Come back tomorrow to see what Spaceface and Susans have been up to.
These are your favourite things...
A final reminder for you to vote for your favourite BowieNet stuff of 2001 as our look back over 2001 is almost complete now. If you haven't already voted, see Saturday's news for what to do.
Come back tomorrow to see the incredible page that Spaceface and Susans have been beavering away at for the last couple of days. These girls deserve medals...and some sleep!
I'm under Japanese influence...
BowieNetters Minami and Primama who produce the Japanese fan site, In celebration of David Bowie's 55th birthday on January 8th 2002, the party takes place at the Rolling Stone Bar in Tokyo on the 5th of January in conjunction with Toshiba EMI and the Japanese David Bowie fan club, The Serious Moonlight Club.
Go
New York's a go-go and everything tastes right...
With only two days to go before New Year's Eve, you New Yorkers need as much notice as possible to sort out some suitable clobber for a special night of Glam Rock. The very Bowie friendly
The first fifty people to turn up will receive a free champagne toast come the midnight ding-dongs, and everybody can enjoy music from: David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Roxy Music, T Rex and many more of your favourite Glam Rockers. As if that isn't enough to tempt you, the whole evening will be accompanied by music videos from the above, and appropriately the best dressed Glam Girl/Boy will win a copy of 'Velvet Goldmine' on DVD.
Even David Bowie needs to log in.
These are your favourite things...
During my Christmas break there was a request posted for you to send us a list of a few of your favourite BowieNet items from 2001. Looking at the message boards it seems that there is a little confusion as to what it is we require from you.
Well, all we want is for you to give us what was in your opinion the top five happenings here on BowieNet, actually, perhaps you should make that ten. Your choices can include anything posted here in 2001, from a particular BowieNet News item to any of David's Journals that may have tickled your fancy. Or perhaps a David Asks did it for you, or even a competition? And of course there was the Roseland video, BowieNet radio, tons of Mick Rock stuff, Iman's book and CD, etc, etc, etc.
And let's not forget the things you actually contributed to, such as the pages that Spaceface posted about the Concert for Tibet and David and Iman's wedding anniversary. Anyway, you get the idea, just mail up to ten items or features you have enjoyed here, and we'll hopefully give you more of the same in 2002.
One lucky entrant chosen at random gets to choose something special from the Bowie vaults.
© Mick Rock
A life of such powerful meaning
Deconstruction and Ziggy : Sunday Times : 12/16/01 In a leading 'News Review' article defending this year's Turner Prize winner, Martin Creed; Matthew Collings draws a line all the way from Duchamp to Damien Hirst, via Samuel Beckett and Ziggy Stardust in support of his argument that less can be more. He says : "Deconstruction appeared in the 1960s and 1970s in the world of academic theory. It entered the art world in the 1980s. It means to dismantle meaning ? not to annihilate it but to pick it apart and see what hidden effects it produces. David Bowie in the early 1970s is a good example of deconstruction in action. Glam rock deconstructed rock. But there are plenty of meanings in Ziggy Stardust ? they just seem to be deliberately unreal compared with the ?naturalness? of a previous style of rock. Before Bowie?s rise as Ziggy, sincerity had value, and there had been a rock style to represent sincerity. Ziggy?s style was based on attacking that previous style." An interesting view, whether or not you agree. Click the link in the heading to read the whole thing.
Moulin Rouge : Fox Home Entertainment : 12/25/01 The movie, which has just been voted 'Film Of The Year' by viewers of the influential UK TV show 'Film 2001', is now available in the USA on Video and DVD. Zoolander is also now available to pre-order from the usual sources. (blammo)
1999 Dublin Gig : Irish Press : Nov 2001 An article about Pulp's recent Dublin 'Witness' gig discussed artists who have played these gigs in the past, including "a now legendary David Bowie performance featuring an earth-moving version of "Life On Mars", the very mention of which still brings a tear to the eye of many a hardened rock hack". (dara)
Reference point : The Independent : 12/22/01 Now more than ever, references to David's song writing pervade the press in the UK and world-wide. The major music magazines, in particular, would have a lot more difficulty writing their headlines without him. This is a quote from an article bemoaning the state of government support for British Sport. Like the sons of the silent age in the David Bowie song, those responsible for steering British sport into the 21st Century have searched through their one-inch thoughts and decided it couldn't be done.
(contributors : blammo, dara, bonster, spaceface)
:))
Get your BOWIENET: BEST OF 2001 submissions in as fast as you can!! We've already received a good bunch and boy, have the memories come flooding back.
(See 12/26/01 NEWS: BOWIENET'S BEST OF 2001)
1 lucky winner will be randomly chosen to receive a special prize from deep within the Bowie Vault.
Just when you thought the well of good stuff and things had run dry!!
We've called upon the mystic bucket once again and plunged it deep into the archives.
And so the story goes they wore the clothes...
In a repeated Christmas abuse of my position, I give you another one of my photo-composits (sorry for the big file size) with no real connection to Christmas apart from a faint allusion to the Three Wise Men...sort of.
Anyway, a wonderful time to you all from everybody here at BowieNet, and I'm sure you will all want to join me in wishing love and peace to the Bowie family at this time of year.
Here's to a very exciting 2002, with it's promise of much in store for us Bowie fans, not least of all the first release on David's very own ISO label and the chance to see our man live in action once more.
Another year is coming rapidly to a close. It's always nice to sit back and reminisce over the 360-ought days that have just passed us by.
I know all of us here at Bowienet are excited to see what 2002 will bring. As for you Bnetters, we've already got some pretty things in store for you in 2002.
What's on your Bowienet Best Of? (limit to 5 or less, please)
The Bowienet Best of 2001 Results will be posted once all the submissions have been accounted for.
(Head tell me) make it alright...
For those of you that don't remember the original, here's a re-run of a card that David and Iman produced for us back in the last century. Click on the image above to take you to a pop-up you can print out and fold in the manner of the sample we have illustrated.
The more enterprising among you may want to print out David and Iman's signatures to stick on the inside to complete the illusion. (Go find 'em yourself...Don't ya know I'm the The Grinch!)
Anyway, Happy Holidays from everyone here at BowieNet, and we'll see you all in what promises to be a very exciting New Year.
Seven weeks 'till Tibet...(roughly)
Tickets for next year's
Benefit package tickets, which include prime seats at the concert and a supper party afterwards, are already on sale through
David Bowie, Philip Glass and The Kronos Quartet are the artists currently confirmed to play at the benefit on February 22nd, 2002, and the show will take place in the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall at 7:30pm.
"I really wanted it to work for him, and be a memorable album."
David Bowie recalls the recording of the 'Transformer' LP
during the shooting of the BBC's all-star 'Perfect Day' video.
They'll bury you in velvet, And place you underground...
"I was petrified that he said yes he would like to sort of work with me in a producer capacity, because I had so many ideas and I felt so intimidated by my knowledge of the work that he had already done. And, even though there was only that short time between us, it seemed like Lou had this great legacy of work." - David Bowie on the terrifying prospect of producing Lou Reed.
ITV in the UK are scheduled to show the latest in the third 'Classic Albums' series: Lou Reed's 'Transformer'. Released commercially last month on DVD and video through Eagle Vision, 'Transformer' is due for broadcast here in the new year. The documentary really is a treat for Lou Reed fans, and it's a fascinating look at the recording techniques of the early Seventies, and at the formidable Bowie/Ronson production team.
"I never had kids screaming at me particularly. They'd scream at David,
not at me...Me they would throw syringes and joints on the stage."
Including exclusive interviews with Lou, and new acoustic performances of songs from the album by him, the documentary follows Lou's career from the early days with Andy Warhol and The Velvet Underground, illustrated with rare footage of both. There are also interviews with some of the Warhol 'Superstars' that populate songs like 'Walk on the Wild Side', such as Holly Woodlawn and Joe Dallesandro and other characters from The Factory such as Gerard Malanga.
'Transformer' also uses rare archive footage and interviews with David Bowie and Mick Ronson (all the grabs in this item are taken from it), and talks to the original engineer Ken Scott. As we mentioned in our 'Hunky Dory' piece on Monday, you will know the name Ken Scott as co-producer with David of 'Hunky Dory', 'Ziggy Stardust', 'Aladdin Sane' and 'Pin-Ups'.
"Woody, you stay here. Me 'n Ronno are just nipping back to
last year to do Lou's album." A rare bit of backstage footage
of Ziggy and the Spiders from the 'Transformer' documentary.
As is the normal format for programmes in this series, Scott and Reed re-visit the original multi-track master tapes and dissect the construction of some of the songs. Particularly thrilling moments include an emotional a cappella playback of David's incredible 'Satellite of Love' backing vocals (a vocal line that none of the cover versions of the song have dared attempt) and an amusing focus on David's highly camp, Warholesque counterpoint to Lou's character in 'New York Telephone Conversation'.
Elsewhere, Mick Rock talks about the iconic 'Transformer' album cover he was responsible for, and makes a few observations on the whole scene in the way that only such a valuable eye-witness can. Herbie Flowers demonstrates how one of the most famous riffs in popular music, the bassline to 'Walk on the Wild Side', was recorded, and Musician Dave Stewart tells of Lou Reed?s musical influence as do musician Lenny Kaye, editor of Rolling Stone David Fricke, biographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and journalist Tony Stewart.
"So David...I'll play at your 50th if you do 'White Light, White Heat'
on your next few tours." Lou 'n' David contemplate a bright future.
There can't be many reading this not already familiar with this classic recording. Originally released 29 years ago on December 8th, an example of its lasting endurance is the fact that it recently re-entered the Top 20 Album Chart in the UK when it was re-issued as a budget price compact disc.
Reading like a Lou Reed greatest hits package, the original album boasts at least four all-time classic rock songs in: 'Vicious', 'Perfect Day', 'Walk on the Wild Side' and 'Satellite of Love'. And, apart from these, the documentary also looks at 'I'm So Free', 'Andy's Chest', the aforementioned 'New York Telephone Conversation', 'Make Up' and 'Goodnight Ladies'. Sadly there is no mention of David's contribution to the song 'Wagon Wheel' for which he is generally reckoned to be an un-credited co-writer of.
'Transformer' DVD cover.
If 'Transformer' isn't scheduled for a television broadcast in your territory, you may want to treat yourself to the DVD anyway, as it contains extra interview footage not included on either the video or the TV broadcast. Even if you aren't a fan of Lou Reed's work (?????), 'Transformer' is worth checking out for the occasional glimpses of the ghost of Ziggy that are scattered throughout.
Filthy Fokker?...no it's The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka I think...Oh Hell,
where's my copy of Jane's Fighting Aircraft Of WW2 when I need it?
I've never caught a glimpse, Of how the others must see the faker...
Had a few of you asking what David Bowie's contribution to this years RCA SECRET exhibition was, apart from the postcard above, which most of you seem to have found over at
Well the other card David donated became part of a David Bowie/Marc Quinn competition in the London edition of Time Out magazine. The winner of the competition is now the proud owner of the amusing piece below, which is one of just two cards that David donated. Much more I cannot say.
Never look back, walk tall, act fine...
The December 2001 issue of Pride magazine in the UK has a six-page spread on Iman, and the above cover. Talking to Pride via a transatlantic telephone call "about life after 11 September, self-esteem, and motherhood", Iman was again forthright about the fashion industry's treatment of black women:
"We are always a trend, we go in and out of favour. It's always perplexing to discover that, because of the colour of your skin, you're not even considered a human being, you're just a trend to make a statement. You're exotic, you're sassy, sexy...but never just plain beautiful. It is absolutely insulting."
And on motherhood:
"I can probably say I have more patience now, as a mature woman. I'd done this before, but, like, 23 years ago, it's not like you remember! Biologically, and by nature, we forget so we can go through it again. Otherwise, forget it!"
Keep an eye on
As an amusing aside, I have to say that when I bought Pride from my local newsagent, I received one of the strangest looks ever from the girl who handed me my change. I guess the source of the girl's bemusement was the fact that I fitted none of the three descriptions particularly convincingly, as I purchased the magazine "For the modern black woman". The look she gave me sent me straight back to my early teens when I would scour the pages of Mirabelle, Jackie, Diana, and most likely Bunty, for the tiniest of snippets relating to David Bowie, while ignoring the tutting and looks of disdain coming my way from the Showaddywaddy fan behind the counter!
The original UK 'Hunky Dory' sleeve from 1971.Click
image to take you to more from the Blammo archives,
and possibly the longest window in BowieNet history!
There's a man, back-a-ways...
December 17th, 1971, saw the release of one of the most important albums in the history of rock. With 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' almost in the can, and the unveiling of the new look that would accompany the most famous Bowie alter ego just weeks away, the release of 'Hunky Dory' was almost overlooked in the UK. Not least of all, it would seem, by David himself who was excited by the next phase of his career and the prospect of the success that surely would come with 'Ziggy Stardust'.
Despite this general indifference towards 'Hunky Dory' by the record-buying public, the critics were unanimous in their declaration of Bowie's genius:
"David Bowie is the most singularly gifted artist creating music today. He has the genius to be to the '70s what Lennon, McCartney, Jagger and Dylan were to the '60s." - Rock Magazine
"The most intellectually brilliant man yet to choose the long-playing album as his medium of expression." - The New York Times
"...Bowie's most engaging album...David Bowie, the swinging mod Garbo, male femme fatale, confidante to and darling of the avant-garde on both sides of the Atlantic, and shameless outrage, is back, and with a bang." - Rolling Stone
"Anyone who believes in pop music enough to wish to save it from swallowing its own excretion should buy this album. 'Hunky Dory' is a masterpiece from a mastermind." - New Musical Express
"One of the strongest and strangest unrecognised talents around." - Milwaukee Journal
"A peculiarly sensitive, hard-edged, precise, and truly shimmering perception." - Changes Magazine
"A singer-composer with brains, imagination and a good idea of how to use a recording console comes up with a quick-change tour de force that is both catchy and deeply felt." - Village Voice
"'Hunky Dory' beats a week at the shrink." - Rock Magazine
The recording of the album saw the beginning of a four album association with Ken Scott sharing the producer's chair with David. 'Hunky Dory' was also the first of a classic string of Bowie albums for RCA that ended less than ten years later with 'Scary Monsters'.
The iconic sleeve featured a beautiful hand-tinted Brian Ward photograph, a photographer who witnessed the birth pangs of 'Ziggy' via the 'Egyptian' shots, the 'Hunky Dory' sleeve, the 'Ziggy Stardust' sleeve itself, and the session that was used on the re-issue of 'The Man Who Sold The World'. 'Hunky Dory' was also the second of three sleeves for which David would enlist the help of his long-term friend, George Underwood. The other two being the original Philips 'David Bowie' album, and 'Ziggy Stardust'.
'Hunky Dory' has truly stood the test of time, and it sounds as fresh to a generation of new ears as it did to those of us lucky enough to have lived with it for the past thirty years. But possibly the best way to celebrate the 30th birthday of this incredible recording is to go listen to it again right now. I'll leave you with David's own thoughts on 'Hunky Dory' that he wrote all those years ago...
Excerpt from David's original notes used in press adverts at the time of the release of 'Hunky Dory'. Click for full version.
Changes - This album is full of my changes and those of some of my friends.
Pretty - The reaction of me to my wife being pregnant was archetypal daddy - Oh he's gonna be another Elvis. This song is all that plus a dash of sci-fi.
Eight - The city is a kind of high-life wart on the backside of the prairie.
Life On Mars - This is a sensitive young girls reaction to the media.
Kooks - The baby was born and it looked like me and it looked like Angie and the song came out like - if you're gonna stay with us you're gonna grow up Bananas.
Quicksand - The chain reaction of moving around through out the bliss and then the calamity of America produced this epic of confusion - Anyway, with my esoteric problems I could have written it in Plainview - or Dulwich.
There is a time and space level just before you go to sleep when all about you are losing theirs and whoosh void gets you with its cacophony of thought - that's when I like to write my songs.
Fill - Biff Rose song.
Andy - A man of media and anti-message, with a kind of cute style.
Bob - This is how some see B.D.
Queen - A song on a Velvet Underground-Lou Reed framework s'about London sometimes.
Bewlay - Another in the series of David Bowie confessions - Star Trek in a leather jacket.
You're always first on the line
Pioneering and beautiful : Folha de São Paulo : 12/3/01 In an article from one of Brazil's best known national newspapers, entitled 'Remixes Androginos', Shirley Manson of Garbage is profiled. Her new haircut is compared to one of David's styles, and the Garbage website, which offers the opportunity to remix one of the tracks from their latest album, is compared to the 'pioneiro e lindo' (pioneering and beautiful) Bowienet. They say "It´s good ideas like these that create a relationship between artists with the listener ? they feel they are part of the creation of the music - much more pleasing.? (welovedb)
Moulin Rouge : The Independent : 12/5/01 Moulin Rouge / Music From Baz Luhrmann's Film / Interscope Records, is chosen by the Independent newspaper as one of the Top Ten CD's of 2001. They say : If there's one thing Baz Luhrmann showed the world with his take on Romeo And Juliet, ÂÂand boy did he show us a lot, ÂÂit was that he is one of the true masters of linking music with vision. The use of the film's stars reaches its zenith in the Elephant Love Medley where Nicole and Ewan's characters get to spar through song.... That it all ends in a full-blown version of Bowie's Heroes will raise a lump from your stomach to your throat. Stirring stuff. This is music with a vision. Listen and all will be revealed.
TV Star : BBC Prime : Forthcoming BBC Prime is a world-wide satellite pay channel, which is offering a Bowie night on Dec 21st, including Bowie at the Beeb, A Little Later, and Cracked Actor. Check it out and see whether your country is on the pull-down list. Further details are in our Bowienet Calendar. The site also includes a rather nice new biography, which has this to say as an introduction. "In a world full of musical wannabes, few genuine legends live on. One such glittering star continues to create unique magic, spellbind new generations and retain an untouchable air of effortless cool. Ladies and gentlemen, have you met Mr Jones?" Click the link to read the whole thing.
(contributors : welovedb, spaceface)
:))
DAVID BOWIE, one of the most influential musicians and writers in popular music, has taken the unprecedented step for an artist of his standing and decided not to re-sign with his record company, Virgin records, choosing instead, to create his own small, independent label. On Thursday morning BOWIE's business representatives, RZO, sent a letter to Virgin records stating that "We respectfully decline your attempts to negotiate a new contract in light of the missed option pick-up of a year ago."
All DAVID BOWIE's future recordings, including the hotly tipped new album that he is recording with long-time collaborator Tony Visconti, will be released on ISO, his new label.
On taking the whole recording and marketing process into his own hands BOWIE commented " I've had one too many years of bumping heads with corporate structure. Many times I've not been in agreement with how things are done and as a writer of some proliferation, frustrated at how slow and lumbering it all is. I've dreamed of embarking on my own set-up for such a long time and now is the perfect opportunity."
DAVID BOWIE's label ISO, which was registered as a record label over a year ago, will be based out of New York and London and has already signed two new artists, one solo and one band. Bowie and Visconti have also recently moved their projects into their own recording studio in Manhattan, New York, in anticipation of this new departure.
Said BOWIE, " I want to keep the whole experience at a human level, To characterize ISO, I think I would use guitarist Robert Fripp's phrase and describe it as aiming to be 'a small, mobile, intelligent unit'."
DAVID BOWIE was able to make this bold step as a result of an overlooked option in his previous deal with Virgin Records.
"With smaller, more focussed labels such as Relentless in London (3 number ones) and Artimus in the US proving that creativity and commercial success can go hand in hand, the chance is there to be taken and BOWIE is the perfect candidate to pull it off."
CinePosters.com has agreed to offer a 20 percent discount to BowieNet members on Labyrinth movie posters. Here is the direct URL:
This offer includes free shipping, too.
All you BowieNetters need to do is enter the Coupon Code "DBFAN" in the COMMENTS box when they check out. That will automatically apply the 20 percent discount to their order.
We can give you sweet Hedwig...
Due to legislatory changes in European law there has been a delay in posting recent competition winners. Admittedly they're my European laws, but you can't deny the delay has been very real! And so, without further ado:
For your chance to win one of the above incredible huge
sex pose critique = Exquisite Corpse
leg fortnight = The Long Grift
Cow twit killed ten = Wicked Little Town
After whirring away for several moments, TRS? has picked this very lucky pair of smart-arses:
MzLizard@davidbowie.com
pisceanvelvet@davidbowie.com
If you could both please send your names and addresses to TotalBlamBlam@DavidBowie.com with a subject line of "Hedwig Winner", Postmistress Susans will despatch your prize in a heavy duty tube forthwith. Please note my change of e-mail address and make sure you do use the subject line "Hedwig Winner" as the system is now fully automated.
Thanx again to