Month: November 2008

Waiting for the gift of sound and vision…

Here’s the little competition we promised last month, (10.27.2008 NEWS: BoB CD AND ZIGGY MoPi DVD GIFTPACK OUT TODAY) albeit a week later than planned.

Those consistently generous sorts at EMI have given us five of the above gift packs to …erm, give away. And it’s really quite a lovely thing, particularly if you are thinking of using it to introduce somebody to Bowie’s music.

It’s an easy enough contest too…simply give us the name of the chap that designed the front cover at the top of this piece and include a tiebreaker of no more than three words that you think best describes him.

Send your answer and tiebreaker to me here before midnight NY time on Sunday November 16th.

Usual BowieNet rules apply: Only one entry per BowieNet account per week, and please remember you must enter using your BowieNet e-mail or at least supply your BowieNet user name. If you do neither of these things you won’t be eligible to enter.

I’ll be strong whatever it takes…

We’ve been promoting WhateverItTakes.org on these pages for the last three years or so (06.18.2005 NEWS: DB EXPLAINS INSPIRATION FOR CHARITY ARTWORK) and no doubt will continue to do so for some time to come.

The latest addition to the Bowie product page is a rather spiffing mouse mat which is bottom right in the montage above.

These products are extremely good value and even though the T-shirts and trainers have sold out all of the above items are all still available.

Proceeds from sales of the Bowie range go to David’s chosen charities: Trade plus Aid & Save the Children.

Cos I’d rather play here with all the madmen…

Continuing the theme from yesterday’s news item, issue #15 of MADMAN comic will feature the rather striking image above.

And who better for the most off his rocker comic superhero Frank ‘Madman’ Einstein to parody than Mr Sane himself.

Here’s the summary for this issue which is due on New Year’s Eve: ‘MISTER GRINNING SOUL!’ A crazed cell phone salesman is being compelled to kill by some unseen force. Frank ‘Madman’ Einstein and his groovy pals, the Atomics, receive ‘the call’ to stop the horror.

You can pre-order issue #15 of MADMAN here.

Thanx to BowieNetter dumdumboy for the pointer, a man who is clearly an industrious fellow with a penchant for all things Aladdin Flash, as evidenced by this Halloween Jack pumpkin head that he created last week.

Did you notice the eyes? Such attention to detail. Though I have to say, I know Bowie has better teeth now. But, even still, I’m not sure the pumpkin’s teeth are very flattering!

Thanx for all this dumdumboy. Much appreciated.

Who will love Aladdin Charge…

It seems one of the more popular T-shirts being snapped up right now is the Obama/Bowie hybrid, a few examples of which are pictured above.

Apparently designers thought the best way to illustrate the Obama campaign slogan of CHANGE was by slapping the Aladdin Sane flash on Obama’s face.

It has worked to good effect in some cases, particularly with the T-shirts worn by supporters celebrating in Chicago in the picture above.

Thanx to BowieNetter guylicious for the pointer to The Chicago Tribune picture.

Ch ch ch ch changes…

I received just the one e-mail communication from DB this morning. It read: “What a great day.”

‘Nuff said.

When you rock ‘n roll with me…

ROCK ‘N ROLL FANTASY CAMP hits the UK tomorrow, with the first day of a six day jaunt that kicks off at the world famous Abbey Road studios in London.

If you have around $13,000 to spare and the Ziggy Stardust photomosaic in yesterday’s news didn’t appeal, then this may be ideal for you.

Here are the details of the six day package…

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London Camp 6 Day Package – $12,999.00 per person. Includes attendance for 6 days at Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy Camp in London, UK as well as 10+ hours of daily jamming and recording at Abbey Road Studios and playing live at The Cavern in Liverpool. Package includes meals with celebrity musicians, CD of your music recorded at Abbey Road Studios, DVD of your performance at The Cavern, welcome bag, transportation to and from camp events, and concert at the Cavern.

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Among the names you would be performing with is the chap above who is a pretty good guitarist himself…and you might even persuade him to jam on a Bowie tune or two…he knows a few.

Anyway, if this is your thing, go here to find out more…even though it starts tomorrow I’m sure they’ll squeeze you in at the last minute if you’re parting with that kind of cash.

I struggle hard to take these pictures in…

The above image is a photomosaic which utilises over 3,300 separate images all of which are Mick Rock photographs of David Bowie. That’s something like fifty six rows of sixty images!

The photomosaic was created by Craig Adam for MOSAICLEGENDS and it’s approximately five feet by four printed on metallic crystal archive paper in a very limited edition of 25.

Here’s the official blurb…

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Craig Adam’s Ziggy Stardust

In 1972 David Bowie released the iconic LP The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which established him as a major force in modern pop music. It was also his platform to present a visually fascinating and sexually ambivalent stage persona called Ziggy Stardust. Simultaneously, Bowie befriended the famed rock-and-roll photographer, Mick Rock, whom he invited to chronicle his Ziggy persona.

Mick Rock amassed an amazing archive of photographs that traces the entire stratospheric two-year career of Ziggy Stardust from the early acclaim to the pivotal American tours, and the final blockbuster concert that marked Ziggy’s retirement. Ziggy was a combination of extraordinary costumes, colorful makeup, outrageous hair, and-above all-first-class rock. Mick Rock’s compelling pictures reflect his amazing collaboration and friendship with Bowie. The result of this incredible collaboration is a vast archive of images of onstage performances and backstage antics.

Craig Adam used these images to create this Photomosaic celebrating the 35th anniversary of Ziggy Stardust. When viewed from afar, Ziggy Stardust appears as a larger-than-life image. When the viewer moves closer to the print, their focus is drawn to the individual photographs from Mick Rock?s collection showcasing Bowie from the Stardust era.

?Craig Adam is an incredible artist and his work is really unique? commented Mick Rock. ?Because of the large number of images required to create this piece, I have agreed to release a number of new images from my archive that have never been seen before. All of this makes for a very interesting and meaningful project.?

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Below is a close-up of part of the photomosaic…

So, imagine that panel multiplied around 80 times and you will be somewhere close to the amount of images on the finished thing.

Aside from all of this, the prints are signed by Craig Adams himself, Mick Rock and David Bowie.

That ‘never been seen before’ line from Mick is pretty exciting too, though I have to admit at $12,500.00 per print, I may not be viewing those particular images anytime soon.

If anybody reading this is thinking of snapping one up, do you mind if we have a BowieNet party at the unveiling?

Anyway, don’t forget you can meet the creator of these fine images at Borders if you’re in London on Monday…

Mick Rock Book Signing @ Charring Cross Road, London Borders
06:30 pm, Monday 3rd Nov 2008

Click on the link for more details.

Check out Millenia Fine Art and MOSAICLEGENDS for more information regarding Craig Adam’s Ziggy Stardust photomosaic.

Ain’t had a job for a year or more…

BowieNetter and singer with Echo Bowie, Hans Schlatman, has been in touch with details of his band’s return to the stage. Over to Hans…

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The Return of EchoBowie

After a year-long break EchoBowie is about to enter the stage again. Lots of you will know the band from their gigs at the annual Bowie meetings in Holland. Since the last time they played there ? an acoustic gig featuring songs like Kooks, Bus Stop and Andy Warhol ? the band has two great new members on board on keyboards and bass. That, AND the addition of some very cool songs (we won?t mention them yet of course…) are good reasons to check EchoBowie out again. And of course it will be great to hear songs like Always Crashing In The Same Car, New Killer Star and Breaking Glass again. Here?s gig list:

Sunday November 2
Le Vagebond, Nieuwe Binnenweg 99, Rotterdam
Playtime: 20.30 (CET)

Saturday November 8
Café van der Geest, Zeestraat 7a, Noordwijkerhout
Playtime: 21.30 (CET)

Friday December 12
Toomler, Breitnerstraat 2, Amsterdam
Playtime: 23.00 (CET).

Tip: check out the stand-up comedy shows starting at 20.00 before the Echo Bowie gig later that evening.

Keep checking www.echobowie.com, www.youtube.com/schlatman or www.myspace.com/echobowie for new gigs, video?s and news.

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I know these guys are popular with BowieNetters, be nice to see them outside of Holland one of these days.