Month: January 2006

I’m looking for a party…

BowieNetter darthmarko has been in touch with details of a David Bowie Birthday Party down Mexico way tomorrow…over to you Marco…

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Hello Blam! I?m Marco Ramirez (bowienetter: darthmarko) from Monterrey NL, México. I?m writing to you because I want to tell you that in Latinoamérica, there are a lot of Bowie Maniacs and fans who always keep up to date with all about our master, the Thin White Duke.

This event takes palce on January Friday 13th and it?s going to be our Bowie Birthday Party! We are gonna give gifts like CDs, Books and Shirts (First 100 attendees will receive CD and Shirt, next 50 will receive CD). There will be Bowie videos (video versions, rarities, live performances, etc), interviews, a little museum and a tribute band named Varsovia 54 performing covers.

Also we are going to show the tribute made by our friends of ?Licor de Mono? with Argentinean bands. You can download the songs here. (It?s really really good.) The place is a club in México, D.F (downtown) called ?Dadax?.

Please please tell our friends not to miss this event. We are also planning new events in the near future.

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Consider it done Marco…and please do let us know how it went.

Ziggy played guitar…

The January issue of Guitarist magazine turns the spotlight on David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust this month, with seven pages of musical notation in the mag and a couple of backing tracks on the cover-mounted CD…one track with lead guitar parts, and one without, and obviously no vocal on either.

Here’s a bit from the track explanation in the magazine…

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After a temporary return to singer-songwriter mode for Hunky Dory, David Bowie continued his rise towards superstardom with a hard rocking, dystopian concept album based around the story of his latest persona, Ziggy Stardust.

The sound of Bowie’s music during this glam period is similar to (albeit more complex than) that of Marc Bolan ? chunky powerchords and low-strung riffs bolstered by a solid, consistent acoustic guitar backing. (Blam note: The Bolan comparison is their opinion, though I understand where they’re coming from.)

Apart from Bowie’s obvious songwriting ability, the most important consideration for this song is Mick Ronson’s contribution, always using the right notes and chords for the texture.

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Thanx to BowieNetter, Zar ‘I posted that’ doz, (close friend of Tony ‘mental-in-the-head’ Day) for the pointer.

He sits like a man but he smiles like a reptile…

Grammy.com has today announced that David Bowie will be a recipient of the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award. Here’s a big chunk of the press release, followed by a brief description of our very own reptilian Rock God…

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DAVID BOWIE, CREAM, MERLE HAGGARD, ROBERT JOHNSON, JESSYE NORMAN, RICHARD PRYOR, AND THE WEAVERS TO RECEIVE THE RECORDING ACADEMY® LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Jan. 10, 2006) ? Recipients of the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY® Award were announced today by The Recording Academy®. David Bowie, Cream, Merle Haggard, Robert Johnson, Jessye Norman, Richard Pryor, and the Weavers will receive The Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. Chris Blackwell, Owen Bradley and Al Schmitt will be honored with The Academy’s Trustees Award. Tom Dowd and Bell Labs /Western Electric have been named recipients of the Technical GRAMMY Award.

“This year’s honorees are a prestigious group of diverse and influential creators who have contributed some of the most distinguished and influential recordings,” said Recording Academy President Neil Portnow. “Their work exemplifies the highest artistic and technical standards, creating a timeless legacy that has positively affected multiple generations, and will continue to influence generations to come.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors lifelong artistic contributions to the recording medium while the Trustees Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the industry in a non-performing capacity. Both awards are decided by vote of The Recording Academy’s National Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are determined by vote of the members of The Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing and The Academy’s Trustees. The award is presented to individuals and companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.

Formal acknowledgment of these special merit awards will be made at an elite ceremony during GRAMMY Week on Tuesday, Feb. 7, as well as during the 48th Annual GRAMMY Awards, which will be held at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006, and broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.

Lifetime Achievement Award honorees:
David Bowie ? A musical chameleon, David Bowie has had a vast, profound, and long-lasting impact on an amazingly wide variety of music genres. His early rock releases in the late ’60s and early ’70s, along with his different musical phases and interests, contributed to the creation of several sub-genres of music, including glam rock, punk, electronica, and new wave. His exceptionally original style and innovative approach to music has left a lasting impression on fans, the music community, and music performers everywhere.

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Of course, as David Bowie has been at pains to point out in the past, the similarities between him and a chameleon are actually few.

Nevertheless, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow also had this to say: “Bowie’s work exemplifies the highest artistic and technical standards, creating a timeless legacy that has positively affected multiple generations, and will continue to influence generations to come.”

Well done David…much deserved recognition.

Commencing countdown…

As everybody knows, there are many David Bowie compositions that have some kind of intergalactic theme, and it can’t be denied that Space Oddity is perhaps the most well-known among them.

Virgin boss, Richard Branson, has come up with a novel new way of listening to this Bowie evergreen, even if you have to pay $190,000 for the privilege.

Here’s a bit from a recent news report regarding the ambitions of Virgin Galactic, the proposed space-tourism company.

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Virgin Galactic’s Space Odyssey

Richard Branson’s plans for suborbital tourism may sound pie-in-the-sky, but he has the details all worked out

When the first space vacations are available, Richard Branson will be there selling them. Branson’s Virgin has announced a partnership with Paul Allen’s Mojave Aerospace Ventures and SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites to allow tourists to take a two-hour trip aboard a suborbital space craft in 2007. But Branson has visions of space cruiseship vacations up to an orbiting hotel. Yet at prices of $190,000 a ticket, can “Virgin Galactic,” make this a profitable venture anytime soon?

Virgin sure thinks so. It has already planned the “three-day experience” for the suborbital flight — down to the on-board song that will be played at the trip’s arc (Space Oddity by David Bowie). “[The experience] will be like camp” says a Virgin official, where all tourists will be housed, fed, and trained in the same “deluxe” complex.

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As flattering as the selection must be to David Bowie, one wonders if whoever selected Space Oddity actually bothered listening to the lyric. It would be a little like Alcoholics Anonymous adopting Alabama Song as its theme tune!

It’s the freakiest show…

Meanwhile, the BBC has adopted another space-themed Bowie title for a new drama series begging on BBC1 at 9:00 UK time this evening.

Life On Mars is described as “a cross between Back To The Future and The Sweeney”, wherein a driven and ambitious young British detective, Sam Tyler, played by John Simm, is determined to keep the streets of 21st Century Manchester safe. But after a near fatal car accident, he wakes up, dazed and confused, in 1973. Has he gone back in time? Is he in a coma? Or has he simply gone insane?

Life on Mars? is playing on his iPod when he crashes, hence the title.

Go here to read more about the show.

That’s a mighty big word for a fifty nine year old…

David Bowie is 59 today and he’s pictured above in his last few hours as a 58-year-old with Iman, as the couple arrived to celebrate Rolling Stone Magazine’s Jann Wenner‘s birthday in New York last night.

You may be wondering what the hell today’s lyric quotation has to do with anything apart from having David’s age crow-barred into it…well, nothing really. But, it did get me wondering what the biggest word David has used in one of his recordings might be, and so far the best I’ve managed is words with 13 letters…which the titles Revolutionary Song and Subterraneans both share, and indeed, so does the word conversations from Algeria Touchshriek.

Can anybody out there better that? There may be something in it if we have an outright overall winner.

The BowieNet MBs Bowie Birthday thread is already bulging with well wishes, and if you’re a member you can add yours by going here.

Heather M of the Speed of Life website has also set up an area for non-BowieNet members to wish David a Happy Birthday, here.

Anyway, even if you’ve posted in one of the birthday threads already, I know you’ll still want to join me in sending David much love and many happy returns of the day…(whatever they are).

NB: BowieNetter juliedawn was the first to locate the words psychodelicate (Because You’re Young) and transformation (Star) which contain fourteen letters each. Send us your address you clever lass, and we’ll send you something for your trouble.

Bowie’s on sale again…

Judging by the amount of e-mails I’ve received from members, the majority of you know about this anyway. But, for those that don’t…The David Bowie Peace Thru Art wristband that we’ve told you about a few times, (11.01.2005 NEWS: BOWIE WRISTBANDS AND E-CARD AVAILABLE NOW & 11.18.05 NEWS: BOWIE CHARITY WRISTBANDS HUGE SUCCESS) and that sold out in November is available once more, as we said it would be in that last news piece.

Click on the image above if you don’t want to lose out again this time around…or if you just want to buy more for those you think deserve one. Remember it’s all for a well-deserving cause, as David’s chosen charity is Save The Children.

So simple-minded…

In its regular feature, Last Night A Record Changed My Life, the February issue of MOJO magazine has published a page on what effect David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust had on the young Jim Kerr.

Jim hinted that David Bowie had been somewhat of an influence on him when he first acknowledged that the inspiration for his band’s name came from the above lyric quotation.

A couple of Simple Minds, including Mr Kerr, got to rub shoulders with their idol at Rockfield Studios in Wales when they joined David Bowie to sing backing vocals on the Bowie/Pop penned Play It Safe from Iggy‘s 1980 album, Soldier. A song which coincidentally contained the line: “You’re too simple minded” – Perhaps that particular lyric was more design than serendipity.

More recently, the band covered The Man Who Sold The World on 2001’s Neon Lights and on the following year’s Cry album there was a track entitled Spaceface which contained the lyric: “My little spaceface floating round, She’s never coming down,” which was about BowieNet’s very own Spaceface. Actually, it probably wasn’t about her, but it did owe more than a little to the story of the plight of Major Tom.

Anyway, Jim certainly made no bones about the massive impact that the emergent Starman had on him in the MOJO piece. Here follows a large excerpt…

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Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars as told to Danny Eccleston.

Now I’d already heard Starman – this beautiful lullaby with outer-space synth and the rock ‘n’ roll handclaps – and seen Bowie on the cover of Jackie. But it’s not prepared me for Bowie on colour TV. When you’re 13 and you live on a council estate in Glasgow and this guy turns up who you’ve a crush on and you’ve no idea if you’re gay, well that blows your mind. I literally believed he was from Mars, and from that exact second I was saving up for Ziggy Stardust.

There was a Virgin Records in Glasgow, but you couldn’t go in there because people smoked dope, and another shop called Listen had people laying around on beanbags…so I’d have bought it at Boots The Chemist, because there it was £1.60 not £1.80. That 20p was a big deal!

Next spring we heard that Bowie was coming through Glasgow. We could hardly contain ourselves. Green’s Playhouse – which later became the Apollo – was a rough place, there was a riot at every show – and this was my first gig! It was only the matineé, but as soon as that mixture of sound and light hit me, it was electrifying. Bowie came on and sang Five Years and the world changed. I had never in my life seen anything so exotic – back then I didn’t even know what “exotic” meant.

Even Bowie’s road crew seemed really glamorous. I noticed the guy up in the mixing desk had the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen in my life and I thought, this is where it’s at! I realised what it meant to be in a subculture, that this was something that belonged to me and a small group of like-minds. I was excited then, and I’m excited now, just talking about it.

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Simple Minds’ Black & White 050505 European Tour kicks off in Dublin on January 30th.

‘Cos we believe in you…

The Independent newspaper in the UK has published a list of who its panel of experts consider will be the media stars of 2006. The chap behind the black and white Sony reel-to-reel in the picture above gets a glowing report from the founder of the BMB Agency, Trevor Beattie, and here’s what he had to say…

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Inside Story: The media stars of 2006 – We asked our panel of experts from every sector of the industry to name the people they predict will make the most impact in the next 12 months. Compiled by Sophie Morris

TREVOR BEATTIE, FOUNDER OF BMB AGENCY

Duncan Jones, 34, director

“Duncan Jones is an outstanding person who will be a star next year. He is David Bowie’s son – he was Zowie Bowie, famously, then he became Joe Bowie, and now he’s plain Duncan Jones. I’ve just hired him and I’d say by trade he’s a film director but he also designs computer games so he’s a real techno-wizard. He’s got a movie screenplay on the go and he’s already directed an epic three-and-a-half minute advert for us for McCain when we were at TBWA last year. He’s currently working on what I think will be one of next year’s commercials of the year.

He was working with a production company called Frank Films and the producer came in and said to me, “I want you to see a reel and I’m not going to tell you who it is.” He showed me this reel and I said, “That’s the most inventive thing I’ve seen in years, I want to work with this person.” It was a really clever way of doing it as the work stood for itself.

He is the nicest person you’ll ever meet. He’s such a genuine guy and he’s intent on making it in his own right. I see him as a major talent. We’ve got him for now but I’m sure Hollywood will beckon for him eventually. He’s a new generation of creative in that you can’t badge him. I wouldn’t call him a copywriter or an art director; he’s a creator, whether it’s directing commercials or having ideas or writing stories. It’s just really exciting to have him around, he’s terrific.”

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Congratulations Duncan, I have a feeling you have made a certain somebody very proud indeed.

Elsewhere in the list, Mark Borkowski of Borkowski PR has great things to say about the very charming Alan Edwards, the man behind The Outside Organisation. Well done to you too, Alan.

Click on The Independent logo above to read the entire piece.

If there was only some kind of future legend…

Stefano from VELVET GOLDMINE, the unofficial Italian Bowie Fan Club, has been in touch with details of a free Bowie happening this coming Saturday in Florence… over to Stefano for the low-down…

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In Florence, the city which witnessed David and Iman’s marriage, VELVET GOLDMINE, the Italian Fan Club, will celebrate David Bowie’s 59th Birthday with a Sound and Vision Show made of rare video clips and acoustic live-acts.
~ During the night there will be a contest in which the “Perfect Bowie Clone” will be awarded.
~ At midnight, the winner will blow out the candles of the big cake which will be offered to all the attendants.
~ DJ set by Glamy & Blam Blam
~ Dresscode: BowieStyle
~ The prizes have been kindly offered by Emi Music, Sony BMG and Rizzoli Publishing.
~ The entrance is free.

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Sounds like fun…wish I could make it along myself, I’m partial to big cake.

Don’t live for last year’s capers…

Firstly, here’s to a wonderful 2006 to everybody reading this from everybody here at BowieNet.

And so, on to the business in hand, the winners of the contest we posted last week. (12.24.2005 NEWS: SPOT THE BALL FOR A CHANCE TO WIN MOONAGE DAYDREAM)

As you can see from Mr Sane’s flashing ball in the image above, the correct answer was D-4, or even 4-D if you prefer.

A fair few of you did actually calculate this one correctly, but, as ever, there are only ten prizes and these are the BowieNetters that The Random Generator selected in its own inimitable and impartial way:

alejandra
caroline
chiel
cjohnstone
ladyart
murran
paulhenderson
raine927
rukkes
spidey

If you would all please forward your real names and addresses to me, you’ll each receive a copy of the above Cassell Illustrated 348 page hardback of Moonage Daydream: The Life & Times of Ziggy Stardust, and each copy will contain a signed-and-personalised-by-Mick Rock postcard.

If you’d rather your inscription inside the book itself as opposed to on a postcard, then let me know. Please bear in mind that this could take a little longer to get done.

Please be sure to include the country you live in when sending your address and don’t forget to tell me who you want the dedication made out to.

Stay tuned for part two of this contest where one lucky BowieNetter will win a copy of the superb original limited edition Genesis Publications version of the book.

Don’t forget that Mick Rock’s brilliant retrospective Rock ‘n’ Roll Icons: The photography of Mick Rock at URBIS in Manchester ends on David Bowie’s birthday next week, January 8th. (09.27.2005 NEWS: MEET MICK ROCK AND MUCH MORE IN MANCHESTER, MAN! & 09.29.2005 NEWS: LAST NIGHT’S MICK ROCK LAUNCH PARTY AT URBIS)