David Bowie

The Song Writers Hall of Fame has just announced that David Bowie is included in this year’s nominations. The results will be announced after December 8th. The following songs were submitted for review by the induction committee:

All The Young Dudes	Life On Mars
Absolute Beginners	Little Wonder
Ashes to Ashes	Loving The Alien
Blue Jean	1984
Cat People	Modern Love
Changes	Moonage Daydream
Dead Man Walking	Rock & Roll Suicide
Diamond Dogs	Scary Monsters
Fame	Sound & Vision
Fashion	Space Oddity
Golden Years	Starman
Hallo Spaceboy	Suffragette City
Heroes	The Man Who Sold The World
I’m Afraid of Americans	This Is Not America
Jean Genie	Under Pressure
Jump	Young Americans
Let’s Dance	Ziggy Stardust

The defining matrix for Geri Halliwell she has been telling friends is David Bowie. He moved effortlessly in the Seventies from stylised rock star with a seemingly cast-iron image as Ziggy Stardust, to actor by playing the Elephant Man on the Broadway stage and later to brilliant businessman who sold his back catalogue of songs for more than 50 million LST to Wall Street investors.

Only last month, evidence of his pre-eminence and reincarnation was seen when he was invited to a private dinner at Chequers by the Prime Minister.

Because of a film re-editing, the Bowie composition “Sky Life” will now no longer appear in the childrens movie, Rugrats. Music co-ordinator Karen Rachtman expressed her feelings thus; ‘I have always wanted to work with David Bowie and I finally had my chance. He delivered a song far beyond my wildest dreams and now I can’t even use it. The song is beautiful.’ The song now reverts back to Bowie. Will we ever get to hear what could have been? Says Bowie: ‘Unfortunately, it really doesn’t fit in with what I’m doing at the moment. A shame really, as it was quite sweet for what it was.’

Of his many incarnations during a glittering career, this could be the one David Bowie will prefer to be remembered by. A poll of fellow rock and pop stars and leading music industry figures has named him top music star of the past 30 years, controversially edging ahead of The Beatles who were placed second. Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye and Jimi Hendrix also trailed in Bowie’s wake.

The 51 year old former art student from South London has been Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke, among others, since launching his career in the Sixties. During this time he was at the forefront of glam rock, Seventies soul and Eighties funk, as well as being a leading light of the New Romantic era. His exotic outfits set new standards. A film star in “The Man Who Fell To Earth” and a filmmaker as well as a painter, he was also leader of his own band, Tin Machine. His skill as a collaborator is said to have helped launch the careers of Mott The Hoople, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.

Already fabulously wealthy, he raised more than 34 million LST last year by giving Wall Street investors the chance to buy into his back catalogue of chart hits. But it was the sheer span of his creativity that made him the most important act of the last three decades, in the eyes of pop stars, musicians, critics and leading music industry figures.

The poll was compiled by London magazine Time Out to mark its 30th birthday. Stars such as Boy George, Robbie Williams and Mick Hucknall voted. Time Out critic Garry Mulholland said: “David Bowie irrevocably altered our culture.” The magazine also compiled a list of the favourite programmes of the stars. Fawlty Towers topped the table for television shows, followed by The Simpsons and I’m Alan Partridge. The Godfather movies, parts I and II were the biggest hits in the film world with Chinatown and Raging Bull coming in just behind.

MUSICIANS’ TOP TEN

1. David Bowie2. The Beatles3. Bob Marley4. James Brown5. Marvin Gaye6. Jimi Hendrix7. Stevie Wonder8. Kraftwerk9. Iggy Pop10. Bob Dylan

10/06/98 NEWS: From today’s The Guardian in Britain:POP STARS HAIL BOWIE’S INFLUENCEDavid Bowie, the chameleon of rock ‘n’ roll whose career has lasted more than three decades, has once again proved to be an enduring hit with music industry insiders voting him the most influential pop star of the past 30 years.

Bowie, who last year became the first major artist to turn himself into a Wall Street investment when the star netted an estimated 34 million LST, fought off competition from the Beatles and Bob Marley to take the accolade.

Contributors to the survey, compiled by the London listings magazine, Time Out, to mark its’ 30th birthday, included Boy George, Mick Hucknall and Johnny Marr.

Bowie, aged 51, released his first album 31 years ago and has continually reinvented himself to take account of prevailing fashions – if not actually shaping them. He was at the forefront of glam, rock, Seventies soul and Eighties funk as well as being a leading light of the New Romantic era. The artist, who once shocked audiences with his outlandish clothes and alien appearance, now lives a quiet teetotal, drug-free existence.

The Time Out critic, Garry Mulholland said, “David Bowie irrevocably altered our culture. In terms of influence, the only new development in pop’s last 30 years that he hasn’t had some kind of influence on is drum ‘n’ bass.” However, not all the celebrities who took part in the survey voted for Bowie. The former Take That star, Robbie Williams, considered Tom Jones to be the most influential musician of the past 30 years and described him as the “pop entertainer of all time”.

The magazine also compiled a list of films, television programmes and theatre productions. Fawlty Towers, the 1970’s sitcom starring John Cleese, was voted best television show; followed by The Simpsons and Steve Coogan’s I’m Alan Partridge. Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” parts I and II were the biggest hits in the film world. “Chinatown” and “Raging Bull” came second and third. Peter Brook’s 1971 RSC production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was voted best theatre production, followed by Robert Lepage’s 1987 production of “The Dragon’s Trilogy”.

On Thursday, September 24th, The 1998 MuchMusic Video Awards, the Canadian MTV, were showcased this year by presenting David Bowie with the “Eye Popper Award”. The award is given to those artists whose significant contribution to the artform has succeeded in exploring & exploding the creative boundaries of music video. Click here to view David’s acceptence speech and a short video introduction featuring David’s works.

Jeffrey Gaines could easily see himself living in the 1960s, hanging out and making music at someplace like Haight-Asbury in San Francisco. On the phone, he sounds mellow and laid back. He peppers his speech with “dude” and “vibe.” And he’s a singer-songwriter, for crying out loud. This is the ’90s. If you’re a guy, you gotta play alternative or swing or hip-hop, or you’re just not happening. Gaines doesn’t listen to that kind of talk. By the mid-’80s, he caught his first break. WTPA-FM (93.5) in Mechanicsburg was putting out a CD featuring local musicians. From that he went to Philadelphia, where he began to find his own voice. He started playing an acoustic guitar, and that changed his whole approach to music. He dropped the harsh, electric metal he had grown up with in favor of more personal songs. “Galore” is the first release under his new deal with Rykodisc. In the end, he didn’t have enough time for a double record. The finished album has 13 songs. A bonus CD includes his best-known song, a live version of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” His bandmates on the record include Reeves Gabrels, Gail Ann Dorsey and Zachary Alford. All three played in David Bowie’s most recent touring band. Former E-Street Band keyboardist David Sancious sat in, too. “We kept the vibe so relaxed,” he says. “Somewhere around song six, the record gets into this groove and just keeps going.”

Just in case you have your monthly planner out, the radio station WXRT in Chicago is re-broadcasting the acoustic show David did with Reeves at the Chicago Trax Studios on October 16, 1997 sometime in the next two months. The show was all acoustic, David and Reeves performed “Scary Monsters” (a country & western version); “Always Crashing In The Same Car” and “I Can’t Read” (the version from the film “The Ice Storm”). In between songs, David chats with the radio host and takes questions, jokes around, etc. The show is roughly 45 minutes long. BowieNet will have a direct link to WXRT’s web site.

Legends on VH1 @ 10:00 PM ESTDavid Bowie first attracted a cult following in the early seventies with his rock superstar caricature, Ziggy Stardust, and then casually slipped from one guise to another in pursuit of his art. Now in his fifties, David Bowie has also established a name for himself as a painter, an actor, a writer, an internet service provider, and a book publisher while he continues to stay on the cutting edge of music. Through an exclusive new interview with Bowie, Legends will uncover the personal story behind one of rock’s most controversial figures and will feature rarely and never before seen performance clips, interviews, photos and articles. The Legends Show featuring David Bowie will be re-broadcasted on Monday 9/28 at 12:00 AM, Wednesday 9/30 at 10:00 PM, and Sunday 10/4 at 4:00 PM. All times are EST.

On October 6th “RED HOT AND RHAPSODY” A tribute to George Gershwin will be released which features the track” A Foggy Day in London Town” sung by David as already mentioned in Bowie News. The new news is that the Greshwin penned track will be posted on BowieNet for your listening pleasure.