Just Say No
May 24, 2007 5:50 PM   Subscribe

Bowie Vs Cher.
posted by sgt.serenity (57 comments total)
 
Who Wins ?
posted by sgt.serenity at 5:51 PM on May 24, 2007


America!
posted by jonson at 5:54 PM on May 24, 2007


Also, if I may: DO NOT WANT.
posted by jonson at 5:54 PM on May 24, 2007


AWFUL... LEEEE GOOOD
posted by phaedon at 5:55 PM on May 24, 2007


Ziggy Sawdust.
posted by rob511 at 5:57 PM on May 24, 2007 [3 favorites]


Cocaine's a hell of a drug.
posted by Peter H at 5:58 PM on May 24, 2007 [4 favorites]


That hair. That tremendous hair. And a sense of tense, creaking embarrassment beneath it all, of course: that wasn't coke, that was a promise he was too nice to break.

And I hear he wrote the song for Iman in the middle of the night.
posted by cortex at 6:00 PM on May 24, 2007


Very deep stomach ache says... DO NOT WANT
posted by humannaire at 6:08 PM on May 24, 2007


Wow, they really cheesed up the instrumentation, didn't they? That's terrible... Bowie maintains his charisma though, which is impressive, considering the circumstances.
posted by synaesthetichaze at 6:09 PM on May 24, 2007


I think Cher's hairstyle was really some hedges they pulled from the landscaping outside the studio. Whoa.
posted by ninjew at 6:15 PM on May 24, 2007


I'm feeling old now....I remember watching this when it was originally on.
posted by Oriole Adams at 6:20 PM on May 24, 2007


BIG Bowie fan here....but....ick...
posted by newfers at 6:27 PM on May 24, 2007


Bowie's infallible. So this is great. Just his way of dancing on Ziggy's grave. Too bad none of his showcases his voice too well.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 6:37 PM on May 24, 2007


Wow, it's like flipping the dial on AM. And I thought the most surreal Bowie video possible was him singing Little Drummer Boy with Bing Crosby.
posted by Tenuki at 6:37 PM on May 24, 2007


Young Americans is my favourite Bowie song, but this particular version sucks Cher's female impersonating balls.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:54 PM on May 24, 2007


I've really, really wanted to like Bowie ever since I saw him in Labyrinth in junior high, but somehow every single thing of his that I ever see or hear sucks 100% of my ass. Probably Labyrinth too, now that I think about it.
posted by DU at 6:59 PM on May 24, 2007


Um, WTF?

In case of a water landing Cher's hair can be used as a flotation device.
posted by Gungho at 7:03 PM on May 24, 2007


That was ace. I'm not thirty yet, btw.
posted by rhizome23 at 7:11 PM on May 24, 2007


When the definitive David Bowie biography is filmed, it will be about 90% of him saying "well, I had to do that shit, so I could do this other shit that I really wanted to do".

Actually, that's probably the biography for most successful artist/musicians.
posted by yhbc at 7:19 PM on May 24, 2007


I was all "Yeah, this is okay; I like Bowie, I like Cher, but..." and then it hit the 1.17 mark, and my nipples pert near ripped right through my shirt.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 7:20 PM on May 24, 2007


Cher was beginning to give me hemi-wood until I saw the close-up of the hair. Detumescence ensued.
posted by Tube at 7:26 PM on May 24, 2007


Bowies ok, Chers ok, twas the medley that did me in.
posted by WillieD at 7:36 PM on May 24, 2007


And to think, he started out so rock 'n' roll...
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:56 PM on May 24, 2007


There were things wrong with 1975. White microphones were one of those things.
posted by 517 at 7:57 PM on May 24, 2007


Which is which?
posted by Dave Faris at 7:57 PM on May 24, 2007


So what would that medley cost you today in royalties and/or lawsuits... yikes.

I loves me some Cher.

And I am a hard core Bowie fan (I actually saw him perform this little ditty live last weekend at the Ricky Gervais show that was part of the Highline Festival)

But... this? Wow, words escape me.
posted by kimdog at 8:02 PM on May 24, 2007


Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.
posted by gwint at 8:11 PM on May 24, 2007


I saw this months ago and thought it was just amazingly wonderful. I just love seeing people I admire doing things that are downright goofy, I don't care if they thought it was cool at the time or not.
posted by piratebowling at 8:13 PM on May 24, 2007


I only made it up to Day Tripper. YEEAAARRRRGGGHHH!
posted by planetkyoto at 8:19 PM on May 24, 2007


Thats corpse, I've been wondering about that "started out as a mime" thing. It's a pity I can't prove he was Legally Aged in the U.S.A. at the time, I can't say "he used to be cute way back when."

About the Bowie+Cher medley clip, well, lots of people did things in the '70s that make us wince to think of now. Speaking of which, was/is he bisexual or not? I came out publicly at age 13 following his lead, so it'd be a bite if he was always a "closet hetero" playing a publicity stunt.
posted by davy at 8:33 PM on May 24, 2007


I just saw this quite recently. My partner is a fan of both artists but too young to remember stuff like this. It made his day.

And mine.

Great video!
posted by gummi at 8:39 PM on May 24, 2007


Speaking of which, was/is he bisexual or not?

I don't know what his policy is these days. There's an old quote of him, from a Rolling Stone interview maybe, where he answered the question with a cute dodge:

"I'm a trisexual, actually. I'll try anything once."
posted by cortex at 8:51 PM on May 24, 2007


This post needs Melon Cat.
posted by katillathehun at 9:16 PM on May 24, 2007


Bowie was so much cooler when he was gay.
posted by serazin at 9:16 PM on May 24, 2007


My favorite response to his question about his sexuality is:

"About 15 or 16 years ago, I really got pretty tired of fending off questions about what I used to do with my [penis] in the early seventies. My suggestion for people with prurient interests is to go through the 30 or 40 bios on me and pick out the rumour of their choice."
posted by piratebowling at 9:17 PM on May 24, 2007


When this was made, I was way into Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders and played this kind of stuff to make money on the weekends for money. Never liked either of them, but I can understand why some people who were into Ziggy Stardust might be a little perplexed.
posted by kozad at 9:23 PM on May 24, 2007


This is why we can't have nice culture.
posted by Dizzy at 10:07 PM on May 24, 2007 [1 favorite]


My one and only dream in life now is to see Cher's 1975 head replicated in towering, blindingly shiny, stainless steel on top of a skyscraper, no, all skyscrapers. Rotating, all seeing with laser eye beams that destroy all resistance.

All Hail CHER!
posted by stavrogin at 10:08 PM on May 24, 2007


Nothing is better than this.
posted by pracowity at 12:00 AM on May 25, 2007 [1 favorite]


Embarassing, perhaps, but no more embarassing than singing with Bing Crosby's propped-up corpse.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:22 AM on May 25, 2007


Ok, so I watched the first minute and thought "ok this is bad, but not terrible" and couldn't understand why the comments were so negative. So I go back. Should have known better. A freakin MEDLEY.

I was singing some Bowie on the way home today. It's like you ripped out that record, broke it, and then stamped on the pieces. And then on my delicate repression of a sizeable portion of the 70's.
posted by dreamsign at 1:06 AM on May 25, 2007


holy shit, I had previously thought that Bowie was simply incapable of being uncool. It starts off well, he survives the first medley bit oozing ironic detachment... but then, when he falls to his knees in front of mad-haired soon-to-be-plastic woman, he's diminished forever.
posted by patricio at 1:58 AM on May 25, 2007


I don't know what's more frightening-- Cher's hair (kinda had the same 'do myself in the '70s...) or that David Bowie seems to be actually enjoying himself.
posted by paddbear at 2:54 AM on May 25, 2007


Y'know sarge, I discovered this clip a couple of months ago, and I'd had every intention of posting it to MeFi. Damn! He who hesitates...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:01 AM on May 25, 2007


Thats corpse, I've been wondering about that "started out as a mime" thing.

He didn't start out as a mime, for fuck's sake. He started out in 1964, aged 17, as Davy Jones, the founding member of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-haired Men!
posted by jack_mo at 4:21 AM on May 25, 2007


Well at least there's some feedback on the mic. They where actually performing live on television, if you can believe it kids.
posted by StickyCarpet at 5:57 AM on May 25, 2007


Cher's hair looks like a nosecone from the space shuttle. 517, white microphones were cutting edge, 25 years ahead of white iPod cords.
posted by Frank Grimes at 6:07 AM on May 25, 2007


Beware of the llamas!
at 3:34
posted by geekyguy at 6:20 AM on May 25, 2007 [1 favorite]


Unfortunately, pretty much all creative professionals are forced to experience giant whore moments once in a while in order to stay alive. Myself included. Fortunately, mine aren't on youtube. I'm pretty sure they were worse than medleys with Cher. I know I got paid less, anyhow.

As for the live version, all I can say is that when Bowie introduces Gervais and Ricky walks on stage? Lordy. According to that cameraphone he looks like a radioactive Michelin man. Very unfortunate. [Note to self: never be videoed on a cameraphone.]
posted by miss lynnster at 6:35 AM on May 25, 2007


Wow. That was amazing. A big-band version of "Young Americans" that changes to a speed medley of standards and other pop songs.

If only they had thrown in the Bill Murray version of the Star Wars theme from SNL it would have been perfect.
posted by GuyZero at 7:33 AM on May 25, 2007


Bill Murray Sings Star Wars. (With Paul Schaffer on piano, I believe.)

According to that cameraphone he looks like a radioactive Michelin man

Aw, that wasn't nearly as bad as you made it out to be. Although (1) it's time to move to XXL and (2) men should always wear sleeves.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:32 AM on May 25, 2007


If only they had thrown in the Bill Murray version of the Star Wars theme from SNL it would have been perfect.

Ah yes, good times that. I wonder how old I was when I saw that? It's kind of hard to remember in detail, all I can really recall is Bill Murray's iconically sad eyes. Hmm, I wonder if someone else will post a...

Bill Murray Sings Star Wars. (With Paul Schaffer on piano, I believe.)

And the thread delivers. /salute
posted by voltairemodern at 9:28 AM on May 25, 2007


C'mon, you haters...this was so astonishingly great in its blow-dusted craptitude that I can't believe this clip isn't being enshrined in a time capsule and a Voyager-class spacecraft pointed at Alpha Centauri.

I just want, no, need, to know: who wrote that kickin' arrangement? Sucking every single drop of Philly soul out of "Young Americans" to make it an aural twin to "Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree" takes mega-3X-genius.
posted by the sobsister at 10:42 AM on May 25, 2007


So that was Bowie and HIS idol singing falsetto?
posted by davy at 11:56 AM on May 25, 2007


she looks like the juggernaut.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 3:44 PM on May 25, 2007


bitch
posted by splatta at 7:07 PM on May 25, 2007


Many years ago I purchased a Bowie bootleg album called "The Thin White Duke live at Nassau Civic Center". I think it was recorded on Long Island during spring of 76'. Anyway it was a double album and this set closed out side 4. I've played it dozens of times but had never seen the video version. Thank you Sargent!
posted by reidfleming at 2:47 PM on May 26, 2007


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