Next Midnight Special Bowie Entry— “1984/Dodo”

The old music show, Midnight Special, has turned into a YouTube channel and is posting appearances from various artists including Bowie. This is the second such posting. Alas, this is a modified clip from the 1980 Floor Show, footage from which I’ve posted before. I’m guessing that The Midnight Special adapted the original show, maybe for an American audience.

That said, the sound and video quality of this clip is pretty good, including compared to other versions of the same performance I have seen or heard. The song includes elements of the familiar “1984,” which appears on Diamond Dogs, and the less familiar “Dodo,” which didn’t make the cut for the album, and in the clip title is called, “You Didn’t Hear It From Me.”

The other notable thing about the 1980 Floor Show is that it was the very last appearance of Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, so this performance is part of a milestone in Bowie’s career. (I’ve read that he wasn’t happy with his overall performance here, but I’m glad it was capture and like this clip).