Letter #15
Back after our longest absence yet. The absence was down to there
being nothing major to report, but after a recent surge........
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MAIN NEWS
- Bowie and Gabrels announce details of EIDOS game
- SonicNet report new "Hunky Dory" sounding album for release in
September
- Bowie to contribute to BBC Millenium concert?
- Bowie single with Placebo coming soon?
- Bowie designs Coppola magazine
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MUSIC NEWS
- Well, they laughed at ole Andy and said he was losing his marbles
with his wild tales of Eidos games and soundtracks, but at a press
conference in Los Angeles this week, Bowie and Reeves Gabrels finally
announced their involvement in the forthcoming futuristic 3D
action-adventure game from Eidos, "Omikron: The Nomad Soul".
Bowie said that he and Gabrels approached the project like a film
soundtrack.
One of the songs written for "Omikron," called "New Angels of
Promise," was
previewed in a demonstration of the game (a RealAudio can be accessed
from the free portion of BowieNet at
http://www.davidbowie.com/freebowie/bowie/bowienews.html). Bowie said
he wasn't sure whether he would release the game's songs on an album
(Does this mean that old timers like myself are going to have to start
hiring games whizkids just to hear the songs?;-)).
The game concept is described in the press release as:
"The player's soul is one day projected into this universe, in a body
he does not know and for a reason he cannot fathom. From that point
on, the player will have to talk, investigate, fight drive, shoot,
ride and explore his way to the conclusion of the game: deliverance
from this strange dimension."
Bowie allowed his countenance to be rendered in the three dimensional
computer game world and contributed his voice to the character. A band
playing in various corners of the fantasy world includes 3D depictions
of Bowie, Reeves Gabrels and Gail-Ann Dorsey. Iman is also included in
the game - lending her visage and body for the character of Iman 1631,
a "virtually reincarnatable" bodyguard.
The game is scheduled for release in October.
- At the same press conference, Bowie said that he and Reeves had
written over 100 songs last year. SonicNet report that Bowie's next
album is due in September, and that an inside source close described
the material for the as-yet-untitled project as reminiscent of Bowie's
1971 album Hunky Dory, calling it "lush," "beautiful" and
"song-driven." The expected first single will be a rocker called "The
Pretty Things Are Going to Hell," according to the source, who did not
want to be named. The tune, written with Gabrels, also will be
featured on the soundtrack to the forthcoming film "Stigmata." (This
last part has been confirmed by the news page at BowieNet).
- Bowie appeared as special guest of Placebo at their March 29 concert
in New York. Together they performed T-Rex's "20th Century Boy" and
Placebo's "Without You I'm Nothing". Further proof that the recent
drought in new Bowie music output is about to give way to a glut came
in an online chat where Bowie indicated he had been in the studio with
Placebo, and the fruits of that session should be released soon.
- The current issue of Uncut comes with a free CD that includes
Bowie's "Can't Help Thinking About Me". Castle have just reissued "I
Dig Everything - 1966" on CD in the UK with this track and five other
early Bowie ones.
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CONCERT NEWS
- Teenage Wildlife reports from one its contributors that a (usually)
reliable Austrian newspaper News Magazin published an article on the
Gisborne 2000 millennium concert, and indicated that the remaining
members of Queen together with George Michael will be among the
"special guests" slated for the all night concert.
If the UK's Heat magazine is correct, Bowie could be a busy boy as the
millenium turns:
"THE BIGGEST GIG OF THE MILLENNIUM: OFFICIAL
BBC line up a supershow at Greenwich Maritime Museum.
Some of the world's biggest artists are to perform their favourite
songs from the past 70 years at a globally televised millennium
concert, to be staged at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
David Bowie, Janet Jackson, Paul McCartney and Tina Turner are among
artists believed to have been approached for the one-hour BBC1 show,
As Time Goes By.
Many of the world's biggest acts are already committed to play
millennium gigs elsewhere, so they are now pre-recording songs for the
Greenwich broadcast. David Bowie is apparently particularly keen to
get involved, though he's playing a show in New Zealand on the actual
night.
A two-hour version of the show will be repeated within two weeks of
the initial broadcast."
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CHART NEWS
- Dara has temporarily suspended his Chartwatch until the next major
release. In the meantime, John reports that Bowie's appearance at the
Brits stimulated a bit of UK chart activity for the compilations. The
Best Of 1969/1974 reappeared on the UK Top 200 for 5 weeks (140, 130,
134, 135, 190) and The Singles Collection had one week at 147.
- "I'm Afraid Of Americans", which was eventually released as a single
in Japan, flopped there, failing to make any impression on the charts.
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MOVIE NEWS
- Sky TV Digital (pay per view UK TV) are currently running a
trailer/commercial campaign for the screening of EVERYBODY LOVES
SUNSHINE for transmission next month (June).
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BOWIENET NEWS
- The recording of the "What's Really Happening" song will be webcast
live on BowieNet on May 24, when the winner of the Internet
songwriting contest will join Bowie in the studio.
- Forthcoming chats:
Melissa Auf der Maur:
Wednesday, May 19th at 2:00pm E.S.T.
7:00pm G.M.T.
Roger O'Donnell:
Friday, May 21st at 6:00pm E.S.T.
11:00pm G.M.T.
__________________________________________
OTHER NEWS
- Teenage Wildlife reports that Dr. Bowie regaled Berklee graduates at
Saturday's commencement speech with amusing episodes from his life
story, ranging from his lavatory options in the early Ziggy Stardust
days to his long friendship with John Lennon. A few hardcore Bowie
fans were in attendance (including one who flew in from England just
for the graduation), and managed to get autographs and pictures.
Teenage Wildlife has some pictures and RealVideo from the event, which
included a tribute concert to Bowie by students.
- Zoetrope: All Story, a magazine founded by Francis Ford Coppola has
enlisted the help of Bowie for their latest summer issue (Vol. 3, #2),
due in all good bookstores from May 1. The magazine concentrates on
short stories, and features a "guest designer" for each issue (Bowie
on this occasion).
- Shawn Mullins' single release of Shimmer in Australia also includes
his cover of Changes on the B-side.
- On a recent episode of the US sitcom Friends last week, Chandler was
shown on videotape giving a rousing rendition of Space Oddity.
- The 1999 readers poll to find the 'Top 500 Collectable Artists'
conducted by RECORD COLLECTOR magazine sees the following top ten
results:
1. The Beatles (1)
2. The Rolling Stones (2)
3. Queen (4)
4. Elvis Presley (3)
5. Pink Floyd (5)
6. Bob Dylan (8)
7. DAVID BOWIE (6)
8. John Lennon (15)
9. The Who (10)
10. Led Zeppelin (9)
Figures in brackets denote last year's placings.
- THE 1999 UK DAVID BOWIE CONVENTIONBOWICON99
The 1999 UK David Bowie Convention, a two-day Bowiefest is planned for
Saturday and Sunday 21st / 22nd August 1999. Attractions include the
screening of never before seen Ziggy Stardust footage from Aylesbury
and Dunstable 1972, rare audio material, videos,
live bands, Bowie disco, auction, trading stalls, special guests and
lots lots more. More information at www.bowiewonderworld.com
- Other forthcoming Bowie TV and radio:
May 16, 10:10, Buddha of Suburbia, Arena, UK
May 19, 24:00, Basquiat, Showtime 2, USA
May 23, 10:20, Buddha of Suburbia, Arena, UK
May 24, 00:00, The Hunger, Showcase Network, USA
May 27, 18:00, The Linguini Incident, TNT, Brazil
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END CREDITS
- Still Bowie central for the online fan and proving that fan sites
can and do beat official sites (even pay-per-view ones), Teenage
Wildlife is at http://www.teenagewildlife.com/). Another great fan
site has a new look - check out Bassman's at
http://www.algonet.se/~bassman/BOWIE.html.
- To unsubscribe at any time, send an Unsubscribe message (or
alternatively, "Your newsletter is a steaming pile of horse shit") to
bowie_news@hotmail.com.
The Bowie_News Web-site is http://come.to/bowienews, so if you want to
read old editions of the newsletter, or leave an abusive note on the
guestbook, get yourself along there.
The main Aladdin Sane website is at http://welcome.to/aladdinsane.
If you like your newsletters a lot more frequent and detailed than
this one, Bonnie Powell runs just the Bowie newsletter for you. It is
usually weekly and cover, in her own words "things only a fan would
want to know". Send her a mail at Dbfan@aol.com if you want in.
- If you're looking for an easy and effortless way to raise the $20 a
month for Bowienet (or you just want some extra cash for no work),
check out the new Web company that pays you to browse rather than the
other way round at http://www.alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=BMX577
Love on ya,
Andy
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