David Bowie R.I.P

Dunno if this has been posted yet...interview with Ava Cherry:
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/david-bowie-dead-ava-cherry-girlfriend-mick-jagger/Content?oid=20856025

Hated that. For some reason I found it really distasteful and mostly boring. Like, phew, we've had a few minutes to mourn, you dated him for 4 years, how big was his dick?

I got the opposite impression.

I read it and thought it was quite tender tbh. She seemed happy to laugh off the question and clearly thought of him fondly. Stupid question but not worth fighting over imo.

whoah I've never heard of this Astronettes release, cool

Nah, I mean, I read it and tbf it seemed fine. But the headline is all "Labyrinth bulge!" and it ends with the dick stuff. I just thought that was kind of lame, and really downplays the value of the source when all she's good for is (yet again) answering Jagger/Bowie questions or talking about his wiener.

The headline let her down. But she was fine and banal as any former lover.

We never got a reaction from Don 'n' Glenn

Well, yeah.

A funny and sweet moment between Bowie and David Gilmour at a Pink Floyd tribute gig in NY. Does this work?

https://video-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hvideo-xfp1/v/t42.1790-2/12557328_1515623798768495_1346034394_n.mp4?efg=eyJybHIiOjMwMCwicmxhIjo1MTIsInZlbmNvZGVfdGFnIjoidjNfNDI2X2NyZl8yM19tYWluXzMuMF9zZCJ9&rl=300&vabr=163&oh=1179122baa409b49eda7f6666617e5ce&oe=5698957E

Also, David did really get around, didn't he? He's an account from Alligator Records:

Late in 1985 or early in 1986 Alligator Records got a phone call from one of David Bowie's assistants. Bowie was recording music for the animated film “Labyrinth.” He was looking for a blues guitar player to play on a song called “Underground” and had discovered one of Albert Collins’ Alligator albums (apparently he hadn’t heard of Albert before then). He wanted Albert to fly to New York the next day to record a guitar part. Albert was in the middle of a six-night stand at Albert’s Hall in Toronto. I called him and persuaded him to get up at 6 a.m. and fly to New York. We met at the airport and took a cab to Atlantic Records’ studio where Bowie was working on the soundtrack along with Arif Mardin, the famous producer/arranger. Bowie was a very gracious host, warmly greeting Albert and making both of us feel very welcome. In about an hour, Albert cut a selection of solos for the song on his famous Fender Telecaster. We took a moment to have our pictures taken (I’m the one who isn’t David Bowie or Albert Collins) and then headed back for the airport so Albert could play in Toronto that night. If you listen to the song, you can hear Albert most clearly in the last 20 seconds of the song, though he’s mixed pretty low. By the way, not only did David Bowie have no idea who Albert Collins was until the day before the session, but Albert had no idea who David Bowie was until I called him to come to New York.
-- Bruce Iglauer

DON: Bowie was one of those rare artists who could seemingly do anything. We weren't so big on the Glam thing, but we could tell that what he was doing was a cut above the normal glitter'n'make up shock rock norm. Young Americans made us stand up and take notice--we were all big Philly Soul fans, but would never have thought about marching into Sigma Sound and just taking over the joint for something like that.

GLENN: It wasn't all a revelation though. If anything, we and our special friends already knew that Fame made us loose and somewhat less than hard to swallow!

DON: Well, yeah.

I turn on the tube and what do I see
A whole lotta people cryin' 'bout the death of Bowie
Get over it! Get over it!

lol

I expected Glenn to defend Don's voice ("We had Don Henley" re Philly sound)

Man, you'd think you could at least find a picture of Joe Walsh and Bowie, but no.

This is the work of an old friend of mine. As he put it "c.R.I.P. David Bowie"
https://www.facebook.com/ceez.diem/videos/962301587179503/?pnref=story.unseen-section

Sorry if this has been posted, but good to know about five more demos, and that had another album in mind: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/12099154/David-Bowie-recorded-five-new-tracks-as-he-planned-follow-up-album-to-Blackstar.html

Haven't had time to listen to this podcast yet, but its gloss looks good, Presley's "Black Star," philosophy and all:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/arts/music/popcast-love-death-and-david-bowie.html?ref=music

better version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7KdLuMmwo0&feature=youtu.be

You know, regarding the musicianship subject discussed earlier today, I watched that Rick Wakeman clip BBC put up the other day where he plays "Life on Mars" and was talking about how impressive he thinks the harmonic structure is. I totally agree! How many times does that song modulate? I was figuring out how to play "Ashes to Ashes" today and was very impressed with it.

here's my attempt at a tribute:

http://thoughtsfrommareincognitum.tumblr.com/post/137119532834/the-stars-look-very-different-today

Nice!

Yeah really well done.

lol

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_worst_bowie_tribute

Ha

You know, regarding the musicianship subject discussed earlier today, I watched that Rick Wakeman clip BBC put up the other day where he plays "Life on Mars" and was talking about how impressive he thinks the harmonic structure is. I totally agree!

I haven't watched the clip but I also agree that this chord progression is something else.

For "non-musicians" Bowie and Eno sure outpaced a number of legitimate musicians.

Most ludicrous is not obviously worst, considering the subject.

Oh, next albums (etc) charts in four hours..

it's so weird i never thought of Bowie as a "non-musician", kind of bizarre to see so many jump onto this

I've been wracking my brain this week: is there a precursor to the way the verses are structured in 'Young Americans'? It seems like such a unique approach but I feel like there's some obvious inspiration that I'm overlooking.

xpost I've never seen or heard Bowie referred to as a non-musician before this week, and I never would have thought of him as such. It is weird, I agree.

no source for "Young Americans" but i have always loved this rip-off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UxniXcBj3o

I keep thinking the 'Young Americans' verses almost feel like proto-hip hop, structurally speaking, but I can't think of a clear latter-day example to support that, either.

Timaru thing = classic

Kind of want to clarify what I was typing about, seeing James et al. reduce my Facebook post to "pooh-poohing his musicianship" is 100% missing the point, and makes me frustrated with either my lack of clarity or other's lack of literacy; Bowie is and was my absolute favourite musician. I was celebrating him as a stage performer, an actor, and most of all, a curator. I wasn't pooh-poohing his chops, I was expressing gratitude for teaching me/us that chops are valueless without a loudspeaker. "Not a gifted musician" were Bowie's own words. Anyone who has attempted to sing "Young Americans" knows that Bowie was actually a fabulous singer, but the point was that, at his best, he was never trying to sing WELL, he had better ideas.

Saying he wasn't "hooky" or "couplet-y" isn't meant to say "he couldn't write hooks or couplets" but that his best moments overturned traditional melodic and lyrical conventions. "Drive-In Saturday" is one of my favourites for this, describing the experience of future-people watching contemporary romantic film, while the song is itself a rotted version of doo-wop, what kind of chorus is "His name was always... BUDDEH!!!! and he'd shrug and ask to stay" and isn't "She's uncertain if she likes him / but she knows she really loves him" honestly the best, most broken, greatest line of all time, idk, can't you see how.. unconventional this is? Not entirely unprecedented, if you go back to Brel and Brecht etc.

It's like: "good" doesn't mean "beautiful"

I just wish I could communicate better, and with people listening in good faith, instead of trying to paint me as some snooty talent-having school-attending zealot, when I've spent my entire adult life arguing that "talent" is of no value, "training" is of no value, "chops" are of no value. I wish I could tell you how rehearsing with Bowie was not-especially exciting, watching the man struggle to remember the chords to his own songs, missing his entries. And then the blinding contrast to that of seeing him in a yellow suit, stride out onstage with more confidence than I've ever seen in anyone ever, and sing "Queen Bitch" with such perfect clarity and every stage move so perfect, and feeling my violin in my hands and thinking so clearly that "there is nothing special about me and the exercises I've done to get me on this stage, there is nothing special about the fact that I know every chord to every song of his, Bowie is everything that is great about pop music, I will always be a cog in the machine of people with greater vision" and the immense relief and letting-go that accompanied that moment, but anyway, forget it it's the Internet, etc.

That's pretty beautiful - thanks.

great post fgti

Great post. Seeing Ziggy Stardust for the first time actually contributed to me totally rethinking the way I saw musical performance, and I came to a lot of the same conclusions you did. I never had the personality to be that kind of a performer, but it shook me out of my silly "just about the music, maaaaan" attitude.

Also, "Eno, non-musician" is being misinterpreted. That statement means imo 1. he don't play hot licks, 2. he VCS and my studio weren't considered "instruments" in the 60s and 70s, 3. assuming that one has no musical ability is a strong starting point for any musically creative act, there's an enormous amount of forgiveness and acceptance implied

Yes, well put. FWIW, I hadn't read your post and had no idea where the 'Bowie = non-musician' sentiment had begun.

Young Americans = Little Richard x Bob Dylan, no?

"I keep thinking the 'Young Americans' verses almost feel like proto-hip hop, structurally speaking,"

i thought of that watching that dick cavett thing yesterday.

i think those future people are watching porn, fgti xxxp

Oooooh of course they are, ty!

fwiw when I heard the a cappella tracks for Under Pressure, I gained massive respect for Bowie as a vocalist. He had such a *powerful*, expressive voice. Really, as far as the history of rock music goes, I can't think of 5 other vocalists who are more distinctive than him.

Also, I have to say, this entire week has been about discovering Bowie to a large extent for me -- going through his discography 1970-83, and understanding his songwriting style, vocals, etc. He might not have been interested in being a "good" musician, but if you listen to the chord sequences in Changes, or big melodic leap in Life On Mars -- these kinds of musical choices (I don't want to say "instincts", because I have no idea the process of how he came up w/them) = not just good musicianship, but good artistry.

vocally, the sweet thing suite might be my favorite bowie thing ever when i think of it! that whole thing is kinda everything i love about everything and everything i love about bowie. and the candidate rap in the middle is so awesome. (that whole album though...)

when i think of him as a musician i think of an amazing singer with the best ideas about singing. for rock music anyway. (and obviously one of the most influential singers ever.)

Revisiting his catalog, it strikes me how strongly he channeled other singers like Lou Reed, Dylan etc. It doesn't feel apey or ironical and it doesn't feel derivative either somehow, but I can't think of another artist who incorporated his contemporaries' styles so deliberately.

I've always written off "Life On Mars" as too close to "My Way" to give Bowie full-credit for, but in terms of "amazing chord sequences, brilliant melodies" you can't get any better than "The Man Who Sold The World", "Drive-In Saturday", the bizarre "go-o-o-o-olden years" tumble at the end of the chorus, the "cause we'll never say anything nice again, will we?" on "Fantastic Voyage", the melodic/harmonic 3 against 4 phasing on the outro of "Ashes To Ashes", and literally every song on "Outside" which is still my favourite record of his by a light year

I'm sure there's an ILM poll around here somewhere, but his high work rate is also kind of staggering - not just that he went through a lot of ideas between 1969 and 1981, but also that he released 13 albums in that time.

plus, just where he would go vocally within one song was so cool. the 70's was a great time for idiosyncratic/unique/progressive/fearless vocals in general though.