David Bowie - over-rated or justifiably hated?

That said, for every great Bowie moment there's an absolute clanger. 'Running Gun Blues' from The Man Who Sold The World springs to mind ('I see the corpses left and right, I find I'm not so tidyyyy'), as does 'Time' ('falls wanking to the floor' - er, explain further Mr Bowie) from Aladdin Sane, and those blessed silly voices at the end of 'Bewlay Brothers', which I realise is a homage to Bowie's own tragic brother but it just sounds ridiculous. The song is beautiful, and genuinely moving up until the 'starving for me gravy' moment...

I consider myself a huge Bowie fan, and I guess one of the most endearing things about him is that he can at once be so influential and at the same time responsible for some of the most ridiculous career faux-pas imaginable. 'Labyrinth' fright-wig, anyone?

-from the book, 'Things David Bowie Never Said'.

A lot of goth girls seem to be totally obsessed with that movie for that reason. I never quite got that, though the movie is okay. Bowie looks too much like Linda Evans on Dynasty.

Doesn't a certain ILM poster own this movie on dvd? ;-)

Oh, and as far as Bowie's classic status, lots of posters here have stated the case far more eloquently than I ever could.

I've never seen Labyrinth, but I have a funny feeling we'll be watching it tonight... weex!

A 60s period vaudeville song like 'Uncle Arthur', about a man who refuses to grow up, is Ray Davies style social observation as noted by an extra-terrestrial. It betrays deep sympathy for the oddball. The songs about children, like 'There Is A Happy Land', are childhood seen from within. I particularily love the little-known 'When I'm Five', which could easily have been horribly winsome, but is freshened by a feel for the strangeness of a child's vision (reflected in the strange language). Even the much-maligned 'Gnome' has something oddly affecting going on, despite the cheerfully bad puns and cheap tech-gimmicks: is it a schizophrenic's overheard conversation with himself?

Such contrasts are typical of a man who, in 1975, wore only plain preppy clothes he ordered from the Brooks Brothers catalogue -- but made even such unpromising material look rakishly Martian. He is quintessentially British, yet quintessentially Other. Every oddball's Invisible Friend. As Roger Daltry once observed, The Guv'nor.

No, that's the Hunger. Goths seem to like that one too, but it seems like I always hear them going on about Labyrinth.

So yeah, Bowie would be a classic just for making Labrynth alone, never mind his music which all kicks ass.

What's the name of the song at the end of Labrinyth (yes, I realize that's the third different spelling of that word I've put forth so far)?

Anyway... The track at the end was called 'As The World Falls Down', if I remember correctly, and it was actually rather good. One of the two good tracks in the film. 'Underground' was also good.

Sadly, though, all the good tracks were completely negated by 'Magic Dance'. Sample lyrics: 'Tell me about the babe/ What babe/ The babe that cast the spell/ What spell/ Power of voodoo/ Who do?/ You do/ Now tell me about the babe...' Oh dear.

And to clear a certain assertion back up there up, I do own _The Dark Crystal_ on DVD, sure, but not _Labyrinth_. Not yet, anyway. ;-)

HOWEVER... I do have to say that that Fire Dance song is the *BEST* track that Olivia Tremor Control never recorded. Call Elephant 6 now!!!!

Bill

obv he's he a v.textural music-maer — esp.since tangling with eno, but actually he already was — so uses the permutable specifix of his "backing band" to strong local identity effect: but again, HOW he does this changes a lot less than what he can do with it.

that was "the gospel according to tony day." and it's the only listenable thing he did pre-"space oddity." (nb to momus: your post upthread about bowie's sixties stuff inspired me to get that deram anthology. but that stuff's just awful! i mean, "we are hungry men?" and the belches after it?)

PS New new digital revamp of "Ziggy: The Motion Picture" is Mick Ronson's finest hour and a half.

Let's talk about Bowie. I want to talk about Bowie. Is the "David Live" album any good?

Not very, no.

Sorry to sound all "rockist," but "over-rated or justifiably hated," without a "good-to-great" option? Seems wrong.

He's overrated by those who think he can sing, sure.

'stage' is the live album to get. adrian belew!

belew 'em all off the stage, didn't he

last interesting round of ilm bowie chat was here:

BOWIE VS STEELY

Stage is rather bad. Live, Bowie is best seen rather than heard.

I miss his original choppers, tho.

My favorite site untouched by time.

More specifically: http://areaology.com/area.html

I listened to Reality for the first time in ages. A very good record – a lesser Lodger, of which it's a thematic and aura cousin.

(xxxpost)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtrjZRQ8TzU

While she was in labor...WITH ME!!!

"Abbott to Abbott..."

"My mama said to get me born
She had to tell Dad to stop being torn..."

<3

reality is alright, I liked it a lot at first, then really hated it, now I'm back to thinking "eh". it's no heathen. I hope that when he gets around to doing a new album it's at least that good.

Heathen had too many ballads. Then again, maybe that's all he can write and sing now.

As found/shared by Tom E. on Twitter -- a new blog dedicated to reviewing Bowie's output song by song (currently in late 1966):

http://bowiesongs.wordpress.com/

good use of "cat people" in the new tarantino movie. couldn't tell what song it was at first

Just out for a stroll.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/418843_253659648083931_1472298826_n.jpg

Something tells me he knows he's being photographed.

You don't say.

Something tells me he's trying to look like an "American".

a young one at that.

RETURN OF THE THIN WHITE DAD

throwing darts in photog's eyes

"You know, before I go to the reviews section to find out what exciting acts are coming up from the underground...let's just check where Uncut put me on this 100 icons thing."

might as well, right?

The Top Ten
1. Dylan, Bob – Highway 61 Revisited
2. Presley, Elvis – Heartbreak Hotel [7”]
3. Beatles – She Loves You [7”]
4. Rolling Stones – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction [7”]
5. A Clockwork Orange (film)
6. Godfather / Godfather Part 2 (films)
7. Bowie, David – Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars
8. Taxi Driver (film)
9. Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the…
10. Prisoner [TV series]

He's reasonable enough that I bet his only quibble with the six above him is A Clockwork Orange

http://images.thegauntlet.com/pics/manson-fuck.jpg

Hi, I'm Marilyn Manson, please don't take my picture! (But please do, because I am Marilyn Manson, boo!)

What the shit, get that out of here.

Looks like he and Jonathan Davis can go on the "Where's My Metabolism" tour.

What's he doing to that little kid's hand?

he tore the arm off at the socket

It's actually the prehensile tale of his trained pet devil pig.

dude with camera filming while kid gets dismembered...