Letter #1
A bit old at this stage, but here's the first newsletter sent out
several weeks ago. Second one coming later today I hope.
Welcome to the first newsletter. This first edition is a lot longer
than I expect forthcoming editions will be, as I'll run through the
main stories floating around in the Bowie world.
The structure I'm going to follow is to split this up into different
sections:
- Major News In Brief (a short one or two sentence summary of the main
stories)
- Music News (more detail related to any forthcoming releases)
- Film News (more detail related to any Bowie film news)
- Concert News
- Other News
- Chart news (latest Bowie-related charts courtesy of Dara O'Kearney)
- End Credits
MAJOR NEWS
- Bowie's next release will be a live album from the Earthling tour.
This will feature at least one new track, "Fun". No release date has
been set yet but according to BMG, it won't be until after the World
Cup (CD sales always plummet in Europe during the World Cup).
- *Scoop* August release scheduled for "Sun Machine", a single by
Dario G. featuring David Bowie
- Bowie is currently in Italy shooting his part in a spaghetti western
starring Harvey Keitel
- Rumoured New York concert very unlikely to take place
MUSIC NEWS
- MTV in the US report that Bowie has recorded a new song, called
"Fun", which will appear together with two remixes by Danny Saber and
Dillinja on the live Earthling tour
album (which is now supposedly due in September/October). The official
word of the next studio album is "Spring, 1999". Dara points out that
Bowie has released at least one new studio album every odd-numbered
year since 1987, but hasn't released a new studio album in any
even-numbered year since 1986.
- WEA have confirmed that the next release from Dario G will be a
track called "Sun Machine" and will "feature David Bowie". For the
"Who the fuck is Dario G when he's at home?" among you, Dario G is
perhaps the hottest commercial dance act in Europe at the moment.
Their single "Sunchyme" (which heavily sampled Dream Academy's 1985
minor hit single, "Life In A Northern Town") was the second biggest
selling dance single in Europe last year. The current single,
"Carnival de Paris", is the official World Cup song and already a
large hit across Europe.
Dario G approached Bowie with a view to sampling "The sun machine is
coming down" from "Memory Of A Free Festival" and Bowie not only
agreed but sent them the original masters. They also approached Tony
Visconti to play flute on the track and he agreed.
No definite release date has been set yet, but WEA are expecting to
release the single in August once World Cup fever has died down.
- Atlanta 99X's radio release includes an acoustic version of "Dead
Man Walking". Bowie also designed the album sleeve. The release is
only available through Blockbuster stores in Atlanta, USA.
- Rumours going around the Nine Inch Nails web sites and mailing lists
report that both Bowie and Mike Garson have been involved in the
recording of the next NIN album, which is supposedly composed of
primarily instrumental tracks.
- It was reported on the Jo Whiley show in the UK that Bowie is
collaborating with Christopher Lee. This might be part of an ongoing
"Duets" album Bowie is reportedly recording (Siouxsie Sioux fan sites
reported last year that Bowie had recorded a duet with her, and
there's also speculation of a new duet with Iggy Pop). We'll have to
wait and see.
- Rare Bowie BBC sessions may soon be broadcast.
"The BBC plans to tap its archives of rock'n'roll bands and put them
back on air, reports Carol Midgley. SOME of Britain's oldest rock and
pop stars are likely to benefit from the newest opening in radio as
digital technology expands the market. A BBC music archive channel
will play continuous concerts, interviews and session tracks, some
dating back more than 30 years. It is expected to spark a resurgence
in artists' album sales - not to mention paying them handsome
royalties. Bands such as Led Zeppelin and The Who, which do not get
the airtime they once enjoyed from the revamped Radio 1, will suddenly
have a 24-hour platform. The BBC has a plentifully stocked library of
one-off recordings, studio sessions and interviews by some of the
world's leading artists. However, there is rarely an opportunity to
air them. The material includes unique session tracks by the Rolling
Stones, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie and Elvis Costello.
There are also archive concert recordings from artists including REM,
Bruce
Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams and Stevie Wonder.
Matthew Bannister, the BBC's Director of Radio, said the corporation
had 1,200 hours of pop concerts in its archives. It also has 16,000
interviews with artists, 26,000 session tracks and 1,500 hours of
documentaries chronicling the development of pop music in
Britain.
"If we played our archive non-stop it would take two years to hear it
all. And we are constantly replenishing it for the future." Mr
Bannister said that negotiations would have to be held with artists
for broadcasting rights. "Of course there are complex rights issues
involved in securing permission to rebroadcast these priceless gems,"
he added.
"We intend to open negotiations with artists, management, copyright
holders and record companies to enable the public to access the riches
in our vaults on digital radio." Rock of ages resurrected by digital
revolution (Times of London; 03/28/98)"
FILM NEWS
- 'MY WEST'... BOWIE v KEITEL
Shooting began earlier this month in Garfagnana, Tuscany, Italy on MY
WEST (Il Mio West), a $10 million Western movie directed by Giovanni
Pieraccioni and starring Bowie, Harvey Keitel, Sandrine Holt ("Rapa
Nui") and Italian box office sensation Leonardo Pieraccioni (whose
last film grossed over $30 million in Italy alone).
Shot mostly in English, it is set in the fictitious town of Basinfield
in America's Old West and is best described as an allegorical
spaghetti western with comic overtones.
David is cast as 'Jack Sicora', a ruthless pistolero bent on
eliminating Keitel and claiming the title of fastest gun in the West.
Pieraccioni plays the town's pacifist medic, who's married to a Native
American woman played by Holt. Keitel plays the doctor's father, a
gunslinger returning for a conflict-ridden reunion after a twenty year
absence. Seventy members of the Blackfoot tribe also are being flown
in
from Canada for the shoot.
Based on Vincenzo Pardini's novel "Jodo Cartamigli" shooting will
continue through to July 26. The movie is slated for a Christmas
release in Italy.
Bowie is currently in Italy shooting the film.
- EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE
This film was shot earlier this year in the Isle of Man. A low budget
crime film, practically everybody involved in the film (apart from
Bowie) is a first-timer, including the other main star (Goldie), the
director (Andrew Goth) and the production company. It remains to be
seen if the film manages to find widescale distribution outside the
UK.
- The BBC Documentary Series, "Dancing In The Streets - A History Of
Rock N Roll", has been released as a video-to-buy. The 70s episodes
features Bowie extensively.
- Bowie's first major film, "The Man Who Fell To Earth", has been
released as a video to buy in the UK and Ireland, in widescreen
format, as part of the Maverick Directors Series.
- Velvet Goldmine, Todd Haynes' new film which deals with Glam rock
and draws heavy inspiration from Bowie, failed to capture any of the
major awards at Cannes, despite being tipped and hyped to do so. It
did pick up the rather nebulous "Best Artistic Contribution" award,
but the inside word has it this is a meaningless award specifically
invented by the Cannes organisers to keep the distributors happy and
allow them to sell it as a "Won at Cannes" film. Critics have blasted
the film, saying it is flat and cliched.
Bowie was asked to provide the bulk of the soundtrack but declined to
do so after reading the script. If the film does turn out to be the
turkey many are predicting, this may have been a very wise move.
- Some other recent Bowie appearances on film/video:
-- Bowie appears (as himself) in NIN's latest double video, "Closure".
There is one scene of Bowie and NIN hanging out backstage, and another
showing Bowie and NIN duetting on "Hurt" from the 1995 Outside tour.
-- Bowie also appears as himself in the 1997 documentary,
"Inspirations". Directed by Michael Apted (Gorky Park, Gorillas In The
Mist, Nell), this documentary explores the creative process through
candid discussion with seven artists from diverse media. David Bowie,
Roy Lichtenstein, Dale Chihuly, Edouard Locke, Louise LeCavalier, and
Nora Noranjo-Morse answer the questions regarding their particular
artforms: "How do you create your problems, and how do you go about
solving them?" It premiered last September at the Toronto Film
Festival.
-- Bowie again appears as himself in the US-made "The History Of Rock
N Roll". This should not be confused with the BBC Series previously
mentioned. Bowie is spotlighted in Volume 8, which also features Gregg
Allman, Lindsey Buckingham, George Clinton, Peter Frampton, David
Gilmour, Elton John, Bob Marley, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Bruce
Springsteen, Roger Waters, and Stevie Wonder.
- The independent film "Hapgood" from the Tom Stoppard play features
Ian Fish U.K. Heir in one scene. However, there is doubt over the
film's release because Stoppard owns the screening rights to the play.
- Michael Moore's new film The Big One plays the opening chords to
Panic In Detroit over the starting credits.
- The UK TV series, THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA, (for which Bowie provided
the soundtrack) has been re-released on video as a special double pack
in the UK on BMG Video priced £16.99.
- The upcoming movie "Whatever", a drama about high school kids in New
Jersey, features Bowie's Janine from the 1969 album Space Oddity/Man
of Words, Man of Music/David Bowie.
CONCERT NEWS
- Evan Torrie at Teenage Wildlife reports that the rumoured July
concert in New York will almost certainly not take place. Bowie is
busy this summer on other projects (most notably "Il Mio West"), as
are most of the members of his band, and Bowie reportedly told Italian
fans on the set that he wasn't planning any concerts at all this year.
- A Bowie look-alike band will recreate Ziggy's Farewell Concert on
July 2 and 3 at London's ICA Theatre, 20:00 - 01:00, tickets £12:00 /
£10:00 concessions and members.
OTHER NEWS
- The June issue of UK magazine Record Collector features on the cover
BOWIE: THE BIRTH OF ZIGGY. Inside is a six page article entitled "The
Album That Killed The 60s" by Mark Paytress. Mark is a Bowie
specialist who has written many interesting Bowie articles in the
past. His full length book on Ziggy is published next month as part of
Schirmer Books' Classic Albums series, available via Prentice Hall
International.
- The Rise & Fall Of Bernie Gripplestone & The Rats From Hull, Cat.
No. SJPCD022, has been released on the Angel Air label. This is a
first time release on CD of tracks
recorded by Mick Ronson's original band from 1964 to 1969. Check out
the website at http://www.angelair.force9.co.uk
- Boy George appeared on this week's Ben Elton show on BBC1 and
performed a version of 'Suffragette City'. The Boy is reportedly
trying to drum up interest in a film version of his autobiography Take
It Like A Man, for which he hopes to include a number of Bowie
songs on the soundtrack to reflect the influence Bowie had on him
while growing up. The former pop icon turned club DJ is quoted as
saying "The only thing I passed at school was A-level Bowie." George
recently appeared on UK TV show "Jo Whiley" and had nothing but nice
things to say about Bowie, so he's obviously in full suction mode.
- The full programme of events for BOWICON98 the sold out UK David
Bowie Convention on 6th June are now on-line. See the finalised
details at
http://website.lineone.net/~musicmaster/Bowie/pages/bowicon.htm#Top
- Afro Pagan New Prints On Sale. These prints were first shown at
Bowie's one man show at Kate Chertavian Fine Art at the Gallery in
Cork Street, London in March 1995. The show sold out, and only a
limited number of these beautiful prints remain. View them at
http://www.bowieart.com
- David put his 19th century luxury house in Lausanne, Switzerland on
the market for 4.5 million Swiss francs ($3 million). The newspaper Le
Matin said the 14-room house was located on a sprawling park of 4,000
sq. metres and that the British singer had stopped living there some
time ago. The house was on the market for viewing but "empty of any
David Bowie relics". Bowie's legal status as a resident of Switzerland
lapsed a few years ago and he is now officially resident in Ireland.
- VH1 in the US are currently producing a new television show about
David entitled "Legends".
- Mike Garson is currently touring with the Smashing Pumpkins.
- A new 52 minute film documentary by XL PRODUCTIONS presents IMAN
BOWIE - THE BLACK PEARL.
- A new David Bowie tribute CD by dark wave, gothic avantgarde bands
has been released in Germany.
Title: A Tribute to David Bowie - The Dark Side of David Bowie
From the booklet: Looking back at a career that has lasted for over 30
years now, David Bowie has influenced whole generations of musicians.
The so-called "Chameleon of Rock" has changed his musical style during
that career a lot of times, but always there was something dark,
brooding underneath. Something that attracts bands who exploit the
darker side of the human psyche. Here is their tribute the the man who
sold the world, Ziggy Stardust, the thin white duke, Major Tom - or
simply David Robert Jones.
Tracklisting:
1. Crimson Joy: Space Oddity 4:54
2. Syria: The Motel 7:01
3. Dreadful Shadows: Outside 4:46
4. Gallery Of Fear: Blue Jean 3:30
5. Burning Gates: Time Will Crawl 5:19
6. Sepulcrum Mentis: Scary Monsters 4:00
7. Cream VIII: Big Brother 4:57
8. Exedra: Be My Wife 3:13
9. Endless: Five Years 4:40
10. Kill The Audience: Girls 5:25
11. Marquee Moon: Holy Holy 5:01
12. Swans Of Avon: Look Back In Anger 4:01
13. The Merry Thoughts: Station To Station 7:28
14. Nuit d“Octobre: Ziggy Stardust 3:32
15. Timothy Moldrey: Moonage Daydream 5:34
Compiled by Joerg Kleudgen
Celtic Circle Productions
P.O. Box 7113
D-47601 Geldern
Germany
phone +49(0)2831-87264
fax +49(0)2831-94298
email celtic-circle-productions@t-online.de
www http://www.celtic-circle.com
published on KHAZAD-DUM cat-no KHA044
distributed in Germany on SPV 084-52932
- 1999 Bowie calendars are available from http://www.musicmachine.com/
- Bowie music in ads. Microsoft are still running their "Heroes" ad,
and a major new Dunlop ad in the UK uses "Moonage Daydream".
- The June issue of Vogue includes an interview between Iman and
fellow Somalian model Waris Dirie. Iman mentions her aunts wanting
Bowie to convert to Islam before he married her. That would have been
interesting!
- The Miami Newtimes, Miami's leading arts and entertainment
newspaper, declared Bowie's two concerts in Ft. Lauderdale (October 7
and the legendary October 8) as the best concert experience in the
past twelve months.
- Bowie also one the Irish Rock Award for "Best International Live
Act". His acceptance speech:
(pointing to city behind)... "We've just missed the bells, they were
ringing out for you. I'm so sorry I can't be in Ireland to accept this
with you. I'm absolutely chuffed, I can't tell you how honoured I am.
We had a wonderful time, we always have a wonderful time in Ireland.
You probably know Reeves and I have been coming over rehearsing and
gigging for years now since the late 80s regularly and I can honestly
and truly say we've had nothing but wonderful times in Ireland working
and socialising with everyone. We had a great time doing the last tour
and we had a wonderful time working doing the performance over there.
Thank you so much for giving this to me, I'm really chuffed, thank
you."
- The 1998 Top 500 Collectable Artists Results from UK magazine,
"Record Collector":
1. THE BEATLES (1)
2. THE ROLLING STONES (4)
3. ELVIS PRESLEY (7)
4. QUEEN (2)
5. PINK FLOYD (5)
6. DAVID BOWIE (6)
7. OASIS (3)
8. BOB DYLAN (14)
9. LED ZEPPELIN (12)
10. THE WHO (9)
The figures in brackets were last year's placings.
- I suppose everyone with even a passing interest in Bowie has heard
of the now infamous "Nat Tate hoax", but for those who somehow missed
it, here's a descriptive piece from UK newspaper The Telegraph:
"IT ONLY needed Nat Tate, tormented American artist, to waltz into the
packed party and start signing copies of his biography. That would
have made this book launch and this notable week in literary history
complete.
As a book launch, last night's carved out a new aesthetic territory.
Was it post-ironic, simply surreal or as abstract expressionist as
Tate himself? An intended launch for a specialist art biography had
turned into a celebration of one of the great literary hoaxes. Last
week, as I revealed in The Independent on Tuesday, the New York art
world was fooled at the American launch of William Boyd's memoir of
Nat Tate. In fact the book is fiction, and Tate - his two names
remarkably similar to London galleries - never existed.
Last night was to have been the turn of Britain's literary and art
fraternity to swallow the bait and weep over Tate's suicide and praise
all his abstract expressionist works. But with the secret out, last
night's launch at a London restaurant allowed a celebrity guest list -
including novelist Antonia Byatt, composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber and the
BBC's Alan Yentob - to bask in their lack of gullibility. In contrast
to the New York launch, however, there was no reading by David Bowie,
co-director of 21 Publishing which has put out Boyd's brilliantly
constructed book. Bowie and his wife Iman cancelled plans to come to
the London launch, remaining in New York.
Sarah Lyall, London correspondent of the New York Times, remarked that
New Yorkers like to appear chic and cool and to admit to not having
heard of a New York artist would have been most uncool.
There was a sense of fun at last night's launch, but it was mixed with
a sense of relief.
By David Lister, Arts News Editor."
- Earthling placed #10 in the Internet "Best Album Of 1997" Poll. Full
details at http://www2.rpa.net/~jogle1/Poll_Results
- Apart from the high profile recent cover of Bowie's "Heroes" for the
Godzilla soundtrack by the Wallflowers, Irish band Aslan recently
covered Soul Love and Five Years on their recent singles, "Here Comes
Lucy Jones". Marilyn Manson is reportedly covering "Golden Years" for
the forthcoming film, "Dead Man On Campus".
- Bowie is one of three celebrities who designed a Mini. Bowie's
design is festooned with mirrors. Despite being roadworthy, the car
never hit the open road. They were constructed as part of competition
"DESIGN FOR LIFE" to find new British design talent. The distinctive
cars will become permanent exhibits at London's Design Museum.
END CREDITS
Thanks to:
- Dara O'Kearney, without whom this would not have been possible.
- Bonnie Powell who runs the other more extensive and frequent Bowie
newsletter. Bonnie misses nothing that goes on in the Bowie world.
Send her a mail at Dbfan@aol.com if you want in.
- Evan Torrie's Teenage Wildlife site at http://www.etete.com/Bowie/
is pretty much Bowie central on the Web.
- Paul Kinder has an amazing site at
http://freespace.virgin.net/paul.kinder/BowieWonder.htm which has
everything there is to know about Bowie's art, lots of great trivia,
competitions, latest news, the works.
- If you're a particular fan of Ziggy Era Bowie, then the best Web
site for you is Mike Harvey's at
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mbh/
- David Priest has an excellent UK Bowie site at
http://website.lineone.net/~musicmaster/Bowie.html
- Michael Liebel has a great site at
http://www.oocities.org/SoHo/Cafe/4723/ with serious analysis of
Bowie's work, regular columns, and latest news.
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