I heard the news today…1984 musical debuts in Boston; Henry Hey announces Bowie-inspired Rebel Rebel; KillerStar’s new live show; Bowie photography exhibit; Labyrinth rises on the charts; rare Stockport photo resurfaces; Nicholas Greco interview; Tumbletoads cover “Rock ’N’ Roll Suicide” plus features, profiles, lists 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…
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NEWS
1984 Musical Debuts in Boston. David Bowie had long wanted to create a musical based on George Orwell’s 1984 but was unable to secure the rights in 1974, leading him instead to make Diamond Dogs. More than 50 years later, Berklee College of Music staged a version of the musical as it might have been, drawing heavily on the music of Diamond Dogs and dialogue adapted from the novel, with an all-student cast and band from the only college to award Bowie an honorary degree bringing the long-unrealized concept to life. This brief does not link to a separate story, but I was there and will do a fuller writeup later in the week.
Henry Hey Announces New Bowie-Inspired Stage Work Rebel Rebel. Henry Hey has announced on social media that he will reunite with Lazarus director Ivo Van Hove on a new stage production titled Rebel Rebel, set to premiere on August 23, 2026, at the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum in Germany as part of the Ruhrtriennale festival. The work, which draws on the music of Bowie, brings together a creative team that includes choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and design by Jan Versweyveld, and is expected to open the festival. Hey, who previously served as musical director for Bowie’s Lazarus, framed the project as a continuation of that collaboration, signaling a return to the theatrical language and musical interpretation developed during their earlier work together. The Ruhrtriennale is a major international arts festival held annually in Germany’s Ruhr region, a former industrial area that has been repurposed as a cultural hub.
According to the Ruhrtriennale’s official show description, Rebel Rebel is set in a deteriorating society where violent youth gangs terrorize cities, interpersonal relationships are banned, and alienation is enforced by law, with the story centering on a young couple who resist and create their own utopia, suggesting that love can endure even under repressive conditions. The production is described as a new piece of music theatre built from Bowie’s body of work, conceived by Van Hove as a response to an increasingly dystopian present, with Hey serving as musical director and Cherkaoui translating themes of violence, resistance, and love into choreography.
KillerStar announces new live show. KillerStar will perform at the legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool on Tuesday, November 17, with founders Rob Fleming and James Sedge joined by a lineup that includes Bowie alumni Mike Garson, Mark Plati, and Earl Slick, as well as Dom Beken, Lee Harris, Ulrika Bergelind, and Gail Windrass.
‘Bowie: The Photographers’, a landmark exhibition of David Bowie photography. From May 8, In The Pink gallery in Loulé presents Bowie: The Photographers, an exhibition of original fine art images of Bowie by seven renowned photographers aimed at collectors.
Bowie’s Decades-Old Album Misses No. 1 By Only One Spot. Bowie’s Labyrinth soundtrack rises to No. 2 on the U.K. Official Soundtrack Albums chart—his highest placement for the album and one of five top 10 entries, though it is kept from No. 1 by Doctor Who – The Rescue.
Rare image of Bowie at legendary Stockport gig resurfaces. A previously lost 1970 photograph of Bowie backstage at a Stockport club has resurfaced, recalling the same visit during which he famously missed his train and slept overnight at the station.
Rodgers makes NYT Best Songwriters List. The New York Times posted a list of the 30 best living American songwriters, as determined by 250 music insiders and six New York Times critics, and Bowie collaborator Nile Rodgers made the list. Rodgers worked with Bowie on Let’s Dance and Black Tie White Noise. Also on the list were artists Bowie covered including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Bruce Spingsteen.
Bobby Gillespie praises David Bowie for never accepting a royal honour. Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream praised Bowie for consistently taking artistic risks and refusing royal honors, viewing both as evidence of independence and integrity that artists should emulate.
London’s Café Royal Grill Now open. The Café Royal Grill at Hotel Café Royal has reopened last year as a full-service dining destination, reviving its historic role as a social hub that once hosted figures including Bowie, who held his 1973 Ziggy Stardust farewell party there.
Royal Festival Hall at 75. London’s Royal Festival Hall, opened in 1951 as a postwar cultural tonic, has hosted major artists across decades, including Bowie, who first performed there in 1968 and returned in 1972.
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FEATURES AND REFLECTIONS
Was David Bowie a Christian? Bowie’s life and work—from his early spiritual stirrings and influences like Kierkegaard in “Space Oddity,” through darker explorations and the plea of “Word on a Wing,” to later expressions such as his 1992 recitation of the Lord’s Prayer and the themes of Blackstar—reflect an ongoing search for God that may have moved toward faith but ultimately remains unresolved and enigmatic.
A Mini Oral History Of Labyrinth. Four decades after its release, Flood Magazine connected with Labyrinth’s cast and crew to reflect on their experiences making the film and its distinctive legacy, including Bowie’s role in its enduring appeal.
EXCLUSIVE: David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’ Hits 50. The Man Who Fell to Earth tells the story of an alien seeking water for his dying planet, with Bowie cast as the disguised visitor in a role presented as a natural fit for his Starman persona.
“Unmissable” David Bowie: You’re Not Alone Is A Must-Visit For Fans. David Bowie: You’re Not Alone is an immersive, high-production experience that captures Bowie’s ever-changing artistic identity and philosophy while surrounding viewers with layered visuals and performances, making it essential viewing for fans.
Ground control to major exhibition – go for a pint with David Bowie. David Bowie: You’re Not Alone presents an immersive 360-degree multimedia self-portrait designed to make it feel like having a pint with Bowie while demystifying his legacy through concert footage and his own explanations of his creative philosophy.
David Bowie Was Detained for Possessing Nazi Memorabilia 50 Years Ago. Bowie made controversial pro-Nazi remarks and possessed Nazi memorabilia during the Thin White Duke period but later attributed this behavior to poor mental health and distanced himself from it after being briefly detained at the Russia-Poland border.
Watch David Bowie in 4K glory. Labyrinth, marking its 40th anniversary, remains a favored home cinema test disc and features Bowie as the Goblin King in a fantasy story about a girl navigating a magical world to rescue her brother.
When is comes to merchandising, Gen Z lead the way. Gen Z drives merchandising trends, with pint glasses, goblets, and playing cards—especially those featuring Pink Floyd, AC/DC, and Bowie among others—ranking among the most popular items.
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PROFLIES
Earl Slick on the fear he felt replacing David Bowie’s most iconic guitar player. Earl Slick recalls that replacing Mick Ronson in Bowie’s band was initially intimidating because of Ronson’s stature and popularity, but early positive reactions from fans and critics quickly eased his fears.
Earl Slick On Working With David Bowie, And His Abiding Passion For The Blues. Earl Slick, a prolific guitarist best known for his decades-long collaboration with David Bowie from the Diamond Dogs tour through The Next Day and beyond, has built a wide-ranging career working with major artists while maintaining an intense, immersive lifestyle devoted to constant musical creation.
Dave Grohl. Last week, derivative reporting outlets were abuzz with rewritten versions of a story Dave Grohl told about inadvertently insulting David Bowie. I wrote about this and linked to a few examples in my “Churnalism” section. Not that I studied these secondhand reports closely, but it was unclear what prompted this sudden proliferation of slightly different versions of the same story, which I am pretty sure I already knew. It turns out Grohl mentioned it on a podcast called Dish. This post links to the podcast and, while still derivative, reads more like an actual profile of Grohl than clickbait designed to keep you scrolling past advertisements.
Comus. The obscure UK band Comus, which opened for David Bowie and pioneered a deliberately unsettling strain of acoustic progressive folk, was largely ignored in its time but later revived through the advocacy of Mikael Åkerfeldt and his band Opeth, leading to a reunion decades after its initial run.
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LISTS
We ranked all 26 Bowie albums. And, um, ‘Ziggy Stardust’ doesn’t make the top 3. Few artists have reshaped popular music as consistently or boldly as Bowie, whose constant reinvention across eras—from Ziggy Stardust through the Berlin Trilogy to later works like The Next Day and Blackstar—reflects a fearless, evolving creativity that defines his legacy.
Worst 11 singles ever. Bowie’s “The Laughing Gnome” is a desperate, juvenile novelty song from a period of repeated early failures that initially flopped but later became a puzzling hit after Ziggy Stardust made him a star, lingering as an embarrassment he himself dismissed and that even disrupted his Sound Vision tour when fans tried to force it into the setlist.
The Best Album From Every Year of the 1970s. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a loosely conceptual yet cohesive and consistently strong album that achieves a cinematic, expansive feel despite its brevity and works effectively across different listening moods.
The 9 luckiest breaks in rock history. In 1969, Bowie turned his struggling career around when “Space Oddity,” released just before the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, gained heavy BBC airplay during the mission’s coverage, benefiting from perfect timing.
The best “comeback” albums of all time. The Next Day marked Bowie’s unexpected return after a decade with a surprise release on his 66th birthday, delivering new work that both reflected his past and continued his forward-looking reinvention.
10 albums that get better every time you listen. Though often overlooked between “Heroes” and Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), Lodger remains part of Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy and, through his collaboration with Brian Eno, explores a more rhythmic, world-influenced sound highlighted by songs like “DJ” and “African Night Flight” that reward repeated listening.
Moon Rocks! 9 Lunar Songs for the Artemis Crew. This New York Times list was originally posted on April 14th, but was updated this week. Not exactly sure how, but I, then, too am posting it again.
The 25 best Classic Rock albums of 1972. The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars, released in 1972, made Bowie a superstar despite only reaching No. 5 in the UK months later and featuring key songs like “Starman,” “Suffragette City,” and the title track.
15 times rock made the front page… for the WRONG reasons. During the punk era, Bowie’s Thin White Duke period became embroiled in controversy over alleged fascist gestures and comments, including a disputed Nazi salute and provocative statements later attributed by Bowie to drug use and mental instability.
The Big Four of Glam Rock. Glam rock in the early 1970s broke from the uniform look and sound of earlier rock by introducing flamboyant, theatrical style defined by colorful costumes, makeup, and androgyny, a shift closely associated with Bowie’s visual and artistic reinvention.
The “final” albums by the greatest artists. Yeah, Blackstar… I feel like this type of list is posted by one or more of these online click-bait publications every week.
The 25 best Classic Rock albums of 1969. Bowie’s 1969 album David Bowie, later retitled Space Oddity after his breakthrough hit “Space Oddity,” followed his first chart success and included tracks such as “Cygnet Committee,” “Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud,” and “Memory Of A Free Festival.”
Myles Kennedy Names His Top Five Vocalists of All Time. Myles Kennedy, the lead singer of Alter Bridge and Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, names Bowie among his top five vocalists of all time as part of Consequence’s “Vocalist Week,” highlighting Bowie’s influence alongside other major singers.
12 Classic Rock Songs Inspired by Classic Movies. “Space Oddity,” inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey, reflects Bowie’s fascination with the film’s imagery and became a 1969 hit promoted during the moon landing despite telling the story of a stranded astronaut.
3 Album Covers That Look Like the Middle Stage of an ‘Animorphs’ Transformation. The full Diamond Dogs album cover reveals Bowie as a half-man, half-dog figure, creating the appearance of a mid-transformation image.
The Glam Rock Bible: 15 essential hits that defined an era. While “Starman” is highlighted as one of Bowie’s strongest songs, it is not considered the definitive glam rock track compared to other entries on the list.
7 Classic Rock Anthems Bands Thought Were Filler. “Under Pressure” was initially seen as a throwaway experiment because it emerged from an improvised, chaotic jam session between Bowie and Queen rather than a planned composition.
Five albums from 1976 that have aged like fine wine. Despite being created during a period of addiction and personal instability that Bowie barely remembers, Station to Station endures as a sharp and exceptional work shaped by his Thin White Duke persona.
The worst decisions and predictions in the history of music. Director Nicolas Roeg rejected Low-style material Bowie had intended for The Man Who Fell to Earth, a decision later seen as misguided given the album’s major influence.
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THIS WEEK IN THIS BLOG
April 26: Last week’s news
April 27: David Bowie cover of the Week: Tumbletoads cover “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide”
April 28: Drive-in Saturday Tuesday Movie Review: Project Hail Mary
April 29: Listening to Bowie Albums in Order: Hours… through The Next Day
April 30: Listening to Bowie Albums in Order: Blackstar through Toy
May 1: Nicholas Greco Preview
May 2: Prof. Nicholas Greco on 1. Outside and Bowie in Darkness
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CHURNALISM
This section separates genuine Bowie news and original writing from recycled “churnalism” stories with vague click-bait headlines that often repeat familiar information but may still be of interest if readers have not seen them before.
The One Classic Rock Musician Who Never “Went Country” and Why. This typical aggregation-style outlet packages a minor detail from an old NPR interview into a grandly titled “The One…” story—because nothing drives clicks like the promise of a single, definitive exception—stretching David Bowie’s casual remark about not listening to country music into a full article, even though the real purpose of the format is less to inform than to make recycled material feel like a newly discovered, must-know revelation.
The night Elton John put on a gorilla suit and walked on stage at an Iggy Pop gig. In 1973, amid The Stooges’ exhausting tour, Elton John—dressed in a gorilla suit—joined a staged onstage stunt to surprise Iggy Pop and generate publicity for the struggling band.
The 1995 cover Lou Reed liked more than his original. Lou Reed’s Transformer, shaped by Bowie and Mick Ronson, launched his solo career by blending avant-garde edge with pop accessibility, with “Perfect Day” emerging as a lasting, ambiguous classic—often interpreted as a meditation on addiction—that gained renewed acclaim through covers, including a version by Duran Duran that Reed himself praised.
1972 Major Rock Hit Written As a ‘Message of Hope’ Was Released 57 Years Ago. “Starman” from Ziggy Stardust marked a turning point for Bowie by introducing a message of hope that resonated widely, reaching the UK top 10 and continuing to symbolize optimism.
This Hunky Dory Track Was One of David Bowie’s Favorites. “The Bewlay Brothers” is an understated, acoustic closing track in which Bowie reflects on his influential but troubled half-brother Terry Burns while exploring themes of dual identity and mental instability.
The classic album from 1983 that left David Bowie fed up with music. Bowie viewed Let’s Dance as a successful pop record that nonetheless confined his artistic identity, led him to pander in subsequent albums, diminished his experimental drive, and left him uneasy that he had compromised himself and attracted a broader mainstream audience he did not identify with.
The 1980s album David Bowie wanted to delete from history. Bowie rebounded from early-1980s uncertainty with Let’s Dance, which restored his prominence, but he viewed the follow-up albums Tonight and Never Let Me Down as artistic failures that did not meet his own standards despite their commercial context.
The dark inspiration behind David Bowie’s 1972 masterpiece. Bowie created Ziggy Stardust as a larger-than-life figure to revive fading youth culture, while the song of the same name reflects his fear that embodying such a persona could lead to mental decline like that of Terry Burns.
The 1975 song that made David Bowie fire his managers. John Lennon’s advice during the recording of “Fame” led Bowie to fire his managers and adopt a more independent approach by hiring people for specific tasks rather than relying on traditional management.
1972 Rock Classic, Which Saved a Band From Breaking Up, Ranked Among ‘Greatest Songs of All Time.’ Bowie saved Mott the Hoople from breaking up by giving them “All the Young Dudes,” which revitalized the band and became a defining glam rock anthem.
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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”