h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I almost had a heart attack when I saw that David Bowie was this week's talking point! If there is one thing (or person) I am a bigger fan of than the Hitchhiker's Guide books it is David Bowie. I have seen him live 3 times, and that would have been 4 if the fourth one wasn't cancelled right after the warm-up band performed. David Bowie has an amazing stage presence and charisma, the kind that makes you want to start screaming the minute you see him and keep screaming until he is out of sight. Fortunately the music is loud enough to hear anyway.

I love just about everything I have heard by David Bowie; usually if I think I don't like a song or an album right off I just have to listen to it a few more times in order to see the subtlety, depth, and musicality he puts into everything. My current favorite album is Heathen, Reality is great too. Then there are all the old favs, like Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, and all the great stuff that came in-between like Black Tie White Noise.

What an incredible man, and what a life time of accomplishment! This page is dead on in saying that many groups achieve in a lifetime the depths and style David Bowie was inventing every week. And still is too!

Here's to David Bowie!!!

I don't think anyone could fathom how desperately I want to see him live. I am completely and utterly in love with him, especially his glam personas he had back in the 70s. And I was born in 1987... this is one of the great tragedies of my life. I love the rest of his career too, but the albums from the 70s are my favourites. Yes, they're decades old. But songs like 'Changes' are the still the perfect soundrack to teenage self-discovery. I will see him if it's the last thing I do.
I live in Thailand. No-one interesting ever plays in Thailand! The closest he's been to here was Japan a year or so ago, and I couldn't go becase of school.
My dad gave me 'Aladdin Sane' when I was fourteen and I was obsessed after only a week of listening to it. Now I know it better than he does, much to his annoyance. And then there's Ziggy Stardust... oh wow. There is absolutely nothing else in the world like Ziggy Stardust. Yes, it's a glam rock album, but unlike so much of the materialistic, hedonistic glitter of the glam scene, there's amazing emotional depth on songs like 'Five Years' and 'Rock n Roll Suicide'. I could go on and on and on about how much I love Bowie. What a wonderful idea it was to make him this week's talking point! Now I CAN go on and on about him.

I must say, I agree with both of you...I love him...I'm jealous of you seeing him three times, Athena - I don't know how, it's inexcusable, but I always seem to miss him.

I love virtually everything...except Tin Machine (I think even in the '80s he seemed to have a bit of a fallow period he was still capable of amazing tracks like 'Loving the Alien'). I just can't get Tin Machine... What do you both think of that?

I was so thrilled when he returned to form...I mean...'Black Tie, White Noise'! (And the often overlooked 'Real Cool World').

My favourite track ever has to be 'Drive-in Saturday' though - I can play that a million times and not get sick of it.

Ohhh kindred spirits! It is also the curse of my life that I was born in the 80s and missed all those great David Bowie moments! Yes now we CAN go on and on about him! I hope he comes out with another album soon and goes on tour again, anyone have any word on that?

About Tin Machine, I have probably had the least exposure to that of any of his works. Like I said, I have found that the more I listen to his stuff, the more I find in it. So I am fairly confident that I will grow to like it. What do you think of the latest albums? Heathen, Reality, and I suppose we should include hours?

Have you seen the music video of Drive in Saturday, Natalie? I am sure you have, but ohhhh I love it! It makes me swoon!

It all makes me swoon!

The video for 'Heroes'! The video for 'Life on Mars' (not very flattering for those famous teeth, mind)! The video for...'Boys Keep Swinging'! (Well perhaps not - but is that the most incredible bassline ever recorded or what?!)

You were born in the 80s? I feel like a late-starter cos I was born in the early 70s...it's really heartening he's retained his following thanks to us, isn't it?

And I love his most recent albums...I'm so thrilled he's been back on top form since the early '90s.

Did I mention he's great?!

Ah, the videos, ah the smile! No one ever had a more shockingly beautiful smile!

You shouldn't feel like too much of a late starter, I have always felt like that, but I think you have had it better than me! I would love to have been born in the 70s... And it looks like Cat got an even later start than me. Granted only by a couple of years.

Yeah, he definitely is back in top form. And new too, once again he has reinvented himself for the ultimate best!

I've never been a Bowie devotee so to speak - but I've always kept an eye or an ear out for his music. In retrospect, Bowie seems to have been a consistent "weirdness" that darted in and out of my life over the years - what he lacked in consistency he certainly made up for in quality!

I was a bit irked by the interview with Jaggers wife where Bowie and Jagger apparently ended up in the sack a few times . . . guess its my prudishness showing - dont conciously think its any of anyones business, it just made me squirm a bit. "Too much detail!" I guess.

But Bowie is certainly a genius - no denying that - and what geniuses aren't a little off the wall!


Kosh

Oooooh the videos!!!!!!!!! Life on Mars? and Ashes to Ashes are my favourites, and I think he looks stunning in the Life on Mars? and Drive-in Saturday videos. And the Dancing in the Street video with Jagger amuses me- I actually think they look great together, and I'll even forgive them for the way they're dressed in that video.

I've never listened to any Tin Machine (they don't sell much of his back catalogue in the CD shops here) but I will sometime in the near future, probably. I'm a bit apprehensive about it- I haven't heard much in its favour...

The newer stuff is great too. Oh, whatever, it's all great!!!! He'd better go on tour soon; I'll be living in the UK as of next september, so that might make it easier to see him. I went into such a complete state of panic and shock this summer when he went into hospital, and I was ecstatic when the papers published pictures of him out and about. Despite my 'late start', he means so much to me. It's weird.

ditto, ditto and ditto! The shock at the news, the views on Tin Machine. I don't think I have EVER heard anyone say that they liked it! And how much he means to me despite my late start in listening to him.

The Dancing in the Street video is one of my favs too, and I think the pjs and bathrobes go pretty well with the them of the song. It always cracks me up to watch it. I also really like the Thursday's Child video, but I think that they could have done a much better job with the younger version of him. And the Heroes video..... *sigh*

I think that he is a very nice bloke and he plays a great game of chess .Beat me 3 out 5 while shareing a very insiteful conversation and some good coffee in Brisbane.Good acting too see The Hunger.

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence wasn't bad either - despite it being a frightfully old movie and really dated - but I'd say he was the best act in it.


Kosh

well, for my two pence worth, i've only seen Bowie onstage once, in '74, just after my high school graduation. i had a bit of money at the time and bought about a dozen seats in a balcony-type area in a public auditorium in cleveland, ohio (a place that hosted circuses and auto shows, various other things.)
Bowie had already appeared in several smaller venues in cleve-burg, most all sellouts, and this was one of his first 10,000 seat shows.
his stage theatrics were phenominal. every rock show since has been changed because of what he did, as ziggy, as alladin sane, but the same could be said about frank zappa's concerts----each was a mixture of excellent music by excellent musicians and ol' theatre semi-slapstick, costumes, skits, mini-operettas almost.
i the show that i and we attended, 'major tom' was the most elaborately-staged piece. he had been doing straight rock-and-roll a few songs and the stage then went dark. we could see the red lights from the Spiders' amps and hear a rumbling from backstage.
when the spotlight (two, one wide, one solo) Bowie was seated in a throne-like cair onstage center, the outline of a rocket ship in the wide spotlight, as the band began the song.
first time i'd ever seen wireless technology, he had no need to hold a mic, no dangling cords, and was dressed in a stage version of an astronaut/ cosmonaut silver costume.
as the song progressed, Bowie was lifted from the stage and finished "can you hear me, Major Tom, can you heeeeeaaaaarrrrr...." probably 30 feet in the air as the auditorium erupted, ten-totwelve thousand of us on out feet, screaming, yelling, muttering, stunned, not believeing what we just saw Bowie pull off.
i am unclear as to other details, but my friend who drove the four of us up and back (a one-hour trip) is now an established lawyer, specifically financial, estates and the like, and i've lost touch with the eleven others who attended the show, i'd say early june of 1974. i turned 18 that summer and went to ohio state university in columbus, ohio that fall for two years and have been writing and doing backstage theatrics off and on ever since.
and a

I was force-fed Bowie as a new wife with a Bowie-obsessed husband about 5 year ago and hated him with a passion... until I left

Oddly now I'm a devoted Bowie fan and probably own way too many albums and magazines and books about him than a normal 29-year old rightly should. I've just discovered The Shadow Man from 1971 which I'd recommend a listen to if you ever get the chance.

As to him touring in '05. Well none of the festival rumour line-ups are suggesting Bowie may tour this year. Not surprising after last year's scare. I also read in a freebie London newspaper a few weeks ago that Bowie is "taking this year out to concentrate on acting" - and specifically, comedy.

http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/

Pretty good site for Bowie info.

Tyrone, you have played chess with David Bowie? Are you being entirely honest here? *drools with envy* Wow!

Oh and that concert Random! Wow and again! I am soo envious of all you who had the opportunity to see him perform back in those days. That sounds amazing!

This is a dead giveaway to my age, but I am proud to say that David Bowie's Space Oddity was the first ever album I bought out of the contents of my very first wage packet, way back in the early 1970's. I still have it, wrapped carefully in a plastic folder and guard it jealously from my hubby and offspring.

yes i did ;Going for a walk in Brisbane before Dinner I was dressed properly; Tailored suit with overcoat handmade earring and rings made by my Girlfriend(should have bloody maried her but ow well to late now);Passing the Hilton in Queen street this well dressed British gentelman was looking around out the front and trying to light a Cigerette;Out with the Zippo, smoke lit,"where can i get a good coffe away from the circus?" he asks;Going for coffee says i to fill in time before dinner with the girlfriend care to join me?He does I took a wile to relise who he was as he is very unassuming so we went to a coffe house drank coffe(the milk of thinkers and chess players)and played chess.He was horrified to discover that he had only english pounds on him and could't pay for his coffee;Good company is cheap at 4 cups of coffe with good conversation about just about anything.When leaving he introduced himself and asked if i knew it was him.No i said not until a bowie song cam on the radio and than the voice just clicked-10 minuets ago.Nice bloke asked me to walk him to his motel so he could get some money for the coffee.Must go other way bye!

Come on, I don't ask for much...doesn't even have to be chess...a game of Ludo would have been enough...Snap even...

He's going to go into comedy-acting? That doesn't surprise me; in the past year or two I've noticed every time I've seen him interviewed he's turning into this sort of Peter Cook (another God!!!) character.

My mind is just boggling... I dream of seeing him live, yet here's someone who's actually PLAYED CHESS with him.

Oh...

really, rock and other 'stars' are just people, but some have let their egos go wild in some type of 'star-dementia' they need fueled by their 'devoted' fans.
when i'm lighting a stage, of course the 'star' gets the hottest spots, and they can 'play to the lights' as it suits them......but if they're on stage, they WILL be lit.
offstage, they're people that take showers and go potty like muckers such as i. david bowie seems to make an honest effort to make it a 'craft' rather than 'be a star.'