I heard the news today…* Slick returns to Boston; Emm Gryner makes national news; RIP Paddy Grafton Green; Bowie Record Store Day releases; Frank Ockenfels 3 interview; “This is Not America” cover plus MUCH MORE!
Welcome to my weekly roundup of Bowie news! Be forewarned that this week was light on actual news and heavy on content I call “churnalism” and similarly familiar, repackaged material. This extends to many of the “features and reflections” this week, which were on the edge between original commentary about old stuff and just collections of well-established assertions with a few opinions added and presented as commentary. There were also far more lists this week that included or were about Bowie than usual, but here again some of these are slight variations on lists we’ve seen over and over. Amidst all of this middling content, there was a little bit of actual news and a few insightful original commentaries, but I’d say the best content can be found in the “this week in this blog section!” All that said, 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
Earl Slick returns to Berklee! Earl Slick, one of Bowie’s most significant musical collaborators, returned to the Berklee College of Music in Boston this past week. I attended a live interview with Earl conducted by friend of the blog Professor Gretchen Shae, followed by an eight-song concert performed with Berklee students. This summary doesn’t link to a news story, and I will post a more thorough write up later in the week.
CBC News Network speaks to Emm Gryner about the song she wrote for the Artemis 2 crew. This links to an interview with friend of the blog Emm Gryner, primarily about the song she recorded for the Artemis space mission, “Touch the Sky.” In the interview she briefly discusses her time with Bowie as well as her role in adapting “Space Oddity” for astronaut Chris Hadfield, who famously performed the song in space.
Late Bowie: legacy, mortality and the archival impulse – conference in September. This is less a story than a reproduction for the call for proposals. Though the announcement of the conference is not itself new news, I am pretty sure the deadline for proposals has been extended to April 30th, so there’s still time if you’re thinking about submitting a proposal.
RIP Paddy Grafton Green. Paddy Grafton Green, a prominent entertainment lawyer who represented major artists including Bowie and the Rolling Stones, died at 83 after a long career as a trusted and influential figure in the music industry.
FLOOD’s Guide to Record Store Day April 2026. After the failures of Tonight, Never Let Me Down, and Tin Machine II, Bowie returned to experimental work with 1. Outside, a complex concept album that confused audiences and faltered despite strong songwriting like “Hallo Spaceboy,” which later gained traction through remixes that gave him his first charting hit in years.
JULIAN SHAH-TAYLER’S EASY TO LOVE ALBUM RELEASING ON HARMONY RECORDS. Julian Shah-Tayler’s career and new Easy to Love release reflect a distinctive musical identity shaped in part by influences including Bowie, whose work informs Shah-Tayler’s approach to songwriting, performance, and tribute projects while reinforcing Bowie’s broader cultural impact and continued relevance. Stay tuned for an upcoming interview on my YouTube channel with Julian!
Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal Collector’s Edition Is Here! Bowie stars in Labyrinth, a cult favorite now receiving a new 4K and Blu-ray Collector’s Edition release, highlighting the film’s enduring appeal as a landmark fantasy created by Jim Henson with contributions from Terry Jones and George Lucas.
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FEATURES AND REFLECTIONS
BOOK REVIEW: DAVID BOWIE – LEGACY: THE ILLUSTRATED BIOGRAPHY (Michael O’Neil and Carolyn McHugh. David Bowie: Legacy – The Illustrated Biography presents Bowie as a constantly evolving and risk-taking artist through a visually driven, accessible overview that celebrates his many reinventions and cultural impact while offering limited depth on his personal and creative complexities.
50 Years After The Release Of David Bowie’s First Movie, It Really Shows What Changed In Sci-Fi Just Months Later. The Man Who Fell to Earth, released 50 years ago and starring Bowie in his first major film role, stands as a cool but transitional example of 1970s sci-fi that was quickly overshadowed by the genre shift ushered in by Star Wars just over a year later.
Looking Back at the Time MTV Said Poughkeepsie Was Full of Racists. Bowie turns a 1983 MTV interview into a pointed challenge about the network’s lack of Black artists, exposing and pushing back against Mark Goodman’s uneasy justification that programming decisions were shaped by fears of how audiences in places like Poughkeepsie would react to Black musicians. The interesting twist on this otherwise oft-told story is its focus on Poghkeepsie.
Earl Slick on bringing back David Bowie’s Glastonbury 2000 band. Earl Slick reflects on Bowie’s landmark Glastonbury 2000 performance as a moment when Bowie reasserted his status as a major icon, and notes that the band from that show will reunite to perform at the Live On The Loch charity event marking the 10th anniversary of Bowie’s death.
Let’s Dance at 43. Bowie’s Let’s Dance achieved global commercial success in 1983 despite mixed reviews, marked a stylistic shift to dance-pop and new wave with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s contributions, and produced the chart-topping title track “Let’s Dance,” which became a defining part of his legacy.
Let’s Dance: The Reinvention That Changed Everything. In the early 1980s, Bowie transitioned from a critically admired, experimental figure shaped by his Berlin Trilogy into a mainstream force by embracing a more accessible, dance-oriented sound that propelled him to major commercial success in America.
Stardust: Can you make a David Bowie biopic without his music?. A focused biopic like Stardust, centered on the commercial failure of Hunky Dory (that’s what the article says, but it was The Man Who Sold the World in the movie) and Bowie’s U.S. tour leading to the creation of the Ziggy Stardust album, is a compelling concept that could have worked well with the right casting, narrative beats, and performances of his music.
Labyrinth: Muppets, Bowie, and the Pain of Impending Adulthood. Labyrinth, a 1986 fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and starring Bowie as the Goblin King Jareth, follows a teenage girl’s surreal quest to rescue her brother and, despite mixed initial reviews, has endured as a beloved cult classic from the 1980s fantasy boom.
TFI Friday. In the 1990s, TFI Friday became a staple of British pop culture with its live music, celebrity interviews—including Bowie—and a lively studio bar atmosphere centered around Britpop-era entertainment.
Bowie’s Childhood Home to Be Restored: Get an Inside Look. This link will basically take you to a link to a video story from the Today show.
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PROFLIES
Mark Grimmer. Mark Grimmer explains that David Bowie: You’re Not Alone was developed as an immersive musical experience with the full support of Bowie’s family and addresses the possibility of a Bowie hologram.
Luther Vandross. Luther Vandross credited Bowie with discovering him after overhearing him sing during a studio visit, later revealing to Rosie O’Donnell in the 1990s that he had been the “fourth Harlette” for Bette Midler, often performing hidden due to shyness and feeling his role alongside members like Katey Sagal and Jenifer Lewis was overlooked.
Bob Harris. A Radio 2 special marking Bob Harris’s 80th birthday highlights his music career and connections, including providing backing vocals on Bowie’s “Memories of a Free Festival” and sharing stories about Bowie and other major artists.
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LISTS
9 Lunar Songs for the Artemis Crew. This New York Times list is topped by “Moonage Daydream.”
The 20 best covers of David Bowie songs. Bowie’s boundary-pushing career and singular artistic identity inspired countless musicians to cover his work with sincerity and admiration, even as his own preference for originality and transformative talent made him a uniquely influential figure whose impact few could approach.
Classic Rock Songs We’d Trade The World To Hear Again For The First Time. Although Bowie had achieved some success by the early 1970s with “Space Oddity,” he was still finding his artistic footing until making a major leap forward in 1971 with “Life on Mars?,” the standout track from Hunky Dory.
5 Surprising Facts About “Heroes”.. Not sure how surprising these facts are, but I agree that this list includes five of ‘em!
5 Iggy Pop Songs That Transformed Rock’s DNA. Bowie was involved in four of these five songs, and I’ve heard a live recording of him covering the fifth…
The 23 greatest concept albums of all time. 1. Outside, Diamond Dogs and Ziggy Stardust are all on this list.
Musicians Who Predicted These Then-Young Stars Would Skyrocket To Fame. Bowie makes this list for helping Devo launch, which is less a prediction about their future fame and an early collaboration.
11 rock pairings that really SHOULDN’T have worked. The unlikely 1977 TV duet of “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” between Bowie and Bing Crosby, initially met with confusion due to their stark differences, ultimately became a lasting holiday classic.
The Worst Band Poaches In Rock History. After being discovered by Brian Eno during a Frank Zappa concert, Adrian Belew was recruited on the spot by Bowie to join his touring band, leading to a tense and memorable break with Zappa.
These are the 31 classic rock albums you NEED in your collection. Aladdin Sane builds on the glam-rock brilliance of Ziggy Stardust while pushing further into experimental territory with its blend of rock, jazz, and avant-garde elements, taking greater musical risks that reflect Bowie’s fascination with American culture and resulting in a theatrical, lyrically sharp album that rewards repeated listening.
The 25 best Classic Rock comeback albums. The Next Day appears on this list amidst several albums from other artists that can questionably be called “comebacks.”
3 Iconic Musicians No One Has Ever Successfully Copied. Bowie stands apart as a once-in-a-lifetime musical chameleon whose blend of eccentric vision and mainstream appeal made him a true original whose loss was deeply felt and whose uniqueness cannot be replicated.
Albums That Serve As A Musician’s Heartbreaking Final Goodbye. Bowie marked his 69th birthday with the release of Blackstar, a critically acclaimed late-career triumph that became a poignant final statement when he died two days later after a private battle with cancer.
3 Rock Songs That Turned Outsiders Into Icons. Bowie transformed from an unconventional outsider into a mainstream rock icon, with “Starman” helping bridge that gap by pairing his eccentric themes with accessible pop appeal.
From David Bowie to Nirvana: Five songs that are simply impossible to cover. Despite notable covers by artists like Chris Martin, Lorde, and Barbra Streisand, “Life on Mars” remains unmatched in its otherworldly impact, reinforcing Bowie’s persona as an extraterrestrial observer of human flaws that he had begun establishing with “Space Oddity.”
If 2026 is the new 2016, here are 16 albums you need to revisit. Blackstar, released just before Bowie’s death, is a haunting and experimental meditation on mortality that achieved major commercial and critical success, including his only U.S. No. 1 album and multiple Grammy Awards, with standout tracks including “Blackstar” and “Lazarus.”
3 Classic Rock Radio Hits From 1972 That Practically Disappeared Overnight. “John, I’m Only Dancing” stands as an example of an underrated Bowie song, as its strong glam rock appeal and UK success were undercut internationally—particularly in the U.S., where it wasn’t released due to perceived lyrical content, limiting its broader recognition.
Music Icons Whose Debut Album Flopped Hard. Bowie struggled for years in the London music scene, with his 1967 debut drawing on Anthony Newley and failing commercially against Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, before retreating and returning with “Space Oddity,” which launched the path to Ziggy Stardust.
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THIS WEEK IN THIS BLOG
April 12: Last week’s news
April 13: David Bowie Cover of the Week: Acoustic Moon covers “This Is Not America”
April 14: Listening to Bowie Albums in Order: Lodger through Tonight
April 15: Ego B covers “Strangers When We Meet”
April 16: Bowie and Prince together at last thanks to the latest DoM Mashup!
April 17: Frank Ockenfels 3 Preview
April 18: Frank Ockenfels 3: Collaborations with Bowie
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CHURNALISM
As mentioned in the intro, many of the previous articles resemble the type of recycled “churnalism” stories that follow. With vague click-bait headlines and stories structured to get readers to scroll through advertisements before getting to the point, I tend to find these posts to be highly aggravating. It wouldn’t take much to pull the well-established facts that are arranged around unnecessary scene-setting language and write, say, a critique or genuine reflection. In such a case, at least the opinion or revealed personal memory would be new. Far worse than the simple use of well-worn information is the way these are written. The headlines, which often begin with the words, “The one…,” say little about the actual topic. They tend more to raise a question, but the article that follows never answers that question until a few paragraphs in, after readers have to move through one or more advertisements to find out. Usually the answer to the question is not remotely surprising. When it is—when the reveal actually is something I didn’t know—it is always still old information (just because I didn’t know it doesn’t make it new news). Worse than the sentences, paragraphs, and ads separating the question asked by the headline and the disappointing answer is the stage-setting text in between. The throat-clearing contextual setup, really just an excuse to keep you “reading” until you get past the ad, is almost always vapid. No actual journalist would write like this. Imagine a news story with a headline, “The one nation we declared war against last night,” followed by several inane sentences about high-level history, maybe how there are many threats in the world, and the definition of the word “war” for several paragraphs before getting to the fifth paragraph and finding out, yep, it’s Liechtenstein. Or worse, the whole setup is a trick and the answer is, “ourselves.” That’s how these pieces read.
This section evolved from an earlier version, where I just isolated posts from Far Out Magazine, but the infection has spread and there are many, many more outlets that churn out this low-quality content. Anyway, that’s why the section is called “churnalism.” I was thinking of changing it to something more reflective of Bowie like, “Trendy Rechauffé.”
40 Years Later, David Bowie’s Forgotten 1983 Funk Track Hits Harder Than Ever. Bowie’s forward-looking artistry is evident in how songs like “Criminal World,” a 1983 cover of Metro, feel increasingly relevant over time both lyrically and musically.
What is “America’s tortured brow” and what does Mickey Mouse have to do with it? As the world grew more unsettling and disillusionment with the counterculture set in, Bowie’s “Life On Mars?” captures a girl’s failed attempt to escape reality through art, reflecting how the social and political turmoil of the 1970s rendered such escape increasingly hollow and fostered a broader sense of apathy.
The iconic singer that Bono called the “English Elvis”. Tracing the lineage of the rock frontman back to Elvis Presley, whose stage presence defined the role despite predecessors like Little Richard and Chuck Berry, Bono saw Bowie as one of the few who could carry that mantle effortlessly.
When Bowie announced his retirement in 1975. I have to admit that I had forgotten this episode, but the recycled story is the definition of not-new-news.
On Aladdin Sane. Aladdin Sane reflects Bowie’s conflicted view of America—both reverent and critical—shaped by his U.S. touring experiences and the strain of simultaneous projects like producing for Lou Reed and the Stooges, with the toll on his mental health evident in the album.
The classic song that transformed Elton John. “Rocket Man” is presented as Elton John’s enduring classic that builds on the space theme of Bowie’s “Space Oddity” by adding a more human perspective, imagining intergalactic travel as an ordinary, worklike experience rather than an isolated cosmic event.
This Song Scared Bowie From Riding the Subway. Springsteen’s “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City” portrays a young man struggling to stay on the right path amid urban pressures, and Bowie said the song frightened him enough to stop riding the subway.
Why David Bowie never wanted to sing: “I would give my right arm.” Bowie explored nearly every musical direction available, prioritizing his own creative instincts over trends or collaborators even at the risk of failure, while showing less interest in the finer details of being a traditional rock star.
David Bowie and Roger Moore: Britain’s most bizarre friendship. Bowie’s move to Switzerland in the late 1970s to escape taxes and drug dealers left him isolated in Geneva, where, as recounted in Dylan Jones’s David Bowie: A Life, he formed an unusual and somewhat awkward acquaintance with Roger Moore.
How David Bowie’s Heroes became his most life-changing single. “Heroes” had modest chart success upon its 1977 release but became one of Bowie’s defining songs, with its enduring impact highlighted by his performance at the Platz der Republik Festival a decade later near the Berlin studio where it was created.
David Bowie’s obscure fascination with the Spanish Civil War. Bowie’s deep interest in history, particularly the Spanish Civil War, informed his anti-fascist outlook and creative work—from his Berlin period and “Heroes” to his refusal to yield airtime to Franco’s death announcement—and later led Oliver Stone to consider him for a film adaptation of Homage to Catalonia.
The band that ripped off Lou Reed and “bored” him with his own style. Lou Reed, despite admiring Bowie, dismissed Roxy Music during Bowie’s mid-1970s tour—criticizing their art-rock credentials while positioning himself as its originator—yet his stance reflected more ego than substance, especially given the broader influence of acts like The Velvet Underground and figures such as Brian Eno.
The music legend Patti Smith never connected with. Bowie was a bold, theatrical and polarizing force who pushed rock into a new realm of reinvention and spectacle, earning Patti Smith’s respect and occasional inspiration but ultimately failing to move her in the way more distinctly American artists did.
Classic Tracks: David Bowie’s “Heroes.”. It might be a little unfair to classify this one as “churnalism” in that it seems to have been original work at the time it was first published in 1997, but it is simply republished here.
The weird connection between Neil Armstrong, a future British Prime Minister and one of rock’s greatest icons. “Space Oddity,” recorded at Trident Studios with precise, innovative arrangement and released to coincide with the Apollo 11 landing, became Bowie’s biggest UK single and signature song, widely used, performed, and interpreted as a groundbreaking, enduring story of Major Tom that launched his rise to global fame.
Why did David Bowie believe the 21st century started in 1971? Glam rock emerged as a vibrant alternative to stagnant rock, with Bowie—after experimenting across styles—channeling the restless energy of 1971 into a deliberate attempt to create the sensibility of the 21st century, culminating in Ziggy Stardust.
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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”