Bowie FAQ 2.50/part 1
Eyal Perek
If you have any comments, send e-mail to pe...@zoot.tau.ac.il
To search for additions/changes made since the previous version, find
<NEW>/<UPDATED>.
Many thanks to those who contributed since the previous release:
Martin Wagner <hep...@eden.com>, Mark Carter <star...@odyssee.net>, Denny
<d...@woolpit.demon.co.uk>, Leland Harvie <lha...@MAIL.ATCON.COM>, ??
<cff...@aol.com>, Matthew <mug...@hollywood.cinenet.net>, Mike Alford
<malfo...@aol.com, Philip Obbard <crom...@morpheus.cis.yale.edu, ??
<Ca...@aol.com>, Rex <mgul...@facstaff.wisc.edu>, Trinia del Rosario <??>,
Bonnie Powell <db...@aol.com>
I received some help editing this version of the FAQ from a lurker on
alt.fan.david-bowie, a writer whose published work includes science
fiction, historical fiction and rock journalism. She disagrees with my
opinion of Diamond Dogs. :-)
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The official Bowie FAQ, written and maintained
by Eyal Perek, pe...@zoot.tau.ac.il
Description: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (and non-Frequently Asked
Questions) about Bowie and the alt.fan.david-bowie newsgroup.
Version: 2.50
Last modified: May 5th, 1996
Next post: June 1st, 1996 (hopefully)
Legal disclaimer:
It has been proven that this text may cause changes in the outcome of your
favourite war. Another symptom that was reported in some cases after reading
this article is wRiTiNg In ThAt StUpId WaY. You have been warned!!!
I'm not too generous when it comes to using smileys. If you read something
really REALLY ridiculous it probably means that I again spent too much time in
rec.humor. If you see a sentence ending with a :-) (or is it AN :-)) it
either means I wrote something I thought was funny (you may, or you may not
share my sentiments), or I just thought of a joke and the smiley was typed
unintentionally.
I therefore announce I will take no responsibility for any damage caused by
use or misuse of this document, either direct or indirect.
If this product fails to work, check to see you've installed the batteries
right (not supplied in the original package). To be on the safe side, keep
out of reach of children and pets: it may explode in contact with non-Bowie
fans and water; if under pressure (and I quote from the Queen/Bowie song
Under Pressure: 'under pressure, pressure, pressure'); or if bent.
Any opinion expressed in this whole document is strictly mine, but can be
exchanged in return for a rare Bowie bootleg.
Why are you reading this anyway? Do you find it amusing reading legal notices?
For the narrow-minded: I was just joking. It is not THAT serious. (Or is it?)
TOC section (Table of contents):
Part 1. Introduction (welcome to alt.fan.david-bowie)
1.1 Requests, thanks, wishes and (surprisingly) an introduction
1.2 The proper posting algorithm. Basic guidelines. YOU MUST READ THIS.
(In case you weren't good in computer class at school, algorithm = a
way of doing things. Sorta.)
Part 2. Bowie facts. Contains answers to questions you shouldn't ask, which
will probably get you flamed if you insist on asking them anyway
2.1 Facts listed in chronological order
2.2 Facts of no known dates
2.3 Misc., gossip, what other people have to say about the man
2.4 Bowie quotes (sometimes controversial, sometimes not so famous,
sometimes pointless)
Part 3. Discography, filmography, and the rest of the gang. A discussion of
Bowie's work. <Some of the info taken from Evan's site>
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Official albums
3.3 Re-releases
3.4 Singles (any single Bowie participated in its making)
3.5 Filmography
3.6 Videos
3.7 Books
3.7.1 Where can I read about Bowie?
3.7.2 Song Books
3.7.3 Related books
3.7.4 Fanzines
3.8 Other releases
3.9 Important notes
3.10 What's next?
Part 4. Song discussion. Talks about meanings and correctness of lyrics,
different interpretations, notes on specific songs, etc.
<Most of these are either taken from Evan's site, or are based on
postings>
4.1 Love You Till Tuesday
4.2 When I Live My Dream
4.3 Space Oddity
4.4 Letter To Hermione
4.5 Conversation Piece
4.6 Memory Of A Free Festival
4.7 All The Madmen
4.8 London Bye Ta-Ta
4.9 Life On Mars
4.10 The Bewlay Brothers
4.11 Kooks
4.12 Quicksand
4.13 Five Years
4.14 Rock 'n Roll Suicide
4.15 John, I'm Only Dancing
4.16 Song For Bob Dylan
4.17 Andy Warhol
4.18 Queen Bitch
4.19 Velvet Goldmine
4.20 Watch That Man
4.21 The Jean Genie
4.22 My Death
4.23 Diamond Dogs
4.24 1984
4.25 Dodo
4.26 Candidate (demo)
4.27 Young Americans
4.28 Station To Station
4.29 TVC15
4.30 Warszawa
4.31 Heroes
4.32 Helden
4.33 Joe The Lion
4.34 V-2 Schneider
4.35 Red Money
4.36 It's No Game
4.37 Ashes To Ashes
4.38 Scream Like A Baby
4.49 Crystal Japan
4.40 China Girl
4.41 This Is Not America
4.42 Dancing In The Streets
4.43 Day In Day Out
4.44 Fame '90
4.45 The Buddha Of Suburbia
4.46 Leon Takes Us Outside
4.47 Outside
4.48 The Heart's Filthy Lesson
4.49 Segue - Baby Grace
4.50 The Motel
4.51 Segue - Algeria Touchshriek
4.52 Segue - Nathan Adler
4.53 Through These Architect's Eyes
Part 5. Bowie resources on the (inter)net. Where to find more information
about Bowie, in case you reached the (clever) conclusion that this FAQ
doesn't cover everything (nor should it).
5.1 Newsgroups
5.2 FTP sites
5.3 Web sites
5.4 Gopher
Part 6. Contact addresses
Part 7. Credits. Self explanatory.
Part 8. Who is the best solo artist in all of human history?
In this part you will find out who is the best solo artist in all of
human history. Try to guess and then check to see if you guessed
right.
==============================================================================
Part 1. Introduction
1.1 Requests, thanks, wishes and (surprisingly) an introduction
o Welcome to the Bowie FAQ.
o I wrote some of the stuff you'll find here myself, but I also used info
from postings written by other people. Their names are included in the
credits section. I also used some biographic details from Evan's site (see
section 5.3). The people who have helped write this biographic information
are also credited.
o I also used the biographies included in the Early On and Sound + Vision
compilations.
o If you think you can contribute to this FAQ, in any way (even correcting
typos), please do!
o HELP!!! I need:
- The exact quote about Bowie and Angie living on Mars (posted a long time
ago);
- Details about Queen's The Ultimate Collection - Rarities, Oddities
And Cover Versions (which featured Bowie);
- More information about the biographies (section 3.7). Which of them are
out of print?;
- The name of the female singer who recently covered Changes;
- Short reviews of Bowie's albums. The reviews should be general and
should not include items like descriptions of specific songs, release
details and musician info. Finally: I don't need personal opinions, I
can write those myself.
A one-sentence reviews (something like 'a glam-rock album') would be
just fine.
- The different versions of the lyrics to Sweet Head. This was discussed in
the newsgroup a long time ago.
o I know, this is too long for a FAQ. I'm thinking of releasing a shorter
version. Meanwhile, you can call this text a biography, an anthology, or
whatever you like!
o If you have a question but can't find the answer, and the table of contents
doesn't help, try using a text search.
o The FAQ is split into four parts, because some newsreaders can't handle
files larger than 60K.
1.2 The proper posting algorithm
o Every now and then, a new person gets an internet account. This person,
given the right conditions (being a Bowie fan, hearing about the Usenet),
sooner or later discovers the alt.fan.david-bowie newsgroup. Occasionally
he will post an annoying question that some of us are tired of seeing.
o Conclusion: Before you post a question with a header that goes 'I'm new to
this newsgroup, and this question was probably already brought up, but
I would still like to know...' READ THE WHOLE FAQ. You will then prevent
the likely (logical :-) ) possibility of being flamed or being hated.
o In particular, these questions should NEVER be asked:
'Are his eyes really differently coloured???!!!?###'
'Is he REALLY gay??!!?????&&'
'Did he do something prior to Let's Dance?!?#######@@@??????!!!'
o When posting rumours, clearly specify it's a rumour, preferably in the
subject. Something like 'RUMOUR: Bowie used to date my cat'.
o If you have any intention of posting something that is not related to Bowie
(how to make money fast, etc.), let me help you.
We'll read the name of the newsgroup together. alt.FAN.DAVID-BOWIE, that's
right, alt.FAN.DAVID-BOWIE. More slowly. alt.F-A-N.D-A-V-I-D---B-O-W-I-E.
Not alt.being.gay.is.disgusting, not alt.I.want.to.become.a.male.lesbian,
it's alt.fan.david-bowie.
We will now go over the MEANING of the name. The meaning is that only
posts about Bowie should be made.
And there's an appropriate newsgroup for posting stuff about Brian Eno
(alt.music.brian-eno). Here, we're only interested in Bowie-Eno facts.
o Don't get way off topic (or even a bit off topic, unless it's very
interesting). It may lead to a flame war.
Note the example of 'are drugs used as a medicine for mental illnesses'
or something that was discussed in the newsgroup. I can't remember the
original question, which proves my point.
o Ignore irrelevant postings (How to make money fast, Get HOT SEX here),
and people who are searching for flame wars.
I ignore all flamers, I suggest that you do the same.
o Avoid posting a general question asking for an opinion like 'What is
Bowie's best album?'. This may lead to an endless, confusing thread, with
mixed replies and so many different thoughts that no one can keep track who
said what to whom. In the end, even YOU may not get a satisfactory answer.
You can, instead, ask people to mail their opinions directly to you. It
would be nice, though, if you later post a statistical report that will
make sense to us all (how many votes you got for each album in the case of
the given example).
o Avoid personal insults. No need to explain, is there?
o Some people (including me) find postings formatted to more than 80 columns
irritating (same goes for postings formatted to less than 20 columns :-)).
But more important than that, some newsreaders can't handle them (you DO
want other people to read your posts, don't you?).
==============================================================================
Part 2. Bowie Facts
2.1 Facts listed in chronological order
o David Bowie is David Robert Jones, born in Brixton, south London, on the
8th of January 1947 to Peggy (whose real name was Margaret) and John (whose
real name was Hayward Stenton) Jones.
He changed his stage name from Jones to Bowie in 1966 because of the
success of Davy Jones on the London stage. That was prior to the success
of the Monkees (with Davy Jones).
He decided to choose a last name that was also the name of a knife because
he liked Mick Jagger (jagger means knife). He chose the name Bowie after
the American frontiersman and Texas hero Jim Bowie, whom the knife is
named for. He wanted to choose the name of an American, because he's
always been interested in that country.
o He had an older half brother, Terry, through his mother. Terry suffered for
many years from the mental illness with the long name Schizophrenia and was
in a mental hospital much of that time. He committed suicide in 1985, after
a number of unsuccessful attempts. Bowie did not attend his funeral.
o Bowie also has a stepsister named Annette through his father.
o When he was young he had an accident in which he broke both his legs. He
still has a big scar on one of his legs, a result of that accident.
o Bowie's family moved to Bromley, where he studied art and graphic design in
the Bromley Technical School.
o Owen Frampton was his teacher. Owen's son, Peter Frampton, who's three
years younger than David and went to the same school, was a member in the
band that played behind him in the Glass Spider tour (1987). They used to
sing Sons Of The Silent Age as a duet.
o Bowie's eyes are different colours. His right eye is blue, his left eye
is either green or brown, depending on the light. This is a common trait
amoung people with differently coloured eyes. When he was born both of his
eyes were blue.
I've heard contradictory stories explaining this. I will summarize them
in one sentence (pick what you think might be the best explanation):
He had a {car accident/eye infection/street fight/fight with a high school
friend over a girl} and {his left eye became paralyzed/his left eye was
damaged in an operation/the doctors transplanted a wrong coloured pupil in
an operation}
Total of 4*2=8 combinations (There is no such thing - pupil transplants).
The most common belief is that Bowie's left eye was damaged in a school
fight with longtime friend George Underwood circa 1962 during art class.
He was stabbed in his eye with a pencil. His pupil was paralyzed and
subsequently could not adjust to light properly.
In an interview in Atlanta, October '95, David said, himself, that at the
age of about 13, he and another guy liked the same girl, and the other guy
socked David in the eye, making for a permanently enlarged pupil, which
appears to be an eye of a different colour than the other eye.
The scientific explanation is that when the iris is compressed it appears
darker.
In the picture on Black Tie White Noise and several other pictures in
recent interviews, Bowie is wearing blue contact lenses.
o Bowie still keeps a white acrylic alto saxophone his parents bought him
when he was twelve years old. That was his first instrument. He took
lessons from Ronnie Ross, who introduced him to the jazz saxophonist
Charlie Parker.
o Bowie was influenced by rhythm & blues, a relatively new music style that
started in America. Bowie's favourite singer was Little Richard. He also
liked John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy and King Curtis.
o His half brother, Terry, introduced him to progressive jazz, and to
American poet Jack Kerouac.
o The Konrads was Bowie's first group. The name he suggested was Ghost
Riders. A known Konrads song is I Never Dreamed (written by Jones, Ferris,
and Dodds), in which Bowie sings backing vocals.
o He left them because they didn't want to play R&B.
o Then he formed Reds & Blues (with friend painter George Underwood), a band
that played many covers.
o Bowie graduated high school with an A in art.
o He took a job at the London agency as a commercial artist.
o In November '63 Bowie formed his first recording band, Davie Jones and the
King Bees. The name originated from the Louisiana's blues singer Slim Harpo
song I'm A King Bee. They were: Bowie (vocals, tenor. alto sax), Roger
Bluck (lead guitar), George Underwood (rhythm guitar, harmonica, vocals),
Dave Howard (bass), Bob Allen (drums).
o To raise money Bowie sent a letter to a rich English entrepreneur, John
Bloom, who was in the washing machines business. Since he had nothing to do
with music, he passed Bowie's request to Leslie Conn (who was managing
Doris Day's music publishing company, Melcher music, and doing talent
scouting for the Dick James Organization). Conn suggested that they play at
Bloom's wedding anniversary. He accepted, and they played Got My Mojo
Working and Hoochie Coochie Man in that party. Conn then decided to become
their manager.
o They recorded the very first Bowie single Liza Jane (an old Negro
spiritual but Conn was credited as the composer)/Louie Louie Go Home
(composed by Paul Revere & The Raiders). The single was recorded at Decca
studios, West Hampstead, and released on a subsidiary label Vocalion Pop on
the 5th of June, '64.
Bowie and his band gave performances at the Marquee Club, Cafe Des Artists,
the Roundhouse, and several universities.
They also performed this single on the Juke Box Jury show, and on the BBC2
show The Beat Room.
o Since they weren't gaining any popularity Bowie decided to leave the band
in August '64, and they broke up.
o Immediately afterwards Bowie joined The Manish Boys (The name originated
from a Muddy Waters song), an R&B band from Maidstone, whose name used
to change very often (Band Seven and The Jazz Gentlemen were among their
previous names). They were: Bowie (vocals, tenor, alto sax), Johnny Flux
(lead guitar), John Watson (bass, rhythm guitar, vocals), Mick White
(drums), Bob Solly (organ), Paul Rodriguez (tenor sax, trumpet, bass),
Woolf Byrne (baritone sax, harmonica).
o After they'd heard David's copy of The James Brown Show Live At The
Apollo, and under David's influence, they changed their music style.
o On November 12, '64, Bowie gave his first known television interview on
BBC's Cliff Michelmore's Tonight show about the organization he founded for
'The Prevention Of Cruelty To Long Haired Men'.
Bowie: 'Well, I think we're all fairly tolerant, but for the last two
years, we've had comments like "Darling" and "Can I carry your handbag?"
thrown at us, and I think it just has to stop now'.
o The Manish boys signed with the Arthur Howes Agency. They played six shows
as backup for the Gene Pitney - Gerry & The Pacemakers tour, starting
December 1st.
o In Regent studios they recorded for Decca a cover of Barbara Lewis's
song Hello Stranger (which was never released) and Love Is Strange. Mike
Smith was the producer.
o Then they met producer Shel Talmy, who was producing the Kinks, the Who,
and Manfred Mann at that time. After hearing them, Talmy decided to produce
them.
Talmy: 'I really liked David because of the fact that he was, I thought,
ahead of the game'.
o In IBC Studios they recorded the single I Pity The Fool (an early '60s hit
by American R&B singer Bobby 'Blue' Bland)/Take My Tip (the first Bowie
composition recorded. Jimmy Page appeared as a guest guitarist. The song
was covered by Kenny Miller as an A-side).
The single was released on March 5th.
o Leslie Conn arranged for them to perform I Pity The Fool on the BBC show
Gadzooks! It's All Happening. Producer Barry Langford insisted that Bowie
cut his hair. He, of course, refused. Conn organized fans to parade around
the BBC with banners like 'Be Fair To Long Hair'. Bowie also sent a letter
to a local newspaper in which he claimed 'people with long hair have rights
too'. The story was told in many other local newspapers. The BBC Then
decided to let him appear on the show, on the condition that if they got
complaints the band's fee would to to charity. No complaints were received
:-)
o In April '65 The Manish Boys broke up.
o In March '65 Bowie met the band The Lower Third at the Giaconda coffee bar
on Denmark St in Soho, the centre of London's music business and a popular
hangout for musicians. He became their lead singer. They were: Bowie
(vocals, tenor, alto sax), Denis 'Tea Cup' Taylor (lead guitar), Graham
Rivens (bass), Les Mighall (drums; Mighall left before the release of their
first single, and was replaced by Phil Lancaster). Nicky Hopkins played
piano in several sessions.
The band's main influence was The Who.
o They appeared regularly each Saturday at the R&B club La Discotheque.
o In Central Sound Studio on Denmark St. they recorded several demos,
including Born Of The Night (which was never released) and two radio
jingles for the US including Youthquake Clothing (written by David and
Denis when they arrived at the studio).
o Their first single (and the second Bowie single to be produced by Talmy)
was released on August 20th under EMI's Parlophone label. You've Got A
Habit Of Leaving (influenced by The Who)/Baby Loves That Way (David
admitted it was a takeoff on Herman's Hermits; on backing vocals: Less
Conn, Shel Talmy, two engineers and the band as monks).
On the press release of this single David said that he likes Sammy Davis
Jr.
The band also recorded Over The Wall We Go - that was covered by Oscar.
o Graham: 'David used to sit at home and strum a guitar and write some
lyrics. We then used to sit down together as a group and make the whole
thing something feasible and bring the whole tune together. A lot of the
early stuff we did with him, apart from the basic tune and lyrics, was very
much a joint effort'.
o Talmy: 'David and I went straight to monaural tape on those demos.
Certainly that wasn't multitrack. We did it specifically to do demos. They
were things he had that we were talking about recording at a future date.
And it was always nice to get them down on tape so we could have a listen'.
o Ralph Horton became Bowie's first official manager. Horton was working then
for agent Terry King, managing Lord Sutch and the Casuals; he also worked
as a driver for the Moody Blues.
He arranged a few shows. The first - as a support to the Moody Blues at
the Bromel club in Bromley. Other shows included summer weekend engagements
at the Winter Gardens in Ventnor, and support for Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
on the Isle Of Wight.
o They also did a series of afternoon concerts for the Marquee Inecto Show,
which were broadcast by a pirate radio station, Radio London, and sponsored
by the makers of Inecto shampoo. They used to sing songs by The Kinks,
Chim Chim Cheree (from Mary Poppins), and Mars (from Holst's Planet
suite, the theme music from the British television serial The Quartermass
Experiment).
o In late 1965, Horton phoned up Ken Pitt, who was then managing Manfred Mann
and Crispian St. Peters, because the band had financial difficulties. Pitt
would become Bowie's second manager later, but didn't have time for him
then. He did suggest that Horton's client change his name, and David Jones
became David Bowie in November '65.
o On November 2nd the band was auditioned at BBC but they were turned down.
That was explained in '87: '...Like the Rolling Stones before him, the 19
year old Bowie's performance was not suitable for the BBC's purposes. The
talent selection group were particularly surprised by the inclusion of the
Lower Third's version of Chim Chim Cheree from Mary Poppins, and as for
Bowie's singing..."a Cockney type, but not outstanding", "A singer devoid
of personality", "sing wrong notes" and "Out of tune" were just some of
the comments. But two years later, Bowie was back at the beeb with a
complete change of style and a trial broadcast'.
o At the end of '65 the band signed with Pye records.
o The year ended with Bowie's first performances outside of England,
including two shows at the Golfe Drouot in Paris, one on New Year's Eve (on
the bill with Arthur Brown), and the other one on January 2nd, '66.
o On January 14, 1966, the first single under the new name was released:
Can't Help Thinking About Me/And I Say To Myself. It was produced by Tony
Hatch, head of A&R for Pye. It became the first Bowie single to be released
in the US (on the Warner Brothers label, in May).
o Since they didn't have any success, The Lower Third broke up in January
'66.
o Bowie then joined The Buzz (named by a radio station DJ).
David Bowie and The Buzz were: Bowie (vocals), John Hutchinson 'Hutch'
(lead guitar), Derek Fearnley 'Dek' (bass), John Eager 'Ego' (drums), Derek
Boyes 'Chow' (organ).
Hutchinson was replaced after four months by Billy Gray 'Haggis', but
rejoined Bowie two years later with Feathers.
o They auditioned February 3rd at the Marquee.
o Their first performances were on the 10th of February, at Leicester
University with the Graham Bond Organization and Jimmy James & The
Vagabonds, and the next day at the Marquee.
o They recorded a few songs, including That's A Promise (written by Bowie).
This song can be found as a bootleg single and on a number of bootleg
albums, including Pierrot in Turquoise.
o In March they appeared on the TV show Ready, Steady, Go! to perform the
Lower Third's song Can't Help Thinking About Me, which reached #26 on the
Melody Maker chart.
o On March 7th they recorded Do Anything You Say/Good Morning Girl, with Tony
Hatch as the producer. The single was released April 1st.
o They gave some successful performances in Scotland. In London, at the
Marquee, Bowie did a Sunday afternoon series of his own, The Bowie
Showboat, from April 10th to June 12th. It became apparent that he had a
following of devoted fans.
o At the second Bowie Showboat concert, Bowie met his next manager, Ken Pitt.
o I Dig Everything/I'm Not Losing Sleep was recorded on June 6th, and
released August 19th. Band unknown. Producer Hatch thought the songs needed
rearranging and used session musicians.
o Hatch: 'David was then extremely conservative, good to get on with and
excellent in the studio. His material was good, although I thought he wrote
too much about London dustbins. Those were his formative years and he
hadn't reached maturity, but he was unusual, unique'.
o In December '66, The Buzz broke up.
o In 1967 Bowie signed with Deram, a Decca subsidiary, and released Rubber
Band and Love You Till Tuesday, which both appeared later on his debut
album David Bowie.
o This album was released without We Are The Hungry Men and Maid Of Bond
Street in the US.
o A year after he released his song The Laughing Gnome, in 1967, Roni
Hilton wrote an orchestral version of that song.
The song was later (in 1973) re-released on a collection, and reached
the sixth place on the British charts.
o Around this period, Bowie made an unsuccessful attempt to become a family
entertainer.
o After that, Tony Visconti became his producer, and they recorded Let Me
Sleep Beside You and London Bye Ta Ta, but no record company wanted these
songs.
<UPDATED>
o His first role as an actor in the cinema was in a short (half-hour) art
film, The Image. The film was shown as a filler in seedy Soho cinemas.
There were only two characters in the film, An Artist (Michael Byrne), and
The Boy (Bowie). The film opened on a dark, rainy night with Byrne
contemplating a portrait on his easel that looked very much like The Boy,
who suddenly appears outside the window, his nose pressed against the pane.
(For this scence, someone poured water on Bowie to create the illusion of
rain). The Boy then enters the studio, and gets killed in a fight. Byrne
returns to contemplating his painting, then The Boy returns to life. Byrne
stabs him repeatedly with a knife, wrestling him down a flight of stairs
and finishing him with the knife. So filled with remorse is Byrne that he
rips his portrait to shreds and falls weeping on it, at which point he
comes to rest.
(Most of this information taken from the Jerry Hopkins bio.)
o In 1968 Bowie wrote a four-page play, Ernie Jones, about a man who wants
to commit suicide and decides to have a 'suicide party'. The play was never
produced.
o In the same year, the famous choreographer Lindsay Kemp let young Bowie
(who, by then, was a mime with Kemp's dance troupe) appear on his show.
Bowie: 'Lindsay gave me lessons in exchange for writing music for them. He
introduced me to a lot of extraordinary things - Artaud, theatre of the
absurd, all that kind of thing. A lot of my attitude toward the stage, and
staging, really came from Lindsay. He was my mentor'.
o Here's a rumour that not too many people believe.
Kemp let Bowie appear on his show in return for sex. Before one of the
performances Bowie disappeared with the beautiful scene decorator Natasha
Korniloff and Kemp tried to commit suicide by cutting his wrists, but he
was saved. Two months later Bowie came back to him, then Natasha tried to
kill herself with sleeping pills. She was also saved.
o Bowie then opened up for the duo Tyrannosaurus Rex (with Marc Bolan),
a band Visconti was producing, as a mime (as a Buddhist priest).
o As a pantomimist, he presented his own version of the chinese invasion to
Tibet.
o He also appeared as an extra in the movie The Virgin Soldiers.
o He won 2nd place in the Maltese Song Festival with his song When I Live My
Dream.
o After that, he formed a mixed media band called Feathers with John
Hutchinson and ballet dancer Harmione Farthingale, whom he was dating, and
who was also studying with Kemp. They combined original songs with Jacques
Brel songs, poetry and mime acts.
o Not long after that, Farthingale dumped him. He then wrote the song Letter
to Hermione (which is on his album Space Oddity) for her.
o On February 2nd, 1969, he recorded the song Space Oddity with Hutchinson.
o For the first recordings of Space Oddity, Bowie tried to make the sound of
the spaceship by himself. It sounded bad. (He also did this on stage, in
1972. The live version is available on Santa Monica '72, or on any bootleg
of that performance.)
If you don't have any of these recordings, try to imagine how they sounded,
for everlasting amusement.
o Bowie: 'Hermione had run off with a dancer. I was totally head-over-heels
in love with her, and it really sort of demolished me. That event, plus
the 2001 movie, sort of set me off on the Space Oddity song'.
o Space Oddity and some tracks from the album David Bowie were used in the
promo film Love You Till Tuesday. The film and soundtrack were released in
1984.
o The film wasn't successful.
o Because of the American moon landing scheduled for that summer, Mercury
signed Bowie and asked him to re-record Space Oddity.
o Bowie: 'John Hutchinson was going to record it with me. In fact, on the
demo, Hutch is singing the first verse. We had intended making an album
together, and we had demoed quite a few songs. This single was going to be
"Bowie and Hutch". But then, two or three days before the session, Hutch
said that he really didn't think that we were going to make it in rock. He
was married, and he had a kid up in Yorkshire, and he decided he was going
home. So I ended up doing the whole thing myself. I was heartbroken. I
mean, I'd built up a whole thing around the idea of duets'.
o Space Oddity was re-recorded on June 20th with Gus Dudgeon producing
(Dudgeon was the engineer for the album David Bowie) and Paul Buckmaster
doing the arrangement.
o Space Oddity became Bowie's first big hit (reaching #5 in the UK). The
interesting fact is that Bowie's producer at that time, Tony Visconti,
rejected the song. Bowie HAD to give the song to another producer - Gus
Dudgeon.
Bowie produced an alternative version to the song in '79.
o Space Oddity was used by the BBC as the theme song for the US moon landing
on July 20th.
o Because of the singles's big success, Mercury agreed to produce Bowie's
next album in the early seventies. It was released as David Bowie in
Britain in Britain (note: there's no typing mistake here) (and that wasn't
meant to be a joke :-) ) in late 1969, and as Man Of Words/Man Of Music in
the US in early 1970. This album was later (1972) re-released as Space
Oddity, without the song Don't Sit Down (which was included again in the
Ryko 1990 re-release).
o Bowie also recorded an Italian version of Space Oddity - Ragazzo Solo,
Ragazza Sola (lonely boy, lonely girl) and a French version whose title I
don't know, but the English translation of which is 'A man who disappears
into the sky'.
o Space Oddity is about Major Tom, an astronaut who gets lost in space.
David returned to Major Tom in his hit single Ashes To Ashes, which is
included in his 1980 album Scary Monsters. The Ryko re-release of the
album includes a performance of Space Oddity recorded December 31, 1979.
o Space Oddity didn't become a hit in America until 1973, after the Ziggy
tour, when the single was re-released and reached #15 on the charts.
<UPDATED>
o Bowie organized the art-and-music festival held in Bromley on August 16,
1969, the same weekend as Woodstock. The song Memory of A Free Festival on
the album Space Oddity is about that festival.
o Bowie, talking about Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud: 'That, for me at the
time, was the most fully developed song that I'd written. It had the
narrative form, a loose mythology. It was a portent of what I was going to
be doing later on'.
o According to a rumour, Bowie attempted to enter USSR around '69, but he was
denied entry as he was found to have been carrying national socialist
propaganda.
o In January '70, Bowie recorded the original version of Prettiest Star
(which later appeared on his album Aladdin Sane) in London's Trident
Studios with Marc Bolan (soon to become a superstar with T. Rex) on guitar.
Bowie: 'There was quite a lot of rivalry between Marc and myself. We had a
sparring relationship. We both knew we were going to be doing something in
the future, but he was a few rungs up - he was really starting to happen.
But he decided that he wanted to contribute to something that I was doing,
and so he played guitar on this one. I don't think we were talking to each
other that day. I can't remember why, but I remember a very strange
attitude in the studio. we were never in the same room at the same time.
You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. We eventually became the
tightest of buddies until his tragic death in 1978'.
o Bowie and Bolan were also members of the band Dib Cochran.
o Afterwards, Bowie assembled a backup band: Tony Visconti (bass), his friend
John Cambridge (drums), and Cambridge's friend Mick Ronson (guitar), a
classically trained musician from Hull. Their first session was at the
Roundhouse in London in February '70.
Bowie: 'I thought it would be really interesting if each of us adopted a
persona of some kind. I remember Cambridge was a cowboy, and Tony Visconti
wore a Superman outfit. I can't remember what I wore, but it was very
spacey, and there was a lot of Lurex-y material in it. Bolan was there, and
he was open-mouthed that we had the balls to camp it up so much. I think
that was the first glam-rock performance. It was all jeans and long hair at
that time, and we got booed all the way through the show. People hated it.
They absolutely loathed what we were doing. It was great!'.
o On March 20, 1970, Bowie married Mary Angela 'Angie' Barnett. Their son
Zowie was born May 28, 1971.
o In the early seventies, Bowie used to wear dresses ('a man's dresses'). He
wasn't the only one (see Mick Jagger's little white 'party dress'), but
still it was very odd.
o A Texas man pointed a gun at Bowie once because he was wearing a dress.
o His next band was called Hype: Tony Visconti (bass), Woody Woodmansey, who
was the drummer in Ronson's band The Rats (drums), Mick Ronson (guitar).
Bowie himself acted as The Rainbow Man.
Bowie: 'Hype was a super band to be in. It didn't come to much, it was a
shame actually. I enjoyed everything that we did. It was the embryo of what
was to become the Spiders'.
o With Hype, Bowie recorded his next album, The Man Who Sold The World.
o Marc Bolan appeared as a guest guitarist on Black Country Rock (released
November '70).
o In January 1971, Mercury arranged for Bowie to meet the American press.
o On the original cover of his album The Man Who Sold The World, Bowie
appeared wearing a dress. Mercury rejected the cover for the US release,
and it was replaced with a cartoon drawing, by an artist friend of Bowie's,
of a cowboy holding a rifle with a shot-out clock tower behind him. Later,
after the album was already released, this was replaced with a black and
white picture of Ziggy. The album appeared with different cover art in
other countries. All the covers appear in the 1990 Ryko re-release, BTW.
The album didn't sell very well, so Mercury let him go.
o Later that year, Bowie signed with RCA in the US.
o In New York he met Andy Warhol and Lou Reed. Lou Reed introduced him to
Iggy Pop, and the three of them became good friends. There is a picture of
them hanging out together.
o Bowie has always been a Lou Reed fan. He recorded two cover versions of his
songs: White Light/White Heat and Waiting For The Man. He also sang these
songs a few times in the sixties.
o In 1970 he recorded what's known to be the first song he ever wrote, Tired
Of My Life. The song can be found on the bootlegs Lost In Our Vaults Until
Now and The Shadow Man.
o Bowie had a Riley car which he used to call Rupert. He wrote a song about
it - Rupert the Riley - which wasn't officially released but can be found
on the bootleg The Shadow Man.
o With his old band plus former Rats member Trevor Bolder on bass and Rick
Wakeman (later with Yes) on keyboards, Bowie recorded his next album, Hunky
Dory, which he produced with Ken Scott. It was released in November 1971,
after Wakeman had left the band.
o Changes, the first single from Hunky Dory, reached #66 on the US charts.
Bowie: 'I really started to feel at home as a songwriter in Hunky Dory. I
really felt that I knew how to write songs at that point. There were couple
of things that attempted to sort of transplant the brain of a cabaret song
onto a piece of rock writing. One was Life on Mars and the other one was
Changes. Changes started out as a parody of a nightclub song, a kind of
throwaway. But it turned into the monster that nobody would stop asking for
at concerts. "Dye-vid, Dye-vid - do Changes". I had no idea it would become
such a popular thing'.
o Hunky Dory reached #93 on the US charts.
o The album featured tributes to Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol and the Velvet
Underground's Lou Reed (Queen Bitch).
o According to several sources Andy Warhol hated the song Bowie wrote for him
(Andy Warhol). They met, Andy listened to the song and sat and stared
at David for a while, then said 'I like your shoes'.
In a recent interview for the radio program Modern Rock Live, Bowie said
Warhol wasn't terribly communicative and he talked about how they basically
stood there and looked at each other before having a conversation about
shoes.
o Talking about Oh! You Pretty Things, Bowie said he tried to play the piano
part, but had to stop after every couple of notes because his fingers hurt.
o Peter Noone (Herman of Herman and the Hermits) reached #12 on the UK charts
with his cover of Oh! You Pretty Things.
o Bowie once appeared on stage with a circus elephant called Changes.
o Two tracks, Moonage Daydream and Hang Onto Yourself were released under the
name Arnold Corns (the name was inspired by the Pink Floyd song Arnold
Layne) in '71. The Clothing designer Freddi Burette was supposedly the lead
singer. These tracks were later reworked for the album Ziggy Stardust.
<UPDATED>
o In 1972, Bowie released The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The
Spiders From Mars, a concept album about the science fiction hero he had
invented, whom he described as 'my Martian messiah who twanged a guitar'.
This is Bowie's most influential and famous album. It was named the most
influential album of the seventies by Melody Maker, and it's #6 on Rolling
Stone's list of the best albums of all time.
o The album was released June 6th and stayed on the US charts for more than a
year.
o It reached #5 on the UK charts and #75 on the US charts.
o The first single from the album, Starman, reached #10 on the UK charts and
#65 on the US charts.
o Bowie told a Radio 1 DJ that Starman was based on Somewhere Over The
Rainbow from Wizard Of Oz.
o His band in 1972 and 1973 (until their last concert at the Hammersmith
Odeon on July 3, 1973), the Spiders, were: Mick Ronson (guitar), Woody
Woodmansey (drums), Trevor Bolder (bass).
This is what happened after they broke up:
Mick Ronson released a couple of solo albums (now available as a double
on MainMan/Trident). He then worked for many years with Mott the Hoople.
He played on their final single (Saturday Gigs), and on their European
tour in October/November '74. He then worked with their writer/singer Ian
Hunter on and off for the next 20 years.
He has many productions with credits to his name, some of which are: The
Morrissey album with I Know It's Gonna Happen on it, an Andi Sex-Gang
single Seven Ways To Kill A Man, Dalbello's album Who Man Four Says.
He also worked with some minor UK punk bands. For example, he produced and
played on the Slaughter and the Dog's first album.
Ronson had been living in the US for some time. He died of liver cancer
in 1993.
Woody Woodmansey and Trevor Bolder went on to release a Spiders From Mars
album with unknown guitarist and vocalist.
Woodmansey then formed Woody Woodmansey's U-Boat and released another album
(which has a cartoon cover, BTW). They were touted as having 'the biggest
drum kit in the world' - Woody fell off it once and broke his wrists!
Bolder and his band played a mini concert in 1977 during a street party to
commemorate the Queen's silver jubilee.
He was playing bass for Uriah Heep at Reading Festival in 1987 and is still
with them now.
His dad used to have a record shop, but that was closed many years ago and
is now a cafe. His brother also had a brief musical career.
o The home town of the Spiders from Mars is the city of Hull, North
Humberside.
o Ziggy Stardust, the character Bowie created, is an amalgam of Vince Taylor,
the insane rocker who used to dress up like Jesus on stage; Iggy
Pop/Twiggy; and the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, a failed one-time TV
performer.
o Bowie: 'Vince was American and came to England, then went to France and
became a star of dirge. But then he came back to England and we spoke of
our findings. He wore a white robe and sandals and we sat in the busy
London street with a map of the world and tried to find the people who were
passing by and scowling at us. They were nowhere on the map. Vince went
back to France, then I heard about the famous show where he had told his
band to go home and appeared in front of the curtains in that old white
robe and sandals telling the French people about the comings and goings due
upon us. He was banned from performing.
My records were selling and I was being a man in demand. I thought of Vince
and wrote Ziggy Stardust. I thought of my brother and wrote Five Years.
Then my friend came to mind, standing the way we stood in Bewlay Bros. and
I wrote Moonage Daydream'.
o Some say Ziggy Stardust is David's self portrait (and that he did that
deliberately). Examples: Lady Stardust is about a man who is rejected by
those around him because of his makeup and long hair (other interpretations
are that the song is about Vince Taylor, or Marc Bolan). Ziggy Stardust
(the song) is about a man who wants to become a famous rock star. John,
I'm Only Dancing (which was released as a single at the time) deals with
bisexuality (note: there is another interpretation that he's telling his
friend he's not trying to steal his girlfriend).
Some people claim that Ziggy is Jimi Hendrix. To prove their theory all
they can say is that they are both left handed. Of course, it didn't occur
to them that Bowie is also left handed.
In a December 1990 interview, Mick Ronson said that Ziggy 'was really
David and Angela's idea'. When asked whom Ziggy was based on, he said
'Some people say Jimi Hendrix'.
Other people point out that Ziggy is not a human, and that David always
claimed he was an actor, implying that he plays roles, so Ziggy is only a
fruit (no pun intended :-) ) of his imagination.
o When John, I'm Only Dancing was released on September 1st in Britain,
it reached #12 on the charts. But RCA America didn't want to release it,
and it was banned from some radio stations because of its suggestive
lyrics.
The song was released in America in '76 on the compilation album
ChangesOneBowie.
<UPDATED>
o Bowie was one of the first rock stars to admit he's bisexual. Some claim he
was the very first. In January '72, in a Melody Maker interview, he said:
'I'm gay, and always have been'.
In '83 with Let's Dance and his foray into the mainstream he went from
admitting it to denying it. He's now claiming it was just an experimental
act.
Quotes that are worth mentioning:
'probably the most provocative thing one could say in 1972. Drug talk was
positively establishment and this sort of felt like the era of self
invention coming up'.
'The biggest mistake I ever made was telling that Melody Maker reporter I
was gay'. (1983)
E Entertainment: He told them he was trisexual ('I'll try anything once').
Out: 'I was fairly forthcoming about the fact that I was bisexual. I don't
think there was any question about me being ambiguous, was there?'
In one interview for the Black Tie White Noise video he said that even in
the early '70s, he was 'a closet heterosexual'.
Details: He said he had admitted he was bisexual because he didn't want
someone else to discover it.
--<cut here>--<cut here>--<cut here>--<cut here>--<cut here>--<cut here>--<cut
SherryeLin
In article <4mup11$7...@post.tau.ac.il>, pe...@ccsg.tau.ac.il (Eyal Perek)
writes:
>
> o In particular, these questions should NEVER be asked:
> 'Are his eyes really differently coloured???!!!?###'
> 'Is he REALLY gay??!!?????&&'
> 'Did he do something prior to Let's Dance?!?#######@@@??????!!!'
>
>
And, "Did he do something AFTER "Let's Dance?"
SherryeLin
SherryeLin
>o Bowie also has a stepsister named Annette through his father.
Huh? If it's through his father, shouldn't it be his SISTER? Or is it is
stepfather's daughter...or..or....AAAUUUUGGGHH!
It's confusing enough with this Hayward Stenton Jones stuff... Let me
read that FAQ again! And let me pull out the old books! My memory is
more confusing than the FAQ! It's not Geneva, it's South of France! It's
not tomorrow, it's happening NOW! It's --
AAAAUUUUUGGGHHH!
The FAQ says, "Hayward Stenton Jones" -- are both of his mother's husbands
the same man? EEEEEEEKKK! ( ;
SherryeLin
Dara O'Kearney
In article <4mup11$7...@post.tau.ac.il>,
pe...@ccsg.tau.ac.il (Eyal Perek) wrote:
Hi Eyal,
Great work with the FAQ. A few comments:
>Bowie graduated high school with an A in art.
English people don't gradute high school, they leave secondary school, having
received O-levels or A-levels. I assume this means Bowie had an O-level (Grade
A) in art.
> The song was later (in 1973) re-released on a collection, and reached
> the sixth place on the British charts.
I think it would be better if you said "reached number 6" rather than "the
sixth place". I had to think about this for a few seconds before I realised
what was meant by "the sixth place".
>A Texas man pointed a gun at Bowie once because he was wearing a dress.
I think a Texan is better than a Texas man (you wouldn't say An Israel man)
> But his last two
> releases, Black Tie White Noise (1993) and Outside (1995), are more
> ambitious albums recalling his work of the '70s.
I think the Buddha of Suburbia (1993) which came after BTWN should be included
here. In fact, it is the most reminiscent of his '70s work.
> Bowie was involved with ballet dancer Melissa Harley for a couple of years.
It's Melissa Hurley. Hurley is a common Irish name (as in Elizabeth Hurley,
girlfriend of Hugh Grant).
> In 1992 Bowie married Somalian supermodel Iman in Switzerland. Bowie gave
> her a 3.5 million dollar castle in Ireland as a wedding gift.
I don't think so. I never heard this story reported in the Irish press, which
delights in keeping us all informed of all the foreign celebrities who live
here/have houses (or castles) here. There is, as far as I know, only one
castle still used as a residence in Ireland (Earl Mountcharles'). All others
are ruined, or serve as tourist amenities or museums.
> It is very probable that one of the main characters (the rock star wannabe)
> is based on David Bowie. It's also probable that he's a Bowie wannabe. In
> one scene, he says that he knows his own music is nothing special and says
> 'I know I'm no Bowie'.
This is self-contradictory. Anyone who reads the book or watches the series
carefully can see that the rock star character is NOT based on Bowie. This
character comes from Kureishi's generation, not Bowie, but is certainly
impressed/influenced by Bowie since he says 'I know I'm no Bowie'. There are
any number of other British rock stars this character (called Johnny I
believe) could be based on: Billy Idol, Johnny Rotten etc.).
> Different signs have been hung above the stage in each show of the
> Outside tour. They included: Free Vulva, Strange Hand Music: Listen to the
> Limbs!, Street Vulcan, Ouvre Le Chein, Open The Dog, Shake Meat Dies Away,
> and Street Vulva Match Me.
That should be Ouvre Le Chien (which is the French for Open The Dog).
> The Buddha of Suburbia
> BBC2 miniseries soundtrack.
This is not a soundtrack album. The liner notes make it clear that the music
on the album bears little resemblance to the soundtrack music, and was worked
on and developed after the soundtrack had been recorded.
Slan leat,
Dara.