I was watching the Best of Bowie DVD and I observed several things:

1) In Ashes to Ashes, fashion, and Loving the Alien, Bowie does a motion with his hands and kneels to the floor with one hand either touching the ground (Ashes to Ashes-background characters as he is walking towards the camera, Fashion-the freeze/repeat frame around the second verse, Loving the Alien-when his hand is touching the water). Is the movement significant of anything? It seems deliberate, but I can not figure out what the hell he is doing for the life of me.

2) Why was "Changes" excluded? I have seen the video on Vh-1 classic and we could have done without the "Dancing in The Street" or "Cat People".

3) In Thursday's Child (great song), What is the significance of Bowie seeing an image of his current self/video wife(?)against his younger self/younger lover?

Bowieheads-please help!

Thanks

believing the strangest things,loving the alien..
[Edited 8/7/05 16:35pm]

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

Bowie spoke about 'hours' being a study of folks his age. When it first came out, a lot of interviewers were startled by how emotionally honest it seemed and asked him if everything was okay - as in was he depressed, was there something wrong, etc. He said no, but that he saw a similar pattern in a lot of friends his age - regrets about where their lives had taken them, dissatisfaction with things, etc. I see the whole premise of the video being about 'reflection' - figuratively and literally. They're going about doing mundane things - brushing their teeth, getting ready, putting tea on. He gets wrapped up in the moment and starts reflecting on his life ("seeing my past to let it go"). The kiss with the young version of his lover seems to be a way to revitalize him, whereas his current wife at times seems cold and caught up in what she's doing, eventually just turning off the music that sends him into this introspection. I just think it's a simple and beautiful metaphor to visually translate what the lyrics are talking about. Really well done.

TRON said:

Thanks. I thought the video was of him accepting his own mortality, since he has run out of masks to wear. I thought it is one of the best introspective songs I have ever heard. The most recent album of his I have is Earthling, but I am very interested in Heathen or Hours. I only have the audio to Thursday's Child & Slow Burn (another fave) but I did not buy either album since I purchased the Best Of Bowie audio and figured these would be the only good tracks from the albums. Are Heathen & Hours worthy purchases?

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

I reach up high, I touch the ground I stomp my feet and I turn around I've got to praise the Lord!

But seriously, I have no idea if there's any significance to that particular movement.

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

I personally love 'hours' and see it as a dry run for this current classicist Bowie phase with his 70's collaborator Tony Visconti. I know a lot of fans think it's total shit, but I've always liked it from the very first listen. It's kinda sleepy and cranky, but there are a lot of really good songs on there - Thursday's Child, Survive, The Dreamers, New Angels of Promise. The 2 disc Special Edition is especially nice.

And 'Heathen' is a modern day masterpiece. I'd put it up there with a lot of his best work from the 70's. I think it's that good. Sunday, Slip Away, Slow Burn, I Would Be Your Slave, 5:15 the Angels Have Gone, A Better Future and Heathen are all among the best songs he's ever done. Of his older albums, I'd equate it most closely with "Station To Station".

TRON said:

OK, thanks (I think)...But you know the move I am talking about right?

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

Yes, exactly. I don't know what it means. I just always though of Bowie being a puppeteer, controlling all the 'dancers' in the "Fashion" video. They all start doing the silly movements that he does first - touching the ground, smearing his eye, that funny bunny hop, etc.

TRON said:

I think I may buy them both. I have heard other fans mention these albums as being a modern day equivalent to his Berlin Trilogy. I only started exploring Bowie's catalogue since 1997 and always was fascinated with his chameleon like tendencies, so I checked his 70's stuff first. Ditto for the 90's electronica phase. I was caught up in his creations/experiments, so when Hours/Heathen were released, they both seemed underwhelming since they were signs of Bowie getting in touch with his age/mortality/introspection. I wanted excitement, but realize now that much like Prince, he can not recreate the visual/musical imagery of his past, but can mature musically without sounding too dated. Thanks for your recommendations.

Peace

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

I love Bowie the storyteller and the character actor. But I tend to like his albums best when I feel like we're getting more of him and less of a creation. His Berlin Trilogy, Scary Monsters, Hours and Heathen have pain, honesty and heart. The closest I think we'll ever get to the real Bowie.

TRON said:

I know there is something to it. In Ashes to Ashes the characters in black mimic the motion whereas Bowie himself does not (during the walk).

I read that the Lipstick Smearing thing from Boys Keep Swinging & China Girl exhibited by the Asian female (China Girl ending)/Bowie himself (BKS) was taken from a transvestite stage act during his time in Berlin. I am thinking the arm thing might have originated from around that time also, but the puppeteer thing does seem to hold some validity.

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

With all the references to fascism in "Fashion" and people following trends, "turn to the left, turn to the right", I think that he was portraying the trendsetter in that video. Everyone followed his lead like mindless automatons.

TRON said:

I am just blown away with the man's artistic vision and how he merges it to music. The Berlin trilogy is not like the Glam period, the Plastic Soul period is not like the Let's Dance phase. I wonder if we will ever truly unmask the real Bowie? Some of his motives seem cold and calculated (Ziggy) while others seem a byproduct of emotional disturbance (The Thin White Duke). Even Let's Dance, although know real visual knock out, seemed to have Bowie adopting the role of 80's yuppie.

Scary Monsters was a goodbye to his past (namely Major Tom) and I can only assume the Hours/Heathen projects are similar in scope.

TRON said:

Tron you are right on, as usual. Hours is fantastic - I have always loved it. I think the trilogy of Hours, Heathen and Reality are as good as anything else he has done over a 3 album period.

Come back Tin Machine..
[Edited 8/7/05 22:28pm]

fingertips said:

MASSIVELY underrated.

JonSnow said:

Aw, thanks.

Shapeshifter said:

Except their best song (You Belong in Rock and Roll) isn't even on that album.

TRON said:

I love the song and the video. And it got me hooked on Bowie. I saw the video and later got my first Bowie album.

...oh, the joy of discovering a "new" genius...

Oh, Bowie mythology... Well, a lot of things Bowie does that seem symbolical are usually that. Usually to be connected with some tongue-in-cheek effort of his to to play for instance "a Tibetian myth" or to recreate some detail from a performance artist's piece he saw as a younger man. Other than that, the guy has honestly speaking a terribly clumsy body-language, so he is known to do all kinds of bizarre movements whenever he feels like straying away from the one thing what he does better than anyone else on the stage. And that is singing to the microphone with a cold stare and a cigarette in his hand.

TRON said:

Again,
So many great songs on there! Also, I wasn't around when Bowie first posted his journal entrys while recording "Heathen" but it sure was interesting to read them back later. Especially the one where he mentions writing the lyrics to... "Sunday" I believe, early in the morning with this great view they had from the studio and tears running down his face.

Novabreaker said:

No, he really isn't the greatest dancer! Nowadays, anyway.

TRON said:

i think the video/song are BRILLIANT. this is what got me hooked to Bowie.

calldapplwondery83 said:

Correction, it was the title track. Here it is (I hope no one over there minds that I'm posting this here):

Sometimes you stumble across a few chords that put you in a
reflective place. 'Slip Away' started like that. It's odd but even when I
was a kid, I would write about 'old and other times' as though I had a lot
of years behind me. Now I do, so there is a difference in the weight of
memory. When you're young, you're still 'becoming', now at my age I
am more concerned with 'being'. And not too long from now I'll be driven
by surviving, I'm sure. I kind of miss that 'becoming' stage, as most
times you really don't know what's around the corner. Now, of course,
I've kind of knocked on the door and heard a muffled answer.
Nevertheless, I still don't know what the voice is saying, or even what
language it's in.

Strangely, some songs you really don't want to write. I didn't like writing
'Heathen'. There was something so ominous and final about it. It was
early in the morning, the sun was rising and through the windows I could
see two deer grazing down below in the field. In the distance a car was
driving slowly past the reservoir and these words were just streaming out
and there were tears running down my face. But I couldn't stop, they
just flew out. It's an odd feeling, like something else is guiding you,
although forcing your hand is more like it.

On the other hand, what I like my music to do to me is awaken the
ghosts inside of me. Not the demons, you understand, but the ghosts.
There, I'm using that old language again. I don't believe in demons. I
don't think there is such a thing. Or evil. I don't believe in some force
outside of ourselves that creates bad things. I just think of it as all
dysfunctionalism of one kind or another. No satan, no devil. We create
so many circles on this straight line we're told we're traveling. The truth
of course is that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at
the same time.

Inspired by... deer?

calldapplwondery83 said:

I never read those. Got a link?

calldapplwondery83 said:

He's got great stage presence tho.

dawntreader said:

All this love for Thursday's Child.

GangstaFam said:

yes... his moving voice makes me

GangstaFam said:

It's in the "Bowie" section of BowieNet. Are you a member?