Bowiephiles

I’ll paint you mornings of gold

Welcome back to the weekend column for and about people who love da man..

New Interview : NPR : 08/28/02

If you tuned in to NPR’s ‘Morning Edition’ (USA) on Wednesday morning you might have been surprised to hear David (still in his pyjamas – see above 😉 talking to the host Renee Montagne about songwriting, specifically some of the songs from Heathen (“all the overnight crew (22 year olds) are in love with it” she tells David), and some snippets about parenthood ‘Chez Bowie’ over the last few days. David talks about his (unique – in my view) ability to provide an apt sonic background to inform the lyrics he writes, and Seven, who mailed in the link, selected this quote “Its the space in between the artist and the audience that is the real ‘matter’ of a piece of art” The interview really is fascinating stuff, and you can hear the whole thing, streaming here. Don’t miss this..

Area: 2 review : Seattle Times : 08/19/02

I know you will empathise 100% with this great quote from the Seattle Times review of David’s last date on the Area: 2 Tour. “…by far, the most amazing scene of the night was the audience behavior before Bowie’s set. “Dude! C’mon, it’s Bowie!,” screamed one twentysomething man to his friends, who were closer to the top of the grassy hill. “C’MON!” His five friends responded by careening down the paved walkway to find a good spot closer to the stage. Within a few minutes, the kids and the older audience members merged for the first time. Every paved walkway leading to the stage was crammed with people clamoring to get closer to Bowie. Bowie performed decades of hits…while constant and loud audience cheers were the only thing all day to rival the volume of the thumping DJ tent.

Here’s a lovely pic of db and Gail, backstage at Jay Leno.

And while on the subject of Area: 2, here are one or two more reviews which came in too late for the original gig news item deadlines. The press for these shows was just one big wave of ecstasy. A huge pleasure to read and to work with.

The Hollywood Reporter on L.A.:- “the Thin White Duke combined an elegant air with a deadpan sense of humor (” ‘Heathen’ — I gotta pick up a copy of that; I understand it’s really good,” he quipped about his new album) and proved he’s one of the best songwriters in rock ‘n’ roll, period.

Highlights of his total pleasure of a set included the new “Slip Away,” with its sad-eyed, haunting grandeur, and the spare, syncopated “5:15 the Angels Have Gone.” Bowie also took an enthusiastic audience through a tour of his decades of material.

“We’re off to the ’90s; pack your bags,” he cracked before “Afraid of Americans.” “Stay” was a percussive, soaring rave-up, while “Fame” remained its funky, resonant self. Several songs took on a new incarnation live: “Heroes” was bouncier than on disc, while “Let’s Dance” sported a gloomy, atmospheric intro. “Ziggy Stardust” completed a memorable set.

and also the Mercury News on San Francisco:- The audience ate up each act. David Bowie got the biggest response, with a taut, tight, heavy-on-the-bass 90-minute set.. The 55-year-old English rocker, who wore a black suit and vest under a simple lit-up BOWIE sign, has been mixing experimental sounds with commercial ones for three decades.

There was a sci-fi tinge to the set, which began with 1972’s “Is There Life on Mars?” and included 1977’s “A New Career in a New Town” from “Low,” the album that could be the textbook for Moby’s later electronic experimentation.

Bowie’s bassist, Gail Ann Dorsey, punched beats from songs that predated hip-hop and helped set the stage for it, songs such as “Fame” and “Fashion.”

This time out, the man who fell to the stage with a new persona for every tour was part blond California surfer, part television pitchman. Not only did he seem to enjoy playing songs he swore off years ago, but he jokingly promised to go into the audience after the show to sell such new musical products as the “Jackalope” and the “Stylophone,” which he said makes “Major Tom”-like sounds.

Ziggy (Movie Re-Release) : The Guardian : 08/02/02

This quote from a recent edition of The Guardian, reviewing films on release in L.A., homes in on db’s life-long ability (and enthusiasm) to ‘rip it up and start again’:- Ziggy finds Bowie casting about for new guises as he readies the last few nails for the Zigster’s pine box and essentially prepares to throw away a guaranteed money-spinner – which is pretty frickin’ rock’n’roll, I think. Ziggy emerges as a portrait of an artist more than prepared to burn all his bridges and start again from degree zero.

Here are some more great quotes from recent reviews of the Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 re-release. From Rotten Tomatoes:- “what truly awes is the realization of Bowie’s completely mature command of both his voice and the stage so early in his career.” and from Film Critic.com:- “You want to cheer, hold up a lighter, and sing along?” (our Mask was at a recent showing in L.A. and posted on the boards that the audience were indeed holding up lighters.. eat your heart out Rocky.. ) The New Times, L.A. adds:- “The …brilliant sound of Ziggy and his Spiders (Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, Mick Woodmansy) has been remixed by longtime Bowie producer Tony Visconti, and Bowie’s theatrical vision is deservedly legendary. How could anyone hope to control a camera in the presence of a minor deity?” and Film Threat say:- “Through a stroke of brilliant scheduling, “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” is being released at the same time that Bowie’s latest album “Heathen” is being unveiled. Bowie fans who need a reason to celebrate the trajectory of the artist’s career can make use of this cinematic Alpha and CD Omega.”

Don’t forget – ‘Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars’ is showing on AMC in the USA at 12.10AM and again at 12.50PM on 08/31/02. There are also lots more cinema showings coming up around the USA. Check out Cowboy Pictures for the full listing.

Space Oddity : The Guardian : 08/16/02

Roddy Frame (ex Aztec Camera) was the subject of a recent ‘Home Entertainment’ column in The Guardian and had this to say about his earliest musical moment. :- “I’m always trying to find that special thing in pop music. For me, it started with Space Oddity by David Bowie – it has that semi-tone shift which fascinated me. I played it endlessly to my mum and it made me feel this yearning. It’s a kind of sweetness, and it can turn up in the strangest places.”

Young Americans : The Emperor’s Club : Showing Now

“Young Americans” accompanies the trailer for “The Emperor’s Club”, a new film starring Kevin Kline, Embeth Davidtz and Rob Morrow. The film is about a professor (Kline) from an elite boys’ prep school who is challenged by the headstrong son of a powerful senator. The two battle it out for the hearts and souls of the other students, inexorably changing the fate of both the men.

:))