I heard the news…* Simon Le Bon Joins Bowie Loch Tribute; Bowie Takes German Stages; Carlos Alomar Heads to Europe; Bowie House Plans Anger Neighbors; Interview: Emm Gryner Remembers Bowie plus MORE!
Welcome to my weekly roundup of Bowie news! Read on for summaries of Bowie-related stories that posted this past week, and click on the bolded story names to link to the original articles…
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NEWS
Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon joins line-up for major David Bowie event on Loch Lomond. Simon Le Bon will join Bowie alumni Earl Slick, Mike Garson, Gail Ann Dorsey, Mark Plati and Sterling Campbell and other artists for Bowie: Live on the Loch at Cameron House on Loch Lomond on November 7–8, 2026, a Save the Children benefit marking the 10th anniversary of Bowie’s death and celebrating his musical, Scottish and philanthropic legacy.
Ari Notartomaso Will Lead REBEL REBEL in Germany, Featuring Music of David Bowie. Ari Notartomaso stars in Rebel Rebel, Ivo van Hove’s new musical featuring Bowie’s music, with musical direction and arrangements by longtime Bowie collaborator Henry Hey, running August 20–September 3 at the 2026 Ruhrtriennale Festival of the Arts in Bochum, Germany.
David Bowie tribute shows bring his music to German stages in 2026. Bowie is being celebrated across Germany in 2026 through several live productions, including Milan Devinne and The Thin White Duke Orchestra’s orchestral David Bowie Symphony – The Celebration Concert tour, Alexander Scheer’s nationwide HEROES – Alexander Scheer sings David Bowie tour, and a separate reading-and-concert production of Heroes at Berlin’s Berliner Ensemble.
Carlos Alomar Heads to Song Camp Europe 2026. Bowie’s longtime bandleader and rhythm guitarist Carlos Alomar will participate in Song Camp Europe 2026, sharing his experience in songwriting, arranging, producing and collaboration with the European songwriting community. The event takes place September 28–October 4 at San Felice Resort in Illasi, Italy.
‘We live next to David Bowie’s old Bromley house – planned visitor centre will ruin our peace’ Plans to restore Bowie’s childhood home at 4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley as an immersive tourist attraction expected to draw 20,000 visitors annually have prompted opposition from neighbours concerned about crowds, parking, events, the proposed garden visitor centre and the impact on their quiet residential street.
Sophia Anne Caruso Releases “like i like u.” Singer and actress Sophia Anne Caruso has released the new song “like i like u,” produced by Kaje with effects by 92elm and mixing by Dlugacz and Ryan Schwabe. Caruso, who co-starred as “Girl” in the original and London productions of Bowie’s Lazarus, describes the track as an exuberant plea to express your feelings while you still can, embracing “playfulness over fear” and capturing the spirit of a summer situationship.
“Rubicon” Released. KillerStar has released a live recording and video of “Rubicon” featuring several Bowie collaborators, including Mike Garson, Mark Plati and Kevin Armstrong, ahead of a November 17 Cavern Club show and a three-night residency at London’s 100 Club on March 3–5.
RIP Tim Curry. Tim Curry drew heavily on Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust persona in developing Frank-N-Furter for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, even using Bowie’s makeup artist Pierre La Roche, and the two later became friends after Bowie enthusiastically applauded Curry at a screening and they discovered a shared commitment to pushing artistic boundaries.
RIP Dolly Parton. Dolly Parton, described as a pop icon on the level of Bowie, Mick Jagger and Prince, proved with her 1980 acting debut in 9 to 5 that her talents extended beyond country music, launching a film career while embodying the kindness, resilience and commitment to enlightenment that defined her public persona.
Iman sparks fan reaction with new tribute to ‘forever’ with David Bowie. Iman shared end-of-summer images honoring her enduring love for Bowie, including fan-made chalk art combining their names with an infinity symbol and Bowie’s lightning-bolt logo and a portrait of the couple that Iman drew herself.
Johnny Depp thrills Halifax with Hollywood Vampires. Hollywood Vampires, featuring Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, Tommy Henriksen and Johnny Depp, closed their sold-out UK tour with a mix of original material and classic covers including Bowie’s “Heroes,” The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”
Unheard David Bowie Songs To Be Released Next Month. The Shel Talmy Recordings, released by Parlophone on September 18, documents Bowie’s December 1964 collaboration, while still performing as Davie Jones with The Manish Boys, with producer Shel Talmy and includes seven previously unheard songs and three previously unheard takes.
Ren Barlow Covers “Space Oddity.” Barlow reimagines Bowie’s 1969 song “Space Oddity” as minimalist, guitar-driven indie rock, using her expressive vocals to evoke the original’s sense of romance and reflection.
Venice Immersive Storytelling at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. Bowie: Unseen | Unheard, an immersive audiovisual experience featuring more than 800 images of Bowie by photographer Denis O’Regan alongside Bowie’s music in spatial sound, will compete at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival’s Venice Immersive program.
Bowie reimagined for unique concerts by Peter Gregson. Composer and cellist Peter Gregson will reimagine Bowie’s music in three concerts at Lightroom from September 3–5, drawing especially on the Berlin period and using spatial audio, immersive visuals, cut-up techniques and production ideas associated with Bowie, Brian Eno and Tony Visconti.
Electric Duke Brings Bowie to Temecula. Julian Shah-Tayler’s Electric Duke will perform a Bowie tribute spanning five decades of his career at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater on September 19, drawing from more than 120 songs and following a Rolling Stones tribute two days earlier.
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FEATURES AND REFLECTIONS
The Wisdom of David Bowie: On Art, Religion, Technology and More. Bowie’s youthful study of Buddhism under Lama Chime Rinpoche helped instill a sense of transience and change that became fundamental to his life and work, driving his continual reinvention, resistance to artistic stagnation, search for the source of his own being, and pursuit of challenges at the limits of his abilities.
The hilarious 1980s celebrity adverts top Hollywood stars tried to hide from fans. Bowie and Tina Turner appeared together in a 1980s Pepsi commercial in which Bowie uses a machine to create his dream woman, only for Turner to emerge after his Pepsi can is scanned.
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PROFILES
Ayla Owen. Owen describes her role curating and clearing nearly 50 Bowie tracks for the immersive experience You’re Not Alone, using its thematic structure to balance familiar songs, rarities and material from across Bowie’s career while creating a cohesive 360-degree journey through his creative life.
Robert Fripp on his landmark David Bowie sessions. Robert Fripp recalls joining Bowie for the spontaneous three-day “Heroes” sessions in Berlin in 1977, declining Bowie’s subsequent invitation to become his touring guitarist, returning to contribute to Scary Monsters in 1980 after Bowie unexpectedly told him to “think Ritchie Blackmore,” and remembering Bowie as a charismatic figure who gave people “permission to be who you are.”
Jeremy Vine. Vine credits Bowie’s “Sound and Vision,” which he first heard at age 12, with changing his life through its unusual structure and striking opening lyrics.
Sam Rockwell. Bowie’s son Duncan Jones conceived his 2009 directorial debut Moon specifically for Sam Rockwell after the two bonded over classic science fiction, ultimately creating a critically acclaimed low-budget film that became a cult favorite and one of Rockwell’s most celebrated performances.
Denis O’Regan. Photographer Denis O’Regan, who documented Bowie extensively on the 1983 Serious Moonlight tour and later tours, is presenting 800 images from his archive in Bowie: Unseen | Unheard at the Venice International Film Festival, combining photographs, Bowie’s music, commentary and immersive spatial sound.
Tim Pope. Music video director Tim Pope was inspired to write his memoir I Shoot Rock Stars after hearing an old answering-machine message from Bowie, with whom he worked over the years, most notably filming Bowie’s 50th-birthday concert at Madison Square Garden in 1997.
Page Hamilton. Helmet frontman Page Hamilton said Bowie may have saved his life by recruiting him to replace Reeves Gabrels for the 1999 Hours tour at a time when Hamilton was going through a divorce and drinking heavily, giving him the purpose to learn 30 Bowie songs and exposing him to Bowie’s example of long-term sobriety.
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THIS WEEK IN THIS BLOG
August 23: Last Week’s News
August 24: David Bowie Cover of the Week: Robert Dada covers “Golden Years”
August 25: Drive-in Saturday Tuesday Movie Review: Notorious (1946)
August 26: Nick Smart on the New Issue of David Bowie Glamour
August 27: Bowie’s “I Want Your Love” (1965)
August 28: Preview: Emm Gryner, Bowie, NetAid and Wembley
August 29: Emm Gryner Remembers Performing with Bowie at NetAid 1999
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LISTS
5 Signature Hits That Prove One Song Can Change A Career. Bowie’s career was transformed by his 1969 breakout hit “Space Oddity,” whose themes of isolation amid the era’s fascination with space travel and association with the Apollo 11 mission gave him his first UK Top 5 hit and permanently linked him with the Space Age.
The four classic 1970s albums David Bowie never liked. Bowie said he did not like Aladdin Sane, Pin Ups, Diamond Dogs or David Live but judged them successful because they “kept the trip going,” reflecting his tendency to value artistic progression over attachment to his own work.
5 David Bowie Vinyls That Every True Fan Should Already Own. Bowie’s nearly 50-year career produced almost 30 studio albums spanning art rock, glam, blues, disco, electronica and other genres, with five albums singled out as essential vinyl collectibles for their music, artwork, rarity, monetary value or some combination of those qualities.
10 Best Songs Over 10 Minutes Long. Bowie’s more-than-ten-minute “Station to Station” is a thunderous, uninhibited high point of his Thin White Duke period, sharply removed from the earlier Ziggy Stardust era and created during a period Bowie later said he could not remember.
5 Classic Rock Bands Who Went Mainstream With A Pop Hit. Bowie’s collaboration with Queen on “Under Pressure” stripped away much of the band’s arena-rock bombast in favor of a pop-oriented sound built around John Deacon’s iconic bassline and the complementary interplay between Bowie and Freddie Mercury, becoming an enduring classic despite peaking at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.
5 Classic Rock Songs Inspired By Your Favorite Movies. Bowie wrote “Space Oddity,” his first charting song and a No. 5 U.K. hit in 1969, after seeing Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey while stoned and being particularly affected by its psychedelic “trip” sequence.
The Greatest Music Mentors In Rock History. Bowie became a mentor to Trent Reznor after touring with Nine Inch Nails in 1995, offering nonjudgmental advice that Reznor credited with helping him overcome a destructive period in his life.
3 Glam Rock Songs From the 1970s We Can’t Help but Strut Around To. Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel,” from the 1974 album Diamond Dogs, exemplifies glam rock’s rebellious embrace of glamour, style, confidence and self-expression.
Playlist of the week: Life on Boone? Bowie songs including “Life on Mars?,” “Changes,” “Space Oddity,” “Quicksand” and “Five Years” reflect the isolation, uncertainty, reinvention and discovery that can accompany students adjusting to college life at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.
The 5 Best Rock Music Videos Of The ’70s. Bowie’s “Life on Mars?” is ranked among the five best music videos of the 1970s for its saturated colors, stark white background and Bowie’s dramatic, otherworldly performance, which created striking visuals that became closely identified with his artistic vision.
3 Rock Songs From the 1970s That Chill Me to My Core. Bowie’s cryptic and increasingly disturbing Hunky Dory song “The Bewlay Brothers” uses eerie psychedelic instrumentation to explore Bowie and his brother, though interpretations have also connected it to schizophrenia and homosexuality.
10 Classic Rock Songs With the Greatest Opening Lines. Collider ranked Bowie’s “Space Oddity” third among classic rock songs with the greatest opening lines, praising “Ground Control to Major Tom” for immediately introducing Major Tom and establishing the song’s themes of isolation and wonder inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey.
21 famous people who understandably rebranded themselves. Bowie was born David Jones but adopted his stage name because Davy Jones of the Monkees was already using the name professionally.
25 Famous Songs That Borrowed From Older Hits. Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” uses the famous bassline from Bowie and Queen’s “Under Pressure” as a prominent example of how popular music recycles recognizable elements from earlier songs.
The 10 greatest tracks recorded at Electric Lady Studios. Bowie viewed fame as largely worthless beyond superficial privileges, and his disillusionment with the music industry and its management practices helped inspire “Fame,” created with John Lennon after the two bonded over their shared cynicism about the business.
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CHURNALISM
This section separates genuine Bowie news and original writing from recycled “churnalism” stories that offer little original reporting and often use vague click-bait headlines to repackage familiar information, but may still be of interest if readers have not seen it before.
1976 Rock Song, Lasting Over 10 Minutes, Is David Bowie’s Longest Song. Bowie’s 1976 “Station to Station,” the title track of the album that preceded his Berlin Trilogy, runs 10 minutes and 8 seconds and is his longest officially released song.
Bowie Once Said ‘They’ve Got To Stop’ About This Rock Band. On Julian Casablancas’s 48th birthday, Bowie’s early criticism of The Strokes resurfaced, recalling that he found their acclaimed 2001 debut Is This It disappointing apart from three good songs and believed they could become much better by moving beyond their retro influences and expanding their songwriting.
Christopher Nolan Wouldn’t Take No For An Answer When This A-Lister Turned Down A Role. Bowie initially declined the role of Nikola Tesla in Christopher Nolan’s 2006 film The Prestige, but Nolan personally met with him, presented a revised script and speech, and persuaded him to accept the part.
1973 Glam Rock Song, From a Band David Bowie Stopped From Breaking Up, Was a Radio Favorite. Mott the Hoople’s 1973 “All the Way from Memphis” reached No. 10 in the UK but only rock radio in the U.S., where Morgan Fisher believes Bowie helped the band approach mainstream success by reviving its fortunes and giving it “All the Young Dudes.”
Noel Gallagher worships David Bowie, but can’t remember meeting him. Noel Gallagher met Bowie in his dressing room before a 1990s Wembley Arena concert but was so drunk and high that his only memory of the encounter is seeing Bowie applying makeup in a mirror.
The writer that Anthony Bourdain and David Bowie agreed was brilliant. Bowie and Anthony Bourdain were both voracious and eclectic readers who particularly admired George Orwell, with Bowie naming Inside the Whale and Other Essays and 1984 among his favorite books and drawing extensively on 1984 in his music and unrealized plans for a stage musical.
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And with that, “we’ve finished our news…”**
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*“I’ve heard the news today” is Bowie’s adaptation of the Beatles lyric, which is heard in “Young Americans.”
** “We’ve finished our news” is a line from “Oh You Pretty Things.”