Month: October 2004

There’s a brand new talk…

As you all know, lots of Gail Ann Dorsey stuff going on right now. We first mentioned upcoming dates a month back, (09.12.2004 NEWS: GAIL ANN DORSEY NY, PHILLY AND EURO SOLO DATES) and the busy bassist has finally announced details of the tour on her own site…with this explanation for the delay:

Here they are! The definitive dates from ?the slacker?! Yes, I am totally guilty, embarrassed, and apologetic that I have not been ?up-to-the-minute? and ?exclusive? with my website postings. You all have had to fend for yourselves and have posted my tour dates before me! Uuugh! The humiliation!

This website thing is new territory for me. I am figuring out what it takes to keep up with the game — a lot of bloody work, that?s what! However, I am determined that I will someday learn to balance my duties as musician, songwriter, and administrator? or perhaps I just need more staff?!? See you at the theater, darlings! Gail x

Poor thing Gail, I know how you feel. Members can reach the listing by clicking on the image above. Among the dates is a string of European shows in November with Ani Difranco. Gail’s admission that she has ?not been up-to-the-minute? and ?exclusive? with her website postings, may well be a reference to the fact that BowieNetter Nemesis posted them all before they were announced officially, complete with box office links, in this thread.

Joe’s Pub ticket competition winners

We have winners for the two pairs of tickets for Wednesday’s show at Joe’s Pub. See aforementioned news story for ticket links if you aren’t one of the following two winners: b77beebe and jacgirl60 both get two places on the guest list each.

Gail Ann Dorsey chat on BowieNet later this month

Before Gail leaves The US for European shores, she has kindly agreed to an exclusive BowieNet chat. The chat will take place at around 2:00pm (EST) on Wednesday, October 27th. If there are any changes to this we’ll let you know well in advance. Plenty of time for you all to be considering a few original probings of your own.

Gimme your Franz…

David has made no secret of his appreciation for the music of the Mercury Music Prize winning Franz Ferdinand, his most recent journal entry being an example of that. But, according to singer Alex Kapranos, it seems the feelings are quite mutual.

The frontman of the Glaswegian four piece got to chat with our man backstage at a Roseland Ballroom show in NY last month. Alex explained in a recent interview that he was completely in awe of David Bowie because DB had been such a huge influence on him.

Already the band, which has sold more than two million copies of its debut album, has won a number of high profile fans including Elton John, Brad Pitt and Elijah Wood. But Alex said it was a dream come true to meet Bowie as he used to listen to him endlessly when he was still dreaming of rock stardom.

Of the evening he met DB, Alex said: “It was a bit of a Madame Tussauds situation with the amount of celebrities there. Bowie came along. David bloody Bowie!” Adding, somewhat enigmatically: “No one is famous any more. Those icons, remote and untouchable, have been touched.”

Alex went on to explain how important David had been to his musical development: “I remember sitting with the sleeves of Ziggy Stardust, Heroes and Low, staring as I sucked in the music, perched on the end of my bed, head between the speakers. If that?s going to be topped someone?s going to have to exhume Freddie Mercury or John Lennon.”

The skinny Scot went on to give advice about where to look when talking to David: “It?s very strange to talk to someone who is so familiar but whom you?ve never met. I found myself dithering over which eye I should focus on as I talked to him. I decided on the one with the little pupil. It felt like the one he was looking out of.”

The two stars spent much of their chat talking about music, as Alex explains: “We chatted about music. He was disappointed that he had missed the Futureheads as he wanted to see them. It?s great to think that someone like him is still a music fan. The last couple of days have been intense but wonderfully so.”

You may be wondering about the relevance of the record sleeve above. Well, the Bowie link goes back even further for some of the members of Franz Ferdinand. Both Alex Kapranos (nee Huntley) and drummer Paul Thomson (No relation to the Roxy Music skin basher) were members of lo-fi art rockers, The Yummy Fur.

As you may have already noticed from the evidence above, The Yummys released an interesting cover of DB’s Always Crashing In The Same Car as a limited 7″ 45 single back in 1997, during one of the band’s many incarnations.

Drummer Paul was a member of the band at this point, but sadly Alex didn’t join until the following year. Nevertheless, copies of the record are now changing hands for a fair bit more than when I first bought the thing seven years ago.

Give me your heart and I’ll love you till Tuesday…*

Subscribers to the Kristeen Young newsletter will already be very aware that the unique songstress is visiting European shores again with a show at the very trendy Barfly in London’s Camden Town on Tuesday.

Here’s the relevant bit from the lady’s newsletter:

Now………the truly exciting news!!!! We (“we” meaning, yes, my drummer, Jeff AND myself) will be playing at The Barfly (49 Chalk Farm Rd. London NW1 8AN) on Tuesday, October 12 at 8:15pm (sharp!) Yes, this is London, England…Camden Town to be exact.

So, Germany, plan your trips. I know it’s just like going from Ohio to New York (the trip from Germany to England, etc.). If we can do it over here…..I have confidence that you can travel the mild distance over there. Especially with how strong the Euro and damn pound is!!! Our pathetic little dollar is like the peso now…(thank you, Mr. Bush). We are very excited about this show, and about being in London again. I can’t wait. I can’t wait. I can’t wait. I look forward to seeing you there.

For tickets…please call 0870 907 0999 (Barfly box office) or go here.

We’ll have our new CD, “X”, for sale at the show…or go to www.kristeenyoung.com to purchase “X” and others via PayPal if you can’t make it on Tuesday.

This is an important show for Kristeen so really do try and get yourself along… apart from the fabulous entertainment, you can also enjoy the company of other BowieNetters and rub shoulders with the man who made the classic I Remember Brooklyn, Tony Visconti!

You can also check Kristeen out in the October issue of Interview Magazine. There’s a two-page spread on pages 208 and 209…just bear in mind that the poor girl was styled in a way that isn’t reflective of her own unique presentation. But I guess it’s cool she got a piece in the mag anyway.

* And beyond if you turn up on the night!

But you, you’ve promise in your lovin’ eye…

True to his word, David has written a new journal entry that, if you’re a BowieNet member, you can reach by clicking on any of the lads above.

I would hint at the content, but I know you’re already on your way there… So I’ll shut up now and I might just slip away. Leave my shoes and door unlocked.

A connection named PJ…

It seems our first question of: “What is Earl Slick’s real name?” really wasn’t quite as hard for as many of you as I thought it would be…to the point of some members almost taunting me on the MBs for making it so very easy!

Well, the question I’ve posed today ain’t really any harder, but don’t worry, I will be getting much harder for those of you that enjoy a challenge… so to speak.

Anyway, here’s today’s question:

Q2 – What is the link between Earl Slick and PJ Proby?

Keep your answers to yourself for now. I’ll be asking for the lot in one go once this competition ends…and who knows when that will be?!

If you haven’t already, see Saturday’s news for part one and details of the great prizes.

I’d like your face in the crowd…

The Bowie Experience continues to conquer the West Country here in the UK, as you can see from the October diary below:

Saturday 9th – Bowiexp DVD – Further details to follow.
Sunday 10th – Bowiexp as 4 piece – The Thomas Tripp, 10 Wick Lane, Christchurch, Dorset. Tel: 01202 490498
Friday 15th – Bowie band 4 piece – The Queens Tap, 74 Station Road, Swindon. Tel: 01793 535395
Saturday 16th – Bowiexp as duo – Didcot labour Club, 89 Station Road, Didcot, Oxon. Tel: 01235 813455
Sunday 17th – Laurence – Salterns Harbourside Hotel, 38 Salterns Way, Lilliput, Poole , Dorset. Tel: 01202 707321
Friday 22nd – Bowiexp as duo – The Green Dragon, Coombe St Nicholas, Chard, Somerset. Tel: 01460 63311
Saturday 23rd – Laurence – The Starre Inn, 7-9 Purewell, Christchurch, Dorset. Tel: 01202 474762
Friday 29th – Laurence – The Castle Inn, East St, Corfe Castle, Wareham, Dorset. Tel: 01929 480208
Saturday 30th – Laurence – The Cricketers, Windham Road, Bournemouth, Dorset.

Laurence has also contacted us about a show this coming Saturday, which he explained thus:

You will see in October’s diary some stuff about the making of a DVD. I would like Bowienetters to know about this, maybe some would be interested? It’s free entry and they would be part of a film that will go on general release. I`m still waiting for exact address and start time, but I know it will be daytime up until about 8:00pm in the Strattford-upon-Avon area.

So, there you have it. Not sure what this DVD is but I understand they are trying to recreate an early Bowie show, with, I presume, an appropriately attired crazy kid crowd for added realistic atmosphere. I will post further details as soon as I have them.

I’ve got ninety-nine ways to play my guitar…

As promised yesterday, here begins our very exclusive Earl Slick competition in which BowieNet members have a chance to win one of ten of the above and one of the below.

The competition will unfold properly over the next couple of days. But, in the meantime, and just to give you a headstart, you might want to be doing a little research into finding out what Slicky’s real name is? …Perhaps not as easy to trace as you would hope, but c’mon… we are giving away a genuine Epiphone electric guitar signed by the great guitarist himself and ten of his Zig Zag CDs also signed by him, all courtesy of the uncommonly generous Sanctuary record label.

If you do manage to trace Mr Slick’s true identity, keep it to yourself for now, as I’ll be explaining what to do with the information shortly.

I’ve got ninety-nine ways to play my guitar…

A very happy birthday to Mr Earl Slick from everybody here at BowieNet. To celebrate the man’s 53rd and in recognition of the great work he has produced for David Bowie over the years, we will be running a new competition starting tomorrow.

Stay tuned kidz… some great prizes for this one.