This part might have been written for David Bowie, if Bertold Brecht was capable of time travel. Baal was written by Brecht in 1918 while he was a 20 year old student at the University of Munich. The musical tells the tales of a genius living a life of hedonism and sometimes crime on the…
David Bowie explains the origins of Ziggy Stardust and more in a 1998 interview, animated by PBS
The PBS animated series “Blank on Blank” has devoted their latest episode to a 1998 interview with David Bowie. In just over 5 minutes Bowie and music executive Joe Smith manage to cover a lot of ground including the rock and roll life style, the problems with fame (or the lack thereof), the origins of Ziggy…
Video: David Bowie’s final appearance as Ziggy Stardust (full concert – 1973)
A concert film from D.A. Pennebaker ‘Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars‘, captures David Bowie’s final appearance as his best known and most flamboyant character. It includes: Hang on to Yourself, Ziggy Stardust, Watch that Man, Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud, All the Young Dudes, Oh, You Pretty things!, Moonage Daydream, Changes, Space Oddity,…
David Bowie Performs ‘Space Oddity’ on Swiss TV (1969)
After playing with a string of less than spectacular bands in the mid 1960s and a 1967 solo debut that was poorly received, here’s a 22 year old David Bowie performing his first solo hit on the Swiss program Hits a Go Go in 1969. [via Dangerous Minds]
Peter and the Wolf Narrated by David Bowie
I found this recording of one of my favorite children’s stories, narrated by one of my favorite voices on Open Culture. As soon as I clicked on the link though I knew I was in trouble and was glad I like the story so much. Josh Jones had also provided links to narrations by Peter Ustinov, Alec…
Early David Bowie Band ‘Riot Squad’ Cover the Velvet Underground (1967)
David Bowie’s music career goes back much farther than most people think. He joined his first band ‘the Konrads’ at the age of 15, in 1962, a full decade before Ziggy Stardust. After that there was ‘the King Bees’, then ‘the Manish Boys’, ‘the Lower Third’, ‘the Buzz’ and simultaneously ‘the Riot Squad’. While Bowie…
Astronaut Chris Hadfield Performs Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ In Space
File this under ‘best things ever’, Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield performing a revised version of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, in space. Hadfield also made a video to go with it which includes effects which would be difficult to reproduce in Hollywood but which are the natural state of affairs on the International Space Station.
And Now, Bauhaus’ ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’, the 9 Hour Version
The Bauhaus song Bela Lugosi’s Dead is the perennial anthem of goth vampire culture. It is not just the song itself, or the reference to the famous Hollywood vampire (creepy in his own right) it is, I belive, it’s initial use in the intro to the Hunger. At no point before or since that movie…
And Now, Bauhaus’ ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’, the 9 Hour Version
The Bauhaus song Bela Lugosi’s Dead is the perennial anthem of goth vampire culture. It is not just the song itself, or the reference to the famous Hollywood vampire (creepy in his own right) it is, I belive, it’s initial use in the intro to the Hunger. At no point before or since that movie…
Happy Birthday David Bowie: First New Video in 10 years + 1974 Interview
For David Bowie’s 66th birthday, he gave us a present: His first new single (complete with video) in a decade. Where Are We Now is our first peek at Bowies new full length album, his 30th, the Next Day. The full album is coming March 12 according to Bowie’s website. As an added bonus, below…