Month: December 2002

Some Cat was layin’ down some rock ‘n’ roll…

You should all by now have received your BowieNet e-mails regarding this event, but for those of you that haven’t… here’s the info again anyway…

Join us this coming Thursday, December 19th, at the European-friendly time of 7:30 pm (London time) or 2:30 pm EST, for a member’s only chat with the newest member of David’s band, the multi-talented Catherine Russell. Click on the picture of Cat above to take you to her very impressive résumé.

Due to his particularly heavy schedule at the moment (we don’t want to interrupt his flow now do we?), David will not be participating in a BowieNet chat until sometime in the new year, obviously we’ll give you more definite details as we have them.

I could make it all worthwhile as a Rock & Folk star…

Hot on the heels of their DVD special (which included ‘Ashes To Ashes’ on the cover-mounted DVD), French magazine Rock & Folk have made David Bowie the “hero” in the reader’s poll of their latest issue. Elsewhere in the magazine, our good friend Jérôme Soligny conducts a brief interview with David, and as if that wasn’t enough, the cover-mounted CD includes ‘Wood Jackson’.

Here’s how the readers voted… Boy, the French have good taste!

Artist of the year:
1) David Bowie
2) Bruce Springsteen
3) Manu Chao

Concert of the year:
1) David Bowie
2) Noir Désir
3) Oasis

Hero of the year:
1) David Bowie
2) Spiderman
3) Michael Moore

David was also voted third in the Sexiest Character of the Year category (I think some of our regular MB contributors may dispute that), and in the writer’s poll, Philippe Manoeuvre (editor of the magazine) and Jérôme himself voted for ‘Heathen’ in the Albums of the Year section. Well done David, no more than you deserve.

Here follows an illustration from the mag drawn by great R&F illustrator Colonel Moutarde, and the interview with Jérôme Soligny. Thanx to R&F for flying the Bowie flag all these years… must do a feature on the magazine’s Bowie features one of these days.

David Bowie interview by Jérôme Soligny (David’s answers are in Bold type, as if that wasn’t obvious enough!)

One may think that at 55, after such a brilliant career, you’ve seen it all. Does it still mean something to you when young readers (the majority of them now…) of a faraway country rock magazine plebiscite you like this? Why? Do you feel a special relation with France (Golf Drouot, Chateau d’Hérouville, Saint-Malo, etc)?

That my audience still have an interest in what I do and that a new audience seems to be dragged along with them is just fabulous. I have been very lucky in having such a loyal crowd. I may not sell a trillion albums, but then I never did, but I have a consistent and interested fan base and that’s all I could ask for. I suppose my interest in people like Piaf or the Belgium Brel gave me a real understanding of French chanson plus the history of the cabaret i.e. Chat Noir in Paris in the late 1800’s, artists mixing with gangsters, where the strong lyric combined with great melody transformed popular song. I’m sure the French feel that empathy when I sing.

Last time I interviewed you, you told me you’d hope that “Heathen” would find a public by word of mouth. It actually worked very well, in terms of sales too. Does that also mean something to you?

But of course. It’s a very good album and I really knew my crowd would ‘get’ it.

After September 11, it seems like many major classic acts have toured the world and worked hard (The Who, Paul McCartney, etc), and there has been a new rock’n’roll explosion (The Hives, The Music, The Libertines). Do you consider the world events have an influence on your work? Do you like any of these young bands?

There is a sense with too many of the new bands of trying to capture a bygone era. I think this comes from a deep sense of wanting to create a ‘structure’ of some kind. Much of the music is overfamiliar to me. I would hope that they will break out a little and experiment more with the form.

You’re “Rock&Folk live act of the year” and it’s true that in 2002 you seemed to be really happy on stage even though you were far from home? Any reason for that? A few words about your great band of yours… Can we hope to see you next year on some European stage?

Without doubt you will see us next year. I plan on doing a really extensive tour. Maybe even Australia and Japan! My band, many of whom have now been with me for a number of years, just seem to get it right, night after night. I cannot tell you what a joy they are to work with. The atmosphere at this last set of shows was indescribable.

You’ve spent the 90’s toying with different music styles but the success of “Heathen” and the world tour proves that the audience adores it when you’re still David Bowie, The Man Who Wrote (and still writes) Those Famous Tracks and sing them with all his heart? Do you agree with them? How do you see yourself now?

You are right in one way. That is, I have become very relaxed about just singing my songs with no elaboration or set of any kind. I see myself working this way for the foreseeable future. I am a working singer/songwriter.

Whatever it means, you’ve also been voted “hero of the year” by R&F readers? What do you think of that? Who’d be your heroes of the year?

I have none. I prefer to be considered a ‘popular’ artist to hero.

I guess you’re back to writing new songs. Do you have any idea of how your next album will sound ? Will Tony V be involved? Any key reissue for the next year? Is “Toy” going to be released as an album?

TV and my whole band will be involved in the next album. And, of course, some surprises (I hope) I have a rough idea of where the sound will go. Let’s see if I can accomplish that.

How looks your future? Do you think man will learn from its many mistakes? Do you consider hope as a vehicle, a goal or a lure?

Hope is a structure for living. I am not judgmental on its merits or otherwise.

Is there anything you’ve not accomplished so far you’re dying to do?

I’m dying to get old.

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Many many thanx to Jérôme Soligny for giving us the exclusive on this, what a thoroughly decent chap he is!

Oh, I even have a go at ‘White Christmas’..

Bowienetters in the UK will be very pleased to hear that ITV are showing David’s June 2002 performance on A&E Live By Request (06/07/02 NEWS: CHOOSE SONGS FOR A&E LIVE BY REQUEST NOW, 06/11/02 NEWS: A&E LIVE BY REQUEST TICKET GIVE-AWAY, 06/13/02 NEWS: A&E LIVE BY REQUEST WINNERS NOTIFIED) on Christmas night!

The show airs at 1.30AM, which technically is Boxing Day. So – break out the mince pies, tangerines and Rennies, and ENJOY!

:))

He bought them presents with every coin he made…

With a mere ten panic-inducing shopping days left until Christmas day, I thought it pertinent to remind you of some of the Bowie goodies available to those that find it impossible to buy for you, or indeed, for those of you that just want to buy themselves a little something.

Here are links to a few of the things that we’ve already told you about, that you may have just forgotten. Click on the link to the original news story and proceed from there…

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06/24/02 NEWS: ORDER MOONAGE DAYDREAM “MASTERPIECE” NOW

Those of you that have already received your copy of Moonage Daydream will know what an absolutely stunning tome it is. Jam-packed with beautiful Mick Rock Ziggy shots, and accompanied by fascinating recollections from both David and Mick, this is easily the best Ziggy-related object ever produced. I honestly can’t stop looking at my copy…Moonage Daydream is the sort of thing you’d rescue from a house fire.

With 346 pages printed on fourteen different paper stocks, including clear acetate, trace leaves and a variety of coloured and textured papers this is Genesis Publications most ambitious production to date…Oh, and it includes a signed insert by David and Mick! The deluxe edition has now sold out, but there are still copies of the regular edition priced at £295 / $465 + shipping.

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06/01/02 NEWS: BOWIENET DISCOUNT ON HUNKY DORY TAPESTRY

What can I say about this? It’s a bloody great big tapestry (54″ x 71″) with DB’s mug on it! It’s actually a very nice reproduction of the ‘Hunky Dory’ cover that you’d probably rather use as a wall hanging than a hallway rug…after all, who wants to trample all over David Bowie?

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10/08/02 NEWS: GEORGE UNDERWOOD ZIGGY SET AVAILABLE NOW

David’s old mucker George designed these Ziggy characters way back when, and decided to resurrect them for this very tasteful set of 30th anniversary Ziggy Stardust enamel badges. At only £49.00 per set, these beauties are flying out, so if you want to invest in a very tasty collectible you’d better hurry before you regret it. David was so impressed with the set that he even plugged it in his journal.

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11/27/02 NEWS: LIMITED SIGNED REX RAY DB PRINT IN BOWIESTORE & MORE

There were only 100 of these Rex Ray-designed prints produced, and each one is individually numbered and signed by David and Rex. There aren’t many left now, and any still remaining will go on public sale in the next couple of days. So if you do want one, be sure to order it now before it’s gone forever!

There’s a bar at the end where I can meet you and your friends…

Any of you BowieNetters kicking around London Town on Tuesday night, may want to meet up with some fellow fans of the “Glam star” for a drinky-poohs and a chinwag at Match EC1 in the Clerkenwell Road…Here’s the full address etc:

Match EC1, 45-47 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1 on Tuesday, December 17 @ 7:00PM (Nearest tube is Farringdon)

This service has been organised by davidbowie.meetup.com which you are encouraged to sign-up to for this event, (it’s free) or indeed for future meet-ups. I don’t know quite what you can expect, except spending a bit of quality time with other Bowie fans who should all be in a jolly Christmas-type mood. If you can make it, I’ll see you there.

I should point out that davidbowie.meetup.com has no official links and is in no way associated with BowieNet/UltarStar.

While we’re on the subject of Bowie fan meets, the London guided tour and party that we told you about last month (11/26/02 NEWS: BOWIENETTERS ORGANISE LONDON GUIDED TOUR AND PARTY) has now been set for Saturday February 1st 2003. Keep an eye on the BowieNetters London Tour 2003 site for more details.

I am the best jazz you’ve ever seen…

The BoB DVD has received a rash of great reviews recently, including the following from which I have taken excerpts:

Q January 2003 – Mark Blake – Five Stars
Having demonstrated a keen eye for visual detail from the start of his career as the longest long-hair in Bromley, any video history of David Bowie should be fascinating. This two-disc catch-all of TV appearances, live performances and promo clips doesn’t let the viewer down, recording the transition from shiny-booted spaceman on BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test in 1972 to an almost dignified take on middle age…Fantastic stuff.

This issue of Q also has another of those top 100 Greatest Albums Ever charts, this time voted by readers of Q. With ‘Hunky Dory’ at 55 and ‘Ziggy Stardust’ at 31, Q readers must be credited with some taste, but with no Bowie album higher than that they shouldn’t be credited with too much. Kids eh?! };-)

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UNCUT January 2003 – Chris Roberts – Five Stars
Bowie was among the first to appreciate the added resonances the video format offered to music, and with customary prescience and élan he made it his own while others dithered…Still the coolest man alive.

UNCUT comes with a cover-mounted CD of the best of 2002 that includes ‘A Better Future’ from ‘Heathen’. ‘Heathen’ is placed at #10 in the UNCUT 60 best albums of 2002, and the magazine has graciously admitted that their original two-star review of the album was after all a little off the mark!

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Record Collector December 2002 – Daryl Easlea
RC obviously considered the BoB DVD important enough to receive a full-page review. Daryl is clearly a fan, and here follows a small excerpt from an in-depth review:

There’s not much in the way of extras, but when you’ve got 30 years’ worth of David Bowie messing around in the clothes box, what other extras do you need? It’s an often-brilliant record of an often-brilliant performer…put this DVD at the very apex of your Christmas list. It’s essential.

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MOJO subscription offer
I’ve not seen the January 2003 issue of MOJO yet, but if you’ve been wondering what the image above is all about, it’s the latest, very generous, subscription offer from the magazine. Not only do you get six issues of Mojo delivered to your door hot from the press for a reduced price of £18…and all that kind of stuff, but you also get the BoB DVD chucked in too! That’s a bargain if ever there was one.

The number I have for this offer is 01858 438 806 and the reference code is: NM28/MB8. Apparently this subscription offer is available outside of the UK on the same number, but obviously you have to use the normal international dial codes for your territory.

And she’s hooked to the silver screen…

A couple of the tabloids here in the UK have today reported on David and Iman’s attendance at the ‘Gangs of New York’ world premiere in New York on Sunday evening. Both The Daily Star and The Daily Mirror have colour shots, not dissimilar to the one above, with reports, not dissimilar to the one below:

It was less like a night of the gangs than the parade of couples at New York?s Ziegfield Theatre on Sunday night. And what handsome pairs they all made as they rolled up to the premiere of Martin Scorsese’s new epic The Gangs of New York. Stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Liam Neeson turned up with their other halves Rebecca Miller and Natasha Richardson. Miller looked on adoringly as her hubbie, who plays pyscho Bill the Butcher in the epic, showed off his appropriately menacing skinhead.

Meanwhile Liam Neeson went for the affably dashing look with wife Natasha opting for tailored florals rather than gangster moll glamour. But the award for sexiest couple had to go to the peter pan of music David Bowie and his gorgeous wife Iman. Cheekbones sharper than Bill the Butcher?s blade, perfectly coiffed hair and sharp outfits gave the couple the edge.

When David e-mailed me the above pic, he had this to say about the evening:

“Excellent Daniel Day-Lewis performance as Bill the Butcher. Epic vision of 19th century New York ganglife centered around the area where we live. Here we are, escaping the crowd to get some dinner afterwards.”

And don’t they look gorgeous. Have to say that was pretty brave attire on Iman’s behalf, I would have had to dig out the leg warmers for that kind of weather! };-)

Me, I’m fresh on your pages

UK insomniacs among you may have caught last night’s edition of ITV’s ‘The Web Review’ – the only UK television show providing a dedicated guide to some of the choicest sites on the World Wide Web.

This week’s choice for review in the ‘Music’ category was none other than BowieNet and we received a very cool maximum 10/10. Their web page says:-

He was one of the first music megastars to have a serious web presence, which has since developed into a huge online community.

Mr. Bowie’s latest news buzzes around waiting to be clicked on; from there you can access record releases, tour schedules and any specials or appearances on television and radio all over the world.

Next up is the Discourse, a huge interactive forum where fans can talk to each other and post questions for the man himself.

Bowie’s career has spun over five decades, and maybe the secret to his success is the inventiveness and freshness that this site also exhibits.

You can read the whole review, here.

The programme airs again on Tuesday 10th December at 3.15AM, so if you want to catch the show (which even features some of our message board posts) you’ll need to set your recorders when you go to bed tonight.

Thanks to MartianDust2002 who posted this on our boards this morning.

:))