Bowie and band muck about a bit on the song Changes during rehearsals for a 1976 show in Vancouver.
Friday, 30 May 2008
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Battle
Okay, so this idea didn't totally work, mainly because there really isn't enough going on in Bowieworld, and I got bored of writing pretty trite stuff. So I'm going to give it another go, but this time I'm just going to post a bunch of cool Bowie stuff for no other reason than it's cool. That okay with everyone?
Fine. Here's some very shaky footage of the holy one performing Battle for Britain (The Letter), and clearly enjoying himself immensely, at the Olympia in Dublin in 1997.
Fine. Here's some very shaky footage of the holy one performing Battle for Britain (The Letter), and clearly enjoying himself immensely, at the Olympia in Dublin in 1997.
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
Bowie Film 101
The latest program at the College of Art in Memphis, Tennessee, commenced today taught by John Michael McCarthy. The six week course, titled "The Film Class That Fell To Earth," was inspired by a visit to the college by David Bowie 35 years ago in February 1973.
The night before, Bowie had played at the city's Ellis Auditorium on the Ziggy Stardust tour, playing two sold out shows at 7 and 10 pm. The next day he toured the college at the invite of teacher Dolph Smith. Accompanied by Mick Ronson, Woody Woodmansey and rock photographer and Andy Warhol cohort Cherry Vanilla, who was working as his publicist at the time, Bowie spent a couple of hours looking around the campus. McCarthy saw a photo of the visit, taken by Vanilla, when he was a student at the college in the eighties, and was inspired by it to start the course.
This being Memphis, he was particularly taken by the idea of basing the course around Bowie because of parallels he saw with the city's most famous former resident, Elvis Presley. Bowie and Presley share a birthday, January 8th, and both recorded for RCA. Other connections include the fact that Elvis began his concerts with the Strauss music from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and that he felt that the glam rock movement that Bowie spearheaded in the seventies was very much inspired by the flashy stage outfits Elvis was using at the time.
Students on the course will learn to make a short, 15 minute rock and roll film using Bowie as a metaphor. McCarthy said "in a figurative sense, I want the students to cut their hair and dye it orange." At the conclusion of the course, the films will all be aired at a public showing.
Here's the man himself on that famous 1973 tour.
The night before, Bowie had played at the city's Ellis Auditorium on the Ziggy Stardust tour, playing two sold out shows at 7 and 10 pm. The next day he toured the college at the invite of teacher Dolph Smith. Accompanied by Mick Ronson, Woody Woodmansey and rock photographer and Andy Warhol cohort Cherry Vanilla, who was working as his publicist at the time, Bowie spent a couple of hours looking around the campus. McCarthy saw a photo of the visit, taken by Vanilla, when he was a student at the college in the eighties, and was inspired by it to start the course.
This being Memphis, he was particularly taken by the idea of basing the course around Bowie because of parallels he saw with the city's most famous former resident, Elvis Presley. Bowie and Presley share a birthday, January 8th, and both recorded for RCA. Other connections include the fact that Elvis began his concerts with the Strauss music from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and that he felt that the glam rock movement that Bowie spearheaded in the seventies was very much inspired by the flashy stage outfits Elvis was using at the time.
Students on the course will learn to make a short, 15 minute rock and roll film using Bowie as a metaphor. McCarthy said "in a figurative sense, I want the students to cut their hair and dye it orange." At the conclusion of the course, the films will all be aired at a public showing.
Here's the man himself on that famous 1973 tour.
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Ground Control to Major Sam?
At the risk of turning into a "movie news" site, we have more... well... movie news today.
"Moon" is a new project in production, the first full length movie from director Duncan Jones, better known for directing advertisments, particularly a well recieved French Connection campaign, and music videos. The film is set to star Sam Rockwell as an astronaut who becomes stranded on the moon and has to survive there for three years before a rescue can be attempted.
Of course, readers to this site are interested in this because Duncan Jones is more familiar to them under another name, his full name being Duncan Zowie Heywood Jones, or Zowie Bowie as he is better remembered. Bowie's son by first wife Angie, he is also of course the subject of the song Kooks on the Hunky Dory album.
The script is by Nathan Parker, and doesn't the plot sound a bit like it might have been inspired by this?
"Moon" is a new project in production, the first full length movie from director Duncan Jones, better known for directing advertisments, particularly a well recieved French Connection campaign, and music videos. The film is set to star Sam Rockwell as an astronaut who becomes stranded on the moon and has to survive there for three years before a rescue can be attempted.
Of course, readers to this site are interested in this because Duncan Jones is more familiar to them under another name, his full name being Duncan Zowie Heywood Jones, or Zowie Bowie as he is better remembered. Bowie's son by first wife Angie, he is also of course the subject of the song Kooks on the Hunky Dory album.
The script is by Nathan Parker, and doesn't the plot sound a bit like it might have been inspired by this?
Monday, 4 February 2008
Back to High School?
As Bowie's new film debuts at Sundance, Variety is reporting that he is in talks to take on his next movie project. And one can only hope it is a better move than it sounds.
Will is a musical comedy/drama very much in the style (and possibly image) of the excrable High School Musical series of films, and even starring one of it's leading actresses, Vanessa Hudgens. The movie will be directed by Todd Graff and revolves around a group of high school misfits who decide to form a musical group to perform in a Battle of the Bands competition. Aside from Mr Bowie, the only good news here is that the mother of one of the girls will be played by the wonderful Lisa Kudrow.
No news is forthcoming on what role the the great man might play in the film, but one can only hope it isn't too cringeworthy. In the meantime, I really should be posting up an image or a video that relates to this story in some way or other. But I just can't bring myself to do it. So instead, here he is performing Heroes on the 1977 Bing Crosby Special.
Will is a musical comedy/drama very much in the style (and possibly image) of the excrable High School Musical series of films, and even starring one of it's leading actresses, Vanessa Hudgens. The movie will be directed by Todd Graff and revolves around a group of high school misfits who decide to form a musical group to perform in a Battle of the Bands competition. Aside from Mr Bowie, the only good news here is that the mother of one of the girls will be played by the wonderful Lisa Kudrow.
No news is forthcoming on what role the the great man might play in the film, but one can only hope it isn't too cringeworthy. In the meantime, I really should be posting up an image or a video that relates to this story in some way or other. But I just can't bring myself to do it. So instead, here he is performing Heroes on the 1977 Bing Crosby Special.
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Helping A Country Decide
Not much news on the Bowie front right now. But nobody keeping an eye on the newspapers could fail to be assailed with news of the US Presidential primaries.
Who to pick, that's the question? Barack or Hillary? McCain or Huckerbee? It's all so confusing. But not to worry, because David is on hand to help you decide. Watch the video, and all will soon be clear.
Who to pick, that's the question? Barack or Hillary? McCain or Huckerbee? It's all so confusing. But not to worry, because David is on hand to help you decide. Watch the video, and all will soon be clear.
Monday, 14 January 2008
China Girl Has Stars In Her Eyes
The hit BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing has been exported all around the world, with many English speaking countries choosing to name the program Dancing With The Stars. New Zealand is the lastest to succumb to the charm of watching professional dancers team up with named celebrities. And going into its second series, among the contestants who will be taking part in the Kiwi version of the show is former model Geeling Ng
Ms Ng has, of late, mainly been busying herself growing orchids and running a successful restaurant, as well as presenting a cooking segment on the Asia Down Under television show. But as well as modelling she also, in former years, made a name for herself as an actress, doing bits of TV work and appearing in the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
But of course, what she is best known for, is her appearance in the controvertial Bowie video for the song China Girl.
The series will be showing from late February on the TV One channel.
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