Round and round goes Arthur’s head…
Click on the image above to visit the official site and read David’s journal regarding his role in the film, here:
Another Bowie Spread In The Independent Tomorrow
Yes, I’ve read the morning papers…
I’ve tried to avoid posting the ubiquitous ‘David Bowie is 60’ items from the world press over this past week, mainly because the majority of them seem to be journalistically lazy to the point of folly at times.
However, in the UK tomorrow (Friday) The Independent newspaper publishes it’s third double-page spread in under a week relating to Bowie’s 60th, and it’s a jolly nice piece to boot.
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David Bowie: Ziggy and his golden years
David Bowie began by inspiring a generation. Now that he is 60, he is still a pioneer, says Andy Gill – as one of the few veteran pop stars who haven’t lost their edge
Published: 12 January 2007
Thanks to advancements in medical science, and the demographic blip of the post-war baby-boom, it’s no longer that much of a novelty when a rock star turns 60. What makes David Bowie’s admission to his seventh decade remarkable, however, is that he has reached that milestone while still in the saddle, so to speak: unlike most of his contemporaries, he has never considered early retirement, and never ceased releasing music that paws away at the cutting edge of popular culture, wherever that might be at any particular point.
As evidence, one need search no further than the extensive tranche of Bowie albums, ranging from The Man Who Sold The World to Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), being reissued to mark his birthday, a burst of sustained creativity unrivalled by any of his peers.
Most successful rockers of a certain age fall prey to the grumpy pessimism of changing fashion, grumbling about the young whippersnappers inevitably supplanting them in the public’s affections, as they retire to their manor houses to wear green wellies and raise trout. The fortunate few whose legend has become deeply ingrained enough in the cultural consciousness (and whose band has not been too depleted by the Grim Reaper) occupy themselves with periodic pension-scheme performances of their former glories.
But it’s hard to think of more than an elite handful of sexagenarian rockers who have remained artistically _engaged throughout their career. There is Bob Dylan, of course, and the supporting troubadour trinity of Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and Van Morrison; James Brown; and that’s about it. Even such geniuses as Stevie Wonder and Brian Wilson have experienced deep sloughs of creative despond in the past few decades, but Bowie always managed to surf the crest of whatever wave was current, even managing to pique public interest with his ill-judged Tin Machine project.
The main reason commonly cited to explain Bowie’s creative longevity is his shape-changing ability, the way he has switched guises, killing off such beloved characters as Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke in order to pursue some fresh direction – a strategy more recently aped by Madonna, albeit with rather less difference in the resulting product. But that would, in itself, only extend his appeal to somewhere in the mid-1980s, since when he has adopted the standard besuited mode appropriate to one of advancing years. Clearly, the affection in which he continues to be held goes somewhat deeper than mere clothes.
Bowie’s enduring appeal probably has more to do with the literally life-changing impact of his early work on a generation seeking guidance, as the established verities of the peace-and-love counter-culture crumbled under the impact of the Altamont and the Manson Family. In an era whose dominant style-statement was the navy-blue ex-army greatcoat, his peacock presence offered a figurehead to the more fanciful, just as his daring gender-play helped thousands of gay men out of the closet.
But it wasn’t just the fashion-conscious and gays who were affected. Unlike most of his fellow glam-rockers, Bowie had the intelligence to underpin his gaudy theatrical surfaces with substantial, thought-provoking content, introducing millions to writers like Jean Genet and George Orwell and art movements such as Surrealism and Expressionism. The effect on working-class culture was probably as profound as that of the post-war grammar-school system. There was suddenly an army of not-so-fey young things professing an interest not just in cosmetics and fabrics, but also in the likes of Friedrich Nietzsche and Andy Warhol and Kraftwerk and Werner Herzog. As with Bob Dylan in the previous decade, David Bowie helped countless former class-clowns, school failures and other late starters develop their own education, by offering pointers to artists and interests that might stimulate. A generation of autodidacts owes him a debt.
One of his most important and far-reaching effects was the way in which his role-changing introduced a meta-textual element to rock’n’roll. After Ziggy Stardust, it was almost impossible to hear rock music, or watch a pop performer, without (perhaps unconsciously) being aware of the underlying artifice, the role of the artist, the relationship of the star to their fans, and the various other factors that enabled the art to work. Back then, nobody used the term “demystification”, because no-one had read Barthes and Foucault, but David Bowie had managed to instill the notion into millions of fans.
It was a double-edged achievement, however. From that point on, we could no longer simply enjoy a record or a performance, because we had been made painfully aware of the machinations that were necessary to create it. Almost overnight, the illusions that sustained so much of pop and rock were dissolved, leaving poodle-haired heavy-metal fantasists, earnest prog-rockers, and many of Bowie’s fellow glam-rockers aground on their presumptions. It was the single most important factor in the subsequent development of punk, a genre so painfully self-aware and intrinsically critical that it swiftly became mired in Stalinist proscriptions and withered.
Not, of course, that any of this affected Bowie’s popularity. For years he had been releasing records that served head, heart and feet equally, that satisfied the usually conflicting desires for a good tune, a danceable beat, and a thought-provoking lyric, and he continued to do so even under the scorched-earth reign of punk. This was only what he deserved, the punk constituency being about 99-per-cent composed of former glam-rock fans.
Indeed, it was during the punk era that he made the three albums on which much of his reputation continues to rest. Station To Station, Low and “Heroes” are Bowie’s equivalent of Dylan’s electric trilogy, the transforming peaks of his career, and the rarefied heights by which any subsequent work will forever be judged. With these albums, Bowie became the cultural barometer par excellence, feeding on the cutting-edge concepts of the day, from alienation to video technology to Krautrock, and transforming them, with no loss of aesthetic validity, into palatable, commercially lucrative pop of the highest order. They were the sound of the future being built, and we’re still living in that future today.
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You can read the other Independent pieces via the links below.
~ Published: 07 January 2007
~ Published: 08 January 2007
~ Published: 08 January 2007
Japanese Mini Vinyl Replica Cd Winners
My my, Smile at least, You can’t say no to these beauties from the East…
I don’t know if any of you have managed to get hold of this first batch of six Japanese mini vinyl replica CDs ahead of the official release. But if you have, I’m sure you’ll agree with what I said in my last piece regarding them, (01.03.2007 NEWS: FIVE SETS OF 17 JAPANESE MINI VINYL REPLICA CDs TO BE WON) the Japanese certainly do seem to have a great eye for detail.
For example, The Man Who Sold The World has the textured sleeve, just like the original. But even cooler than that is the fact that Aladdin Sane not only has the gatefold sleeve with the inner lyric bag, complete with the same mistake as the original, (incidentally, the mistake was carried on through every reissue!) but it also includes an exact mini reproduction of the original fan club application. Obviously all the other lyric inserts are present and correct too.
Now I’ve whetted your appetite even further, I guess you want to know if you’ve won a set. Well, if your name is in the list below, then you have…
aladinvein
angelbabe
looby88
rexer
slipaway
Nice to see Rexer finally win something on here after entering practically every contest for the past seven years or so…and yes, you have honestly won Rexy, this isn’t a wind-up. Well done to all of you, your CDs will be sent to you in three batches as we get them, and the first batch is sitting here ready and waiting for your addresses.
Btw, I think just two or three of the multitudes that entered got this wrong, and you all generally agreed that of the above albums the one that was released in the UK six months after it had been released in the US was The Man Who Sold The World.
The album was released early November 1970 with the cartoon cowboy sleeve on Mercury in the US and the infamous dress cover (above) was released late April 1971 in the UK on Mercury.
Speaking of Rex Ray and contests, stay tuned for what is another very exciting item on here shortly which combines both. I’m afraid you won’t be able to enter that one though Rex, so piss off!
More Radio Updates For Today
And me, I’m on a radio show again…
A couple of updates for more radio stuff today. Laurent Rieppi from Classic 21, the Classic Rock radio station of the RTBF network (Belgian National Radio & TV – French Language) has been in touch with this: “Today it’s Bowie Day on Classic 21. Loads of Bowie songs during the day and at 3:00pm (local time) our special progam “Making-of” about “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars” album.” You can read more by clicking on Bowie’s good eye in the pic above.
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Also, Dave Fanning has been in touch with more details regarding the second part of tonight’s Bowie special on Ireland’s RTE that we told you about last time. (01.05.07 REMINDER: BOWIE 60th RADIO CELEBRATIONS ROUND-UP)
Here’s his update: “Hi Blammo. Besides Gavin Friday on Monday evening, it’s (I think) Maebh Ruane (Irish Times) plus contributions from Lulu and Peter Frampton. And this time…lots more David Bowie.” Dave’s show starts at 7:00pm.
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BowieNetter Bianca has been in touch with news of a couple of German radio things too, one of which isn’t broadcast until 9:00pm (local time) this evening on Radio Eins, which is a two hour retrospective called “Radio Affair”. Click on the image above for the link, and while you’re clicking you can read the blurb which has one of my very favourite opening German sentences of all time.
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Finally, Virgin Classic Rock, who have been playing Bowie and Bowie-related throughout the day, have the two-hour Sequence at 8:00pm tonight, and apparently it’s all Bowie.
Leave A Birthday Message For Db On The Mbs
We wish you well, we wish you well…
I’m guessing you already knew it’s David Bowie’s birthday today, and if you’ve not been invited to his party, don’t worry, there are plenty of things to do to keep the Bowie flag flying instead.
Spaceface has updated the Bowie calendar with more TV stuff that may interest you. Plus, don’t forget all the fan gatherings (01.04.2007 NEWS: GLOBAL BOWIE FAN BIRTHDAY EVENTS ROUND-UP) and radio thingies (01.05.07 REMINDER: BOWIE 60th RADIO CELEBRATIONS ROUND-UP) going on all over the shop.
BowieNet members can also leave their personal wishes for David here on
You may find details of other Bowie birthday events near you that we haven’t listed here in the news, in the BowieNet Meetups section of the MBs.
Don’t forget the current contest to win a set of 17 Japanese replica mini-sleeve CDs ends tonight. (01.03.2007 NEWS: FIVE SETS OF 17 JAPANESE MINI VINYL REPLICA CDs TO BE WON)
All that remains is for us here at BowieNet to wish David many happy returns of the day, and best wishes for a very special birthday however he plans to spend it.
Db Two-parter Starts On Rte Shortly
Friday On My Mind…
In celebration of Bowie’s 60th, Dave Fanning will be looking back over DB’s career with the first part of a Bowie two-parter on Irish radio station,
The show will include archive interviews Dave has conducted with our man and he’ll be discussing the work of David Bowie with live-in-the-studio Bowie fan guests, including Cáit O’Riordan (The Pogues), Paul McLoone (The Undertones) and Paul Rankin (celebrity chef)
Telephone guests are Phil Chevron (The Pogues) and Emm Gryner (Wee Willie Harris). The whole thing kicks off at 7:00pm UK time.
You can listen online by clicking on Mr Fanning, above, and in the likely event that you read this after the broadcast, it will be available on listen again via the same link.
The second part will be broadcast at the same time on Monday and guests will include Gavin Friday of The Virgin Prunes. Thanx to BowieNetter cgaffney for the pointer.
Bowie 60th Radio Celebrations Round-up
And me, I’m on a radio show…
Naturally, lots of Bowie celebrations will be invading the airwaves between now and Monday. Here’s a round-up of the stuff we know about…
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Possibly the most eagerly anticipated of the broadcasts I’ve heard about is Radio 2’s
“At 60 years old David Bowie remains one of music?s most influential, photographed, adored, imitated, admired and talked about artists of the post Beatles period. Mark Radcliffe hears from performers who have been inspired by him and his music.
In the summer of 1972, Bowie?s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars album exploded on a drab landscape of great coated hordes worshipping the latest denim clad heroes. New Order?s Peter Hook, Annie Lennox and Echo and The Bunnymen?s Ian McCulloch are among the interviewees commenting on the impact of Ziggy Stardust.
Marc Almond and Boy George reflect on Bowie?s sexual ambiguity and how his influence helped them through their puberty with the realisation that they could be ?different?. We hear how Bowie mentored other musicians ? reviving Mott The Hoople?s career and helping Lou Reed and Iggy Pop reinvent themselves and connect with a new audience. Debbie Harry and Moby comment on Bowie?s reinvention as a Californian soul boy for the Young Americans album.
Ricky Gervais discusses Bowie’s move into film with The Man Who Fell to Earth, and provides behind-the-scenes insight about the Bowie episode of Extras.
Elbow?s Guy Garvey and Jarvis Cocker discuss Bowie?s influence on the 1980?s New Romantic movement. We explore Bowie?s recordings of the 90?s including Tin Machine and his attempts to recapture former glory on Outside and Hours.
The Bowie legacy is impressive. Musicians and rock stars admire his music, sense of style his fans feel he mirrored their lives and provided their soundtrack. Bowie has challenged and changed people with his songs and magic and this programme celebrates his achievements on his 60th birthday through the anecdotes of those who were inspired by him.
Along with archive interviews with John Lennon, the programme features new interviews with: Debbie Harry, Marc Almond, Elbow’s Guy Garvey, Neil Hannon, New Order’s Peter Hook, Suede/Tears front-man Brett Anderson, Richard Hawley, Annie Lennox, Boy George, Moby, Ian McCulloch, Jarvis Cocker and Ricky Gervais.”
Moments that spring to mind include: Ricky Gervais attempting Sweet Thing; Annie Lennox saying that folk feel liberated by db and that he gave people an exit from normal life; Marc Almond tells a lovely story of Bowie touching his hand at a Ziggy show in Liverpool after getting beaten up on the way to the gig because of the way he was dressed; And Guy Garvey of Elbow saying: “I wouldn?t put it past him to make his best work next year”.
BowieNetter RaMOANa has also highlighted a brief snippet of Ricky Gervais on
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Virgin Radio’s Classic Rock station plans to take a break from the norm with the music of DB, instead of Elvis, for their David Bowie Day.
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Need I say more?
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See news story below (01.05.2007 NEWS: DB TWO-PARTER STARTS ON RTE SHORTLY) for more information about this show.
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Good to see that David’s country of birth isn’t the only place celebrating the fact. Danish radio and television have marked the occasion with several programmes on
German radio also seems to be joining in the fun with something on the 8th, details of which you can hopefully find on
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Finally, don’t forget that you can see the Bowie/Gilmour version of Arnold Layne on BBC TWO’s TOTP2 in the UK at 5:05pm on Saturday January 6th, as we told you a couple of weeks back. (12.22.06 NEWS: ARNOLD LAYNE CD COMPETITION AND UPDATES)
Global Bowie Fan Birthday Events Round-up
Calling out around the world…
Here’s a round-up of all the fan-organised Bowie birthday evenings around the planet throughout January that we’ve received information about.
I have to say that none of the following are official or endorsed by BowieNet, but I personally think it’s cool that so many of you out there have taken the trouble to mark DB’s 60th in the way you have.
So here goes, in the order I received each bit of information, and coincidentally, in the order they are taking place…
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Saturday January 6th, Bassano del Grappa, Italy
WHAM BAM THANK YOU GLAM! ~ For the glamourest gathering of the year fans from all over Italy will appear.
The 2007 annual Italian gathering of David Bowie fans will be hosted at the Shindy Club of Bassano del Grappa. On Saturday the 6th of January at h 23.30, one of the most historic discos in Bassano will be populated by rock fans from all over Italy: doubles, onlookers and Bowie addicts.
The line-up of the event promises to be interesting: the live performances of the two bands will embody the highlight of the meeting, with a first acoustic part followed by an electric set. Beforehand Piol, well renowned singer and DJ, and then a brand new explosive band, Super Sexy Boy 1986, will perform David Bowie’s classics of the early 70s, which embodies the Ziggy Era. The event will then proceed with a Glam-Rock DJ Session.
An exclusive DVD of the entire night will be issued, witnessing the uniqueness of the party. A great opportunity for all the good music lovers and for those who want to get to know the rock that has grounded todays’s sound. For Bowie’s fans yet not only.
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Monday January 8th, Tokyo, Japan
David Bowie Night Vol.6 – “Let’s Celebrate David Bowie?s Kanreki (60th Birthday).”
David Bowie Night is one of the DJ club events for all of the Bowie fans, and it is probably the only event of its kind in Japan. Here in Japan there are so many people who are crazy about Bowie but there are limited numbers of people they can share such feelings together with locally. This event is for such people. Those who are fond of Bowie can get together at one place to listen and dance to the music of, and to watch the exclusive pictures of David Bowie. There have already been several sessions of this event in the past almost twice a year since 2004, but the upcoming one will certainly be one of the most memorable one, because it?s going to be held on the 60th birthday of our hero.
Japanese people customarily celebrate our 60th birthday more gorgeously than usual, because the age means something special in our culture. This age is called ‘Kanreki’ in Japanese, which means ‘return to the original cycle’. According to the Chinese tradition, the sexagerary cycle that began in the year of his birth is completed in sixty years, and on sixty-one he begins the cycle over again. When sending presents to such person one makes it a point to choose something red, as babies do generally in the country, to signify his or her new youth. This is because the celebrant becomes a baby again on this occasion. All of this is based on a combination of an old usage of the zodiac and Chinese art of divination.
On such a very special occasion, we are very happy to be able to announce that this event will be held on January 8, 2007 at a club named ACID in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. I?m sure not only Japanese fans but also foreign visitors are welcome to this party. Please have a look at the map of Shinjuku for the location. If you have any inquiries, please send your message to David Bowie Night at myspace.com from the link below. I hope we can celebrate one of the happiest birthdays in Bowie?s life together with as many people as possible from all over the world!
Date: January 8, 2007 ~ Place: ACID Shinjuku ~ Admission Fee: 2,000 yen ~ DJs: junne (P.R.O.M), DJ KOKI ABE (Love Bar), pelo ~ Guest DJ: Jukujo DJ Shiratama ~ VJ: custard pudding ~ Live Paint: KENICHIRO KENTA
Address:
Kowa Bld B1F
2-3-12 Shinjuku
Shinjuku-ku Tokyo
160-0022 Japan
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Monday January 8th, Sheffield, UK
BOWIEFEST III – 60th BIRTHDAY SPECIAL
On 8th January 1947, Brixton experienced the coldest night in living memory. It was so cold that the mechanism in the town hall clock froze and at midnight struck 13 times. That same night the town witnessed the birth of a child, whom the midwife described as having: “Been here before…he has knowing eyes”.
This child grew up to change the face of popular culture and have a lasting influence so far reaching that not one field of the arts has been left untouched. Sixty years to the day later we celebrate that influence.
BOWIEFEST is now in it’s third year and the 60th Birthday Special will celebrate Bowie’s birthday with some fantastic live performances from Natasha Allan, Ric Repomen, Art Department, Scott Bhuna and tribute act with a difference, The Bowie Contingent.
The evening will also feature DJ’s, video projections, montages of rare photographs and a prize draw of some rather special prizes….
Doors open: 7.30pm @ West Street Live, West Street, Sheffield, UK. ~ Entry: Only £2.00 !!!!
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Monday January 8th, Milan and Rome, Italy
REPETITION*BOWIE PARTIES AND ALBUM LAUNCH
Milan, REPETITION*BOWIE party.
At Rainbow Club – Via Besenzanica 3, Angolo Forze armateDiamond Dogs (tribute band), dj set, rare videos.
Free Repetition*Bowie album to first 500 people attending the party!
Rome, REPETITION*BOWIE party.
At Circolo degli Artisti – via casilina vecchia 42, piazza Lodi
Ziggy and the Glass Spiders (tribute band), dj set, rare videos.
Free Repetition*Bowie album to first 500 people attending the party!
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Thursday January 25th, London, UK
PRETTY IN PINK – BOWIE NIGHT
Monthly retro club night “Pretty In Pink” is hosting a Bowie special on January 25th, as a joint celebration of the great man’s 60th birthday and the 30th anniversary of “Low” this month.
Admission is completely free and we’ll be playing lots of extra Bowie classics throughout the night on both floors, as well as screening plenty of vintage Bowie videos and performances.
It’s at The Fly, 36-38 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1EP (near Tottenham Court Road tube) from 7:30pm and full details can be found on the
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So there you have it. Click on any of the above fliers for more information regarding each event.
Five Sets Of 17 Japanese Mini Vinyl Replica Cds To Be Won
Like some cat from Japan…
We’ve told you about EMI Japan’s plans to issue the Bowie back catalogue CDs in original replica mini vinyl packaging a couple of times already, (07.03.2006 NEWS: YOUNG AMERICANS STILL ON, PLUS MORE FROM EMI JAPAN & 10.24.2006 NEWS: EMI JAPAN’S 17 MINI-SLEEVE CDS RELEASE SCHEDULE) and as you can see from the above, the things finally exist.
However, due to scheduling conflicts and distribution issues, (possibly, though I did just make those excuses up) the first batch of six (above) has been put back two weeks from January 8th to the 22nd in the UK. Apparently other territory release dates remain unaffected, as do the 2nd and 3rd batches of UK releases. But we won’t let a trifling issue like delayed release dates affect our contest.
We have five sets, yes, that’s all 17 CDs, to give away to five lucky BowieNetters. These are beautiful items, (based on the original UK releases) which come complete with gatefold sleeves, where appropriate, and miniature reproductions of the original inserts. The Japanese seem to have a great eye for detail when it comes to these things, and this set is no exception. Even the first album which has come to be known as Space Oddity has reverted back to the original with just David Bowie on the sleeve.
Of course, these beauties aren’t aimed at curmudgeonly old gits like BowieNetters keiths and rheingold, (you only need buy something if you actually want it, chaps) but more at those that perhaps never even managed to get their hands on the original vinyl, and wouldn’t want such a bizarre format anyway. There are also those of us that love this type of thing, despite having the original vinyl. Personally I’m going to put mine alongside my Roxy Music ones in the 41.6 per cent scale record shop I’ve built in my loft.
And so, on to the contest…I’ll keep this relatively easy so the young’uns stand a chance too.
One of the above albums was released in the UK six months after it had been released in the US. Which one was it?
The answer is out there, the excellent
When you think you have the correct album title, send it to me here
Usual BowieNet rules apply: Only one entry per BowieNet account, and please remember you must enter using your BowieNet e-mail or at least supply your BowieNet user name if you don’t have access to BowieNet e-mail.
The contest will be open until midnight UK time on January 8th…a date when you can expect to hear loads of Elvis on the radio!
Bowie In Berlin On Bbc Radio 2 Tonight
Graffiti on the wall kept us all in tune…
I’m sure you’re all already gathered around your family wireless in readiness for the Mark Radcliffe presented Bowie documentary that we told you about last year, (12.14.2006 NEWS: BBC BOWIE IN BERLIN RADIO DOC DUE NEXT YEAR) and which Spaceface has had listed in the Bowie Calendar for centuries.