Bowie Career Retrospective At Mtr

"What the hell is this?" you may well ask. All will be revealed soon.

I'll give you television...

The Museum of Television & Radio (MTR) in Los Angeles and New York will present the first-ever retrospective devoted to the extraordinary career of David Bowie. 'David Bowie: Sound + Vision' runs from June 7th through to September 15th, 2002, and the screenings will include:

* Rarely seen performances, outtakes, documentaries, and interviews
* More than fifty music videos, including "Life on Mars?," "Ashes to Ashes," "Let's Dance," "Jazzin' for Blue Jean," "Thursday's Child," and many more
* Alan Yentob's classic BBC documentary Cracked Actor
* Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Hare's a bit from the press release which you can reach by clicking on the image above (if it's not there just yet, please try again a little later):

"Culled from archives around the world, as well as Bowie's own personal library, this screening series will showcase the artist's pioneering work in the music video form along with rarely seen performances, outtakes, documentaries, and interviews. Organized chronologically and comprised of nearly one hundred elements, this five-part screening series traces the evolution of a rock icon who, over five decades, has continually reinvented himself and his art."

With news like this, what I want to know is, how are those of us travelling to Roseland from around the world ever expected to go home again?!

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

Ziggy, The Second Coming!

Just turn on with me and you're not alone...

In celebration of the original release of the David Bowie classic, 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars', EMI are to reissue the album as a 30th Anniversary Special Edition. Due on July 1st the double CD will consist of the original remastered album, and a second disc of currently unavailable Ziggy-related recordings.

The majority of the songs on CD 2 were released as bonus tracks for the 1990 Ryko reissue campaign, but this is the first time they have been collected together on one CD. The tracks, (which include demos and versions of songs that appeared on Ziggy, as well as songs that were recorded during the Ziggy sessions) have been unavailable to fans for several years as the Ryko CDs have been out of print for some time now.

The bonus CD also includes a take of 'Moonage Daydream' recorded during the Ziggy sessions, but not previously released in any form. This stunning version has been remixed by Alan Moulder. Another treat for fans is the inclusion of studio banter between David and the band at the start of 'Sweet Head'.

The Ziggy Stardust 30th Anniversary Special Edition will come in special packaging with rare and unreleased pictures from the period and extensive sleeve notes with contributions from celebrity Bowie fans, and a Ziggy Stardust Time Line by Kevin Cann.

Here is the full track listing:

CD 1:
01 Five Years
02 Soul Love
03 Moonage Daydream
04 Starman
05 It Ain't Easy
06 Lady Stardust
07 Star
08 Hang On To Yourself
09 Ziggy Stardust
10 Suffragette City
11 Rock 'N' Roll Suicide

CD 2:
01 Moonage Daydream (Arnold Corns version)
02 Hang On To Yourself (Arnold Corns version)
03 Lady Stardust (Demo)
04 Ziggy Stardust (Demo)
05 John, I'm Only Dancing
06 Velvet Goldmine
07 Holy Holy
08 Port Of Amsterdam
09 The Supermen
10 Round And Round
11 Sweet Head (Outtake - Take 5)
12 Moonage Daydream (Alan Moulder Mix)

We'll hopefully give you an exclusive peek at some of the new artwork just ahead of the album's release on July 1st.

15th Bowienet Auction Is Live

This garment is described as "one-size-fits-all"...That I doubt!

Waiting for the gift of Sound + Vision, Drifting into my solitude, over my head...

You may not have noticed yet, but there is a BowieNet auction this week. Just one little item again, as I know many of you are wanting to keep your cash for the upcoming db live action. The item in question is a rather sexy 1990 Sound + Vision long-sleeved white sweatshirt.

The shirt comes with an embroidered S+V Bowie logo and a short zipper in the neck area for fat-heads such as myself. There's still three days left on this auction, so if you fancy a bit of clobber direct from db's very own vault, then click on the image above and place your bid!

Festival De Nimes On Sale Friday

(Throw me tomorrow..oh,oh) Everything's falling into place...

David's show at the Festival De Nimes in France that we mentioned last week, (04/19/02 NEWS: BOWIE ANNOUNCES FRENCH DATE) goes on sale in the morning at 9.00am (local time).

David will be supported by Patti Smith and her band for the show which takes place on on Sunday July 14th, and is Bastille Day in France. Morcheeba, Tricky, Joseph Arthur and Superbus will also perform at the festival.

Tickets are 40 Euros, and you can make credit card bookings in France on 0892 683 622, or online at www.fnac.com and www.choosit.org

Make credit card bookings outside of France on 00 33 1 42 31 32 28 or via the same internet addresses above.

Roseland Bowienet Show...it's A Date!

Expectant fans await the arrival of David Bowie at the Roseland Ballroom 2000, by Total Blam Blam.

So inviting...

Seems a few of you have been quite eager to find out the date of David's BowieNet show at the Roseland Ballroom in New York. Well, I'm sure you'll all be very pleased to learn that we'll be making the announcement very soon. In fact, we might as well make it right now! So, without further ado:

We are very proud to announce that David Bowie will play a BowieNet show at the Roseland Ballroom in New York on Monday 10th June.

There ya go. Ticket details will be announced as soon as we are happy with the distribution system, but believe me, after Meltdown, we will be making very sure that the process of getting tickets to BowieNet members runs a little smoother this time...actually, a lot smoother! As smooth as Stephen 'Baby' King's bum in fact.

For those that didn't attend the last BowieNet show at the same venue, you may be pleased to learn that the Roseland Ballroom is unseated. That does mean of course, that if you do want to be down the front, (see pic above and the MBs) you may have to sleep with a few other crazy BowieNetters...No, not in the Biblical sense, I mean overnight in the queue outside the venue!

Montreux Tickets On Sale Now

I am the best jazz you've ever seen...

As some of you have already discovered, (grrrr....thanks for telling us Montreux) tickets for David's performance at this year's Montreux Jazz Festival are on sale now. David will perform in Auditorium Stravinski on Thursday, 18th July 2002 at 20:30. Click on the image above to take you to the site, where you can order tickets directly now.

Though billed as a "jazz" festival, you should be warned that many of the artists scheduled to appear are in fact rock acts, and it is thought that David Bowie is not likely to include much jazz in his own set!

More Tickets Available

Due to the overwhelming demand for MELTDOWN tickets, we've reset the ticket system and currently have more tickets available at the Second Level ($36.00)

So, if you had recently received a "no tickets available" message, you'll be pleased to know that the system is now accepting orders.

You should have no trouble placing an order. However, please feel free to contact Music Today via EMAIL or by phone @ 434-244-7300 if you require further assistance or explanation.

Thank you,
The BowieNet Staff

Db In Nme 'exposed' Photo Suppliment

I keep a photograph, It burns my wall with time...

This week's NME comes with a free 24-page photo suppliment that contains "50 classic photographs from the NME archive". Naturally it contains a shot of DB.

Taken in 1974 by Gijsbert Hanekroot, the mono photograph is of DB in one of his very last Ziggy poses during the making of the 'Rebel Rebel' video. You know the one, with the eye patch and the large erm...you know...Susans will love it.

Meltdown Ticket Update

Dear BowieNetters,

We would like to apologise for the temporary glitch with the Ticket Program.

The Ticket Booth is up and running and is taking orders again. It seems that the overwhelming demand for tickets crashed the MusicToday Ticket System. They were down for approximately 3 hours.

If you tried to purchase tickets and received an order confirmation email, then you have successfully ordered tickets. However, if you tried to order tickets and got a "Your Shopping Cart is empty" message, please return to the ticket order page and try your order again.More details to follow?

Sincerely,
The BowieNet Staff

NOTE: If you are still recieving an error message, you may need to clear your cookies/cache.

Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary Iman And David!

Photo Dan Herrick/ZUMA

I'm smiling

We all wish Iman and David the happiest of days on the 10th anniversary of their wedding in Lausanne. This great picture from people.com, (02/05/02 SNIPPET: BOWIE'S "GENUINE AFFECTION RETURNED") is one of the nicest from the many we have seen of them together over the last twelve months.

As last year, we look forward to the 10th anniversary of their official wedding in Florence, which will give us another chance to show you those fabulous official wedding photographs.

Have a wonderful day, David, Iman and Lexie!

Yesterday's Meltdown

Now that the dust has settled, it seems as though the ticket program is running smoothly again. There are still seats available at the $36.00 level. Tickets will be on sale until Sunday, April 28th or until they run out.

We thought it would be a good idea just to fill you all in on what exactly happened yesterday.

As you probably know, tickets went on sale for MELTDOWN yesterday here on BowieNet. Among all the frenzy to get tickets, you Bnetters managed to put quite an intense pounding on the MusicToday Ticketing System. The traffic was so high at one point that you managed to MELTDOWN the server taking the orders. The shopping cart engine could not handle the frantic tenacity of repeated additions/subtractions of tickets from the carts. It just couldn't create cookies fast enough.

This is the reason many of you saw the ODBC error or that your cart was empty even after you had selected tickets.

There was also another problem with a "no tickets available" error message. The explanation here is more of a mathematical one.

For one reason or another, users were closing their browsers in the middle of the purchasing process (Probably due to receiving one of the aforementioned errors). What this did to the system, was place whatever number of tickets you had requested (1,2) on hold for 10 minutes. This feature, designed to protect your order, would then begin multiplying these "holds" depending on how many times each user retried an order. That can really add up

All the prior explanations still do not justify the fact that the system failed to perform adequately to your needs. We want to take this time to sincerely apologize for the extreme panic and inconvenience caused by these errors.

Our intention was to have something unique and special for our Members, whereas it came across as quite the opposite. We want to assure you that we are working to improve our ticketing solution to ensure that this does not happen again.

Sincerely,
The BowieNet Staff

Sbc Magazine Out Now

So he leafed through a magazine...

Being a South Bank Centre member, I was very happy this morning to have the above publication drop through my letterbox. In celebration of the tenth annual Meltdown Festival, the magazine has a three page feature and a front cover with details of DAVID BOWIE'S MELTDOWN 2002. Here's an excerpt from Dorian Lynskey's look back at David's career:

"Bowie is well suited to the Meltdown ethos, casting his net wide for the most intriguing, exciting musical developments he can find. Experimentation is woven into his DNA. And if sometimes things don't go according to plan, that doesn't matter. 'I'm so eclectic that vulnerability is involved,' he said in 1978. 'I thrive on mistakes. If I haven't made three good mistakes in a week, then I'm not worth anything.' In a pop world far too timidly sanitised for its own good, Bowie's most valuable legacy is the lesson that risks are worth taking."

And with the publication of the full Meltdown schedule yesterday, David Bowie has again stayed true to that ideal.

The South Bank Magazine is free to members and callers to any of the venues under the SBC umbrella.

More Ticket Help

If you attempt to purchase tickets and, for any reason, decide you do not want the tickets, be sure to empty your shopping cart. Each time you close your browser without emptying your cart, the tickets you had in the cart are held for 10 minutes. That means the total number of tickets is decreased by that number. This is the reason many of you are seeing that there are no tickets available. Always remembering to empty your cart will ensure the maximum ammount of available tickets.

If you are still having problems purchasing tickets, you should do one or both of the following:

--- Send an email to tix@musictoday.com with the subject set as "BOWIE"
--- You can also call 1.434.244.7200. By either mean, MusicToday should be able to help you get you your tickets as we still have a good number available.

Just a reminder, if you have purchased more than 2 tickets, you'll only be charged and alloted for 2.

We hope this helps. Please bear with us.

Sincerely,
The BowieNet Staff

Meltdown Tickets On Sale Now!

No more three steps to heaven...(There are nine actually)

As promised in yesterday's news, tickets for David Bowie's ?THE NEW HEATHENS' NIGHT on 29th June at the Royal Festival Hall, are available for BowieNetters to purchase now, but please read these important details first, and follow each step as it appears. All is pretty obvious, but please note the detail in STEP 7.

STEP 1
Click on the image above to take you to the BowieNet Ticket Program page. Or go to http://www.davidbowie.com/members/ticketbooth/index.html

STEP 2
Scroll to the bottom of the page to the "Get Started HERE" section. Fill in your First Name, Last Name, BowieNet Username and BowieNet Password and click Submit. (This action will take you to a new window.)

STEP 3
Click on the show title on the left of the screen to place your order. (This action will take you to a new window.)

STEP 4
Select 1 or 2 tickets and type of ticket(s) you require, and click Continue. (This action will take you to a new window.)

(Please note, there is a convenience/booking fee of $7.50 per ticket, and that by default your tickets will be available at the Royal Festival Hall ticket office on the night via WillCall. For those that prefer, their tickets can be FedExed to their home address, there will be a charge of approximately $15.)

STEP 5
Your order number and seating positions will be displayed. Click Continue. (This action will take you to a new window.)

STEP 6
Your ticket details will be displayed. Once you are happy go to the bottom of the page and click Check Out. (This action will take you to a new window.)

STEP 7
Enter your billing information carefully. Please note that all information fields are required to be filled in. IMPORTANT: Because this form was designed for USA and Canadian sales, orders outside of those territories, (i.e. Europe and the rest of the world) should be filled in as the example below. Do not worry that you can not enter your own country etc...It will work if you fill in as below.

Click Continue. (This action will take you to a new window.)

STEP 8
Check your order information and enter your credit card details carefully (AMEX, VISA OR MC). Click on PROCESS BILLING & SHIPPING at the bottom right of the page, ONCE ONLY, to complete your order. This action will take you to a final confirmation window.

STEP 9
You will receive a confirmation e-mail to your BowieNet account that you must keep as proof of purchase when collecting your tickets at the venue. You will also need to take the credit card you ordered the tickets on.

Go order your tickets NOW, as due to the size of the venue there is obviously a limit to the amount of seats available exclusively to BowieNetters.

Remember tickets can also be ordered now from the Royal Festival Hall box office on 0207 960 4242 and over the counter at the venue.

Meltdown...the Full Details

"Roll up, roll up, Music, Films and Art this way."
Photograph taken by Frank W. Ockenfels III.

And I will sing, waiting for the gift of sound and vision...

BowieNet, In association with the Royal Festival Hall, is enormously proud to announce the full exciting line-up for DAVID BOWIE'S MELTDOWN 2002.

For the tenth annual Meltdown, David Bowie himself plays a very special concert, ?THE NEW HEATHENS' NIGHT on 29th June at the Royal Festival Hall, sharing the bill with the most wonderful, THE DANDY WARHOLS! The evening will be rounded off by a DJ set from BBC Radio 2's biggest Bowie fan, JONATHAN ROSS.

Tickets for all of the acts so far confirmed, go on sale tomorrow morning (Tuesday 23rd April) from 9:00am (GMT) by telephone from the Box office at 0207 960 4242 and at the same time over the counter at the Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, London SE1. There will be a maximum of 4 tickets per person per show except David Bowie and The Dandy Warhols which is 2 tickets per person.

An allocation of tickets has also been set aside exclusively for BowieNetters and these will be available online tomorrow morning from 9:00am (GMT), on a first-come-first-served basis, to people with a valid BowieNet account.

Come back here to the news page tomorrow at 9:00am (GMT) for an exclusive BowieNet link. Meanwhile, check out official press release release for a full run down of events confirmed so far for DAVID BOWIE'S MELTDOWN 2002.

Meltdown 2002 ? Line-up Confirmed So Far

DAVID BOWIE'S MELTDOWN 2002

June 2002
Royal Festival Hall, London
With most of the programme now confirmed, the Royal Festival Hall is thrilled to announce the much anticipated line-up for DAVID BOWIE'S MELTDOWN 2002, boasting some of his favourite artists in an irresistible month of music, film and visual arts.

For the tenth annual Meltdown, the festival director himself plays a very special concert, ?THE NEW HEATHENS' NIGHT on 29 June at the Royal Festival Hall, sharing the bill with one of the most exhilarating live rock bands, THE DANDY WARHOLS, followed by a DJ set from JONATHAN ROSS in the Ballroom.

Other concert highlights include GORILLAZ' SPACE MONKEYZ DUB SESSION, a special one-off Meltdown event which sees the rambunctious virtual band collaborating with the ex-Specials/Fun BoyThree vocalist TERRY HALL at the RFH on 21 June. The irascible GONZALES supports and prior to the show there's free entertainment in the Ballroom from Canada's LANGLEY SCHOOLS MUSIC PROJECT (REVISITED) and TERRY EDWARDS AND THE SCAPEGOATS, playing Bowie-dub, ska and rock-steady. Accepting Bowie's invitation the following night, pop giants COLDPLAY, with support from PETE YORN, bestow material from their forthcoming album, as do the darkly sensual SUEDE on 23 June, playing their first London show for three years. SUPERGRASS, proving that Britpop yielded a group of lasting appeal, also air new work at the RFH on 28 June, with support from the uniquely charming BOBBY CONN.

While the astonishing beauty of MERCURY REV is raising temperatures in the RFH on 27 June, next door BADLY DRAWN BOY will be giving a second consecutive, rare intimate show at the QEH. A couple of other bands also offer two bites each at the same venue a week earlier; new wave visionaries TELEVISION, certain to exhibit why many consider them the archetypal indie rock band on 19 and 20 June; and ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION, providing a live score to Mathieu Kassovitz' startling film-portrait of Parisian Youth, La Haine, on 21 and 22 June.

Debuting a new band, Neil Hannon's lush and elegant DIVINE COMEDY play 17 June, prior to which Finnish accordionist KIMMO POHJONEN plays the songs of David Bowie in the RFH Ballroom, as part of the BBC RADIO 3 FREE MELTDOWN STAGE (details of more events to be announced soon). The next night in the QEH, KIMMO POHJONEN'S KLUSTER creates extraordinary multidimensional sounds, sharing the bill with THE LONESOME ORGANIST (aka Jeremy Jacobson), the extraordinary one-man band whose consummate skill with his thrift-store assemblage of so many instruments, never ceases to astound audiences.

Another of Bowie's inspired double bills is the truly original US cult singer-songwriter DANIEL JOHNSTON, paired with THE LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY, from whom David Bowie borrowed the Stardust moniker for his own Ziggy creation, on 15 June in the QEH. The lyrically lush WATERBOYS go acoustic in the QEH on 16 June and master of satire HARRY HILL, honoured as the only non-musician in Bowie's live line-up, brings his hilarious observations to the South Bank on 17 June.

Throughout all of June, the National Film Theatre presents David Bowie's choice of the best of contemporary digital film-making. From Abbas Kiarastami?s ABC Africa (2001) to Agnes Varda?s The Gleaners and I (2000) by way of Michael Winterbottom?s 24 Hour Party People (2002) this is a programme which shows some of the dizzying potential offered by new digital technology.

Other highlights of the 14-film-survey include a special preview of Japanese animation Avalon (2000 dir. Oshii Mamoru), an astonishing live-action sci-fi fable; Tape (2001 dir. Richard Linklater), a searing account of the reunion of a drug-dealing fireman and a film-maker; and a quadruple-screen remix of Mike Figgis? Timecode (2000) in which four separate but interlinked stories unwind in parallel, one of the most exhilarating filmic experiments of recent times.

An exhibition is also staged as an integral part of DAVID BOWIE'S MELTDOWN 2002. The group of artists presented in Sound and Vision (Royal Festival Hall Level 2 Foyer, 10 ? 29 June) have been selected from Bowieart, Bowie's website that allows direct access to the talents of young artists, giving them the exposure they deserve at an important time in their careers. Current or recent graduates from top British colleges, all the artists raise questions of articulation without relying exclusively on the purely visual. Selected works are concerned with the intensities of musical or popular pleasures, employing contemporary culture as their language or sound as their source. Artists include Gaia Alessi and Richard Bradbury, kr buxey, Tsai-Wei Chen, Anthony Gross, Daniel Howard-Birt, Graham Hudson, Luke Oxley, Seb Patane, Giles Round and Mathew Sawyer.

Works in SOUND AND VISION range from reconfigured footage of hysterical female fans at Tom Jones concerts, a light piece that mischievously and critically re-works a Grandmaster Flash lyric, an orchestral war between two competing mixing decks and a living flowerbed that suspends an isolated declaration within its flora.

=========================================
Booking for David Bowie's Meltdown: Concerts
Concert Tickets on sale by telephone and over the counter from 9am, Tuesday 23 April.
Royal Festival Hall, South Bank SE1. Box office 0207 960 4242
Online from 10am Thursday 25 April
Maximum of 4 tickets per person per show except David Bowie / The Dandy Warhols which is 2 tickets per person.
ONE PURCHASE PER HOUSEHOLD PER SHOW
www.rfh.org.uk/meltdown

David Bowie?s Meltdown: Digital Cinema
General bookings from Friday 24 May 2002
National Film Theatre Box Office
020 7928 3232
www.bfi.org.uk/nft

Media Partners for DAVID BOWIE'S MELTDOWN 2002 are TIME OUT MAGAZINE and BBC RADIO 3

David Bowie's Meltdown: SOUND AND VISION EXHIBITION
Free Admission
Royal Festival Hall, Level 2 Foyer

DAVID BOWIE'S MELTDOWN 2002 LISTINGS INFORMATION
CONCERT PROGRAMME

15th June 8.00pm Queen Elizabeth Hall £15 / £12.50
Daniel Johnston / The Legendary Stardust Cowboy

16th June 7.30pm Queen Elizabeth Hall £16 / £14
The Waterboys Acoustic

17th June 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall £18.50 / £15
The Divine Comedy
Ballroom: Kimmo Pohjonen

17th June 7.45pm Queen Elizabeth Hall £17.50
Harry Hill

18th June 7.45pm Queen Elizabeth Hall £15 / £12.50
Kimmo Pohjonen 's Kluster / The Lonesome Organist

19th June 8pm and 20th June 8pm Queen Elizabeth Hall £20 / £17.50
Television

21st June 8pm Royal Festival Hall £20 / £17.50 / £15
Gorillaz' Space Monkeyz Dub Session with Terry Hall
Special Guest: Gonzales
Ballroom 5.30pm: The Langley Schools Music Project and Terry Edwards and The Scapegoats

21st June 7.30pm and 22nd June 7.30pm Queen Elizabeth Hall £17.50 / £15
Asian Dub Foundation live score to La Haine

22nd June 8pm Royal Festival Hall £18.50 / £15
Coldplay
Special Guest: Pete Yorn

23rd June 8pm Royal Festival Hall £18.50 / £15
Suede

26th June 7.30pm and 27th June 7.30pm Queen Elizabeth Hall £22.50 / £20/ £17.50
Badly Drawn Boy
Special Guest: Stew

27th June 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall £18 / £15
Mercury Rev

28th June 8pm Royal Festival Hall £18.50 / £15
Supergrass
Special Guest: Bobby Conn

29th June 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall £25 / £22.50
THE NEW HEATHEN'S NIGHT
David Bowie
The Dandy Warhols
Ballroom Floor: DJ Jonathan Ross

DAVID BOWIE'S MELTDOWN: DIGITAL CINEMA LISTINGS
Sat 1 June 4.00pm NFT2; Sun 2 June 6.15pm NFT2; Mon 3 June 8.40pm NFT2
ABC Africa
Iran-France 2001/Dir Abbas Kiarostami. 85 mins.
Kiarostami?s stunning tribute to women and children living with death, war and poverty in Uganda.
+ The Shop (La Boutique)
Africa: a man needs to buy condoms, but...
USA-France-UK 1997/Dir Idrissa Ouedraogo. 2 mins.

Sat 1 June 6.15pm NFT2; Wed 5 June 8.20pm NFT2
The Pillow Book
Netherlands-France-UK 1995/Dir Peter Greenaway. With Vivian Wu, Ewan McGregor. 126 mins.
Greenaway?s dense and lavish melodrama about passion, perversity and revenge.

Sat 1 June 8.45pm NFT2; Wed 5 June 6.20pm NFT2
The Blair Witch Project
US 1999/Dirs Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez. 81 mins. J-Cert 15
Genuinely scary digital video chiller about things in the woods that go bump in the night.

Sun 2 June 8.40pm NFT1; Mon 3 June 6.20pm NFT1; Tue 4 June 8.40pm NFT1; Thu 6 June 8.50pm NFT1
24 Hour Party People
UK 2002/Dir Michael Winterbottom. With Paddy Considine, Andy Serkis, Ralph Little. 117 mins.
Winterbottom?s lively recreation of the legendary lunacy and genius of Manchester?s music scene.

Mon 3 June 3.45 NFT1; Sat 8 June 6.15 NFT1; Tue 4 June 3.40 NFT2
The Lady and the Duke (L?Anglaise et le Duc)
France 2001/Dir Eric Rohmer. With Lucy Russell, Jean-Claude Dreyfus. 125 mins.
Rohmer?s innovative yet classically magnificent tale of heroism and fanaticism in Revolutionary Paris.

Fri 17 June 6.30pm NFT1; Sat 8 June 8.45 NFT1; Tue 11 June 6.30 NFT1; Wed 13 June 8.45 NFT2
Waking Life
US 2001/Dir Richard Linklater. 100 mins.
Linklater?s audacious and visually dazzling animated dreamworld, rotoscoped from ?reality?.

Fri 21 June 8.00pm NFT2; Sat 22 June 5.30 NFT1; Sun 23 June 5.20pm NFT2; Mon 24 June 8.45pm NFT1
Atarnajuat: The Fast Runner
Canada 2001/Dir Zacharias Kunuk. With Natar Ungalaq, Sylvia Ivalu. 167 mins. J-Cert 15
Kunuk?s magnificent Inuit epic tells a stirring story of passion, pursuit and revenge.

Sat 22 June 8.45 NFT1; Sun 23 June 8.30 NFT2; Tue 25 June 6.15 NFT1
Sex and Lucia (Lucia y el sexo)
Spain-France 2001/Dir Julio Medem. With Paz Vega, Tristan Ulloa. 128 mins.
Typically weird and wonderful erotic drama from virtuoso Spanish visionary Julio Medem.

Wed 26 June 6.30pm NFT1; Thu 27 June 6.30pm NFT1; Sat 29 June 8.40pm NFT2
The Book of Life
US 1998/Dir Hal Hartley. With Martin Donovan, PJ Harvey, Thomas Jay Ryan. 63 mins.
+ (n) eon
UK 2002/Dir Dave McKean. 28 mins.
Hartley?s wry, witty and painterly millennial update of the Second Coming.

Sat 29 June 4.00pm NFT2; Sun 30 June 6.20pm NFT2
The Gleaners and I (Les Glaneurs et la Glaneuse)
France 2000/Dir Agnes Varda. 77 mins.
Varda?s deliciously intelligent documentary about the ancient French art of foraging.

DAVID BOWIE'S MELTDOWN: SOUND AND VISION
Free Admission
Royal Festival Hall, Level 2 Foyer Artists/works
Gaia Alessi & Richard Bradbury, D.I.S.C.O.S, 2002, sound installation

kr buxey, Legion, 1999, three screen video installation

Tsai-Wei Chen, Cicada, 2000, video

Anthony Gross, Band of One, 2002 installation with animation, light box and music

Daniel Howard-Birt, Epiphany, 2002, floral carpet bedding

Graham Hudson, The War of Great War Themes, 2002, audio installation

Luke Oxley, White Lines, 2002, light work

Seb Patane, Drone, 2002, video installation

Giles Round, Hallucinating Love, 2002, two screen video installation

Mathew Sawyer, The Ghosts, 2002, audio tracks
------- You Spin Me Right Round Baby (Like a Record), 2002, tape work

The Museum Of Television & Radio Presents: David Bowie: Sound + Vision

June 7 to September 15, 2002 P> Screening Series to Feature:

-- Rarely seen performances, outtakes, documentaries, and interviews

-- More than fifty music videos, including "Life on Mars?," "Ashes to Ashes," "Let's Dance," "Jazzin' for Blue Jean," "Thursday's Child," and many more · Alan Yentob's classic BBC documentary Cracked Actor

-- Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY-The Museum of Television & Radio will present the first-ever retrospective devoted to the extraordinary career of David Bowie, June 7 through September 15, 2002. David Bowie: Sound + Vision also marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, the album that not only ushered in the glam era but also thrust its creator to superstardom. Culled from archives around the world, as well as Bowie's own personal library, this screening series will showcase the artist's pioneering work in the music video form along with rarely seen performances, outtakes, documentaries, and interviews. Organized chronologically and comprised of nearly one hundred elements, this five-part screening series traces the evolution of a rock icon who, over five decades, has continually reinvented himself and his art. David Bowie: Sound + Vision will screen in New York on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00 p.m.; in Los Angeles screenings will be Wednesdays to Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Evening screenings in New York are Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. and Fridays at 7:00 p.m., and in Los Angeles on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. An audio component will run concurrently in the Radio Listening Room in both cities.

The screening schedule follows:

PART ONE, 1964-74
June 7 to 23 in New York and Los Angeles

Bowie pulled together so many disparate elements in the conception and presentation of his pansexual "plastic rock 'n' roll singer" Ziggy Stardust that his arrival on the pop culture landscape was nothing short of seismic. Highlights include Ziggy's debut on The Old Grey Whistle Test; an early documentary look at Ziggymania; a series of promos filmed by Mick Rock and characterized by critic Lester Bangs as "the very moment the modern idea of a rock video was born"; and "The 1980 Floor Show," an extravagantly choreographed spectacle of rock theater staged for The Midnight Special. (approximately 100 minutes)

PART TWO, 1974-76
June 25 to July 14 in New York
June 26 to July 14 in Los Angeles

Embracing the R&B inflections of black music, Bowie positioned himself as a stripped-down soul man and finally cracked the American mainstream. Highlights include the astonishing documentary Cracked Actor, and Bowie's appearances on Cher and Dinah!. (approximately 100 minutes)

PART THREE, 1977-82
July 16 to August 4 in New York
July 17 to August 4 in Los Angeles

Bowie's experiments with collagist songwriting extended to video as well; his stunning disengagement of lyric from image in "Ashes to Ashes" established a vocabulary of surrealism enacted by countless followers. Highlights include videos from Low, "Heroes," Lodger, and Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps); Bowie's avant-garde performance on Saturday Night Live; and rarely seen concert footage from German and Japanese television. (approximately 100 minutes)

PART FOUR, 1983-90
August 6 to 25 in New York
August 7 to 25 in Los Angeles

With the 1983 release of Let's Dance and its new wave anthem title track, the subsequent world-encompassing Serious Moonlight tour, and a string of sleek and danceable video singles, Bowie set the pace for the MTV eighties. Highlights include videos from Let's Dance, Tonight, and Never Let Me Down; Richochet, a seldom-seen chronicle of Bowie on tour in southeast Asia; the long-form narrative video Jazzin' for Blue Jean; and rare performance footage of Bowie's alt-rock band Tin Machine. (approximately 100 minutes)

PART FIVE, 1991-2002
August 27 to September 15 in New York
August 28 to September 15 in Los Angeles

Bowie charged through the 1990s as a great influence on the rock scene whole breaking artistic and technological ground with BowieNet, the world's first artist-created web portal. Highlights include the controversial videos "Heart's Filthy Lesson" and "I'm Afraid of Americans"; the premiere of "Little Wonder" on VH1's Fashion Music Awards; studio footage from the Black Tie White Noise and hours... sessions; and exclusive BowieNet content. (approximately 100 minutes)

RADIO LISTENING SERIES
Hazy Cosmic Jive
June 7 to September 15

In this 1977 interview David Bowie, a notoriously evasive personality, is "ready to finally talk candidly," according to interviewer Dave Herman. The "real David Bowie" discusses his artistic principles and aspirations, his relationship to his unworldly characters, and his approach to rock 'n' roll as an expressive and transient medium. Interspersed with the dialogue are some of Bowie's best-loved songs from the 1970s: "Starman," "Changes," "Young Americans," "Rebel Rebel," "Fame," and others (102 minutes). Also featured in the listening series will be Bowie's private 1999 concert at the Kit Kat Klub, as well as a segment of BowieRadio from BowieNet. In this, David Bowie is the DJ, introducing and playing some of his favorite songs from his private collection. Screenings and listening series are included with suggested Museum admission: Members free; $6.00 for adults; $4.00 for senior citizens and students; and $3.00 for children under thirteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles.

The Museum of Television & Radio, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, is a nonprofit organization founded by William S. Paley to collect and preserve television and radio programs and advertisements, and to make them available to the public. From its inception in 1975, the Museum has organized exhibitions, screening and listening series, seminars, and education classes to showcase its collection of over 100,000 television and radio programs and advertisements. Programs in the Museum's permanent collection are selected for their artistic, cultural, and historic significance. The Museum has initiated a process to acquire Internet programming for the collection.

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The Museum of Television & Radio in California, located at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, is open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. and until 9:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The Museum of Television & Radio in New York, located at 25 West 52 Street in Manhattan, is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m., until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays, and Friday evenings until 9:00 p.m. (theaters only). Both Museums are closed on New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Suggested contribution: Members free; $6.00 for adults; $4.00 for senior citizens and students; and $3.00 for children under thirteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles. The public areas in both Museums are accessible to wheelchairs and assisted listening devices are available. Programs are subject to change. You may call the Museum in Los Angeles at (310) 786-1000 or in New York at (212) 621-6800. The Museum's World Wide Web site may be accessed at http://www.mtr.org.

Memories Of Ziggy Live, 30 Years Ago Today!

Detail from that week's full page 'Starman' ad in Melody Maker mentions the Free Trade Hall show.

We had such wishful beginnings...

After more than a month's break from live work, the 1972 tour of the UK reconvened on the 20th April at The Playhouse in Harlow. The next night, exactly thirty years ago today, and one week before the release of 'Starman', David Bowie and his band played the Manchester Free Trade Hall. The show was considered important enough by David's management to be plugged in the 'Starman' ad that had appeared in that week's music press. You can see the full advert, from which the above is taken, in last Sunday's news.

Although it's now referred to as the first Ziggy tour, the music for these shows was split pretty evenly between the more familiar 'Hunky Dory' and the as yet unreleased 'Ziggy Stardust'. In fact that same 'Starman' ad was still plugging 'Hunky Dory', as the release of 'Ziggy Stardust' was still almost seven weeks away. These songs were supplemented with a few from 'David Bowie', (later to be reissued as 'Space Oddity') 'The Man Who Sold The World' and a handful of cover versions.

Just eight bob, or 40 new pence to see an early Ziggy show!

Anyway, I've managed to track down two Bowie fans that were at that show in Manchester, and they've kindly agreed to share their reminiscences with us. The first comes from Mark Doyle, who also supplied the above ticket from the show:

"I saw David at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester in April '72. He began with Hang On & Ziggy and then explained to the audience that he'd spent the last week in rehearsals and that his vocal chords were sore. He could either play a short "hard" set or a longer "softer" set - which did we want?! We opted for the long set and he proceeded to play all of Ziggy, several of his back catalogue, plus White Light / White Heat & I Feel Free. Port of Amsterdam may also have been in there.

After about 90 minutes, the audience were ecstatic and David seemed pretty pleased with the reception too - enough to actually walk out onto the audience's hands at the front of the stage, and they did manage to keep him aloft (for a short while anyway!). Definitely one of the all time great gigs!"

The other contributor is one Tony Husband, who, like Mark Doyle, went on to see David again as Ziggy...but more of that at a later date. Here are his memories of David Bowie at the Manchester Free Trade Hall on Friday, April 21st, 1972:

"I'd been following Bowie for some time, I'd seen him doing his mime show with Tyrannosaurus Rex, seen him at Glastonbury and prevented a greaser throwing a bottle at him at a Humble Pie gig (got thumped for my efforts). Anyway, I'd got "The Man Who Sold the World" and was totally knocked out by it. Ronson's thrilling guitar, Visconti's doom-laden bass and some of the heaviest songs ever recorded, so when the tour was announced I was brimming.

On the day the tickets were released I went to the ticket office at the Lewis department store at the back of the lingerie department, an old guy showed me the seating plan of the Free Trade Hall and said "Take your pick, you're the first" (a moment I am still proud of). I had the entire hall to choose from and chose the circle front row, dead centre, a choice I was later to regret. I presumed it would be full so I would have the best view etc.

Come the night, it wasn't full, I'd say about 200 to 400 or so dripped into the 3000-seat Free Trade Hall. I can't remember who the support bands were but I remember the Spiders entrance, dressed in glitter suits, stack heels, fucking amazing. This was when I realised being in the circle was a shit place to be. Everyone rushed the stage and me and the handful of circlellites sat watching the spectacle unfold.

I can't remember what order the songs came in, or to be honest, what they were even, but I do remember a blistering gig. Bowie at his arrogant best, strutting the stage, Ronson darting around playing paint peeling guitar and the solid rhythm of Bolder and Woodmansey.

I remember Bowie crowd surfing, the small knot of fans carrying him over their heads. I remember him passing an acoustic guitar into the crowd and I'm thinking "what the fuck am I doing up here?" I remember Bowie stepping toward the microphone and it banging him in the mouth, through the show he kept feeling his tooth, strange what you remember.

I looked to the side and some of the Free Trade Hall management were looking at this band of freaks, they were smirking and laughing, three guys in suits had never seen the like, neither had we. It was truly an awesome gig.

When David got bigger I went to see The Spiders at the HardRock in Stretford with about 4000 others. I didn't like the fact I had to share him and the band with 4000 newcomers. I was at the Free Trade Hall with just 400 others months before, witnessing one of the all time great gigs by one of the all time great bands. I'm proud of that and it's burned into my memory forever."

Great stuff, thanx a lot Mark and Tony. We'll be sending you a little something for your troubles. Remember to send your memories of Ziggy live in '72 to me at TotalBlamBlam@DavidBowie.com with a subject line of "I remember Ziggy", and if we use it we'll send you something too. Here's an excerpt from an interview with David in 1997, regarding these early shows:

"Things moved quite fast in those days, but Ziggy was a case of small beginnings. I remember when we had no more than twenty or thirty fans at the most. They'd be down at the front and the rest of the audience was indifferent. And it feels so special, because you and the audience kid yourselves that you're in on this big secret. It's that English elitism and you feel kind of cool. It all gets so dissipated when you get bigger."

When I asked David about the walking out on the hands of the audience he remembered it slightly differently: "Nope. Not quite true. I was carried through the crowd on the kids' shoulders." Can you imagine that at this years BowieNet Roseland show? I think not, his arse would be pinched black and blue by you animals! };-)

Thanx again Mark and Tony, it's great for those of us that weren't at these shows to get a glimpse of that early madness. As you all know, things got much crazier and we'll hopefully be looking back again in the near future.

Best Bowie Tickets For Bowienetters

"Pssst....need tickets for the Bowie show ? Look no further my son!"
Detail from original photograph taken by Frank W. Ockenfels III.

Come on, come on, we've really got a good thing going...

With Meltdown looming large on the horizon, we are working on making sure that BowieNetters get the chance to purchase the best tickets available for David's performance.

We've been running our Meltdown Poll to get a rough idea of how many of you are likely to attend, and we'll keep the poll open through the weekend to hopefully get a more accurate picture. (If you haven't already, you can find the poll in the MUTATIONS box.)

We can't give too much away right now, suffice to say, there will be a very healthy percentage of tickets reserved for those BowieNetters that want to buy them. Keep watching this space, and be sure to check back for another announcement after the weekend.

Bowie Announces French Date

DB wears a suit by his favourite French designer, Agnes B,
while Frank Ockenfels took the rather stunning photograph.

The European cannon is here...Part 2

We can exclusively reveal full details of another European date in July. David Bowie will now be playing the Festival De Nimes in Nimes, France, on July 14th, which is Bastille Day in France. David's love of the country is well documented, and Paris itself will forever be in his heart, as it is the place he wooed his wife Iman:

"I proposed to Iman in Paris under the Pont Neuf. We were on a boat, alone apart from the chef and waiter. As we passed under the Pont Neuf, I went down on one knee and proposed."

Anywaaaaay...I digress, see the full press release below, with contact details, etc. This information will be posted in the member's area only for now, so as to give BowieNet members first go at getting tickets.

Total Blam Blam - (European Correspondent)

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DAVID BOWIE ANNOUNCES FRENCH LIVE DATE ON BASTILLE DAY

David Bowie has announced another in his ongoing series of live performances to tie in with the release of his new album ?Heathen? released on ISO/Columbia Records on June 10th.

Bowie will be playing the Festival De Nimes in Nimes, France on July 14th, which is Bastille Day in France.

This show is in addition to the previously announced shows in Norway, Denmark and Belgium. Prior to these shows Bowie will be appearing at the Meltdown Festival in London and is tipped to be taking part in Moby?s ?Area 2? tour of the US later on in the year. More shows in Europe and the US will be announced shortly.

Watch out for more dates to be added very soon.

The full details of the French show are;

FESTIVAL DE NIMES
LES ARENES DE NIMES (NIMES ARENAS)
JULY 14TH
Ticket price 40 Euros
On-line booking details 0892 683 622
Credit card bookings in France 0892 683 622 or
www.fnac.com or www.backstage.com.
Credit card bookings outside of France 00 33 1 42 31 32 28 or same internet addresses.