I Heard the News Today… Bowie’s secret final musical revealed; “Disco King” remix gets video; new David Bowie Centre opens; Emm Gryner week in the blog; KillerStar live EP announced; tributes to Joe Stevens and Giorgio Armani; plus anniversaries, reflections, rankings and 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. This week there were fewer individual Bowie-related news stories than usual, largely because one revelation dominated coverage across outlets. The V&A announced that Bowie’s final project before his death was an unfinished 18th-century musical called The Spectator, centered on London’s petty thief Jack Sheppard, his nemesis Jonathan Wild, and the violent Mohock gang, with Bowie’s handwritten notes and desk now on display at the new David Bowie Centre. For a link to a representative story on the topic, see below.
News
“Bring Me The Disco King (Loner Mix)” gets official visualiser release. A new video has been released for Bowie’s “Bring Me The Disco King (Loner Mix)” (see above) featuring Maynard James Keenan of Tool and John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Originally conceived in 1992, the track evolved through multiple recordings before appearing on Reality, with this remix first surfacing on the 2003 Underworld soundtrack.
Bowie’s secret final project discovered locked in his study. Archivists have revealed that Bowie was secretly developing an unfinished 18th Century-themed musical called The Spectator at the time of his death, with notes and outlines now part of the newly opened David Bowie Centre, adding a surprising final chapter to his lifelong fascination with theater and reinvention.
RIP Joe Stevens. Photographer Joe Stevens, whose iconic images of Bowie appeared on NME covers in the 1970s, has died, leaving behind a body of work that captured Bowie at a formative moment in his career.
RIP Giorgio Armani. A tribute to Giorgio Armani’s influence on music notes that he designed multiple sleek suits for Bowie’s 1990 Sound + Vision tour, underscoring how Bowie’s stage style—like his music—shaped pop culture alongside Armani’s red-carpet looks for later stars such as Lady Gaga.
“Dancing In The Street” Marks 40th Anniversary with New 4K Video and White Vinyl. Bowie and Mick Jagger’s 1985 charity single “Dancing in the Street” is being celebrated on its 40th anniversary with a new 4K video featuring unseen footage and a white vinyl release compiling all mixes, continuing its legacy as both a fun collaboration and a Live Aid milestone.
Swindon operator reopens Wiltshire venue. Salisbury City Hall, once a stage for Bowie and other legendary acts, has reopened under new management after years of closure, reviving a venue with deep ties to British music history.
Reflections
Sam McKnight: Bowie made “different” acceptable and aspirational. Hair stylist Sam McKnight says Bowie influenced his career more than anyone, explaining that Bowie’s constant reinvention through fashion, hair, and make-up made “different” both acceptable and aspirational for a generation.
Bowie recalls the first time he saw The Rolling Stones perform. Bowie remembered being struck by the rebellious energy of the Rolling Stones’ 1963 show, later forming a competitive yet admiring friendship with Mick Jagger that led to their collaboration on “Dancing in the Street,” while also revealing he once hoped Norman Rockwell would design the cover of Young Americans.
Profiles
Molly Jones. Apparently both Bowie and Iggy Pop were fans of the Australian show, A Country Practice. This article is about one of the show’s stars, who left the series in its fifth season.
Lists
10 Best Covers of Van Morrison’s “Gloria.”. Bowie’s cover is on the list. To my knowledge, Bowie never recorded the song, but I saw him perform it live during the Sound and Vision tour in 1990, and it was certainly a highlight. I’ve also heard (probably a bootleg) recording of him performing it with Bono, which is very good.
8 Underrated Bowie Songs. A new ranking highlights eight Bowie songs such as “Valentine’s Day,” “Teenage Wildlife,” “A New Career in a New Town,” and “Strangers When We Meet” as overlooked masterpieces that showcase the depth and range of his work beyond the well-known hits.
3 Iconic Songs From Station To Station. This article highlights how Bowie’s Station to Station introduced his Thin White Duke persona through the title track, the hit “Golden Years,” and his emotional cover of “Wild Is The Wind,” blending krautrock influences, personal turmoil, and a search for connection into one of his greatest albums.
The 10 best David Bowie albums, ranked. A new ranking of the ten best Bowie albums highlights his constant reinvention, from the breakthrough of Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust to the experimental Berlin Trilogy and his final masterpiece Blackstar, underscoring how his music shaped and redefined pop across decades.
10 Things We’re Excited About This Fall. The fall preview of cultural highlights includes the opening of the David Bowie Center in London, where fans can explore 90,000 items from Bowie’s archive and even design their own personalized exhibition by requesting specific artifacts like Ziggy Stardust outfits or the lyric sheet to “Heroes.”
3 Classic Rock Albums That Sound Eerily Similar To Other Bands. An article comparing albums that echo the sound of other bands highlights how Bowie’s Hunky Dory, with songs like “Changes,” “Life on Mars?” and “Queen B\*tch,” reflects the influence of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground while still pointing toward Bowie’s own future directions.
Rock’s 17 most radical reinventions, ranked. A ranking of rock’s most radical reinventions places Bowie at number one, celebrating his constant transformations from Ziggy Stardust to the Berlin era to Let’s Dance and beyond, framing his career as the ultimate example of how reinvention can redefine both an artist and the possibilities of popular music.
10 Artists and Bands That Never Made a Bad Album. A list of artists said to have never made a bad album includes Bowie, noting that even his most experimental works like Low and Blackstar are regarded as vital reinventions that strengthen his legacy of consistency through change.
20 Songs Inspired by Real People. A roundup of songs inspired by real people includes Bowie’s acoustic tribute “Andy Warhol,” noting that even though Warhol reportedly disliked it, the track stands as a testament to how Bowie turned his artistic influences into music.
5 People Who Have Given Up their Knighthood. An article about figures who rejected British honors notes that Bowie twice turned down a knighthood, saying he never worked for royal recognition and had no intention of accepting such titles.
5 Incredible Albums Released 45 Years Ago This Month in September 1980. In September 1980, Bowie released Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), an album that bridged the experimental Berlin trilogy with more accessible hits like “Ashes to Ashes” and “Fashion,” solidifying his transition into the 1980s music landscape alongside other landmark records of the month.
Far Out Magazine
Far Out is an online music platform that always includes multiple posts related to Bowie every week. I treat these as different than news, reflections, etc. because many Far Out posts are simply repacked stories that have appeared elsewhere, but there’s also occasional opinion writing and once in a while actual news. In any case, I give these their own section:
(1) The experimental songs that didn’t work for David Bowie.
(2) The album Noel Gallagher played for 20 days straight: “Obsessed”
(3) “Under Pressure” in Aftersun
(4) The album cover David Bowie couldn’t believe was banned
(5) Robin Williams’ ambitious plan to impress David Bowie
(6) Bowie was working on a secret musical before his death
This Week in this Blog:
August 31: Last Week’s News
September 1: 40 Fingers Instrumental cover of “Life on Mars”
September 2: Thoughts on Jaws
September 3: Emm Gryner on Singing with Bowie at Glastonbury 2000
September 6: Emm Gryner on touring with Bowie, Voice and the Healing Power of Singing
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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”
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