BOWIE DAY

Happy Birthday David Bowie, born David Jones on this day in 1947. Like many teenagers in the early 1960s, David Bowie found inspiration in American music and culture. He took up saxophone and guitar and formed a string of bands, playing blues and rock covers for parties and local entertainment. A keen student of graphic design, art, and movement, Bowie constantly synthesized his interests and disparate styles to express his own unique vision. More below. 

If an artist is always in the state of becoming, Bowie spent a lifetime exploring- trailblazing the outer limits and sending back transmissions of things to come. He stayed in the fast lane for forty years, recording albums, touring, and acting, until a heart attack on stage in 2004 made him take stock. He spent a nine-year hiatus to recoup and to be a stay-at-home dad (he and wife Iman had a daughter in 2000). But Bowie surprised everyone in 2013 with an outstanding new album called The Next Day, which was released during a flurry of art shows and a massive retrospective at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The V&A exhibit celebrated his career in music, fashion, graphic arts, fine art, and set design, all of which which Spy Vibers can see in the exhibit catalog, David Bowie Is.  He recorded The Next Day in secret- his first album in ten years- and it quickly went to number one in charts around the world. The vibe of the record was energetic and experimental. Probably of interest to Spy Vibers, Bowie also seemed to mine his "Berlin period" with Brian Eno and Iggy Pop during the 1970s by re-exploring themes of the city, most notably in Where Are We Now? The cover image itself was a re-appropriated version of Heroes, made originally in 1977. Fans enjoyed spotting various references to the artist's past, including a connection between Five Years (Ziggy Stardust/1972) and the track, You Feel So Lonely You Could Die. Besides its sweet echo of Presley's Heartbreak Hotel (Bowie and Elvis shared a birthday), the more interesting layer to this song was its thematic connection to tradecraft and the dirty business of espionage. One couldn't miss the allusions to dead drops, secrets, betrayal, and assassination. During promotion for The Next Day, Bowie starred in a video for another track, The Stars (Are Out Tonight), with the wonderful Tilda Swinton, who was also invited to give the opening speech for the exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Below: still from The Stars (Are Out Tonight).

Swinton herself had an artistic fascination with Berlin. She made an experimental film study of the Berlin Wall in 1988 called Cycling the Frame. Twenty-one years later she starred in a marvelous and meditative film that re-examined the presence -even in its absence- of the Wall called The Invisible Frame (2009). The film invited the viewer to travel with Swinton by bicycle along the scars and remnants of the Wall, an experience that became a long portrait of the city and of perceptions of identity and territory. Below: Bowie's The Next Day ala Berlin-era iconography Heroes. 

Bowie followed The Next Day with an album called Blackstar, which was released on his birthday in 2016. Sadly, he passed away only two days later at the age of 69. Speculations arose quickly that "blackstar" may have referenced his fight with cancer. That skinny 1960s Mod kid, who had once dreamed of becoming Little Richard's saxophone player -only to become the king/queen alien of glam, experimental oracle, actor, artist, designer, and cutting-edge pop star, David Bowie- was no more. No one could deny the message of his farewell video, Lazerus, in which he sang of mortality, donned one of his old costumes, climbed into a coffin-like wardrobe, and disappeared from the world. It was his creative way to say farewell to the persona of David Bowie. And then David Jones himself was gone. Below: still from the set of Lazerus. 

A final small batch of songs (No Plan) and a stage musical Lazerus (inspired by the 1963 novel The Man Who Fell to Earth) were released posthumously. Like many people, I still feel that it's difficult to reconcile Bowie's passing. It's been hard to imagine someone so creative, so prolific, and so forward-moving would ever stop. And although I can't quite understand a world without him, I know his creative spirit lives on in his work. When Tilda spoke about Bowie at the V&A, she talked about how he had been a kind catalyst for so many people to embrace their alternative identities and basically let their freak flags fly. I like to think that his own courage and individuality will continue to inspire young people to follow their own vision, whether it be about personal identity or about creative ideas. Below: The young Mod with so many miles still to go!

For Spy Vibers who have never explored the fascinating career of David Bowie, you have a lot to look forward to! Although it's difficult to choose a short list of his work, here is my "Essential Bowie." If 1960s-era material is a priority, check out the Deram album, David Bowie (1967) and the 1969 promo film, Love You Till Tuesday.

Screen: The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), The Hunger (1983), Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (1983), Labyrinth (1986), The Hunger (tv/1999-2000).

Docs: Ziggy Stardust, Ricochet, Reality Tour, Storytellers, Five Years, The Last Five Years, Finding Fame. 

Albums: Space Oddity (1969), The Man Who Sold the World (1970), Hunky Dory (1971), Ziggy Stardust (1972), Aladdin Sane (1973), Pin Ups (1973), Station to Station (1976), Low (1977), Heroes (1977), Lodger (1979), Scary Monsters (1980), Baal (1981), Outside (1995), Earthling (1997), VH1 Storytellers (2001), Heathen (2002), The Next Day (2013). There have also been great sets released  over the past few years that offer deeper exploration, including Nothing Has Changed, Five Years, Who Can I Be Now?, A New Career in Town, and Loving the Alien. Below: Bowie in the 1960s. 

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: New Year Cosmonauts, Neil Innes R.I.P., Claudine Auger R.I.P., OHMSS at 50, Italian Job 50th OST, Charles Schulz Modern, Paul Desmond, Python 50th, Randall Hopkirk 50th, Thunderbirds Day, Lazenby Returns to MI6, Dr. John R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio: Lupin III, Lupin Ska, Spy Vibe Prime, Zigomar Translation, The Village: Part 1, Monkey Punch R.I.P., Bubble Girl 63, ITC Soundtracks, Spy Vibe Radio: Public Eye, UFO Prime, Spaceship to Mars, Modesty Blaise Companion, Spy Vibe Radio: Fantomas, George Day, Fantomas Blu, Dark Shadows Doc, Bedazzled Blu-ray, Mary Quant Exhibit, Laika Calypso, Lost in Space Japan, Spy Dust Calypso, Atomic Cafe, John Barry Mono, Interview: John Barry Book, Land of the Giants Score, Skyfall Concert, Dearest Emma, Spy Vibe Radio: Upperseven, Ogilvy at Elstree, Mabuse Propaganda, Bond Beatles Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Liquidator, Diabolik LP, Fab Dresses, Eurospy Music Collection, Beetle Bailey in West Berlin, Why Mort Walker?, Spy Vibe radio: The Beatles Help!, Avengers Critical Guide, The Spotnicks, Benny Spies, James Pond 0017', Satire Stones, Annette Andre Book, Cat Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Get Smart, Caine: My Generation, Interview: Ian Ogilvy, Horror of Party Beach, Sylvie Vartan Renown, Ringo At 78, Dark Shadows Strips, Spy Vibe Radio: Flint, Archie Batman 66, Paul at 76, Beatles Pac-Man, Spy Vibe Radio: Jerry Cotton, The Invaders, 007 Horowitz Book Tour, McGoohan/Prisoner Event at Elstree, The Prisoner Interviews Vol 1, British Underground Press, Interview: Fab4 Mania, Bond Cocktail Book, Bond at Bletchley, Spy Smasher, Spy Vibe Radio: Peter Gunn, Agent Zero M, New Prisoner Comic, Dr. No Villains Edition,  Spy Vibe Radio: Danger Diabolik, Dr. No 60th, Oy-Oy-Seven, Spy Vibe Radio (UFO), Cold War Comic Strips, Thunderball Event, Mission to India, Mort Walker Celebration,  Peter Wyngarde Celebration, Batman 66 Exhibit, Prisoner Fifty Event, Ian Fleming Publications 2017-2018, Interview: Ed Hulse Pulp, Avengers Audio Drama, Interview: Callan At 50, Interview: Playboys, Spies, Private Eyes, TWA Returns, Spy Vibe Radio 8, Interview: Ryan Heshka, Mid-Century Modern Schulz, Agent Werewolf, Johnny Sokko 50th, Interview: Trina Robbins, Eddie Izzard, The Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50th, Hugh Hefner R.I.P., Jack Good R.I.P., Interview: Shaken Not Stirred, Callan 50th, Spy Vibe Radio 7, The Prisoner 50th Event, Spy-Fi Event, Kaho Aso 007, Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview: Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.

DAVID BOWIE SPIES BERLIN

David Bowie surprised everyone in January when he announced that he had recorded a new album in secret- his first record in ten years. Entitled The Next Day, the new collection of songs quickly went to number one in charts around the globe. With few exceptions, the vibe of the album is energetic and experimental. Bowie has mined his Berlin period with Brian Eno and Iggy Pop in the 1970s by re-exploring the theme of Berlin in some of the tunes, most notably Where Are We Now?. The cover image itself is a re-appropriated version of Heroes (see below/1977). 

Fans have enjoyed spotting various references to Bowie's past, including a connection between Five Years (Ziggy Stardust/1972) and the new track, You Feel So Lonely You Could Die. Besides its sweet echo of Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, the more interesting layer to this song is its thematic connection to tradecraft and the dirty business of espionage. Although some forum members have speculated connections to medieval brutality, one cannot miss the spy references to dead drops, secrets, betrayal, and assassination. I haven't seen an interview with Bowie about this, but I can't help but conjure up images of Deighton's Berlin tragedy, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, and the dark sad truth of East Germany's network of informants and agents during Bowie's years in Berlin. 

Bowie starred in a video for the new track The Stars (Are Out Tonight) with the wonderful Tilda Swinton, who also made the opening speech for the David Bowie retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Swinton herself has had an artistic fascination with Berlin. She made an an experimental film study of the Berlin Wall in 1988 called Cycling the Frame. Twenty-one years later she starred in a marvelous and meditative film that re-examines the presence -even in its absence- of the Wall called The Invisible Frame (2009). The film invites the viewer to travel with Swinton by bicycle along the scars and remnants of the Wall, an experience that becomes a long portrait of the city and the perceptions of identity and territory. Video still of Bowie below from The Stars (Are Out Tonight).

I have to say that I really love this new album. There is one track that breaks the cohesive texture (for my ears) regarding song order, but I'm perfectly content, like many modern listeners, to create my own version for ipod that flows smoothly. If you have not heard Bowie in a while, I urge Spy Vibers to pick up The Next Day. I think you'll find shades of Heroes (1977), Lodger (1979), and even Scary Monsters (1980). You Feel So Lonely You Could Die is one of the few torch-songs on the new album, which is an interesting choice to contrast with the gritty theme of the lyrics (excerpt below). Read the words over as poetry and tell me don't think of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965), The Lives of Others (2006), or Matt Kindt's Super Spy. Images in this post are from Spy Vibe's BOWIE ART board on Pinterest.

Feel So Lonely You Could Die

By David Bowie (2013)

No-one ever saw you

Moving through the dark

Leaving slips of paper

Somewhere in the park

Hidden from your friends

Stealing all they knew

Love is thrown in airless rooms

Then vile rewards for you

But I'm gonna tell

Yes I've gotta tell

Gotta tell the things you've said

When you're talking in the dark

And I'm gonna tell the things you've done

When you're walking through the park

Some night on a thriller’s street will come a silent gun

You've got a dangerous heart

You stole their trust, their moon, their sun

There'll come assassin’s needle on a crowded train

I bet you'll feel so lonely you could die

Buildings crammed with people

Landscapes filled with wrath

Grey concrete city

Rain has wet the street

I want to see you clearly

Before you close the door

A room of bloody history

You made sure of that

DAVID BOWIE RETROSPECTIVE

A major retrospective of David Bowie begins next month at the Victoria and Albert Museum. If your impressions of him are limited to "chameleon" or Let's Dance pop star, the exhibit will remind folks that Bowie's fame is built on an extraordinary voice, gifted songwriting, and lifelong passion for art, music, theater, fashion, and the avant-garde. He started as Davy Jones, a young Mod in the early 1960s, who covered American blues with his bands The Konrads, The King Bees, The Riot Squad, and The Lower Third.

With the success of The Monkees' Davy Jones, he changed his stage name to Bowie, and became fascinated with the cut-up writing technique of William Burroughs and with the art/music world of Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground. As he developed as an artist, Bowie's interests and talents established him as a true renaissance man in the pop world. He is forever breaking ground with cutting-edge fashion and stage design, producing legitimate work as a visual artist, bringing theatrical elements to stage and screen, involving himself with art publications and galleries, and recording innovative records. The V&A exhibit will celebrate all of these aspects of Bowie's output. A recent image of the artist (below) sitting under his portrait with William S. Burroughs.

A beautiful book called David Bowie Is has been published by Abrams to accompany the show (below). A limited-edition signed by Bowie is available through the museum. Hardcover and softcover editions are available at the V&A, as well as through booksellers everywhere. Amazon currently has them at a discount pre-order price. About the book from Abrams: David Bowie Is is the first book that grants access to the internationally acclaimed artist and performer’s personal archive of costumes, ephemera, original design artwork, and more, bringing it together to present a completely new perspective on his creative work and collaborations. It traces Bowie’s career from its beginnings in London, through the breakthroughs of Space Oddity and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and on to his enormous impact on 20th-century avant-garde music and art. Essays by V&A curators Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh on Bowie’s London, image, and influence on the fashion world are complemented by Christopher Frayling, Mark Kermode, and Philip Hoare on film; Howard Goodall on musicology; Camille Paglia on gender and decadence; and Jon Savage on Bowie’s relationship with William Burroughs and Bowie’s fans. The more than 300 color illustrations include personal and performance photographs, album covers, performance costumes, original lyric sheets, and much more.

If you are interested in other cool Bowie items, the V&A gift shop is offering things like limited-edition prints, exhibit poster, cards, shirts, accessories, and more. The V&A exhibit runs from March 23rd to August 11th. In addition, Snap Galleries will be holding an exhibit of Bowie photographs by Masayoshi Sukita from March 23rd to April 30th. The show will capture their long collaboration with images from 1972 to 2002. More info here.

David Bowie recently announced that he has been secretly recording a new album called The Next Day, which will also be released next month. In addition to vinyl, cd and download formats, there is a limited-edition single coming out for Record Store day. The first song released, Where Are We Now, is a contemporary reflection on Berlin. Bowie recorded in the city during the 1970s with Brian Eno and Iggy pop. More info at Bowie's website here. Spy Vibers might also be interested in checking out this article in The Guardian and the limited-edition Speed of Life by Photographer Sukita for Genesis Publications. 

I have a spy novella coming out. Stay tuned and follow Spy Vibe by clicking the Follow link at top right of this page. 

Check Spy Vibe for recent posts about our discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, my review of SKYFALL, tributes to Donald Richie and Tony Sheridan, the Les Vampires serial on Blu-ray, Lucy Fleming, The Beatles first record session, Ian Fleming's desert island interview, new Ian Fleming book designs, Fantomas, Spy Smasher, Barbarella tv show, British spy comics, Piper Gates retro designs, Cinema Retro, and more. 

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NEW BOWIE

Spy Vibe wishes David Bowie a Happy Birthday! After nearly a decade of scattered appearances and film roles, Bowie is starting 2013 (and his 66th year) with a bang. Without advanced warning, a new song and video were just released. The single, Where Are We Now?, reflects on the artist's experiences with Berlin -before and after the Wall- and is already number #1 in England. Bowie has re-launched his website, announcing that a new album called The Next Day is due out in March. Expanding on the Berlin theme, and wanting to subvert his own iconography, Bowie worked with designer Jonathan Barnbrook to transform the famous cover of his 1977 Berlin album, Heroes. The Next Day was produced by Tony Visconti in New York, and contains 14 new tracks. A deluxe edition includes three bonus songs. The album is now available for pre-order on iTunes. In other events, David Bowie's archive was recently opened to curators who have planned the first major international Bowie exhibit. Starting on March 23rd, Victoria & Albert Museum will feature over 30 objects, including handwritten lyrics, costumes, fashion, photography, film, music videos, set designs, and instruments. Bowie is said to be creating a memoir using art and artifacts from his life to tell his story. I really enjoy Bowie as an artist. I guess my own impulses to create in different areas of the arts (writing, photo, film, music, comics) helps me to appreciate how he has followed his muse to fully explore his own experience in the world. Spy Vibers may especially enjoy his early Mod days in 1960s Swinging London or his famous Berlin trilogy collaborations with Eno. But no matter which project you explore, remember that there is a unique voice and songwriter behind the images. Here is a wonderful duet that I think you will enjoy on Youtube.

JANE BIRKIN & BRYAN FERRY

Looking through the music and short films produced in the 1960s and 1970s by Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Bardot, and Jane Birkin, I was reminded of this stunning 2004 recording Birkin made with Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music). Something a little different for Spy Vibe today, but I think you will enjoy the twangy guitar. Jane Birkin (Blow Up, Wonderwall) was married to James Bond composer, John Barry, between 1965-1968, so maybe that twangy guitar has deep roots? Birkin was married to Gainsbourg from 1968-1980. Bryan Ferry's song, In Every Dream Home a Heartache, originally appeared on Roxy Music's second album, For Your Pleasure (1973). If you are new to the tune, pay close attention to the lyrics. Yep, they say "inflatable doll." It is a masterpiece of a song that is like a mini film by Antonioni and Jesus Franco. This re-make appeared on Birkin's album, Rendez-Vous. Enjoy!

SPACE CAMP: DAVID BOWIE

It's Space Camp week on Spy Vibe! As I busy myself with end-of-term grading and holiday plans, I thought it would be fun to look at quick and campy snapshots of some of the classic space-age moments in 1960s entertainment. It's been a David Bowie fest here at the Spy Vibe lair over the past month. As you might expect, the go-to albums were the Berlin Wall trilogy that he made in the mid-late 1970s with Brian Eno (Heroes, Low, Lodger). But I found myself really enjoying his early recordings this weekend. Bowie started out in a few modish blues bands inspired by Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. But the first recordings (see David Bowie, Deram Anthology), were pure pop cabaret. His 1967 recording Love You Till Tuesday became the title track for a 1969 TV special. The show would also see the serendipitous release performance of Space Oddity close to the Apollo 11 moon landing. This first video/mix for the song (a rather low-budget bit of space-age camp that biographer Marc Spitz rightly links to "Barbarella over Kubrick") was followed with a revised video/mix during his Ziggy era.


Bowie's space connection would continue, of course, with his Ziggy alter-ego, songs like Starman and Moonage Daydream, and his lead role-as-alien in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976/movie still above). Space Oddity's 'Major Tom' would re-appear in the songs Ashes to Ashes and Hallo Spaceboy. Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, has continued the family motif with his excellent feature film debut, Moon (2009). It's time to re-explore David Bowie. Suggested listening: David Bowie, *Hunky Dory, Low, Heroes, Lodger, Storytellers, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Outside. Spy Vibers can also re-mix Bowie's Space Oddity, which you can find as an app in the iTunes app store.

Recommended reading: Bowie, a Biography by music journalist, Marc Spitz. I'm reading the kindle edition now! Marc's website here. Review of the upcoming archive-book about Bowie's early years, Any Day Now, here.