are as follows: As questionsare asked by those attending, Bowie will answer truthfully, while thetwo imposters will be “telling lies.” Users will then be able to votefor who they think the real David Bowie is after each answer. Users willbe able to email their questions a full week in advance of the event, aswell as ask their questions live. The conference will also featurelive images of Bowie from hisrecent Phoenix Festival performance, plus stillsfrom the film Basquiat(Where Bowie executes his criticallyacclaimed impersonation of Andy Warhol) and other Bowie visuals. “TellingLies” will be released immediately upon conclusion of Bowie’s on-lineconference.

This international Internet event will take place in-between Bowie’smuch-anticipated four east coast sold-out ballroom shows, which he’sscheduled for fun on weekends while continuing to record his next album.

Barry Gutman, Music Wire

On his 1971 album, Hunky Dory, David Bowie sang about theAndy Warhol of the ’60s/early ’70s. And now, in 1996, he plays theAndy Warhol of the ’80s in the new film, Basquiat, which is nowplaying in selected markets across the United States.



From left to right: Jeffrey Wright, David Bowie,Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper in Julian Schnabel’s BASQUIAT.Photo by Eric Liebowitz.

The film tells the story of young New York painter Jean-MichelBasquiat (well-played by newcomer Jeffrey Wright), a strugglingGraffiti poet and half-hearted “new-wave” rock musician who eventuallyacquired wealth and fame as a painter after coming to the attention of poet/critic Rene Ricard (sensitively portrayed by MichaelWincott). But first, Basquiat experienced a harbinger of what was tocome when he interested Warhol in some quickly knocked-off “junk art.”In this, his first scene in the film, Bowie establishes hischaracterization of Warhol as an enigmatic, prissy whiner whose affectationoften made it hard for others to guage the sincerity of his passion andfriendship.



Dennis Hopper (l) and David Bowie (r) in Julian Schnabel’sBASQUIAT. Photo by Eric Liebowitz.

Bowie is far more visible in the film’s second half, as Warhol councils,collaborates with and, perhaps, exploits the now-hot Basquiat. AlthoughWarhol shows concern for his colleague’s deteriorating health — Basquiateventually died of a heroin overdose — the film raises the question ofwhether Warhol actually betrayed Basquiat by telling anewspaper reporter that he considered the younger artist his “mascot.” This alleged remark — the accuracy of which remained unresolved at thetime of Warhol’s own death, which predated Basquiat’s — ended thefriendship and accelerated Basquiat’s downward spiral, which was alsofueled by the latter’s own, unambiguous selfishness, insensitivity andlack of loyalty to his friends and lover. The mix of subtle affectionand aloofness with which Bowie embodies Warhol underscores the mystery ofthe man’s true character.



Jeffrey Wright as Jean Michel Basquiat (l) and David Bowieas Andy Warhol (r) in Julian Schnabel’s BASQUIAT. Photo by EricLiebowitz.

Bowie’s is not the only rock presence in the film. Courtney Love,infamous leader of Hole and widow of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, has abrief role as a sexual distraction who drives a wedge between Basquiat andhis fiancee (portrayed by the lovely Claire Forlani).

Bowie also contributes “A Small Plot of Land” to the film’s soundtrack,which was overseen in part by John Cale, a former member of the Velvet Underground, which enjoyed Warhol’s patronage during the ’60s.Cale himself sings Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” over the film’s closingcredits and on the Basquiat: Original Soundtrack (Island) album.Among other artists on the soundtrack are Public Image Ltd., Them(featuring the young Van Morrison), Toadies, PJ Harvey, Tripping Daisy, Joy Division, Tom Waits, and the Pogues.

Bowie to perform four special ballroom shows on East Coast ontwo consecutive weekends in September, on a break from recordinghis new album. He’s also garnering rave reviews for his Warholportrayal in the Miramax film Basquiat

August 9, 1996 — Taking weekends off from recording his nextVirgin album in New York, David Bowie will perform four special ballroomshows over two consecutive weekends in September on the east coast.The cities, dates, and venues are as follows:

• 6 Sept 1996 Philadelphia, PA, The Electric Factory
  (Tickets on sale 9 Aug)
• 7 Sept 1996 Washington, DC, Capitol Ballroom
  (Tickets on sale 17 Aug)
• 13 Sept 1996 Boston, MA, Avalon Ballroom
  (Tickets on sale 17 Aug)
• 14 Sept 1996 New York, NY, Roseland Ballroom
  (Tickets on sale 23 Aug)

After touring around the world for nearly a year and headliningfestival dates in front of 30,000 to 90,000 fans, Bowie wanted toperform several gigs — on the weekend and within driving distance from his current New York activities — in a more intimate setting.And if his recent overseas shows are any indication, the Bowie setlist will be wildly eclectic, including songs he’s rarely — or neverbefore — performed live. Songs performed in Europe, the U.K., Russia,Israel and Japan included “Aladdin Sane,” “MoonageDaydream,” &quotAll The Young Dudes” (originally written byBowie for Mott The Hoople) and “Under Pressure,” inaddition to covers of the Drifters gem “On Broadway” (mixingin Tin Machine’s “Baby Universal” along the way), The VelvetUnderground’s “White Light White Heat” and Iggy Pop’s classic”Lust For Life,” which Bowie co-wrote.

Presently, Bowie is earning rave notices for his portrayal of AndyWarhol in the Miramax film Basquiat about the late New Yorkpainter Jean Michel Basquiat. Of Bowie’s performance,Daily Variety enthused, “…probably best of all,David Bowie in a brilliant Andy Warhol impersonation,” whileThe Hollywood Reporter noted: ” Bowie, (Benicio)Del Toro and (Michael) Wincott are all superb.” In fact, writerand long time Warhol associate Bob Colacello told USA Todayafter the 7/31 New York premiere: Bowie’s Warhol is “so much likeAndy it was scary.” For his part, Bowie said, “I’d met himenough times so I kind of knew what (Warhol’s) body language was andlittle idiosyncrasies of how he talked. But I don’t really act, I doimpersonations, so it was my impersonation of Andy.”