Remembering David Bowie (1947-2016)...........with a list of his ten best records according to NME

David Bowie passed away just two days after his 69th birthday from liver cancer. His death shocked the world as he had not publicly disclosed his 18-month bout with his illness. Duncan Jones, Bowie's filmmaker son, was among the first to confirm that the bad news was true on Twitter. Bowie worked with a number of legendary producers including Tony Visconti and Brian Eno.

Here is a list of Bowie's ten best records according to Tim Chester of NME (Jan. 2012):

1. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust..... (1972)

2. Let's Dance (1983; pict. top)

3. Young Americans (1975; pict. center)

4. Hunky Dory (1971)

5. Heroes (1977)

6. The Man Who Sold the World (1970, pict. bottom)

7. Low (1977)

8. Scary Monsters..... (1980)

9. Aladdin Sane (1973)

10. Heathen (2002)

http://www.davidbowie.com

http://www.bowiewonderland.com

Last Ten CDs We've Listened To: There's a Bob Dyland Album Here

Greetings to our visitors from Macedonia, Canada and Taiwan.........

Here are the last ten cds we've listened to:

1) Psychedelic Furs. "Mirror Man." 1984.

2) Peter, Bjorn and John. Writer's Block. 2006 (top image)

3) REM. Monster. 1994. (middle image)

4) Tom Waits. The Heart of Saturday Night. 1974.

5) The Replacements. Don't Tell a Soul. 1989.

6) Talking Heads. Speaking in Tongues. 1983. (bottom image)

7) Bob Dylan. Blood on the Tracks. 1975.

8) Serge Gainsbourg. Historie de Melody Nelson. 1971 (in French).

9) David Bowie. Heroes. 1977.

10) The Police. Regatta de Blanc. 1979.

Last Ten Music Records We've Listened To: John Denver to (the) BoDeans

Most of these records are from the 1980s, ie. the Me Decade, with just two exceptions, one coming from the late John Denver and the other coming from Elvis Costello.

We got these records through record stores in Roanoke, Va. and Carrboro (Chapel Hill), NC, as well as yard sales, record shows, auctions and a visit to an antique shop in the quaint town of Madison, NC.

There was also a nifty comedy record by Bob Newhart from 1960, which we listened to, but we opted to stick with music records for this list.

Here is the list:

1. BoDeans "Outside Looking In" (pictured top). 1987

2. The Psychedelic Furs "Forever Now." 1982.

3. Pat Benatar "Seven the Hard Way." 1985

4. Elvis Costello. "This Year's Model." 1978

5. The Cars "Panorama." 1980

6. Phil Collins "Face Value" 1981 (pictured center)

7. David Bowie. "Never Let Me Go." 1987

8. Supertramp "........Famous Last Words.........." 1982

 9.The Rolling Stones "Undercover" 1983

10. John Denver. "Rocky Mountain High" 1972 (pictured bottom)

It was also interesting to learn that some of these bands are still active and on tour. (The) BoDeans will be playing Austin, Tex. on June 1st while the Psychedelic Furs play in Las Vegas on June 2nd.

http://www.bodeans.com

http://www.thepsychedelicfurs.com

Quote of the Day/Week-Slash

Today's quote of the day is from former Guns N Roses and current Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash, who was one of the subject of photographer Timothy Greenfield-Saunders' photos in "The Black List" exhibit which ran at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, until April 22nd.

Yes, we are perhaps the first blog to quote Dan Quayle and Slash within 15 minutes in the history of the blogosphere!

Slash, 46,  is actually half-black and half-white. We knew that, but we were surprised to learn on Wikipedia that 'this All-American boy' was actually born and raised in England! Slash's mom Ola Hudson (1946-2009), an African-American, was a costume designer for the likes of David Bowie. Slash has both American and British citizenship. Perhaps, both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will covet his endorsement (forgive the political humor; we sense Romney isn't laughing, but then again we've never met the man).

Hmmmm....it just dawned us that if he got knighted by Queen Elizabeth, he would be 'Sir Slash.' 

"Rolling Stone" ranked Slash as the 65th greatest guitar player of all time on a "100 Greatest Guitar Players of All-Time List." We are 99.9-percent certain that Keith Richards made the list as well.

An alleged dispute with Axl Rose, the lead singer of "GNR" apparently lead to Slash's exit from the band and the subsequent formation of Velvet Revolver.

Interestingly enough, Slash has just released his second solo album "Apocalyptic Love" which is assuredly flying off the record shelves in Boise, Idaho; here is Slash's quote:

"I still party all the time and hang out with everyone who drinks, but I don't personally, and don't really have the desire to get blitzed any more."

http://www.washington.org

http://www.slashonline.com

http://www.twitter.com/#/slash

http://www.gunsnroses.com

From the Record Collection (8 of 8)_ The Psychedelic Furs

We conclude our series on records from the vinyl collection with the debut record "The Psychedelic Furs" (1980) from the band of the same name.

Like all things Psychedelic Furs, the record is quite surreal and it focuses on the arbitrary of shallowness based on looks and fashion in society. Though songs which were released on later records, such as "Pretty in Pink" and "Ghost in You," perfected these themes, their roots can be found on this record in songs, such as "We Love You," "Soap Commercial" and "Imitation of Christ."

The lone single from the record is "Sister Europe," the second song on side one, which is an edgy song that pays homage to the Velvet Underground and David Bowie.

The band had a loyal following, but like many of the artsy new wave bands, such as The Smiths and The Cure, as opposed to the commercial new wave bands like The Thompson Twins and Men at Work, there were not many 'hits' for the Furs. In fact, "Heartbreak Beat" (1987) was the band's only top 40 hit in America.

Much of the band's legacy can be credited to the success of the song "Pretty in Pink," which became the title of a 1986 John Hughes comedy about the difficulties and awkwardness of teen life. The movie starred Molly Ringwald, who was the leading lady for many Hughes films of the '80s, including "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles," which have surprisingly found followings with teenagers of today's generation.

The members of the band include lead singer Richard Butler, who is known for his raspy vocals, and his brother Tim Butler, who plays bass guitar. The band is also set to go on a North American tour. It kicks off at the State Theatre in Falls Church, Va., near Washington, DC, on St. Patrick's Day.

Quote of the Day/Week- Jean-Michel Basquiat

As we continue to quote famous artists this month, we turn our attention to someone who died all too young from AIDS at the age of 27. But, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) left behind an amazing legacy. He made this painting "Untitled" (Head) in 1981.

He was a protege of Andy Warhol who died just a year earlier in 1987, also from AIDS complications.

Basquiat was the subject of the film "Basquiat" (1996), which was interestingly enough directed by someone who knew him in real life, fellow artist Julian Schnabel. A very young Jeffrey Wright, who would end up portraying Secretary of State Colin Powell in Oliver Stone's film "W" many years later, plays the artist in the film which also features David Bowie playing Warhol.

Here is the quote from Basquiat:

"I don't think about art when I'm working, I try to think about life."

The Last 10 CDs I've Listened To....

Since Greensboro, NC, folk singer Bruce Piephoff is a personal friend, I thought it would be safer to go with an image of him, which I took from a Belgian web site_ of all places, than one for either David Bowie or Turkish psychedelic singer Erkin Koray, who turned 70 last year. All of these artists, along many bands that most of you will recognize, were in the last group of cds that I have listened to. Here they are in order:

1) Erkin Koray. "Erkin Koray" (1973) Key Tracks: "Kizlar Da Alin Askere" /("Let the Girls in the Army Too")

2. Bruce Piephoff. "The Chestnut Tree" (2008) Key Tracks: "Notes from Knoxville," "The Chestnut Tree," "The Ballad of Charlie Poole," "Jesse" and ""Jasper's World of no Return."

3. Coldplay. "A Rush of Blood to the Head" (2002). Key Tracks: "In My Place," "The Scientist" and "Clocks."

4. David Bowie. "Heroes." (1977) Key Tracks: "Beauty and the Beast," "Joe the Lion" and "Heroes."

5. The Rolling Stones. "Let It Bleed" (1969) Key Tracks: "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want."

6. U2. "Boy" (1980; debut album) Key Tracks: "A Day Without Me" and "I Will Follow."

7. The Pretenders. "Learning to Crawl" (1983). Key Tracks: "Back on the Chain Gang," "Middle of the Road" and "Show Me."

8. The Police. "Synchronicity." (1983). Key Tracks: "Every Breath You Take," "King of Pain," and "Wrapped Around Your Finger."

9. The Cars. "Candy-O." (1979) Key Tracks: "Let's Go," "It's All I Can Do" and "Double Life."

10. Rush. "2112" (1976, considered to be the band's best record). Key Tracks: "A Passage to Bangkok" and "The Twilight Zone."

From the Album Collection (3 of 8)_ Queen's "The Game"

Today's album feature of the day is Queen's "The Game" (1980), which features two number-one hit singles in "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

The British band consisted of the late Freddie Mercury (1946-1991; lead vocals and guitar), Brian May (quitar), Roger Taylor (drums) and John Deacon (bass).

Deacon wrote the lyrics for "Another One Bites the Dust," and though Queen is most well-known today for their earlier song "Bohemian Rhapsody," it was actually "Another One Bites the Dust" that became the band's biggest hit as it sold seven million copies.

Christian fundamentalists went on to accuse Queen of having a backwards message on "Another Bites the Dust," in which they allege the band is telling listeners to: 'decide to smoke marijuana.' Interestingly enough, Queen does have a PSA song on "The Game" which is called "Don't Try Suicide" (the song was not relased as a single).

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love," a rockabilly tune which differed Queen's other songs artistically, also became a huge chart-topper and the song was a regular part of the band's lineup up until the last days of the original lineup.

After this record, which also contained "Play the Game" and "Need Your Loving Tonight," Queen went on to record the soundtrack for "Flash Gordon" and the single "Under Pressure" with David Bowie.

Mercury died of complications from AIDS at age 45 in 1991. While researching this piece, we were surprised to find out that there is a statue of Mercury overlooking Lake Geneva in Montreaux, Switzerland.

A recent issue of "Rolling Stone" ranked May, who has a doctorate in astrophysics, as the 26th best guitar player of all time. The magazine cited his work on the single "Keep Yourself Alive" (not on "The Game") as some of his best work.

Status Update_ When Will E-Harmony Hook Me Up with an Asian Girl?

Status Update for 1/25/11: "I wonder when E-Harmony will hook me up with an Asian girl. Perhaps, the reason why I have this desire stems from my infactuation with the David Bowie song 'China Girl.' Shhhhhhhhhhh...."


I have been an E-Harmony member for almost two years now; it has been a mostly frustating experience.


One chief reason for this, besides all the normal things that go a wry when one is dating someone they don't know, is that they never quite match me with the right woman for my interests.

I must profess that I absolutely adore Asian girls, irregardless if they are Japanes, Chinese, Korean or even Malaysian.

I have never actually dated one though I made a futile attempt at trying to arrange a coffee date with an Asian-American girl several years ago.

The reason for this mgiht well stem from the David Bowie video for his 1983 hit "China Girl." In his recent memoir "Talking with Girls About Duran Duran," Rob Sheffield, who also writes for "Rolling Stone" said that he once told REM member Peter Buck that he was jealous of how girls liked REM when he was in high school.

Buck replied that he once felt the same way about David Bowie in the '70s!

Ironically, my mom is apparently in the process of trying to get her Vietnamese hair-stylist to set me up with a girl from Ho Chi Minh City; we'll see how that goes. Perhaps, I can stop in Hong Kong or Shanghai while I'm at it.

And, hopefully, it will be a more positive experience than the ones I've had with E-Harmony so far!

It Was a VERY Bad Day...

I'm not an African-American, like this guy is, but I love the expression on his face. It pretty much sums up everything I went through today in which nothing went according to plan and I was pretty much miserable the whole day.

Yesterday, however was a pleasant day which made this a bit of a surprise!

But, I do want to thank the UNC college radio station dj for WXYC-FM who played my request for the David Bowie/Queen classic "Under Pressure." I was listening to his show from Virginia via the Internet. He also played Kate Bush's classic "Running Up That Hill," which I was ironically thinking about earlier in the day.

I can definitely sympathize for the football players from Charlottesville High School in Charlottesville, Va., as they lost to Robert E. Lee High School (from Staunton, Va.) by a 42-6 margin. Interestingly enough, I have close friends who are alumnus of both schools. My presumption is that neither Greg or Tom really care about this!

But, my alma mater Glenvar High School (Salem, Va.) defeated James River High School (Buchanan, Va.) by a 41-34 margin, according to "The Roanoke Times."

Of course, that doesn't change the fact that for me, it was still quite a lousy day!

Special Quote of the Day- David Bowie

Since this week marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, we thought we'd quote a singer who was part of the legendary Berlin music scene in West Berlin in the 1970s...........and that singer is David Bowie.

There is an interesting new film "Moon," now out on dvd, from Bowie's son Duncan Jones.

Here is the quip:

I'm not a prophet or a stone aged man, just a mortal with potential of a superman. I'm living on."

Quote of the Week- David Bowie

"I've always had a repulsive need to be something more than human."


David Bowie's 1986 film "Labyrinth" will be shown at the Carousel Cinema in Greensboro, NC, on Wed., Jan.7 (coincidentally, a day before Bowie's birthday). For more details, check out the blog themovieshow.blogspot.com

My friend Joe Scott arranged the special screening.

We have a quote from Bowie's "Dancing in the Street" co-star Mick Jagger on our sister blog "The Daily Vampire."

Quote of the Week- Bing Crosby

Today's quote of the week is from the late crooner Bing Crosby, who sang an unlikely duet with David Bowie for the Christmas song "Little Drummer Boy."

A quote from Bowie is on our sister blog "The Daily Vampire."

Here is a quote from Bowie:

"My golf is woeful, but I will never surrender."