Podcasts - Bowie Edition

David Bowie has been there all my life. He was on the radio, on the telly, on my brothers tape deck, played at discos, on production duties for some of my favorite albums, in my music magazines and in books I owned. He was only ever fully accepted as a musical entity into my music brain in 2013 though. I always had problems with him partly because by the time I'd reached double figures his best work was behind him. I remembered the great tunes from when I was little Ashes To Ashes, Rebel Rebel and all the stuff that never went away because it was on the radio. I didn't hate Modern Love and Let's Dance but even then I knew he wasn't at his peak and after that geez....he certainly was no longer very cool Blue Jean, Glass Spider, Dancing In The Street, Absolute Beginners etc. Then there was my brother, I mean I thought it was totally naff that he was listening to Tin Machine when Sonic Youth and The Pixies were at the peaks of their powers in the late 80s. Later I liked that tune off the Lost Highway soundtrack but that was pretty much it.

For some reason I decided to chuck all my prejudices away in 2013, well just go back to the good stuff. I always knew it was waiting for me plus it wasn't like I hadn't heard it all previously. I suppose 2013 was the year I went out of my way to listen to those records by choice as opposed to having them thrust upon me. That was a strange year for me as I had moved away from Melbourne where I'd lived for over 20 years. I was unsettled, lonely, missed the big smoke and was in some kind of culture shock. I'm still figuring it all out. Anyway I got all his records from 1970-1980 and immersed myself in them. He got so popular round here on weekends I would have Bowie breakfast. I drove the Mrs mental, I think. Enough about me and my insanity, I thought we'd have a little look at some of the podcasts dedicated to Bowie. Some of these were before his death and some were tributes after he had passed away. All these podcasters have been discussed in the previous 3 posts.

SOUND OPINIONS #347 - This show is dedicated to the classic album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.

SOUND OPINIONS #381 - Toni Visconti discusses working with the great man here.

SOUND OPINIONS #529 - This episode is called Remembering David Bowie.

MY FAVORITE ALBUM... - With Neil Finn (Split Enz/Crowded House/Finn Brothers/Solo) where he discusses among other things one of his heroes David Bowie.

MY FAVORITE ALBUM #120 - Ben Blacker talks about his love for Bowie's Alladin Sane.

MY FAVORITE ALBUM #138 - In this fantastic podcast actor/podcaster Stephen Tobolowski talks about The Ziggy Stardust LP and how it affected his life.

WORD PODCAST #188 - Great writer Peter Doggett (of Man Who Sold The World: Bowie & The 70s fame) and Paul Du Noyer join The Word wankers to discuss Mr Bowie.

LATE EDITION....
One of the greatest rock writers in history, Paul Morley, has written a book on David Bowie called The Age Of Bowie and here he is the other day with just one of The Word wankers for WORD PODCAST #256. Morley is on a superlative roll and I'd have been happy for him to continue on for another hour. Good stuff!

Rock's Carcass

"But pop and rock belongs at the end of the 20th century, in a structured, ordered world that has now fallen apart."

Paul Morley (via Retromania)

Whilst I believe this is true for rock I'm not convinced that this is the case for pop. Pop has had a pretty good run since say Britney's Baby,One More Time. Rock though that's another story entirely. Just the notion of a rock band seems antiquated doesn't it? It seems absolutely absurd that anyone would be hauling this old carcass around in 2014. Moribund ideas are still being thrown at us as if it's supposed to be authentic man. Surely we're all over and done with rock in the new millennium.

Ah...but herein lies a paradox. Our thinking might be ahead of our actions ie. our listening habits. I made a list some time ago of my top 50 albums of the 00s. There are 19 or so rock records. Grinderman, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Rowland S Howard, The Drones, Yawning Man, Dungen, The Flaming Lips, Ooga Boogas, Boredoms, Deerhoof all of whom you would say were ROCK. Then there's the in between like Sun Araw, Fabulous Diamonds, Broadcast, Ducktails, Gary War, Lamborghini Crystal, Gang Gang Dance and Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. I mean are that lot rock? In very broad terms you would have to say they were, wouldn't you? So actually rock hasn't fully finished for me in the new millennium despite thinking it's a rotting corpse. It has definitely dropped off in the 10s though with only Swans, Dave Graney & The Mistly, Ooga Boogas and Beaches appearing in my end of year lists. But hang on, then there's Human Teenager, Rangers, Metronomy and Peaking Lights! Are they rock bands? Sure they're not of the White Stripes variety but they have some roots in rock don't they?...or shhh.... maybe Post-Rock. I even thought I was done with psychedelia after Dungen's 2004 classic Ta Det Lugnt but what are The Focus Group's Elektrik Karousel and Belbury Poly's The Belbury Tales if not late in the epoch psych classics? Sure Belbury Poly aren't sitting in tour buses snorting coke off groupies breasts, at least I don't think they are (I kinda wish they were now). I can't think of one rock LP of 2014 that I'd rate although I haven't listened to Scott Walker & Sun O)))'s record yet (I'm psyching myself up for that).

Jeezy feat. Future - No Tears 

A Top Tune From 2014 

So rock's sun is finally setting but that doesn't mean, like Paul Morley, that I'm about to get into ye olde classical music. Current rap, ratchet, trap, bop, r&b/rap interzones, electronic music, experimental and pop still hold sway with me in 2014. As well as old stuff from soundtracks, library music, reissues/compilations (Soundway, Trunk, Finders Keepers et al.),Belgian, Dutch, British and German 90s hardcore (the dance music variety), 90s Memphis Rap to Bowie etc. I think the furthest I've gone back in time, music wise, is like the 30s and 40s with the blues and early electronics. I like the ye olde electronic music but I think that's my cut off point as far as classical music goes. I don't feel the need to go back centuries in time for my music needs. As a youngster I recall thinking by the time I was 40 I'd be a jazz connoisseur and right into my classical music phase but I don't think it's gonna happen. That's for other people. The Person I didn't become. In fact I think my tastes are becoming less sophisticated as the years go on. Rock'n'Roll was about instant gratification and mayhem and that's the way I still like it.

*Ha....I do own a copy of Switched On Bach which I rather like.

RocKwiz

So the advertisement for the new season of RocKwiz is all about staying in. This reminded me of that aforementioned article by Paul Morley on The Stones at Glastonbury. RocKwiz is a fantastic show. There are 2 teams in a panel of 3.  In each panel is a famous/semi-famous/working musician and two rock nerds picked from their audience due to their knowledge of rock trivia. At the opening of the show each of the musicians play one of their usually well known trax. A quiz then ensues with rock questions, some easy & some quite hard. At the closing of the show the two artists always do some kind of duet. The duet is usually terrific or total shite. This is all hosted by the charismatic and sometimes goofy Julia Zemiro with Brian Nankervis as the side-kick/adjudicator. The emphasis is definitely on rock, meaning trivia from the 60s, 70s, 80s and only sometimes from more recent times.

Julia Zemiro and at the back the fantastic RocKwiz Orchestra.

This most recent ad tells us to stay in on Saturday Nite to avoid the hipster zombie apocalypse. This is like the opposite idea of Rock n Roll. That being going out, drinking, taking drugs, being hip, prowling for promiscuous sex, lookin for kicks, pushin the boundaries etc. Now rock is in its old aged home where you stay in and avoid those young people and their silly hair. Sit back with a cup of tea and a biscuit and watch the telly. RocKwiz will give you a little trip down memory lane which will be nice. You might even like one of those nice new young artists. Then it's off to beddy byes nice and early.

Don't get me wrong I love the show. Some of my all time favourite artists have taken part - Ed Kuepper, Steve Kilbey (The Church), Mick Harvey, Hugo Race, Gareth Liddiard (The Drones), Steve Lucas (X), Chris Bailey (The Saints), Kim Salmon (The Scientists), Adrian Belew, Ron Peno (Died Pretty), Jim Keays (The Masters Apprentices), Russell Morris etc. They've even had some international rock royalty like Betty Harris, Suzi Quatro, Wanda Jackson, Judy Collins, Mary Wilson and the list goes on. There was even a memorable episode featuring the charming Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet who turned out to be a right card and was in fine voice!?

The funny thing is it's filmed in one of Melbourne's most famous and long standing rock venues The Esplanade Hotel. According to the ad this is the type of place you are supposed to be avoiding as there may be funny haired, weirdly dressed, drunk and pilled up young folk. The ad I guess is tongue in cheek but that's a moot point as you can't really be among such unwashed folk on Saturday nite otherwise you'll miss the show.

Once at an Australian Rules Football match I ran into an old musician friend. He was in the company of someone who may or may not have been in the Australian underground supergroup The Beasts Of Bourbon. After already having had a few lemonades I asked their posse to join me in kicking on at the pub across the road from the MCG only to be told 'Thanks but nah. We're going home to watch RocKwiz.'

Rock & Roll!

Paul Morley

We Can Only Aspire!

Reynolds at Blissblog hipped me to this article on The Stones at Glastonbury. Morley talks festivals, rebellion, baby boomers and the future. I loved this quote: 'Festivals are the rock generation's equivalent of cruises.' Read the best article written this year here at The Guardian website. Actually I've heard that there are real rock n roll cruises, you know for senior citizens with too much money, where they do their jiving or twists or whatever these foggies do. There has even been an indy one somewhere around Melbourne or Sydney I do believe.

'Mayday! a hipster has messed up his hair! Oh hang on
"is it meant to look like that? Oh."
False alarm crisis averted!'