I heard the news today…* Berlin Trilogy Musicians to tour; Bowie Record Store Day album announced; Graphic biography of the Berlin years slated for release; Bowie pics auctioned for fire relief; new cover of “Magic Dance” plus reflections, profiles, lists and MUCH MORE!
Welcome to my weekly roundup of Bowie news! Click on the bolded article titles to read the originals. The big Bowie-related news of the week was the announcement about the upcoming D.A.M. tour, but another major story was the release announcement for READY, SET, GO! —a special live album for Record Store Day 2025. There were also several stories related to the recently announced Labyrinth sequel, which was covered in last week’s update. I also had some pretty good writing during the week on the blog, so if you missed any of that, check out the “this week in this blog” section at the end of this update. With that said, read on…
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NEWS
Bowie’s ‘Berlin Trilogy’ Musicians Reunite For 2025 European Tour. Carlos Alomar and George Murray, key collaborators during David Bowie’s Berlin period, reunite for The D.A.M. Trilogy – Back To Berlin Tour 2025, a 16-date European celebration of the Low, Heroes, and Lodger albums, starting November 7 at Berlin’s Metropol concert hall. Joined by guitarist Kevin Armstrong and video editor Nacho, the tour promises faithful performances of rare tracks and an immersive audiovisual experience honoring Bowie’s legacy.
READY, SET, GO! Set for Record Store Day 2025 Release. On April 12, 2025, Parlophone Records will release READY, SET, GO! (LIVE, RIVERSIDE STUDIOS ’03)—a limited double vinyl LP and CD—featuring Bowie’s historic September 8, 2003 performance at Riverside Studios in London. This groundbreaking event was the largest interactive music satellite broadcast of its time, streamed to 86 cinemas across 26 countries and featuring the first-ever live performance of Bowie’s Reality album, released a week later. The release includes the full eleven-song main set, the complete Reality album, and three previously unreleased encore tracks. The concert also pioneered the first interactive cinema Q&A, hosted by Jonathan Ross, and was the first live satellite event in 5.1 DTS surround sound, overseen by Tony Visconti. Additional live Q&A sessions followed in Asia, North and South America, and Canada. The first video associated with this release is embedded in this post.
Reinhard Kleist‘s Low slated for release. Reinhard Kleist’s Low, a graphic biography, is slated for release in May, concluding his Bowie duology by chronicling Bowie’s escape to Berlin in 1976, his collaboration with Iggy Pop, and the creation of the iconic Low album, while exploring how even during his happiest days, the shadow of Ziggy Stardust lingered.
Portraits of artists including Bowie sold to raise funds for CA fires. Photos of Debbie Harry, David Bowie, and Grace Jones by Greg Gorman were auctioned this past week by Giorgio’s Discotheque in Los Angeles, with proceeds benefiting MusiCares’ fire relief efforts for musicians affected by the California wildfires.
SNL Has Never Banned A Musical Guest!. Bowie is on the list of musicians who was supposedly banned from Saturday Night Live. This brief article quotes Lorne Michaels speaking in the documentary Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years Of SNL Music.
Adrian Belew has hand surgery. Guitarist Adrian Belew, known for his work with King Crimson, Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, and David Bowie, underwent hand surgery after experiencing numbness and pain on tour but shared an optimistic prognosis following treatment from a top specialist.
Electro-Synth-Pop Band Brother Sister Release “Magic Dance.” Sibling electro-synth-pop band Brother Sister is set to release a cover of Bowie’s “Magic Dance” this summer, a fitting choice given their deep love for Labyrinth and 80s nostalgia. Having already made the song a fan-favorite in their live shows, they recorded a music video at their recent Big Fan performance and will celebrate the release with a five-date tour across New Zealand, bringing their energetic, retro-inspired sound to audiences.
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REFLECTIONS
Bowie’s Berlin Wall Concert. Bowie’s 1987 West Berlin concert, featuring a performance of “Heroes,” resonated across the Berlin Wall, inspiring East Berliners to gather despite a police crackdown, and is remembered as a symbolic moment in the resistance against the division.
The first time Bowie visited the US. This article tells the story of how Bowie came to the US “in drag” in 1971. That he was wearing a dress was so strange at the time, that I recall my mother telling me about it when I was a child. I was 3 in 1971, so she probably told me the story a few years later, so it must have seemed that odd.
Why Eno doesn’t like talking about Bowie. Yeah, he’s “anti-nostalgia.” The article is longer than that, but that’s the sum and substance.
50th Anniversary of Cracked Actor. The renowned documentary has been receiving increased attention as it approaches the half-century mark.
The saga of Luther Vandross. A new documentary explores how the late soul star was denied the recognition he deserved, examining the roles of racism, homophobia, and prejudice about weight in his career struggles.
Bowie’s final email to Eno. The article discusses the final, prophetic email that Bowie sent to Brian Eno before his passing, highlighting Bowie’s otherworldly persona, his farewell message, and how his celestial imagery in music and life reinforced his enigmatic legacy.
Young Americans at 50. Young Americans celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special reissue, highlighting its groundbreaking fusion of soul and rock, collaborations with John Lennon and Luther Vandross, and its lasting influence on pop music.
Bowie’s last live performance? This article contends that Bowie’s final live performance was as a special guest at Ricky Gervais’ Madison Square Garden show on May 19, 2007, where he performed “Little Fat Man,” a song he co-wrote with Gervais for the 2006 comedy series Extras, in which Bowie portrayed himself. The piece contends that the song became a cult classic but points out that Bowie never released it as a single. Stay tuned to this blog for an upcoming interview with media critic Frank Housh that focuses on Bowie’s appearance on Extras.
“Life on Mars” as response to “My Way.” Versions of this story have been told before, but if you don’t know about it, this article summarizes how Frank Sinatra’s song inspired Bowie to respond with one of his own. Sort of…
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PROFLIES
Candy Clark. This article is set up as a series of hints to for readers to try to figure out who it is they are looking at in the accompanying photograph. It’s Candy Clark. In spinning out the mystery, the article serves as a biographical sketch of Bowie’s co-star from The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Clive Langer. Clive Langer played a key role in Bowie’s career by producing his No. 2 hit “Absolute Beginners” and co-producing “Dancing in the Street” with Mick Jagger, witnessing Bowie’s brilliance firsthand and sharing personal moments, including skiing trips and deep conversations.
Kansas Jayhawks Player Ratings to the Theme of Songs about Space. Odd though the premise of this article might seem at first blush, I have actually seen this type of thing before. It rates the Kansas Jayhawks, the University of Kansas’ college basketball team, based on their performance against UCF (University of Central Florida), whose annual “Space Game” celebrates the school’s proximity to the Kennedy Space Center; Bowie’s “Space Oddity” earns 4.5 stars, highlighting standout performances from Flory Bidunga and Zeke Mayo.
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LISTS
4 Musicians and Bands Who Sold Out. Bowie is on the list more as an acknowledgement that Let’s Dance is perceived as him selling out, though it is portrayed in an overall positive light within the list itself.
5 Surprising Facts About Blackstar. I don’t know how many Bowie fans will find any of this actually surprising, but I’m posting a link to it nonetheless.
5 Famous Songs About Hating Morrissey. Bowie’s version of “I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday” is on the list, which is hilarious because it’s Bowie covering Morrissey.
Eight Artists to follow if you like David Lynch. Before I actually read this list I assumed it was going to include Bowie, as if someone out there knows about David Lynch but not David Bowie. But Bowie is only mentioned in passing in the entry for artist Tony Oursler who, like Lynch, collaborated with Bowie. When you look at some of his art that’s pictured in this article, you will recognize his style in some of Bowie’s later videos.
15 Iconic Fashion Moments. Bowie’s aquamarine suit from the “Life on Mars?” video makes the list because it was a flawlessly tailored, iconic look designed by 19-year-old Freddie Burretti, complete with bold blue eyeshadow and platform shoes.
5 Surprising Facts About Hunky Dory. This list highlights the album’s creative origins, Mick Ronson’s orchestration debut, Bowie’s personal songwriting, Andy Warhol’s unexpected reaction, and Rick Wakeman’s decision to join Yes instead of Bowie’s band.
10 Unexpected Nine Inch Nails Collaborations. I don’t know how “unexpected” it is that Trent Renzor’s collaborated with Bowie, and I’m not even sure that this description is wholly accurate, but yes, Bowie is on the list.
The 10 Best Fairy Tale Movies of All Time, Ranked Labyrinth is on the list, and the writeup cites Bowie’s performance as capturing “the mystical nature of fairies and how easily they can change demeanor from helpful to harmful.”
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FAR OUT MAGZINE
The online magazine always manages to post Bowie stories. These stories are usually built around a nugget of known information, given a title that hints at a detail or connection, encouraging readers to click and read further as the story gradually provides the full context. This week featured:
(1) Five times David Bowie covered his heroes
(2) The song David Bowie recorded as a simple “souvenir”
(3) From Neil Young to David Bowie: The five best covers by Beck
(4) TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe announces debut solo album ‘Thee Black Boltz’
(5) The band David Bowie thought were too “arrogant”
(6) How David Bowie inspired Ridley Scott’s masterpiece ‘Blade Runner’
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THIS WEEK IN THIS BLOG
January 26: Last week’s news
January 27: David Bowie Cover of the Week: Pedro Boyd performs “Lazarus”
January 28: The Buffalo Bills are Not David Bowie (?)
January 29: When You Rock ‘N’ Roll with Me: Interviews with Musicians Inspired by Bowie (Part of my 2024 in review mini-series)
January 30: A Heavenly Playlist: 10 Bowie songs that mention the Hearafter…
January 31: RIP Marianne Faithful
February 1: Exclusive Interview: Ingrid Goudswaard shows us that Bowie is Still Here…
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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”