I heard the news today…* More “Hours.”… material released; Pet Shop Boys announce Bowie cover; Ziggy Back on the Charts; Australian Bowie festival; “Heroes” turns 47; plus reflections; profiles; lists; and MUCH MORE!
This is my weekly summary of news about Bowie. Once again I’ve made some editorial choices about what to leave out, including several articles that mention Bowie in passing as well as several new stories that have been reported earlier, in different stories that I’ve already highlighted. That said, there was, as always, a lot of Bowie-related news this past week. The bolded titles link to the original stories I summarize below. Read on…
—
NEWS
Hours… related videos released. Since October 14, four new videos from David Bowie’s live performance in Paris on October 14, 1999, have been released, including “Thursday’s Child,” “Something In The Air,” “Survive,” and “Seven.” These videos are part of the ongoing celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hours…, following earlier releases of Live from Manhattan Center ’99 and the Hours… Remix EP. The link is to a press release that was issued in advance of these videos. The “Thursday’s Child” video is embedded above.
‘Hours…’ gets 25th anniversary reissue. In other “hours…” related news, the album is being reissued for its 25th anniversary, featuring two digital EPs with four previously unreleased tracks, celebrating the 1999 album that was the first by a major artist to be made available for download.
Pet Shop Boys to release their cover of “All the Young Dudes.” The Pet Shop Boys will release their new single “New London Boy” on November 15, alongside their cover of Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes.” This release will feature two CD singles, each with remixes and bonus tracks, including songs from the Nonetheless album.
New book relates history of rock logos. A new book, Logo Rhythm, explores the history of iconic band logo designs over the past 50 years, featuring bands and musicians such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix. The book includes contributions from prominent designers, like Jonathan Barnbrook (who worked with Bowie), and sheds light on both well-known logos and hidden gems in music history.
Ziggy back on the charts! The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust has reappeared on the UK music charts, landing on the Official Physical Albums tally at No. 93 and the Official Albums Sales ranking at No. 96, continuing its legacy as one of Bowie’s most influential works.
Impossible Festival exhibition to include wax Ziggy. while this article mostly focuses on a waxwork of Elton John currently under construction (the pictures are pretty cool), it mentions an upcoming exhibit that will include Ziggy Stardust.
Coverage of the Carinda Bowie Festival. The David Bowie Festival, also known as Let’s Dance, took place on October 5-6, 2024, in Carinda, Australia, where Bowie filmed part of his iconic “Let’s Dance” music video, drawing fans from across eastern Australia for a weekend of costumes and celebration.
The Masked Singer is Andy Richter. I have never seen The Masked Singer and don’t know who Andy Richter is, however, several stories this week revealed that whatever else he is, Richter was also the masked singer. Many of these articles (actually, all of the ones I saw), mention that Richter counts David Bowie as a co-star. That is apparently a reference to both having been on the Conan O’Brien show, but it isn’t really explained in the article this links to.
‘Habitable zone’ on Mars. this news appeared in a few different stories, at least some of which mention “Life on Mars?” Which, as Bowie fans, we know isn’t actually about life on Mars.
Best party jumpsuits. Bowie’s iconic Ziggy Stardust jumpsuit, designed by Kansai Yamamoto, is identified here as one of the most influential fashion statements in jumpsuit history. Featured alongside other legendary jumpsuit moments from Cher and Abba, the piece underscores the garment’s lasting cultural significance, particularly in fashion for AW24 (Autumn/Winter 2024).
—
REFLECTIONS
47th Anniversary of “Heroes.” This is a brief article with a lot of good links about one of Bowie’s iconic albums.
Lulu on Bowie. Lulu reflects on her first meeting with David Bowie, where he promised to make a hit record with her, marking the start of their professional and personal relationship.
Bowie kept Picasso and Matisse art in his car. In a recent episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Glen Matlock revealed that David Bowie kept original Picasso and Matisse artworks in his car, a story that amused the panel, including Courtney Love. This story appeared in more than one article this week.
Why Bowie inspired the Cure’s long shows. Robert Smith once attended a Bowie show that was too short for his liking so he decided not to do that.
Bowie’s beef with Gary Neuman. Bowie initially harbored resentment towards Gary Numan, feeling that Numan’s early work borrowed heavily from his own, even going as far as having Numan removed from a TV show, though Numan later understood Bowie’s perspective, and the two eventually made amends.
On “Rebel Rebel.” This exceedingly brief article is really just an excuse to link to Bowie’s lip-synced performance on the Dutch show, Top Pop. But that’s always good to watch, so go ahead and click the link.
—
PROFILES
Nile Rodgers. Rodgers reflects on his career, discussing his iconic collaborations with artists such as David Bowie and the development of his unique sound with Chic, while also sharing personal stories about his upbringing, musical journey, and the impact of his longtime collaborator Bernard Edwards.
Tucker Zimmerman. Bowie called the 83-year-old, Belgium-based singer-songwriter’s debut album one of his all-time favorites.
Adrian Belew. Belew reflects on his 50-year music career, including his time as a guitarist for David Bowie, who once called Belew a “promising young Kentuckian,” and discusses his current tour with BEAT, a reimagined version of King Crimson.
Paul Williams. Among other things, Williams discusses hearing a song he co-wrote (which was “Fill Your Heart”) recorded by Bowie on Hunky Dory.
Alexandria “Lexi” Zahra Jones. This is a somewhat odd profile of Bowie’s daughter.
Aled Jones. Jones, a Welsh singer and broadcaster, first rose to fame as a boy soprano with his iconic rendition of Walking in the Air, which became synonymous with the animated film The Snowman. Reflecting on his career, Jones shared stories about performing for Prince Charles and Princess Diana and a memorable experience at Bob Geldof’s wedding, where he played rounders with David Bowie and other rock legends.
—
LISTS
Four of Bowie’s Worst Songs. The interesting twist on this list of four legitimate candidates for Bowie’s worst songs is that it offers a defense for each.
The 10 greatest keyboard players of all time. Rick Wakeman appears at #2 on this list (which mentions that he played on “Space Oddity” and “Life on Mars?” But the list does not include Mike Garson.
Singers with the best voices. As is often the case with Yardbreaker, the site that posted this list, I can’t tell if I’ve seen it before. In any case it is at least similar to lists that have appeared before.
Five Albums That Changed the Course of Music History. Ziggy is #2.
Ranking Rock’s HOFers. This post on Axios is paywalled, so I didn’t see where Bowie ranks, but he’s in there somewhere.
Classic songs never released as singles. The list includes “Oh! You Pretty Things,” a standout track from Hunky Dory. Since former Herman’s Hermits singer Peter Noone had already turned the song into a hit earlier that same year, Bowie chose not to release his own version as a single to avoid direct competition.
25 recording artists who also found success acting. This is another Yardbreaker list that may or may not have appeared before.
10 Best Rock Songs That Mention Movie Stars. Unlike the above list, I know I haven’t seen this one before. “China Girl” is included because it mentions Marlon Brando. It apparently beat out Neil Young’s “Pocahontas,” Madonna’s “Vouge,” John Cougar Mellencamp’s “You’ve Got to Stand for Somethin’,” and Slipknot’s “Eyeless” in the songs-that-namedrop-Brando category.
Artists with the biggest gaps between studio albums. Bowie’s biggest gap was nearly a decade, but that’s not the longest on this list by far.
Five pieces of Labyrinth trivia. OK, I didn’t know all of these things.
15 Best Concert Movies. Did Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture make this list? No, but Bowie’s here nonetheless…
——-
FAR OUT MAGAZINE
The online magazine always manages to post Bowie stories. This week featured:
(1) Do musicians get worse with age?
(2) Bowie’s favorite live album
(3) Andy Warhol’s Empire. This one doesn’t actually mention Bowie, but it contains a picture of Bowie as Warhol.
(4) The story of “Let Me Sleep Beside You”
(5) Bowie turned down role in Bond movie.
(6) Bowie v. Simon Le Bon.
(7) Bowie’s #1 albums.
—
THIS WEEK IN THIS BLOG
October 13: Last Week’s News
October 14: David Bowie Cover of the Week: Starman performs “China Girl”
October 16: Bowie’s “Hours…” remixes EP commentary
October 18: Free Form Friday: Trump is coming for me…
October 19: Exclusive Interview: Jordan Rothacker, author of Bowie-inspired SciFi novels
—
And with that, “we’ve finished our news…”*
—
*“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”