I heard the news today…* Bowie best SNL performer; Pet Shop Boys release “Dudes” cover; Celebrating Bowie announces ‘25 European dates; plus profiles, reflections, lists and MUCH MORE!
Welcome to my weekly roundup of Bowie news! Click on the bolded article titles to read the originals. If you’re new here, this feature is organized into sections: first, genuine news, followed by profiles, then lists (there are some interesting ones this week), a summary of Bowie articles from Far Out, a recap of my posts from the week, and finally, posters for upcoming shows featuring Bowie’s musical collaborators. Read on…
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NEWS
Bowie tops Rolling Stone List of Best SNL Performances. David Bowie ended the 1970s with a striking performance of “The Man Who Sold the World” on Saturday Night Live, accompanied by performance artists Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias, while wearing a Dada-inspired plastic tuxedo that required him to be carried to the microphone. He also performed “TVC15” with a unique outfit featuring a stuffed pink poodle and “Boys Keep Swinging” using green-screen technology, embodying the experimental, provocative, and humorous spirit that defined both his work and SNL during the decade. While this story might seem more appropriate for the list section of this roundup, Rolling Stone lists tend to take on a kind of canonical significance– if Rolling Stone says this was the best performance on SNL, this was the best performance on SNL. Period. And that’s news.
Pet Shop Boys release “All the Young Dudes” cover. The Pet Shop Boys have released a new cover of Bowie’s “All The Young Dudes,” available digitally and on a CD single alongside their track “New London Boy” starting November 15. The article has a link to the YouTube release, which you can listen to right now.
Celebrating David Bowie Announces UK/European Tour.. Beginning January 7 in Brussels, this tour will feature Peter Murphy, Fishbone’s Angelo Moore, Scrote, saxophonist Ron Dziubla, guitarist Kevin Armstrong, and others interpreting Bowie’s hits with a focus on his Ziggy Stardust era, Berlin trilogy, and Reznor-influenced years across the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, and France.
RIP Quincy Jones. The music giant passed away this past week. Though not especially associated with Bowie, this BBC story includes a video of him in which he discusses his friendship with Bowie.
First stop space, next stop Glascow. Colonel Chris Hadfield, renowned astronaut and musician, will bring his “Journey Into The Cosmos” event to Glasgow, Scotland’s King’s Theatre on June 19, 2025. The Bowie connection is Hadfield’s iconic performance of *Space Oddity* aboard the International Space Station, showcasing his deep connection to space and music.
Cruz Beckham and Jackie Apostle recreate PinUps cover for Halloween. This one might be of greater significance to British readers because I have no idea who Cruz Beckham and Jackie Apostle are— but I like their costumes!
Peculiar to Mr. Bowie: A Day with David Bowie in 1971 to be released. The new book, featuring rare photos and reflections on Bowie’s first visit to the U.S., will be released on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
Old Bowie CDs might be valuable to collectors. This article highlights valuable CDs that could be hidden in old collections, including limited releases from artists like David Bowie, whose Sound + Vision box set from 1989 once sold for over £4,000 due to its rarity and unique packaging.
Duff McKagan and Jakob Dylan cover “Heroes.“ This episode generated several stories. This one has a link to a clip of them performing the song.
Eddie Redmayne based his Day of the Jackal character on Bowie. The actor was inspired by an interview he saw in which Bowie explained why he took on different personas. Actually, Eddie Redmayne might be a good choice to play Bowie, should the opportunity ever arise.
Turns out that Aladdin Sane cover image is copywrite protected. The Springfield, Missouri-based company Chase Me Tees faces a copyright infringement lawsuit for using Brian Duffy’s iconic Aladdin Sane image of David Bowie on merchandise without permission, despite multiple warnings from Duffy Archive Limited, which owns the image rights.
What is Necro-branding? This story is about how the image of dead celebrities, including Bowie, are commodified.
Berlin Art. Turns out, if you want to play the “Find Bowie” game (click HERE), you’d have plenty to find in Berlin.
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PROFILES
Pat Metheny. Pat Metheny, the legendary jazz guitarist, reflects on his collaboration with Bowie on the 1985 hit “This Is Not America,” describing Bowie as one of the most brilliant and thoughtful individuals he ever worked with, as Metheny continues to tour and showcase his deep commitment to music at 70.
Ian Atsbury. Atsbury, of the band, The Cult, discusses the band’s renaissance. Bowie and his enduring influence comes up more than once in this piece.
Bowie-inspired Tel Aviv Apartment. A Tel Aviv family’s new luxury apartment, designed by Halel Architecture, features a unique DJ station in the living room to match their love for music and a bold David Bowie-inspired artwork by artist Irit Hayon. The Bowie connection is seen in the personalized art, which incorporates vibrant colors and themes reflecting the musician’s influence.
Synthesis. In this interview, electronic music project Synthesis reflects on the diverse inspirations that shape their sound, from ’90s Drum and Bass to classic rock influences like Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie, whose genre-spanning creativity serves as a significant influence.
Phil Manzanera. Phil Manzanera’s 50 Years of Music box set celebrates his influential career as a musical “enabler,” including his collaborations with legends like Brian Eno, Robert Wyatt, and David Bowie, while showcasing his own extensive solo work across 11 albums.
Frankie Torres. The Voice contestant Frankie Torres performed with Earl Slick, early in her career, an experience that helped shape her passion for rock music and stage presence. Bowie is mentioned in passing.
REFLECTIONS
Retrospective Review of A Reality Tour DVD. This is a republished review from 2004, featuring Bowie’s A Reality Tour DVD, which captures his lively 2003 performance spanning hits from “Ziggy Stardust” to “New Killer Star.”
On Tonight. Mark Webber of Pulp chose Tonight for his “Baker’s Dozen” list, appreciating it for its standout track “Loving the Alien” and acknowledging its often-dismissed status, despite Bowie himself feeling detached from the project.
The Story Behind “All the Young Dudes.”. Perhaps timed to coincide with the Pet Shop Boys cover, I’m not sure this story is 100% accurate, so proceed with caution.
Footage from Bowie’s final live performance. Bowie played a three-song set as part of an annual fundraiser by Keep A Child Alive’s called the Black Ball in 2006, his final live appearance, performing “Wild Is The Wind,” “Fantastic Voyage” and “Changes,” the latter a duet with Alicia Keys. This article links to a video of the performance.
Lust for Life Review. Why not review Lust for Life? It’s a great Iggy Pop album and Bowie is all over it.
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LISTS
Top 10 Best Bowie Covers. Not to be confused with my “Cover of the Week” feature. I’ll give this one credit– there are some covers here that I hadn’t seen before 9with links to videos).
Musicians who have refused awards and honours. Bowie is on the list for refusing a knighthood. You have to go through a story about the Cure’s new record reaching #1 on the UK chart before getting to the list, but there’s a Bowie-connection to that story, too (that isn’t mentioned) — longtime Bowie collaborator Reeves Garbels is now the guitarist for the Cure and contributed on the album.
Rock’s Greatest 70s and 80s Reinventions. Bowie reinvented himself in the early ’80s with Let’s Dance, a commercially successful album produced with Nile Rodgers and featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan, though Bowie later regretted its mainstream appeal as compromising his artistic vision.
The 7 Greatest British Singers. Purportedly according the fans and music experts, Bowie is #1.
Bad Alternative Versions of Songs. “Chilly Down” is on the list. If you don’t recognize this song, it’s from the Labyrinth soundtrack. Bowie wrote it, but some muppets sing it in the movie. Actually, it’s a pretty bad song. The article has a link to Bowie singing the song, which you probably have never heard.
47 great albums that weren’t nominated for album of the year. That’s right, not a top 10 or even a top 50, but 47! Ziggy Stardust is on the list.
Popular UK Songs that Didn’t Chart Well. “Changes” is on the list.
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FAR OUT MAGAZINE
The online magazine always manages to post Bowie stories. This week featured:
1. “Across the Universe” covers.
2. Duncan Jones’ Moon
3. Bowie thought “Heroes” sounded psychotic
4. Bowie wasn’t true to himself with Tonight
5. John Paul Jones introduced Bowie to weed.
6. Bowie and Perry Farrell
7. Bowie was critical of Let’s Dance
8. Bowie tells Mick Jagger stories
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THIS WEEK IN THIS BLOG
November 3: Last week’s news
November 6: Mark Lowe’s Killing Chaos
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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”