Month: October 2000

Who made these trousers?

As mentioned in a previous BowieNet report, next Thursday (Nov 2) sees the release of GQ Cool by Joe Levin, including a foreword by David Bowie and an afterword by Paul Smith. This most stylish book collects together many of the key sessions that Jo Levin, as fashion director at GQ, has been responsible for over the last decade. With actors, musicians, artists and sportsmen, from Keith Richards, Brett Anderson, Placebo, Boy George, Bryan Ferry, Iggy Pop, Goldie and Beck to Hugh Grant, Harrison Ford, Samuel L Jackson, John Travolta, Ewan McGregor, Tim Roth, Malcolm McDowell, David Beckham and many more. Oh, and nine pictures of David Bowie in Paul Smith clobber! In fact there are more pages on David Bowie than any other subject in the book.

Elsewhere in the book, Joe gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse of the supposedly glamorous world of fashion photography, including the time she accidentally packed pink and blue crochet dresses instead of Paul Smith suits for a David Bowie shoot! Click on the cover above to read the original living skeleton’s foreword to GQ Cool, and to find out who was responsible for tailoring those trousers above thirty years ago! };-)

GQ Cool is published by Pavilion Books on 2nd November 2000 priced £16:99. Check out GQ magazine here: www.gq.com

Total Blam Blam (European Correspondent)

Just the Gracenote to guide us….

The missing version of Ziggy Stardust from Bowie at the Beeb which was mistakenly ommitted in favor of a duplicate track is now available via download to owners of the album!

The technology used to obtain the download is another groundbreaking first from Bowie, and an example of one possible future of the music retail business. For the first time ever, a major record label and recording artist have chosen to use jukebox software enabled with CD recognition technology to offer additional tracks to consumers who purchase CDs.

To get the track, you need to download and install a copy of MusicMatch Jukebox 6.0 Beta (if you don’t have it already), drop the CD into your CD-ROM drive and Gracenote’s CDDB will identify the CD with its exclusive CDKey technology. Once verified, you can download the live version of Ziggy Stardust.

Go here to get the MusicMatch software and/or download the track! To read the official press release, just go to the Press Release page

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Have you seen David’s latest journal?

Continuing his quest for that BIG guitar sound, this time he looks for inspiration at home….

MusicMatch and Gracenote Join Forces to Provide Bowie Fans Exclusive Online Access to Missing Track from New “Bowie at the Beeb” CD Set

LONDON, SAN DIEGO and BERKELEY, Calif. (October 24, 2000) — David Bowie extends his reputation as a cyber-pioneer, announcing today that he is offering fans the opportunity to download an exclusive live version of “Ziggy Stardust.” Working with MusicMatch, Inc., inventor of the world’s first all-in-one jukebox software, and Gracenote (formerly CDDB), a content delivery platform specializing in music recognition technology, Bowie is giving fans who purchased his recently released “Bowie at the Beeb” CD an exclusive opportunity to obtain the live version of “Ziggy Stardust,” which was intended for the CD set.

For the first time ever, a major record label and recording artist have chosen to use jukebox software enabled with CD recognition technology to offer additional tracks to consumers who purchase CDs. Beginning today, fans who purchased “Bowie at the Beeb” need only download and install a copy of the popular MusicMatchÃ’ JukeboxÔ 6.0 Beta, drop the CD into their CD-ROM drive and Gracenote’s CDDBÃ’ will identify the CD with its exclusive CDKey? technology. Once verified, the owner of the CD will be given an opportunity to download an exclusive live version of “Ziggy Stardust.”

Bowie’s latest release, a special limited-edition three-CD set, chronicles his classic sessions at the BBC and includes rare favorites performed between 1968 and 1972. The third CD in the limited package features exclusive classic tracks and live favorites performed by BOWIE at the BBC Radio Theatre show this past summer. Bowie intended the CD set to feature two different live versions of the famed “Ziggy Stardust,” recorded live in 1972, but a production error caused one of the versions to be published on the CD set twice, omitting the second version. An estimated 250,000 copies were shipped before the error surfaced. The “double-minted” Ziggy tracks have already become collector’s items and consumers snapped up early shipments in the U.K., where the CD set debuted at #7. Bowie turned to EMI, Virgin Records, MusicMatch, and Gracenote in an effort to provide fans with a unique and cutting-edge way to obtain the missing track via digital download.

“MusicMatch and Gracenote were able to step into the breach and quickly provided a solution to the ‘double minting’ of the CD,” said Bowie. “Five years ago this would never have been possible and it’s a great bonus to those who already own the album, as it extends the value of the CD overall.”

Bowie continued, “MusicMatch and Gracenote were the clear choices for resolving this issue because of their superior technology and their understanding of the demands of digital music fans around the world.”

MusicMatch Jukebox gives fans the opportunity to discover more about Bowie and his music by viewing multimedia-rich biographical and album information, as well as sampling tracks from his complete discography in the MusicMatch Music Guide. Bowie fans can also create a custom MusicMatch Radio station containing Bowie classics and tracks from similar artists based on the listening tastes of the MusicMatch community.

“MusicMatch Jukebox bridges the gap between artists and their fans online by offering a direct way to reach fans with new music, CD updates or special promotional tracks,” said Dennis Mudd, CEO of MusicMatch, Inc. “Together with the Gracenote CD-recognition technology in MusicMatch Jukebox, we can offer this exciting and exclusive music directly to Bowie fans easily and immediately.”

Gracenote’s CDKey technology is at the center of the solution. When used in combination with the patented CDDB recognition service, bonus content can be unlocked from any location, including Gracenote-enabled applications such as MusicMatch Jukebox, simply by playing the CD.

“David Bowie has again demonstrated early adoption of cutting edge technology,” said David Hyman, CEO of Gracenote. “He’s embraced digital technology and online music exchange for the benefit of his fans. At Gracenote we’re working with artists, like David Bowie, to enhance the music listening experience for fans around the world. CDKey extends the value of the CD purchase, and creates an ongoing relationship with the music fan.”

Bowie fans can visit http://www.musicmatch.com/get_music/ to learn more about this exclusive live version of “Ziggy Stardust” as well as download the free version of MusicMatch Jukebox 6.0 Beta.

About Gracenote

Gracenote is a content delivery platform offering music recognition technology that enables relevant information and services to enhance the music listening experience. Gracenote designed its platform for makers of media players and encoders, consumer electronic manufacturers, record companies, and on and off-line consumer brands. Its network of technology and services opens new direct interactive channels to online music fans worldwide. Over 1,000 partners worldwide, serving more than one million consumers daily, rely on Gracenote’s CDDB technology, which is the industry standard in Music Recognition Services (MRS). Gracenote was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Berkeley, California. For more information about Gracenote, go to www.gracenote.com.

About MusicMatch, Inc.

MusicMatch, Inc. (www.musicmatch.com) is a music company focused on giving people the music they want, the way they want it. The company’s award-winning MusicMatch Jukebox is enjoyed by more than ten million music fans worldwide who trust MusicMatch to deliver personal fulfillment through music.

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MusicMatch is a registered trademark of MusicMatch, Inc.
MusicMatch Jukebox is a trademark of MusicMatch, Inc.

Some make you sing and some make you scream…

Recent reports that David Bowie may guest at a Madonna live performance, set for November 5th at New York’s Roseland Ballroom, are unfounded, unhelpful, unkind, and ultimately, untrue! The same goes for a rumoured Madonna London date at the Brixton Academy on November 28th.

Total Blam Blam – (European Correspondent)

Here’s looking at you kid…

Bowieart.com has launched an exciting competition which, to give me more of a chance of winning, I almost didn’t post as a news item. Unfortunately I have been bullied into forwarding this information, so here, grudgingly, are the words direct from Bowieart.com – But please don’t read until November 14th!

“Bowieart.com invites you to re-work the brand new print by David Bowie that was created specially for our re-launch. Simply download the print from the site and let your imagination run wild. Play around with the print in any way you wish and let us see the results of your creative energies.

By simply emailing your entries to creative@bowieart.com famous British artist Gavin Turk, Shez 360, a graduate from the RCA featured on the site and David himself will judge their favourite entry. Bowieart will have the print made into a double-signed edition of three, an artist’s proof and one for each artist in the collaboration; David and the winner. Could another art star be born through Bowieart?

Our only stipulation is that the print is supplied in Jpeg, Gif or BMP format and is no bigger than 100k; any other file types or sizes will not be entered. All entries must be emailed to creative@bowieart.com marked Competition Entry no later than Friday 13 November.”

So there you have it. I wish you no luck whatsoever! };-)

Total Blam Blam – (European Correspondent)

November’s Mojo magazine runs a four page article about the extraordinary life and times of Vince Taylor, a cult hero singer who had a brief period of success in the late 50’s and early 60’s. He was one of David’s inspirations when Ziggy Stardust was created.

“He came over to London for a couple of weeks, and I got to know him. He was TRULY NUTS, and really thought he was some composite between the Son of God and an alien…….”

– David Bowie

Go here for more of David’s thoughts about Vince and more photos.

Spaceface (Uranus Correspondent)

Hats off to Mikedexter…(aka killer) …the new BowieNet Member of the Week!

Fashion…Turn to your right, Stella…

By now, you will all have heard about DB’s surprise appearance at the VH-1 Vogue Fashion Awards held on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Our man was there to announce the winner of the ‘Fashion Designer Of The Year’ award, which went to UK designer Stella McCartney for her work with the Chloe fashion house. David made his entrance toward the end of the show to the sound of ‘Fashion’ (appropriately enough) replicating, rather convincingly, the dance steps of James Brown, (who had just performed a duet with Lenny Kravitz) and receiving a huge roar of couturier approval for his trouble!

Continuing his patronage of designer Alexander McQueen, Mr Bowie cut a dash in a two-piece, dark brown chocolate cashmere suit with thin black pencil stripe, and a regular-collared, chocolate brown shirt. His greeting of “Hello beautiful people…and living skeletons” to a celebrity-heavy audience liberally sprinkled with supermodels, left a look of puzzlement on the faces of only a few of the assembled guests.

After David announced the winner of the ‘Fashion Designer Of The Year’ award, Stella made her way up to accept the award, but pretending there had been a “bit of a cock-up” and that he didn’t in fact have the trophy, David offered a couple of tickets for next year’s Zoolander movie (in which he makes a cameo appearance) by way of compensation.

Peter, Paul and Mary…Ooops, I mean Paul, David and Stella!

At this point, and to Stella’s obvious surprise, her father, Paul McCartney (who used to be in a band himself, and also enjoys painting…even producing a bizarre painting of a not very well Ziggy!) appeared carrying the trophy. Stella ran over to Daddy McCartney, and was clearly overcome with emotion as they hugged, if not a little embarrassed by the legend on his T-shirt which read: ‘About Flippin’ Time’…This was in direct retaliation to a T-shirt that Stella wore at her father’s induction to The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame which bore the same words, but employed the shock tactic of a slightly stronger F word.

The VH-1 Vogue Fashion Awards show will be regularly repeated over the coming weeks in the USA, the first repeat is scheduled for 24th October at 4.30 pm on VH1, with no definite date for a UK screening. However, keep your fingers crossed for a glimpse of David’s appearance at the ceremony on the Celebrity! programme on ITV in the UK tomorrow (24th) at 5:05, repeated the following day (Wednesday) on the same channel at 1:30 in the afternoon.

Total Blam Blam – (European Correspondent)

Bowie’s old friend/collaborator, Brian Eno, is currently showing 87 of his generative pictures at the Partobject Gallery in the North Carolinas. You might like to look at their (very well-organized) website which has about 1000 stills from those pieces. The address is http://www.partobject.com