Month: April 2005

In their secret fearful places they see their lives unravelling before them…

The BowieNet Blogs have proved popular with many of you, but it seems there are a fair few of you who haven’t joined in yet. There could be many reasons for this, but we have had feedback from some members who have said they would keep a blog if it wasn’t for the fact that folk outside of BowieNet could read them.

In an attempt to gauge just how big a problem this is, the latest poll addressees this very issue. Click on the DISCOURSE tab above if you want to take part…we can only act on this kind of thing if we have a clear idea of how you feel about it.

Meanwhile, the previous poll we ran got a pretty good response from you with a little over fifteen hundred votes. (See screen grab above)

We asked you where you buy digital music from. As you can see above, more than half of you that responded said you don’t buy digital music. I’m not sure if that means you only download music you don’t pay for, or if you just don’t download digital music. Perhaps we should have had another option.

Whatever, of the digital music providers we did list, iTunes is the clear winner with 35 percent of the vote.

Red light, green light, Make up your mind…

April seems relatively quiet on the Bowie tribute band front (unless you know differently?), with just the one show by the ever-professional Space Oddity. Over to Mr Brighton for details of that show…

————————————————————————————————————-

Just a quick note to invite all BowieNetters to join Space Oddity – David Brighton‘s Tribute To David Bowie – for a special performance at the Martini Blues Supper Club on Friday April 29th – Show time: 9:00pm.

Address: 5874 Edinger Ave. Huntington Beach, CA, USA

Admission is $12.00 with a $2.00 off discount flyer or email. (Just email us at: BowieLive@aol.com to get you and everyone in your party a $2.00 discount). $14.00 at door. (21 and over). (714) 840-2129 (reservations recommended).

————————————————————————————————————-

Thanx for the info David…Have a great show.

Don’t forget to send in details of your favourite local Bowie Tribute band if you think they deserve a plug on BowieNet.

Press your Spaceface close to mine, love…

BowieNetter Spaceface celebrates fifty music-loving years on the planet today, and I know you’ll all want to join me in wishing her a very special birthday.

Spacey has been a regular contributor to BowieNet ever since it was launched…around twenty years ago. And although not as prolific a contributor since she found new love with partner Jon, she does still keep the BowieNet calendar regularly updated.

She is a successful local writer with regular music reviews published in the more prestigious Sunderland newspapers, and her passion for music in general is obvious and infectious. With her finger well on the pulse when it comes to new music and an extraordinary knowledge of rock history I for one think she’s a pretty groovy chick!

Happy birthday Karen, I know Jon will be making it a day to remember for you…much love from everybody here at BowieNet and UltraStar.

(Members can add to the Spaceface birthday thread started by Spidey by clicking on the above pic)

Could it be the best, could it be?…

Out today is the latest edition of Web User magazine, which reveals the five best and five worst official celebrity sites. Here’s their news shot…in their actual words, not mine!

————————————————————————————————————-

BEST AND WORST CELEBRITY SITES – David Bowie claims top spot – but Caprice is an online catastrophe!

Web User, the UK’s best-selling internet magazine, reveals the 5 best and worst official sites representing celebrities in its latest issue, on sale 14 April.

Clinching the ‘worst celebrity website’ is Caprice’s, which we dismiss as being little more than “soulless blurb”.

Also in the worst 5 list is Will Smith’s “lame” site and Madonna’s online presence, which “has no personality whatsoever”.

Unimaginatively corporate, these sites scarcely betray an ounce of the celebrity behind it and short-change the fans.

Topping this purely subjective survey is David Bowie’s site, which boasts an “exclusive content and a buzzing community spirit”, while we praise JK Rowling’s as being “magical” and honour Halle Berry’s as “the best website in Hollywood”.

Most of the top 5 sites should continue to prosper, attracting thousands of visitors, but it won’t be surprising if any of the worst 5 cease to exist, like the short-lived sites from Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston and Tara Palmer-Tompkinson.

Best 5
1 DAVID BOWIE www.davidbowie.com
2 JK ROWLING www.jkrowling.com
3 JAMIE OLIVER www.jamieoliver.com
4 HALLE BERRY www.hallewood.com
5 RICKY GERVAIS www.rickygervais.com

Worst 5
1 CAPRICE www.caprice-online.com
2 WILL SMITH www.willsmith.com
3 LINDA BARKER www.reallylindabarker.co.uk
4 MADONNA www.madonna.com
5 JENNIFER LOPEZ www.jenniferlopez.com

————————————————————————————————————-

It’s nice to feel appreciated from time to time, and it seems this award is as much in recognition of the community you have created as it is in recognition of David’s own contributions. We look forward to further praise being heaped upon us on the MBs! };-)

Peter tried to climb aboard… (Well, he succeeded actually)

It’s that time again…Those Voyeur types have been beavering away to get the latest edition of their fan publication to you. As ever, the magazine’s very own Peter Smit gives us a glimpse of some of the latest issue’s content…

————————————————————————————————————-

The April 2005 issue of ‘The Voyeur’ is out now!

Like always International David Bowie fanclub ‘The Voyeur’ created another beautiful fanclub magazine filled with interesting articles and interviews.

In this issue of ‘The Voyeur’

? Watch out for ‘The Voyeur’
? Welcome to ‘The Voyeur’
? ‘Never Get Old’ – the extremely detailed David Bowie chronology by Wim Hendrikse
? A very interesting interview ‘The Voyeur’ had with Gail Ann Dorsey
? Low Fidelity (a scheme of base and principles 1970 1980) by Philippe Auliac
? Reality on Film – An interview with EPK director Steven Lipmann
? A special edition of DVD15

If you want to get yourself a copy of the latest issue visit the website at http://go.to/bowiefanclub.

New fanclub members will receive the 1987 Dutch booklet ‘Behind the Spider’ as a welcome present.

————————————————————————————————————-

Thanx again folx…Those Dutch certainly know their Bowie.

They got a message from The Pillowman…

David Bowie and wife Iman went along to see Martin McDonagh‘s The Pillowman, at the Booth Theatre on New York’s Broadway last night.

The couple were accompanied by Coco, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson for what was clearly a most memorable evening. I asked David how he enjoyed the performance, and he replied thus:

“The play was magnificent, a great slab of dark unholy comic horror. We all had a blast and were suitably impressed with Jeff Goldblum as a stage actor. Just terrific.”

The official Playbill site also reported a few very interesting words they managed to get from David after the play. Here follows the closing paragraph from the full piece which you can read here.

————————————————————————————————————-

For one of the first-nighters, the evening was a little like going home again: David Bowie, whose only previous contact with Broadway was at the Booth, replacing Philip Anglim in the original production of The Elephant Man. (Interestingly, Crudup did the revival of The Elephant Man.) “It was a wonderful way to go back,” he said. “What a superb play! It certainly did seem nostalgic to me. Even the smell of the place.”

And did that stir up some Broadway juices? “Actually, that has occurred to me. We’ll see what the future brings.” And would the future be bringing him in a musical? “I’m not saying.”

————————————————————————————————————-

Hmmm…interesting stuff. Well, if ever he is saying, hopefully we’ll get to hear about it first.

I’d like to blow on your horn…

David’s old mucker, George Underwood, will be exhibiting some brand new works at The Portal Gallery in London from 11th April until 30th April.

I’m sure most reading this are more than familiar with George’s work for DB through the years. But, just in case you’ve forgotten what it is about Mr Underwood’s recent works that pleases David’s eye so…read on:

“George has, over the years, refined his work to the point where I would put him among the top figurative painters coming out of the UK right now. There?s a sublime isolation surrounding his subjects that really touches the viewer, the figures being both heroic and vulnerable simultaneously. There?s a timeless element in the choice of subject matter that overlaps with the mythical world of Odd Nerdrum, say. Now that a huge shift to painting is taking place, I would expect to see George?s name pushed further and further to the front” – David Bowie

Click on Horn Player above to view 25 of George’s beautiful paintings on The Portal site.

The Portal Gallery opens from 10:00am to 5:30pm on Monday’s to Friday’s and closes at 4:00pm on Saturdays. The Gallery is at 43, Dover St, Piccadilly, London. W1X 3RE Tel: 020 7493 0706, 020 7629 3506.

My sweetest friend…

I’m sure the majority of you are aware of Rolling Stone magazine‘s The Immortals. You may remember around this time last year when Lou Reed contributed to the list of the first fifty entrants with his appreciation of David Bowie.

You may also be aware that the current issue has within its pages the second part of The Immortals, taking the list up to 100.

At number 94, (sandwiched between Booker T. and the MG‘s and Lynyrd Skynyrd) is David Bowie’s appreciation of Nine Inch Nails. The version that appears in Rolling Stone is edited down a little from David’s original submission. But, naturally we have the full unedited version here for your reading pleasure. Take it away David…

#94 – Nine Inch Nails by David Bowie

When the gods of nasty sounds tacked audition cards to the trees around town encouraging the brutes of industrial rock to brawl for the crown, a small lad with a tuba was probably not what they had in mind for a contender. His name was Michael Trent Reznor, and he also played sax and piano and learned early in life how to engineer a recording studio console. He produced a terrific debut album called ‘Pretty Hate Machine’. Melodically oriented and, because of record company contractual problems, supported by what became a three year tour, it birthed the first real mainstream breakthrough for industrial rock selling over a million copies.

Following Eno?s example, Trent Reznor unpacked his synth and threw away the manual. A decisive and important step in the creation of the new ?New Music? of the mid-nineties to be called ?The Downward Spiral?. He encouraged the computer to misconstrue input, willing it to spew out bloated misshapen chards of sound that pierced and lacerated the listener. As a companion piece to Baudelaire?s To the Reader, the preface to Flowers of Evil, second to the Velvet Underground there has never been better soul lashing in rock.

And Reznor understands imagery very well indeed. His clip for ?Closer? harnessed the creative engines of powerful image makers including Joel Peter Witkin and Man Ray and under the super-eye of Mark Romanek delivered possibly the decade?s most compelling visual counterpart to a song.

I?ll suggest that the best and most satisfying way to hear ?Spiral? is in 5.1. It takes on altogether more wound inflicting screams of despair as the sound swoops over you from six speakers as you sit in your comfy chair. The separation of instruments is extraordinary. It seems to underpin the intent somehow, maximize the alienation. Truly horrifying at times yet overall a seismic experience of both grandeur and horror.

I had a strange dream the other week. Lou Reed, myself and a friend known as Warren Peace, were having dinner in one of those old style Greenwich Village places where Pollock was supposed to have fought other painters. Our meal was served by one of the members of Einsturzende Neubauten. I slowly became aware of the house music and that it was infuriatingly familiar. Noticing my quizzical and upturned face, Blixa Bargeld (for our waiter was he) leaned in to me and whispered “The music is a birthday surprise for Lou. Trent Reznor remixed this version of Metal Machine Music as a present.”.

As he said this, strands, splodges and blots from a Jackson early fifties ?drip? painting materialized in front of out faces. While the music got louder in volume, the paint, no longer bound to the canvas, hurtled around us faster and faster till we ran nauseous from the café now chased by infernal screaming lavender, blue and black snakes.

And that is it really. Trent’s music, built as it is on the now not insubstantial history of industrial and mechanical sound experiments contains a beauty that attracts and repels in equal measure. Nietzsche?s ?God Is Dead? to a nightclubbing dance beat and always lifted at the most needy moment by a tantalizing melody. He?s a fine musician that boy.

I cannot believe that ?Spiral? was released over ten years ago now. It is absolutely time for him to bring on his new work. And from what I know of him, it will indeed be singularly and uncompromisingly effective, putting to shame and disqualifying most of what passes as chart fodder. And no, no-one ever calls him Mickey.

David Bowie 2005

Lady Grinning Soul…

The elfin Gail Ann Dorsey (well, she is elf-like with that cheeky smile in the picture above at least) has a couple of American shows lined up later this month. She’ll be playing Philadelphia on the 21st and Ann Arbor on the 26th.

Here’s all the guff you need if you’re hoping to attend…

THE TIN ANGEL Acoustic Cafe20 South 2nd Street (between Market & Chestnut Streets)Philadelphia, PA 19106Thursday, April 21st, 2005 – 8:30 PM

Gail Ann Dorsey returns to her native Philadelphia for another exciting and inspiring round at The Tin Angel! An encore of her captivating solo performance from last October, Gail will also be performing new songs and more old favourites! Don?t miss out on an unforgettable celebration of springtime and good times! Christopher Taylor opens.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by phone at 215.928.0978 from NOON to 10:00PM, 7 days a week. Tickets can also be purchased online at Ticket Web via www.tinangel.com, or in person at after 4:00 PM. For further info call 215.928.0770.

THE ARK316 S. Main Street (between William and Liberty)Ann Arbor, MICHIGANTuesday, April 26th, 2005 – 7:30PM Doors, Showtime at 8:00 PM

Gail Ann Dorsey will be making her debut solo performance at Ann Arbor?s legendary music hot spot, The Ark. As part of ?Take A Chance Tuesdays?, Gail will be opening for contemporary folk artist Greg Klyma, so get there early and don?t miss one second of this extraordinary evening! For those of you who have been requesting for Gail to bring her solo performance to the Detroit area, the wait is over! Come down and show your support to let her know you really meant it!

This is a showcase gig for Gail to snag a touring agent, so bring your friends, make some noise, and let?s get Gail on the road! Could be the start of something good.

Admission is FREE! For further information visit www.theark.org, or call The Ark Hotline on 734.761.1451

Gail is hoping to return to Europe for some more shows in the summer. We’ll let you know as soon as there is something more concrete to report.

Came to London Town…

BowieNetter James Lark has sent me details of The Rise and Fall of Deon Vonniget, a show he will be performing at The Space in East London on April 13th and 14th. The flyer (reproduced in part, above) was accompanied by these words: “I thought you might be interested in the following show which has got nothing at all to do with David Bowie.”

Naturally I was intrigued sufficiently to enquire how, in that case, was the adoption of the Aladdin Sane flash relevant? This was James’ reply:

“The reason for the Aladdin Sane flash is that the show follows the career of a singer/songwriter through a variety of different stages in his career, and Bowie was the obvious model for the character because of the number of decades, eras, genres etc. his work has covered – if you like, Deon Vonniget is a failed Bowie (utterly utterly failed, in fact). He has a glam period, he ventures into prog rock, he performs from the top of a cherry picker whilst dismantling a wall made out of 300 shoeboxes…. (okay, there’s a bit of Pink Floyd in there as well!)

It’s not a parody of Bowie’s career, but there are lots of nods to it (musical and otherwise). …And let’s face it, the Aladdin Sane flash is a pretty fantastic image!”

Indeed James…It is a pretty fantastic image, as instantly recognisable as the Vegas Elvis quiff and shades, but with considerably more style…good luck with your show.

You can find out more about The Rise and Fall of Deon Vonniget by clicking on the flyer above, and tickets are available from The Space website.

And now he is a puppet dancer…

Across the other side of town in the West End at the Drill Hall, Nathan Evans presents a trio of tributes to David Bowie, Kate Bush and Morrissey under the umbrella of Puppetry of the Pops. That’s Nathan above, presumably as Kate Bush, (but possibly not) with an inset of DB himself utilising a similar technique for Boys Keep Swinging on SNL about 25 years ago!

The Bowie segment looks a lot of fun and is billed thus: “ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SUICIDE brings Ziggy Stardust back from the dead in the puppetry promo Bowie never made.”

Puppetry of the Pops runs from June 8 to June 12 at the Drill Hall and you can book tickets by clicking on the image above.

And he sang all night long…

The Drill Hall is also a regular haunt for our old friend Des De Moor (above right) whose quite brilliant Darkness and Disgrace will be very familiar to regular BowieNetters. Here’s a bit about some upcoming performances from Mister De Moor’s website:

“Some “in concert” performances of the songs from the David Bowie show I devised with Russell Churney are lined up for 2005, and I’m also trying to confirm some repeat performances of the full theatre piece.”

The two shows scheduled so far are at the Café Prague at the Hat Factory in Luton on April 20th and at Blue Hours at New Greenham Arts in Newbury on June 24th. Click on the image above for further details of both these events.

Obviously we’ll let you know as soon as we have more details regarding those repeat performances of the full Darkness and Disgrace show.

Meanwhile, ten lucky BowieNetters, that aren’t already familiar with Darkness and Disgrace, can familiarise themselves with a CD of the performance before the re-runs that I meant to set a competition for way back when. (12.09.2003 NEWS: DARKNESS AND DISGRACE CD AND ONE-OFF SHOW)

For your chance to win, simply tell me which of the following three statements was made by David Bowie regarding Des De Moor and Russell Churney‘s wonderful creation…

1 – “To hear these songs in such a personalised context is a real ear-opener. I listened as though someone else had written them.”

2 – “I have to admit that I wasn’t sure how well these songs would translate to a cabaret setting. I needn’t have worried, Des and Russell have created a terrifically successful piece.”

3 – “When I first heard about this show I thought I was gonna be done up like a kipper…But I’m relieved to say that the boys have done me right proud. God bless ’em!”

Once you’ve decided which of the above is the real Bowie quote, send it to me at TotalBlamBlam@davidbowie.com with a subject line of “Bowie Quote”.

Usual rules, blah, blah, blah: Only one entry per BowieNet account. Please remember to enter using your BowieNet e-mail or at least supply your BowieNet user name. It may also speed things up for you if you include your real name and address, as we won’t then have to wait for another e-mail from you in the event you are a winner.

The contest closes at midnight UK time on Wednesday April 13th. The ten randomly-chosen winners will be announced on the following weekend.