Space Oddity on Hits A Go Go ( have you seen THIS outfit before? )

Posted on June 21, 2007 by Moonage

If you wanna see the evolution of David Bowie in its entirity, just watch all the videos of Space Oddity. Or just do it here, I’ve got a bunch of them. And, I’ll probably have a bunch more. Never one of my favorite recordings, his live performances most often were much better than the studio. Unfortunately, this is not one of those. This is possibly the only time, outside of demo videos, you’ll see Bowie lip syncing here. However, the unusualness of this performance is worth watching. Remember Tommy James circa 1970 or so? Just watch, it’s a great chuckle to me:

Space Oddity, the original motion picture

Posted on June 20, 2007 by Moonage

Most people consider the RCA/Mick Rock video of a shock-red-haired androgynous Bowie as the original Space Oddity video. A lot of sources will cite it as such. However, about three years before that, while he was still David Jones, he actually prepared a demo for Space Oddity that is a hoot to me to this day. This is a very young Bowie showing some of the almost child-like imagination that seemed prevalant through his early years. I actually like it more than the glitzier RCA version of 1972. If anyone has better information on this video, I’d love to have it here. Here it goes:

Lindsay Kemp and The Jean Genie

Posted on February 11, 2007 by Moonage

This is probably the most difficult person to write on I’ve ever dealt with on this blog. Very, very, very early in Bowie’s career, he made some unusual life choices. First of all, he teamed up with a rather odd character named Lindsay Kemp.

And, he dabbled in Buddhism. Now, the thing about Lindsay Kemp, especially in the late 60′s, was he was into pantomime. Bowie, was singing and looking very, very, normal. This made for a career that was basically going nowhere. However, once Bowie teamed up with Kemp, things started getting strange real quick.

First, he tried his hand at mime. That didn’t go anywhere on the charts. So, he added music to his mime:

That went a lot farther!

Now, you have to look kinda close in the next video, but one of the scary looking people is ~~Lindsay Kemp~~ ( I think ). Actually it’s Jack Birkett. See his excellent comment which leads to his Myspace page!

Now, you can read all you want about Kemp at Wiki or whatever. But, it was his very odd mix of Kabuki and dance IMO that gave us this:

Now, I picked this particular song for a reason. Lindsay Kemp was a huge fan of a fellow named Jean Genet. Now, Jean Genet was not your everyday run of the mill bum/author/poet/prostitute/political activist. He apparently was quite gay as well, being kicked out of the army for indecency. I think it’s quite obvious what song Jean Genet inspired:

A small Jean Genie snuck off to the city
Strung out on lasers and slash back blazers
Ate all your razors while pulling the waiters
Talking bout Monroe and walking on Snow White
New York’s a go-go and everything tastes right
Poor little GreenieCHORUS
The Jean Genie lives on his back ( prostitute )
The Jean Genie loves chimney stacks ( homosexual )
He’s outrageous, he screams and he bawls ( protests everything )
Jean Genie let yourself go! ( friendly sarcasm )Sits like a man but he smiles like a reptile
She loves him, she loves him but just for a short while
She’ll scratch in the sand, won’t let go his hand
He says he’s a beautician and sells you nutrition
And keeps all your dead hair for making up underwear
Poor little GreenieCHORUSHe’s so simple minded he can’t drive his module
He bites on the neon and sleeps in the capsule
Loves to be loved, loves to be loved

I know there has to be some song Bowie did that was based on Lindsay Kemp, but so far I can’t think of which it would be. But, it was Bowie meeting and teaming up with Kemp that led to Ziggy Stardust and Bowie’s most visual and writing creativity for a decade. In other words, although there may be no specific song acknowledging Kemp’s influence on Bowie, what Bowie became IS that tribute.

Jean Genet died about 20 years ago. Lindsay Kemp is about 70, alive, and pretty much retired. If you want to see some very odd, and visually and mentally challenging stuff, Google Lindsay Kemp ( and Jack Birkett, aka the incredible Orlando ). I really can’t do their stuff justice here.

Insolence

Posted on December 7, 2006 by Moonage

Here’s Let’s Dance like you’ve never seen it before:

Arthur and the Invisibles

Posted on December 4, 2006 by Moonage

Bowie’s apparently in another movie, in voice only:

Looks like one to take the Moonlet to see. This is very cool.

Memory of a Free Festival

Posted on October 20, 2006 by Moonage

Before Bowie was Ziggy, before he was The Thin White Duke, before he became African or animated, he was a long haired hipster singing folk songs, looking something like this:

However, also from the same album as Space Oddity was an odd little tune that gave everyone a truer idea of what he was thinking at that time, Memory of a Free Festival:

The Children of the summer’s end

Gathered in the dampened grass

We played Our songs and felt the London sky

Resting on our hands

It was God’s land

It was ragged and naive

It was Heaven

Touch, We touched the very soul Of holding each and every life

We claimed the very source of joy ran through

It didn’t, but it seemed that way

I kissed a lot of people that day

Oh, to capture just one drop of all the ecstasy that swept that afternoon

To paint that love upon a white balloon

And fly it from the toppest top of all the tops That man has pushed beyond his brain

Satori must be something just the same

We scanned the skies with rainbow eyes and saw machines of every shape and size

We talked with tall Venusians passing through

And Peter tried to climb aboard but the Captain shook his head

And away they soared

Climbing through the ivory vibrant cloud

Someone passed some bliss among the crowd

And We walked back to the road, unchained

“The Sun Machine is Coming Down, and We’re Gonna Have a Party”

OK, we’ve got Zen Buddhism, Woodstock, Heaven, God, ecstasy, aliens, bliss, and freedom. And, to finish it off, we’re gonna have a party. With the references to “Sun Machines”, bliss, and ecstasy, you’d think this song was written this year. However, it was written a long time ago, about 1967 or so. Somehow or another Bowie packed everything his world encompassed musically into one song. And, it also signaled a musical pattern Bowie would follow a lot for about a decade, meandering through a story without really saying anything. Who are the Children of the summer’s end? Hippies? Could be, we don’t really know. How many people would describe London as “ragged and naive, it was God’s land”? That’s not the London I know. Who is Peter and why do we care? Do Venusians speak English on Venus? So many questions, no answers. Just a strange, strange story. That’s what I liked about Bowie then. Every good song left you with the feeling of “WTF?”.

Here’s my version, I just did it on my new PC.

Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!
Here’s the original version via Sony, it’s like 99 cents or so.
Memory of a Free Festival originally appeared on Space Oddity ( Man of Words, Man of Music ).

I’d suggest the album first. I like my version a lot, but I refuse to allow anyone else hear me sing it!

The Little Fat Man

Posted on September 25, 2006 by Moonage

And, ever true to his prognostications of his own day to day life, immediately after retiring, he’s been caught performing for TV. The result is the new smash hit, The Little Fat Man. Here’s the lyrics as I couldn’t catch it quick enough:

Little fat man who sold his soul,
Little fat man who sold his dream…

Pathetic little fat man,
No one’s bloody laughing,
The clown that no one laugh’s at,
They all just wish he’d die.

He’s so depressed at being hated,
Fatso takes his own life,
He blows his stupid brains out,
But the twat would probably miss.

He sold his soul for a shot at fame,
Catchphrase and wig and the jokes are lame,
He’s got no style, he’s got no grace,
He’s banal and facile, he’s a fat waste of space

See his pug-nosed face…Pug, pug, pug, pug,
See his pug-nosed face…Pug, pug, pug, pug,
See his pug-nosed face…Pug, pug, pug, pug,
The little fat man with the pug-nosed face, Pug, pug, pug, pug,
Little fat man, pug-nosed face, Pug, pug, pug, pug,
He’s a little fat pug-nosed face, Pug, pug, pug, pug.

Apparently Bowie’s going to be fairly regular on Extras. According to an email I received, he’s going to make another appearance on Extras for season two.

Space Oddity

Posted on September 22, 2006 by Moonage

It just suddenly struck me that in my desire to “interpret” some of my favorite Bowie tunes, I’ve forgotten probably his signature song, Space Oddity. If you don’t know the lyrics to this one by heart, you’re probably not hanging out here much. My interpretation is it’s a song about isolation, about being totally alone floating around Earth. However, another interpretation is Scott Carpenter, the astronaut, went into space about that time and did some very odd things while there, like reciting poetry and such. A lot of people credit this event as being the inspiration to Space Oddity. I believe it’s a combination of both. Regardless, there are MANY versions of this song, some better than others. But, it was this song that got me hooked on Bowie around 1975 or so when he appeared on The Midnight Special. Here is what I saw then:

It was basically the final farewell as Mick and David wouldn’t perform together for nearly two decades. The original demo to Space Oddity is a riot. But, it just doesn’t seem quite right here. So, I’ll save it for later. For reasons beyond my comprehension, the 1980 Floor Show has never been released in any capacity. Bowie would quickly ditch Ziggy after this show for the Young American and his glam days were over. But, boy, did he go out with a bang. More on that later.

Blue Jean

Posted on September 21, 2006 by Moonage

Got a special request from a fella to post the Blue Jean video. That hit a nerve with me because visually it’s one of my favorites. And, as much as Tonight was panned, Blue Jean’s one of my favorites. There’s nothing really tricky about the song. Good rhythm, simple guitar licks, fun, fun, fun lyrics:

Blue jean-i just met me a girl named blue jean
Blue jean-she got a camouflaged face and no money
Remember they always let you down when you need em
Oh, blue jean-is heaven any sweeter than blue jean
She got a police bike
She got a turned up nose
Sometimes I feel like (oh, the whole human race)
Jazzin for blue jean (oh, and when my blue jeans blue)
Blue jean can send me (oh, somebody send me)
Somebody send me (oh, somebody send me)

One day Im gonna write a poem in a letter
One day Im gonna get that faculty together
Remember like everybody has to wait in line
Blue jean-look out world you know Ive got mine
She got latin roots
She got everything

Sometimes I feel like (oh, the whole human race)
Jazzin for blue jean (oh, and when my blue jeans blue)
Blue jean can tempt me (oh, somebody send me)
Somebody sent me (oh, somebody send me)

Sometimes I feel like (oh, the whole human race)
Jazzin for blue jean (oh, and when my blue jeans blue)
Blue jean can tempt me (oh, somebody send me)
Somebody sent me (oh, somebody send me)
Somebody somebody (oh, somebody send me)
Oh, somebody send me (oh, somebody send me)

No dogs decaying here, just a fun song. The only way it could be any better was if Bowie made the video as fun as well. And, he did:

Screaming Lord Byron was one of Bowie’s most visually striking characters. However, he only lived in this short video. This clip was from a longer video, but best I recall, Lord Byron appears only singing the song. Shame too, I’d LOVE to have seen what Bowie could have done expanding Lord Byron. Instead, he went blonde and crooned. He should have stuck with Lord Byron. Now, I don’t think I’m doing Bowie any injustice by posting these videos here, the quality is crap. If you want the real thing:

Nina Hagen does Ziggy

Posted on July 3, 2006 by Moonage

And now for something completely different:

Nina Hagen does Ziggy:

For those unaware, Nina joined the punk scene circa 1978. She enjoyed some minor success, particularly a song called “New York, New York”. Her recordings were an event to listen to. I’m not sure I would call them “good”. She was VERY different. This video is from her 1979 video of “Girls Bite Back“. I have seen several videos from that release. It’s “interesting“.