Month: November 2005

When I’m 5.1…

As we told you back in July, (07.26.05 NEWS: DAVID LIVE AND STAGE DVD-AUDIO RELEASE DATE) both David Live (DVDA 874 3049) and Stage (DVDA 863 4369) are released with Tony Visconti‘s brilliantly created mixes in the 5:1 surround sound DVD-Audio format today (tomorrow in North America), more than a year since we first announced that they would be produced. (08/25/04 NEWS: DAVID LIVE AND STAGE REISSUE DETAILS)

To celebrate the event we have ten copies of each to give away, courtesy of those jolly good eggs at EMI. Special thanks to Nigel Reeve and Jo Brooks at EMI for their generosity when it comes to BowieNet contests and for their brilliant work on the Bowie back catalogue generally.

Here once again is what each DVD-A contains…

~ MLP 5.1 (for playing on DVD-A players) 48kHz 24 bit
~ DTS 5.1 (for playing on DVD-A and DVD-V players) 48kHz 24 bit
~ Stereo (new mix as per released CDs playable on DVD-A and DVD-V players) 48kHz 24 bit
~ Photo gallery which includes images used on packaging, and scans of related record sleeves, press adverts and memorabilia.

These releases truly are an incredible listening experience as witnessed by those lucky BowieNetters who got to hear both the albums at Abbey Road back in February. (02.14.05 NEWS: ABBEY ROAD PLAYBACK…BOWIENETTERS REPORT)

Anyway, we have ten copies of each for ten BowieNetters to win…each winner will receive a copy of both David Live and Stage.

And so onto the rather easy question, that, even if you don’t know the answer off the top of your head, is very easy to find online…

A European country deemed one of the tracks on David Live far too risqué for inclusion when the vinyl version of the album was originally released on RCA. What we want to know is, what was the country and which track did they remove?

Send your answer to me here.

Usual rules apply: Only one entry per BowieNet account. Also, please remember you must enter using your BowieNet e-mail or at least supply your BowieNet user name.

The competition ends at midnight UK time on Sunday November 20th, and we’ll announce the winners next Monday morning.

Also released today are the non-digipak versions of the albums (above) for those that aren’t so keen on ‘difficult’ packaging and for completists like me!

I’m also duty bound to point out to the collectors among you that there are promos of the DVD-As (above) which contain discs with no printing on them and were made available to reviewers and the like. They’re also next to impossible to find!

Just to complete the picture, the original EMI digipak versions (above) should still available in your local record emporium, though I guess they will gradually disappear to make way for aforementioned non-digipak versions. Phew! …I think that’s about it.

And I’m gone through a crack in the past…

I’m sure the majority of you subscribe to EMI’s online Bowie site, www.bowiehits.com. If you do, you will have received a link to their latest promotion for The Platinum Collection today. Here’s their blurb:

“To celebrate the launch of David Bowie’s much anticipated Platinum Collection, prove yourself a true fan by matching up imagery from Bowie’s three key eras for your chance to win one of 10 complete sets of Bowie’s studio albums released between 1969 and 1987. 17 albums in total!”

There are thirty prizes in total: 10 winners will receive a set of every studio album released between 1969 and 1987 and 20 runners up will receive a copy of The Platinum Collection. The winners of the competition will be contacted within seven days of the closing date of 31st November 2005.

I’ve had a few e-mails from members who aren’t quite sure how the contest thing works and how one selects the cubes, etc. It’s actually more straightforward than it seems.

Simply rotate the cubes by clicking next to them and until you feel you have three selections that fit the highlighted years on the right…then click on the orange ‘Next era’ button…and so on.

So, in the example above, if you think Young Americans, Hunky Dory and Let’s Dance are all from the period 1969 – 1974, then click on ‘Next era’. Obviously if you did that in this particular example you’d be a know-nothing fool and wouldn’t deserve to win.

It’s hard out there in the real competition land, kidz.

Pronouncing gross diversion, As the label for the Snoop Dogg…

The XM Satellite Radio TV commercial that we told you about in yesterday’s news is now available via the link we posted yesterday.

So, no need to worry about catching it on TV now. Wherever you are in the world, simply click on David’s Snoop chain in the pic above to take you there and click on “Watch The New TV Ad” on the right of the page. Poor Snoop.

Tell him we’ve lost his necklace…

David Bowie has been filmed for a commercial promoting XM Satellite Radio in the U.S.

The thirty-second TV spot, called Lost, chronicles Snoop Dogg‘s search for a long lost necklace which is eventually revealed to have been ‘borrowed’ by David…see him proudly displaying said necklace in our exclusive shot above.

Starting tomorrow, (November 14th) Lost will premier on prime time Monday night TV in the U.S., and appearing along with DB and Snoop Dogg will be country music star Martina McBride, comic Ellen Degeneres and N.Y. Yankee superstar Derek Jeter.

The 1979 Bowie song DJ will be briefly featured in the commercial.

You know I had, A great big bid…

This Sunday evening in the UK sees the start of The Great Big Bid‘s celebrity gala auction on BBC One at 6.20pm, in a run up to the BBC Children in Need Night on Friday 18th November.

The Great Big Bid, powered by eBay.co.uk, gives you the opportunity to bid for items from your favourite BBC stars and shows, as well as buy or sell treasures and household items – all whilst raising cash for BBC Children In Need!

Photographer Brian Aris has kindly donated pictures of David Bowie and Mick Jagger which he has signed. Here’s the description from the eBay auction which is live now:

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Signed Brian Aris Photographs

Two absolutely beautiful signed, mounted, framed and glazed photographs of two of the greatest iconic rock legends this country has ever produced David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Shot and signed by one the foremost and well respected photographers of our time, Brian Aris. Both images are black and white and measure approximately 65 cm by 45 cm (26in by 18in) and are wall mountable.

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Brian’s pictures are well known among Bowie fans, as he was the man entrusted with official pictures of David and Iman’s wedding and pictures of the happy couple with their new-born child…not to mention various other iconic shots of David including the one above from the same session as the auction picture.

Click on the above picture to see more of Brian’s excellent Bowie pix and click on the top image for the eBay auction.

And he was alright, the band was altogether…

Lots of live Bowie music to be had here and there during November…not by the man himself, of course, but it’s all good stuff nevertheless. Sadly, I don’t have any news regarding forthcoming shows by Ziggy Barlust, (above) but I couldn’t let a chance to use that picture slip.

If anybody from the band is reading this, please get in touch with your forthcoming plans and we’ll give you a plug…so to speak. You can find out more about Ziggy Barlust by clicking on the young man’s packet in the picture above.

And so, without further ado, onto those that are definitely performing just for you this month…

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First up, is Mr Mr Bowie Experience, Laurence Bolwell, (pictured above) who seems to play more shows than Robert Zimmerman himself. You rarely have to wait more than a couple of days to catch either Laurence solo or with the rest of The Bowie Experience somewhere in the UK…although invaiably it’s going to be in the West Country.

Here’s the remainder of Laurence’s November dates:

November dates
Friday 11th – Bowiexp as 5 piece – The Hampshire Rose, 44 London Road, Widley, Waterlooville, Hants – Tel 02392 376754
Saturday 12th – Bowiexp as 5 piece – Scallys, 12 Carlton Street, Weston-Super-Mare – Tel 01934 413412
Friday 18th – Laurence – The Spice Ship, 240 Preston Road, Preston, (N`r Weymouth) Dorset. Tel 01305 834651
Saturday 19th – Bowiexp as 4 piece – Riffs Bar, 26 Greatfield, Nr Hook, Swindon – Tel 01793 778304
Thusday 24th – Laurence – The Fox and Hounds, 22 High St`, Lyndhurst – Tel 02380 282098
Friday 25th – Laurence – The Cricketers, 41 Windham Road, Bournemouth, Dorset – Tel 01202 551589
Saturday 26th – Laurence – The Ridgeway, Smallridge, Axminster, Devon – Tel 01297 32171
Sunday 27th – Bowiexp as 4 piece – The Thomas Tripp, 10 Wick Lane, Christchurch, Dorset – Tel 01202 490498

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Next up is less a tribute, but more a homage to the songs of David Bowie. Next Tuesday, November 15th, sees a rare one-off performance of the quite brilliant Darkness and Disgrace at The Drill Hall in London. Long-term BowieNet members will know all about this superb presentation which we’ve applauded many times over recent years. (04.05.2005 NEWS: DB STUFF IN LONDON AND D&D CD COMPETITION & 12.09.2003 NEWS: DARKNESS AND DISGRACE CD AND ONE-OFF SHOW)

Here’s a bit from the Drill Hall website:

“Darkness and Disgrace, Des de Moor and Russell Churney‘s astonishing cabaret set of songs by bona fide British pop star David Bowie, has drawn rave responses from both Bowie and chanson fans in its many incarnations over the past few years, from theatre piece to CD.

By popular demand, Des and Russell have revived the show as an in-concert presentation.. An intimate and emotionally dynamic journey through a landscape populated by mod Newley-wannabes, sexually ambivalent science fiction apocalypse prophets, Brel-fixated trash theatre queens, drug-stupefied cold war romantics, pre-millenial art murderers and wild-eyed aliens from Bromley.”

If you didn’t manage to get tickets for Madonna at Koko in London on Tuesday, nip along to this instead…there’ll be less dancing, but a lot more truly great music!

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Space Oddity – David Brighton’s Tribute to David Bowie – have a private East Coast show in Maine next Friday where they can offer a limited number of private invitations (complimentary passes) to BowieNetters. Because there are only a limited number available, BowieNetters are asked to request theirs in advance by e-mailing any of these three addresses:

BowieLive@aol.com, kallen@bowdoin.edu, BowieLive@juno.com

However, you may want to know the actual gig details before you place your request, so here they are:

Space Oddity – David Brighton’s Tribute to David Bowie
Friday, November 18th
Showtime: 8pm – 9:30pm
Morrell Lounge in Smith Union at
Bowdoin College
6200 College Station
Brunswick, Maine 04011
(Private Invitations can be obtained in advance only)

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Lastly, (only because their gig is the furthest away…in measurements of time that is) The Thin White Duke play The Half Moon in London’s Herne Hill on Saturday the 26th.

Dress in your finest Glam satin and tat and you’ll gain free entry to the evening’s fun…otherwise it’s four quid.

Waiting so long, I’ve been waiting so, waiting so…

Our sincere apologies are due to the winners of the exclusive signed David Bowie holograms whose names we listed two months ago today! (09.12.05 NEWS: SIGNED ‘hours…’ HOLOGRAM CONTEST WINNERS)

The holograms, which have been made especially for us by Martin Richardson, have now finally left these shores for NY after big production problems that Martin has been experiencing.

This man is an incredible perfectionist and I’m sure the five BowieNetters who have waited so patiently thus far (on the whole) will feel it will have been worth the wait.

David has a big fat Sharpie pen poised and ready to scribble his signature as soon as the holograms land on his writing bureau, and I’m hopeful we’ll see the finished things within the next couple of weeks.

Hooked to the silver screen…

Those of you that subscribe to The Voyeur are in for a bit of a treat in January, when members of the organisation can attend a David Bowie film marathon for free!

Over to Peter Smit for the low-down…

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David Bowie Film Marathon

On January 22nd 2006, International David Bowie Fanclub ‘The Voyeur’ presents a unique David Bowie Film marathon. From ‘Il Mio West’ to ‘Just A Gigolo’, from ‘B.U.S.T.E.D’ to ‘Basquiat’. A total of 12 of the finest David Bowie films will be shown in 2 cinemas.

The marathon will be held in ‘De Gruitpoort’ in Doetinchem. Reservations (? 3,50 per person per film) can be made at bowiefilm@hotmail.com.

The marathon is free of charge for members of The Voyeur.

More information can be found at The Voyeur’s webpage

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Sounds like a good idea to me. I’ll leave you with a breakdown of the twelve films being screened…

~ LABYRINTH
~ MR. RICE’S SECRET A.K.A. EXHUMING MR. RICE
~ BASQUIAT
~ ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS
~ THE LINGUINI INCIDENT A.K.A SHAG-O-RAMA
~ MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE
~ THE HUNGER
~ GUNSINGER’S REVENGE A.K.A. IL MIO WEST
~ EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE A.K.A. B.U.S.T.E.D
~ JUST A GIGOLO
~ THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH
~ CHRISTIANE F. WIR KINDER VOM BAHNHOF ZOO

It was cold and it rained so I felt like an actor…

By now everyone in the UK (and probably everywhere else come to that) must have seen reports in which Ricky Gervais is claiming to be in negotiations with David Bowie and Chris Martin of Coldplay, (among others) to appear in the second series of the hilariously awkward Extras.

Ricky has pretty well dropped David’s name in all of his recent interviews on TV and radio in the UK, and the story hit the UK press with a bit in The Sun yesterday.

I asked DB if there was any substance to the story, and this was his measured response: “This may happen, yes. But it’ll depend on what the weathers like next year.” So let’s pray the climate is pleasing to DB in 2006 as my mind is already working overtime trying to imagine what kind of character would be created for him.

For the first series, stars Ben Stiller, Ross Kemp, Kate Winslet, Les Dennis, Samuel L Jackson and Patrick Stewart all played distorted versions of themselves, all to cringingly convincing effect.

Ricky must be applauded for persuading Les Dennis to get his clobber off if nothing else…and for the incredible faces he pulls himself as a camp Genie of the Lamp in the same episode, which was one of the funniest things I’ve seen on TV, ever.

Check out the HBO Extras site here, the BBC Extras site here, and Ricky’s official site here. Extras Series 1 is out now on DVD.

We’ve got five years, what a surprise…

Some of you may have heard an unfamiliar live version of Five Years on The Jonathan Ross Show on Saturday, which was rather intriguingly played with no announcement! (Listen Again = 2 hours 36 minutes)

Well, as the bat-eared among you may have spotted, it was actually the rather splendid version from Fashion Rocks with Arcade Fire.

The song is to be released as one of the tracks on an audio only digital EP, the other tracks being Wake Up with Arcade Fire and David’s performance of Life On Mars? with Mike Garson from the same show.

The Live EP will be available via iTunes world-wide from November 21st. However, a download single only of Wake Up from the EP will be available via iTunes in the UK for one week only from November 14th.

Proceeds from the downloads will go to Hurricane Katrina relief charities.

Meanwhile, the UK single for Arcade Fire’s own version of Wake Up will be released next Tuesday through Rough Trade. Sadly the CD & DVD versions of the single have now been dropped, and the recording will be available as a single-sided 7″ vinyl single only.

The reverse side of the vinyl will be a specially designed etched graphic, following in the steps of previous vinyl singles from the band which have been variously: luminous, clear and white vinyl.

You can watch the video and pre-order the 7″ of Wake Up here.

Congratulations are due to Arcade Fire for getting the #1 album of 2005 in the UNCUT top 100 with Funeral. Funny, it was David Bowie’s album of the year in 2004 too!