Month: November 2000

American artist T.J. WILCOX who specialises in film and video as his medium of choice has just exhibited at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise on 436 West 15th Street in Chelsea, New York. Two of his short films were shown, one entitled “The Little Elephant” merges ‘Barbar’ and ‘The Elephant Man’ to tell the story of a traumatised ugly duckling who, in a charming passage of film animation, travels from the jungle to the big city. Once there he is transformed into DAVID BOWIE and, it seems clear, will live happily ever after, with the support of an elderly patroness Wendy Hiller, who has lots of money, a sly smile and likes his style. Wilcox’s art form is a labour-intensive method which transforms his film into an almost physical object, similar to flickering, kinetic paintings. Each piece of film or animation, whether vintage or newly shot clips, are process-pasted together. By copying the film onto video and back again, it establishes a generational distance between the sources and the projected 16mm film feels almost like a physical object. Wilcox graduated in 1989 with a BFA from the School of Visual Art in New York and completed his MFA at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1995. Most recently, his work has been featured in a solo exhibition at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, the 1997 Biennial Exhibition at the Whitney, and at the 1997 Venice Biennale. Thanks, Rednik!

A new double album is released this month continuing the series to mark the coming of the new millennium. The 40 tracks represent some of the biggest hits. Here is a sample of the track list.

Queen and David Bowie : Under Pressure
Radiohead : Paranoid Android
Rolling Stones : Start Me Up
David Bowie : Life On Mars
Prince : Kiss
Portishead : Glory Box
Robbie Williams : Angels
Frankie Goes To Hollywood : Relax
Supertramp : Logical Song
Bob Dylan : Like A Rolling Stone
Paul McCartney and Wings : Jet

Thanks, Spaceface!

“Ol? Odd Eyes might just be the cleverest pop musician we shall ever see.”

Q magazine has re-launched its website this month. If you type David’s name into the search engine or the buyer’s guide search, you will be led to lots of new writing about him. He has his own section (of course!) and Ziggy Stardust is ranked sixth of twenty in a list of albums which Q says define the ‘Rock’ genre. He features prominently almost everywhere, including ‘celebrity top ten’s, ‘essential purchase’ lists, and annual ‘best of’ lists.

Paul Du Noyer has this to say about him :-

“His birth certificate may say South London, but there were times when Ursa Major seemed more plausible. In the most creative period of his career, between 1970 and 1980, David Bowie was a one-man incubation chamber, inspiring entirely new ideas of music with each new record. From the bleak pop horror of his debut hit Space Oddity, through the warped futurism of Ziggy Stardust, the chilly disco of Young Americans and the magnificent melodrama of ?Heroes?, he brought a knowing artifice to rock, but he packed the music with an emotive power that all his theatrics could not obscure. Ol? Odd Eyes might just be the cleverest pop musician we shall ever see.”

(Paul du Noyer is the former editor of Q, founding editor of Mojo and latterly the editorial director of the Q4music.com and Mojo4music.com)

Go and check it out.

Thanks, Spaceface!

Smiling girls and rosy boys, Come and buy this CD with little toys on it…

It’s A Cool, Cool Christmas has tenuous links to David Bowie, but I am certain he would be supportive of its aim. This release is a compilation Christmas CD compiled by Xfm and released nationally by Jeepster Recordings this coming Monday, November 20th. All profits from the sale of the CD will go to the Big Issue Foundation, who you may remember David has shown his support for on more than one occasion via exclusive interviews directly for the publication, and more recently by donating ‘East Side Other’ to the book ‘Life’s ups & Downs’. (See news item: 11/07/00 NEWS: BOWIE CONTRIBUTES TO LIFE’S UPS AND DOWNS)

The 21 tracks featured on the album are either cover versions of Christmas songs like The Dandy Warhols’ ‘Little Drummer Boy’ or Lauren Laverne’s ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ as well as original songs about Christmas, such as Grandaddy’s ‘Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland’ and Low’s ‘Just Like Christmas’. Of the 21 tracks, 16 were recorded exclusively for the album. Click on the image above to see the full track-listing and to read a press release regarding the CD.

*Sorry about the misleading headline, but you try and think of a Bowie song with Christmas in it! First smart-arse in my mail box will receive an appropriate prize.

Total Blam Blam – (European Correspondent)

We are delighted to announce two more songs from David’s BowieNet exclusive performance at Roseland this June. Enjoy!

He’s in the best selling show…

The latest edition of X-RAY, the Bowie-friendly magazine of Xfm, has proof that it isn’t only London that loves David Bowie now that the station has gone nation-wide. The champion of alternative music runs a listener-voted annual chart (compiled from Xfm listeners’ three favourite tracks) called THE X-LIST. For the year 2000 Xfm listeners proved that they have open minds as well as impeccable taste by placing ‘Life On Mars?’ at number two in this year’s chart. ‘Changes’ was also voted in at number sixty eight. Here is the top five from the list:

As well as listening to Xfm online you can influence the 2001 X-LIST by voting here. With this news and the ecstatic reaction to David’s set at Glastonbury this year, it seems the kids really are alright!

Elsewhere in the X-RAY magazine, Hi-Jack, (Xfm’s equivalent of Desert Island Discs) is represented by four recent celebrity choices. Three of those all-time favourite lists include a Bowie song. Here are those choices:

ALAN MCGEE chose ‘Drive-In Saturday’
WEEN chose ‘Cracked Actor’
THE WEBB BROTHERS chose ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’

Impressive, eh? Well done sir. };-)

Total Blam Blam – (European Correspondent)

…but are you sure that it really was him?

If it was a London bus, chances it was him. David Bowie, that is.

Capital Gold, the favourite radio station of London’s baby-boomer generation, is to undergo a major image revamp. Owner Capital Radio has unveiled a new logo for its Gold brand and has recruited a raft of older rock acts to star in a marketing campaign for the new-look radio station.

From the end of this week, the faces of David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Debbie Harry and Sting will appear on 850 London buses beside the new logo to promote Capital Gold and remind consumers of the quality of its playlist.

Go to Media Guardian for complete details.

Thanks, Pozie!

The site which tells you all you could ever want to know about every day on the calendar, This Day In Music, has had a re-vamp. The bits and pieces section has some fun top ten lists, and db features in lots of them. You can choose from future stars, around the world and songs about people, among others.

You can also check to see which stars share your birthday. Two of mine are Richie Blackmore and Sonja Kristina!

My favourite list is Star’s birthday No 1’s.

What was number one the day they were born?

1 : Whitney Houston, You’re The Devil In Disguise : Elvis Presley

2 : Gary Barlow, Grandad : Clive Dunn

3 : Robbie Williams, Tiger Feet : Mud

4 : Liam Gallagher, Mama Weer All Crazy Now : Slade

5 : Britney Spears, Under Pressure : Queen & David Bowie

6 : Mel B, Stand By Your Man : Tammy Wynette

7 : Bono, Cathy’s Clown : the Everly Brothers

8 : J : 5IVE, Combine Harvester : The Wurzels

9 : Mariah Carey, Wandrin Star : Lee Marvin

10 : Shaun Ryder, I Remember You : Frank Ifield

Go and have a giggle!

Thanks, Spaceface!

Calling All Canuck Bowienetters

Bowie back-up singer Emm Gryner takes her rocktastic pop extravaganza acrossCanada to close out the year. Have you seen her yet? Check her out! Dates are as follows:

Nov. 16 MONTREAL Club Zone
Nov. 17 OTTAWA Zaphod Beeblebrox

then the following dates acoustic with Ron Sexsmith:

Nov. 21 WINNIPEG West End Cultural Centre
Nov. 22 SASKATOON Place Riel Theatre
Nov. 23 EDMONTON SideTrack Cafe
Nov. 24 CALGARY Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts
Nov. 25 VANCOUVER Richard’s on Richards
Nov. 27 VICTORIA Lucky Bar

Then the following dates with her rocktastic band, (Fil Bucchino (Flashlight) on bass, Dean Stone (Howie Beck) on drums and Vincent Spilchuk (Dalai Lamas) on keyboards, violin and other mischief.)

December 1 HALIFAX the Marquee
December 2 SYDNEY The Savoy
December 3 FREDERICTON, The Upper Deck
December 5 TORONTO, The Rivoli
December 6 TORONTO, The Rivoli

David Bowie/RCA Collaboration 2000

Bowieart has a new set of prints available for purchase. They tell the story like this:

“David Bowie invited three of the year 2000 graduates from the Royal College of Art, London to participate in a print set collaboration. What is presented in the set are a group of artists that David Bowie thought to be of particular interest and merit. Bowieart gives you the opportunity to enjoy the work of outstanding artists at the beginning of their careers. All the prints in this set are also available individually.”

The set of four lithographs on Fabriano paper by David Bowie, Marta Marce, 360 corp and Lee Wagstaff are all signed limited editions. Pop over to Bowieart for more details and go here to view prints for sale and place your online order. You could be helping a starving artist through an otherwise bleak Christmas! };-)

Total Blam Blam – (European Correspondent)