The solid book we wrote can now be found again...
There's not much you can say about this book without saying too much...But, if you know nothing at all of Nat Tate: American Artist, 1928-1960 by William Boyd, then check out our piece from February last year. (02.10.2010 NEWS: WILLIAM BOYD REMEMBERS NAT TATE IN THE GUARDIAN)
However, if you're the sort that likes surprises, then buy the just re-published
Then, once you've read Nat Tate's tragic story, check out aforementioned news item.
I wrote a song for you...
Very nice to see a double page spread in the May issue of
The feature itself takes the form of an interview with David on the subject of songwriting. Here's the standfirst: David Bowie, one of the most consistently great British songwriters of all time, explains his creative process, and tells us why time and place matter.
"Crikey!", I thought to myself, "Has Classic Rock managed to get an exclusive David Bowie interview?". But then my eye settled on the following credit: Words: Bill DeMain. It seemed a very familiar name and once I started reading, I seemed to recall the interview too.
The original interview appeared as part of a ten-page feature in the September/October 2003 edition of Performing Songwriter. As you can see from the cover below, marriage, music and art were among the topics originally covered in this interview.
In fact, if you'd rather read the full thing, as opposed to the Classic Rock edit, and you don't already have the magazine, it's still available from the
DAVID BOWIE ?GOLDEN YEARS? APP & E.P. RELEASES Following the huge success of the Station To Station Deluxe Box comes the Golden Years App & David Bowie vs KCRW Golden Years remix E.P. Unique Opportunity for Fans To Remix and share Their Own Version of ?Golden Years? with New iPhone Application
Following the release last year of the David Bowie ?Space Oddity? EP Application, on June 6th EMI will release the ?Golden Years? App, and Golden Years remix E.P. on CD, 12" & Digital Download. Ever keen to push the boundaries and pioneer technology, Fans can make their remixes, using eight stems (bounced down from the original 16 tracks), featuring Bowie?s lead vocal, 12-string guitar, bass, drums, guitar, harmonium, percussion (including blocks, congas, claps) and backing vocals. Additionally, they can SHAKE the player (see Notes to editors), which allows for random track selection and "shuffles" track mixes. History is made here for you to discover, remix, and enjoy with friends. The stems for this App were specifically created by ?Golden Years? and Station To Station's original producer Harry Maslin.
This is a revolutionary experience for music fans to recreate their own versions of one of popular music?s most iconic songs.
To coincide with the launch of the App, EMI will release a ?Golden Years? E.P. ? available on CD, 12" and digital download - featuring the original single version and four brand new remixes of the track created by DJ's Jeremy Sole, All four remixes can be streamed online now, exclusively at "Reinterpreting a timeless classic like 'Golden Years' certainly wasn't taken lightly by our DJs," said KCRW Music Director and DJ Jason Bentley. "It's an incredible honor and a massively intimidating challenge at the same time. It's important to note that two of our four featured DJs ? Eric J Lawrence and Chris Douridas - had no previous experience with remixing, yet they all brought a fresh perspective to the song and had fun doing it."? Click
?Golden Years?
FEATURES
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> Multitrack view of the original song
> Activate / deactivate stem tracks
> Change stem tracks volume
> Create and save your own mix
> Export your mix as an mp3
> "Shake to mix": launches a random mix every time you shake your iPhone
> Play/Pause/Repeat
> Share with friends
Based on iKlax technology www.iklax.com, "Remix David Bowie ?Golden years? invites you to the world of interactive listening.
By downloading the application, the user is considered to have agreed to the final user licence available on www.iklaxmedia.com.
**
All details will be on
Wish upon, wish upon, day upon day, I believe oh lord, I believe all the way...
I'm sure you all remember the Golden Years remixes created by Los Angeles public radio station, KCRW, that we told you about last year. (09.29.2010 NEWS: STATION TO RADIO STATION - KCRW REMIXES GOLDEN YEARS)
As you're no doubt also aware, the mixes have been available to stream since we posted that story, but now we can exclusively reveal that you can own them in the good old tactile CD and 12" vinyl formats, not to mention as digital downloads to boot.
The Golden Years David Bowie Vs KCRW EP will be released via EMI on June 6th and will also include the single version of Golden Years.
David Bowie vs KCRW Golden Years EP tracklistings
CD & Digital Download
1. Golden Years (Single Version) (2002 Digital Remaster)
2. Golden Years (Anthony Valadez KCRW Remix)
3. Golden Years (Eric J. Lawrence KCRW Remix)
4. Golden Years (Chris Douridas KCRW Remix)
5. Golden Years (Jeremy Sole KCRW Remix)
12"
Side 1
1. Golden Years (Single Version) (2002 Digital Remaster)
2. Golden Years (Anthony Valadez KCRW Remix)
3. Golden Years (Eric J. Lawrence KCRW Remix)
Side 2
1. Golden Years (Chris Douridas KCRW Remix)
2. Golden Years (Jeremy Sole KCRW Remix)
All four remixes can be streamed online now, exclusively at
Go
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I'm sure you also remember the wonderful Space Oddity iKlax application released back in July 2009. (07.08.2009 NEWS: 40TH ANNIVERSARY SPACE ODDITY EP AND REMIX FACILITY & 07.20.2009 NEWS: SPACE ODDITY 40TH ANNIVERSARY DIGI EP AND APP OUT NOW)
Well, now Golden Years is getting the same treatment. David has, once again, afforded his fans the unique opportunity to access original multi-tracks, allowing them to become remixer and create their own version of Golden Years, only this time they?ll also be able to share their remixes with friends.
Fans can make their remixes, using eight stems (bounced down from the original 16 tracks), featuring Bowie?s lead vocal, 12-string guitar, bass, drums, guitar, harmonium, percussion (including blocks, congas, claps) and backing vocals.
Additionally, they can SHAKE the player which allows for random track selection and "shuffles" track mixes. These stems were specifically created by Station To Station's original producer, Harry Maslin.
Also due on June 6th, the Golden Years App has the following features...
~ Multitrack view of the original song
~ Activate / deactivate stem tracks
~ Change stem tracks volume
~ Create and save your own mix
~ Export your mix as an mp3
~ "Shake to mix": launches a random mix every time you shake your iPhone
~ Play/Pause/Repeat
~ Share with friends
You can find out more about both the Golden Years App and the EP under today's date in the Press Release section above.
Stay tuned for updates including a walk-through video of the Golden Years App.
And I looked and frowned and the monster was me...
I'm sure those of you looking forward to the release, finally, of TMWFTE on R2 BD are getting a bit revved ahead of Monday's release. (03.07.2011 NEWS: TMWFTE REGION 2 BLU-RAY PUT BACK TO APRIL)
Released via Optimum, the company has come up with a cool dealer incentive promotional pack which lets the wearer look just like David Bowie's alien character in the film...kind of.
A video wholesaler friend of mine has been in touch with details and has kindly supplied a scan of the sticker on the box the set comes in...
However, due to the individual pieces not being tailor-made to fit each recipient of the set, he has come to the conclusion that it must have been based on David Bowie's original dimensions.
He can't get on the skull wig, which apparently covers the ears too, and he has already split one of the false finger tips trying to get those on.
The 'contact lenses' are actually thin transparent stickers that go over the closed eye-lids. These were the most successful part of the kit for him, but he reckons they wouldn't bear repeated use.
Though I have begged him for a photo wearing the items, he said he will wait till he can get a picture of his wife wearing them instead as she is fairly petite and more likely to get the stuff on.
I've yet to see a set on eBay and I'm guessing the kit must have been made in very small quantities. However, if you have a spare, please get in touch as I would pay good money for this...and mine would stay in the box!
Come back on Sunday for your chance to win one of five TMWFTE R2 Blu-ray discs courtesy of Optimum.
Re-exploding you...
I caught the Duncan Jones Source Code preview / MOON double bill at the PCC in London during the week and I have to say that, like MOON, there's really not much you can say about Source Code without giving things away.
Anyway, the film is released in the US and the UK today (and Russia yesterday) so if you're in any of those places, you can go check it out for yourselves now. Here are a few more in-theatre dates courtesy of
31 March ? Russia
1 April 2011 ? UK & USA
7 April 2011 ? Czech Republic
8 April 2011 ? Estonia & Turkey
20 April 2011 ? France & Spain
21 April 2011 - Hungary & Malaysia & Singapore
29 April 2011 ? Norway
5 May 2011 ? Australia
13 May 2011 ? Finland
2 June 2011 ? Germany
9 June 2011 ? Netherlands
When you do see the film look out for those DJ clever touches including a cool nod in the direction of MOON.
STOP PRESS: Had a communication from the Jones' camp and have been given permission to announce an upcoming limited edition DVD release of the stop/start animation shorts that the young Duncan made with his father.
Entitled CONtenders Volume 2, the DVD will only be available in an edition of 2001 copies by mail order from
Yeah, yeah, yeah - up the hill backwards, It'll be alright ooo-ooo...
Friday March 20th saw the release in the UK of the fourth A-side from the #1 album, Scary Monsters... And Super Creeps.
Up The Hill Backwards was released as both a picture sleeve 7" 45 and also in the relatively new cassette single format, just as the previous single, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), had been at the start of the same year. (
Despite the lure of the previously unavailable in the UK B-side, Crystal Japan, Up The Hill Backwards only reached #32 on the UK singles chart. Nevertheless, fans who couldn't afford the expensive Japanese import, (
Young Americans were treated to a 12" 45 only release of the same coupling, with the added bonus of a 12"x12" set of all of the stamps that had been previously released as four different sheets with the Ashes To Ashes single in the UK. You can read more on that here:
Up The Hill Backwards was also released with the same cover as the UK in Canada, Germany, Portugal and Spain, depicting an illustration by Andrew Christian of a Japanese worker wearing a surgical face mask, as worn by many Japanese as they go about their daily business.
While it's usual to expect diminished sales as each single is taken from an album, and, as much as I personally love the song, Up The Hill Backwards was a strange and brave single release. With it's stuttering rhythms and brilliant lead guitar outbursts from Robert Fripp, there was also no lead solo vocal from David. Instead a combined vocal from David, Lynn Maitland and Tony Visconti was used and the whole thing may have proved just a little too bizarre for the public at large.
Either way, David liked the song enough to feature it as part of the introduction sequence during the 1987 Glass Spider World Tour.
FOOTNOTE: The "I'm OK, You're so so" line in the song was borrowed and tweaked from the title of the Thomas A. Harris best-selling self-help book illustrated in the montage above.
Insanity laughs, under pressure we're breaking...
The two Queen and David Bowie Under Pressure videos are now available to purchase via iTunes.
You probably remember that the original video that accompanied the 1981 single release doesn't actually feature David Bowie or Queen, but instead utilises various poignant film clips to illustrate the ideas of lost hope and the power of love suggested by the lyric. The top part of the above montage is a grab from that video.
The second video was created to accompany the 1999 Rah Mix single release of the track. This video cleverly cobbled together live footage of Freddie with footage of David from the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert, to give an almost convincing impression that the two were singing the song live together. In actual fact they never did. The bottom part of the above montage is taken from the Rah Mix video.
I should point out that anything suggested by the above montage was utterly accidental. As amusing as some may find it, I didn't intend any offence...I'm not even smart enough to have thought of it!
Loving The Alien...
The first half of 1976 was a great time for Bowie fans, a new album, world tour and the appearance of David in his first major role as T J Newton in the full length feature, The Man Who Fell To Earth.
The film premiered at the Leicester Square Theatre in London on March 18th 1976 to a mixture of invited guests, in the circle, and paying public, in the stalls.
Though attended by various celebrities, including co-stars Candy Clark and Rip Torn, David was unable to make the premiere due to touring commitments.
Above is a card apparently taken from the foyer display at the theatre and an unused ticket from the night...albeit a lowly stalls ticket.
Don't forget the two remaining screenings of
New York's a no go...
I guess any David Bowie release has always been big news and this particular one has certainly been widely-reported.
One of the first to announce the forthcoming arrival of the David Bowie Birthday Celebration - Live In NYC - 1997, DVD and CD, was NME online. However, they removed the piece as quickly as they put it up once they learned it was not legit.
I wouldn't normally give these things publicity, but this release is still being generally reported as though it were official.
It seems the people behind this are the same as those that produced the Glass Spider CD and vinyl. We can't stop you buying these things, but you should be aware that they are nothing more than bootlegs and not even 'semi-legal', as they are sometimes described.
Aside from the initial broadcasts, the only official release from the January 9th 1997 David Bowie Birthday Celebration at New York's Madison Square Garden was two tracks, Little Wonder and The Hearts Filthy Lesson, which appeared on the Earthling In The City CD, (see above) given away with the November 1997 edition of the American GQ magazine.
Oh, show us the way to the next whiskey bar...
Thanx to BowieNetter jungtheforeman for the heads up on this one, it's pretty cool. You can find out everything you want to know about it and apply for tickets by clicking on the animation above.
However, here's the blurb in case you're not feeling energetic enough to go all the way over to the
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SHARLEEN SPITERI AND FRIENDS HONOUR DAVID BOWIE AT THE ABC2
The JD Set returns to Glasgow at the O2 ABC2 where Scotland's very own Sharleen Spiteri and a host of friends will pay tribute to one of music's most enduring songwriters on Wednesday 20th April, 2011. Taking songs from 'Hunky Dory' alongside other classics from David Bowie, Sharleen will be joined by Ian McCulloch, Kate Nash, Steve Mason, Kid Adrift, the hotly tipped Ramona and other special guests. With so many great tunes to choose from there are sure to be debates about what Sharleen's supergroup should play.
Sharleen said of this unique and very special night:
"There are few artists that have repeatedly changed the musical landscape but David Bowie is one of them. 'Hunky Dory' was really where the Bowie story begins, where he started to become the global artist that we know today. Aside from the incredible singles in 'Changes' and 'Life On Mars' the album boasts 'Oh You Pretty Things' and 'Kooks' although every track is a classic in its own right. This is the album that led to 'Ziggy Stardust' and 'Aladdin Sane', that set the tone for glam rock and kick-started a musical revolution that dominated music for most of the 70's. I am looking forward to working with our special guests in reinterpreting some of the greatest songs ever written for this year's JD Set in Glasgow."
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The debate regarding "what Sharleen's supergroup should play" has kind of been curtailed by the reproduction of the setlist in a photo gallery from rehearsals on the Not sure who is doing what on the night, but my money is on Ian McCulloch performing The Prettiest Star seeing as he has already committed that particular song to disc.
Here's the list for those of you that can't make out the scrawl above...
Ziggy Stardust I'm hoping I've read The Laughing Gnome wrong and that it's actually Kingdom Come or something, but seeing as it looks like the start of McCulloch's set he's probably mischievous enough to do it.
Rock 'N' Roll Suicide
Changes
Golden Years
The Laughing Gnome
The Prettiest Star
Andy Warhol
Oh! You Pretty Things
Life On Mars?
Queen Bitch
Rebel Rebel
Kooks
I'm Afraid Of Americans
Ashes To Ashes
Always Crashing In The Same Car
Drive-in Saturday
Oh Lord, Justin, let him see me...
You're all more than familiar with one of photographer
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The Bowie portrait was taken from a session in Paris at a photographic studio close to the recording studio that David Bowie was using to record his ?Pin Ups? album. I had gone to Paris specifically to photograph Twiggy & Bowie together for Vogue as the first picture of a man and woman featured on the cover.
David loved the picture so much, he asked if it could be used as his next album cover. I asked him how many albums did he think he?d sell? ?At least a million? was the reply. Well, I knew that Vogue would shift at the most 80,000 copies, which would be on the stands for only a month.
It was an easy decision to make: Vogue was furious, but I?d always retained copyright of my own pictures!
A month or so later I was driving along the ?Sunset Strip? in Los Angeles when to my amazement I spotted a 60ft hoarding displaying my photograph as the cover of ?Pin Ups?. (See above) It was worth the fall out with Vogue.
A few people have wondered why I had a make-up artist paint masks on Bowie & Twig?s faces. The reason was that Twiggy and myself had just returned from a tropical island and were as brown as berries. Bowie was his usual Thin White Duke pale as a sheet. The masks balanced the obvious skin colour clash whilst remaining enigmatically strange.
Over the years, many people have assumed that it was Angie, David?s lunatic wife at the time, on the cover with Mr Bowie when it was in fact M?selle Twiggy!
Incidentally, the first Vogue cover portraying a man and a woman (they obviously liked my idea) was published a few months later with Ryan O?Neal and Marisa Berenson!
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Other versions of this story suggest that the Vogue editorial team were actually getting cold feet about using the shot and while they dithered David suggested using it for the album cover...either way, the result was the same.
Check out Justin's site if you're interested in buying a print entitled
The Fashion and Textile Museum
Exhibition Dates: 18 March - 25 April 2011
Opening hours and bookingEntrance to this exhibition is on selected days only.Please call the FTM on 020 7407 8664 for dates and booking.
You're face to face, with the The Man Who Fell To Earth's director...
The BFI in London salutes the work of Nicolas Roeg this month with an exhaustive
The first of these takes place this Sunday (13th) with two further showings on the 22nd and 23rd.
Sadly, it seems the NFT may have underestimated the popularity of this film as it's being shown in the rather intimate confines of screen 3.
This means that the screening on Tuesday March 22nd, which is being introduced by screenwriter Paul Mayersberg, pretty much sold out the moment it went on sale.
However, without wishing to gloat, if you managed to get a ticket, I'll see you there.
The director himself has just given an interview to The Guardian, and though there's little Bowie content in the piece, there is a cracking shot taken on set of Bowie and Roeg.
You can read the interview online
Finally, Nicolas Roeg himself will be appearing at the
I've got Friday on my mind...
This won't be news to any of you that have taken our repeated advice and kept an eye on
But for those of you that didn't know, Duncan Jones' second major feature,
This is ahead of the general release on April 1st, though if you're in the US there are six private Unkle Rupert over at manmademovies also tells us that Duncan and his good lady, Rodene, are keeping a journal of the promotional tour. Judging by the picture of them above though, it doesn't look like they're having very much fun at all.
Check out the Source Code crazy press tour blog
Tate Modern Love, gets me to the Turbine Hall on time...
Well that's the Tate Modern update for
Though part one (08.24.2010 NEWS: CLARK USING BOWIE TUNE FOR MASS DANCE AT TATE MODERN) did use a Bowie tune, It's No Game (Part 1) in fact, it's not known what the content might be for the final piece in June...though I guess It's No Game (Part 2) would be the logical choice. In other words, don't expect that!
Meanwhile, the quite brilliant come, been and gone is scheduled for five more European dates in April...
And there are more performance dates to be announced soon, according to the
Not only is it the last show of the tour, but it's the last show that we'll ever do...
Aside from the rubbing-your-nose-in-it nature of this feature in the current
Perhaps a little predictably though, Ziggy's last stand at Hammersmith Odeon on July 3rd 1973 is the Bowie show the magazine has chosen for this list. Here's the entry...
The thing is, I can probably think of 100 Bowie shows alone that I wish I had been at...but what to do? You're born when you're born, kidz.
It will tumble from the sky...
The above The Man Who Fell To Earth Region 2 BD that we told you about last year, (12.02.2010 NEWS: TMWFTE DUE ON REGION 2 BLU-RAY NEXT YEAR) was originally due for release about now.
However, this long-awaited Optimum Classic release has now been put back a month to April 4th.
I'm fairly sure this version contains pretty much the same content as its Criterion counterpart, (08.22.2008 NEWS: CRITERION TMWFTE BLU RAY RELEASE DETAILS) but I'll let you know for certain once I've viewed the check disc.
Meanwhile, if you're pre-ordering, be careful not to accidentally select this The Man Who Fell To Earth DVD pictured below...
I guess this title stems from back in the day when it was suggested on more than one occasion that both David Bowie and Brian Eno were visitors from another planet! It didn't seem an unreasonable notion at the time. The 70s, eh? I guess you had to be there.
Anyway, I'll give this DVD the benefit of the doubt for now, but don't blame me if you order it and it ends up being one of those shoddy cut and paste jobs like so many of the unofficial Bowie DVDs that litter the marketplace.
Feeling like lost little children...
Mick Rock has generously donated a limited edition issue of the above previously-unpublished live shot of David Bowie on stage in 1973 to the Mario Batali Foundation.
The MBF's mission is to ensure children are well read, well fed and well cared for through support of children's literacy and education programs, nutrition education and paediatric disease research.
The print is available via an
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Be the first to own this photo of David Bowie by legendary photographer Mick Rock!
The rare and gorgeous black & white photo has never before been seen or printed, and is being auctioned here exclusively to benefit the Mario Batali Foundation. The 11x14 photo shows Bowie playing acoustic guitar onstage in 1973.
The photo was printed in an edition of 90, with each individually hand-signed and numbered by photographer Mick Rock accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. The photos will be given out in the order they are purchased (i.e. first person to purchase receives 1/90, second receives 2/90, etc.).
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Go
It's happening now...
I'm sure a fair few of you have already spotted the
Considering the amount of incredible David Bowie pictures Masayoshi Sukita has taken since their first session together in July 1972, (a picture from which was utilised for the JIOD press advert I used in the signed calendar contest a few days back) it's incredible that so few of them made it out to the public before the 1990 Ryko Sound + Vision reissue programme and attendant tour.
Of course, we had been given tantalising glimpses via various publications, including official tour programmes, fan club material and record sleeves.
However, a fully-dedicated work for the photographer's Bowie pictures wasn't released until 1992, when it finally arrived in the shape of the relatively hard to find Japan only release, Ki - Spiritual Force, (pictured below) a beautiful 140-page hardback published by Tokyo FM Books.
Then a few years back we were teased again by the appearance of a registration flyer from Genesis Publications, see below. This hinted at great things to come, but then it all went quiet again.
Now it's back on again and if you liked Ki, I can tell you that the upcoming Genesis volume takes things to a whole different level...as you would expect from the company who brought us both
Currently using the working title of Speed Of Life (which could yet change) the book will hopefully be available in time for Christmas. Speed Of Life will be a limited edition run of 2,000 copies worldwide, each signed by David Bowie and Masayoshi Sukita.
The book will include written contributions from David to accompany Sukita's incredible archive, which boasts many previously unpublished shots from that first encounter right up to the 2002 session from where the mono picture in the montage at the top of this piece was taken.
Stay tuned for more exclusive teasers and a timeline of Sukita's Bowie sessions to clear up the confusion surrounding some of them.
It's hard enough to keep formation, mid this Fall Out Boy saturation...
Among the things Patrick loves is his very favourite album, David Bowie's 1977 classic, Low. Here's what he had to say about the groundbreaking masterpiece...
"David Bowie's Low is everything I want out of a record: It's catchy pop; it's disturbing and violent sexuality; it's kind of funk music; it's a confounding post-Fluxus movement drug opus; it's absolutely high art and low art getting caught in bed together."
Patrick's debut solo release, the six-track Truant Wave EP, is available online now.