Comments on: The History of Bowie in 100 Objects

The History of Bowie in 100 Objects

kimdog — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:45:26 -0800

With fans struggling to come to terms with David Bowie's musical hiatus and likely retirement, any new Bowie-related material has been eagerly pursued. Last year, the leak of the unreleased album Toy (previously) slaked the thirst of those needing a Bowie fix. Last week, an unauthorized preview of another Bowie project emerged— Bowie: Object. First announced in 2010, the book features 100 objects from Bowie's archive, with text written by the man himself.

By: robself

robself — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:56:49 -0800

David Bowie's writing style is suspiciously pitched almost exactly where one might expect a very keen fan to be.... Still, all the commenters on that page seem convinced, so who am I to argue?

By: One Second Before Awakening

One Second Before Awakening — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:08:04 -0800

Oh man, when I saw this post I was SO hoping that the full Outside sessions finally leaked. I'm dying to hear 20 hours of Bowie/Eno/Gabrels improv cyberpunk opera!

By: Kitty Stardust

Kitty Stardust — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:21:34 -0800

That may be the best description of a garden gnome ever.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:24:03 -0800

Define "struggle".

By: mary8nne

mary8nne — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:17:03 -0800

Really? are you sure the fans actually want new material? Thats definately not the vibe I got when I saw him live in about 2006 in Sydney and the crowd seemed mostly disinterested in anything after Lets Dance.. Just play the hits ok..

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:36:41 -0800

are you sure the fans actually want new material? The fans are an ass. See, not just about Bowie but in general, first you get the fans who really like the early stuff - ideally the first album or better yet the first EP. Nothing for them will ever live up to that and besides once other people discovered the musician's music, the musician ipso facto sold out. Then you have the fans who only got into the band because of the hit or hits. The musician might have two dozen other excellent songs that weren't hits, but they only want to hear the ones that they know - presumably so they can sing along at the top of their lungs at a volume that prevents them from actually hearing the musician sing it herself or himself. Then you have the fans that complain if the musician doesn't try something new on their next album. "Yeah, that album was good, but I liked it better when it was called their debut album." Of course, you also have true believers who like everything the musician does regardless of relative quality. This small, undiscerning group will stick with a musician no matter what, gods bless em. I mean, you can't trust their feedback because it will always be "you are awesome" but its still nice to have some people you can count on to buy everything you release. So, to make fans happy, an artist needs to keep their sound the same forever, but change it on every album, and not get old or successful, but have a bunch of hits so that concert attendees have something to sing along with. Long story short, if a musician spends to much time worrying about the fans want, his or her brain is going to collapse into a black hole due to conflicting impulses. And then they will be Xorn.

By: mary8nne

mary8nne — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:52:16 -0800

thats a nice rant little you have there. but... I was actually attempting to snidely point out that there are a variety of "fans" and actually most of the fans at concerts don't really seem to want new material from Bowie. I actually really like this blog about Bowie's Songs: Pushing Ahead of the Dame: David Bowie, song by song. And I do like a lot of the hits and early stuff but he's really just not that relevant now. And after that concert in 2006 I vowed never to go to another aging rocker show again. I"m actually quite surprised that anyone really gives a shit about Bowie these days.

By: VikingSword

VikingSword — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:32:56 -0800

I saw him live in about 2006 in Sydney and the crowd seemed mostly disinterested in anything after Lets Dance. Bowie completely stopped doing concerts of any kind in 2004, and his live performances since then have been usually a song here and there, usually an impromptu appearance joining some band/performer onstage for a spell. You must be talking about the Sydney Entertainment Centre 21st February 2004. In that case, here's the playlist from that concert: Intro Rebel Rebel New Killer Star Afraid Fame Cactus Panic In Detroit Pablo Picasso All The Young Dudes China Girl A New Career In A New Town The Loneliest Guy The Man Who Sold The World Hallo Spaceboy Sunday Band Intro Ubder Pressure Life On Mars? Looking For Water Quicksand Days Let's Dance White Light White Heat Ashes To Ashes I'm Afraid Of Americans Heroes Bring Me The Disco King Five Years Hang Onto Yourself Ziggy Stardust

By: Sebmojo

Sebmojo — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:33:04 -0800

I actually really like this blog about Bowie's Songs: Pushing Ahead of the Dame: David Bowie, song by song. And I do like a lot of the hits and early stuff but he's really just not that relevant now. And after that concert in 2006 I vowed never to go to another aging rocker show again. I heart that blog unequivocally. Its tone (wry, knowledgeable, occasionally mischievous) seems of a piece with its subject. Check this parenthesis: After his chaotic early Eighties (drugs, voodoo), Iggy Pop was at a happy standstill.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:24:34 -0800

mary8nne : That blog is awesome. Thank you for the link.

By: pfh

pfh — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:00:58 -0800

He used fabric scissors on newspaper. Oh dear. Oh dear, no.

By: Artw

Artw — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:20:20 -0800

BOWIE OBJECT Preview – The Facts. It is still awesome.