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)