Thinking about the film brings up recollections of listening to David Bowie's haunting and trippy "Space Oddity", one of the first pieces of music that had an emotional effect on me. It's a haunting song, especially for someone like me with an active imagination, is prone to introspection, and enamored of sci-fi epics. (OK, maybe it really was about getting zonked on heroin; that interpretation would have been completely lost on me at the time.)

"Space Oddity" is so much a product of its time, obviously inspired by Kubrick's masterpiece, but also derived from present day (for 1969) anxieties about space exploration. It's a tale about a solitary astronaut blasting off into the Void and leaving everything behind forever. Beautifully constructed around a major-7ths and minor chords, the narration shifts between two distinct voices: "Ground Control" and the astronaut, "Major Tom". The first, as the name implies, is grounded in science, achievement and celebrity, things that matter on Earth:

This is Ground Control to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now its time to leave the capsule if you dare

Next we hear from Tom as he acclimates to the strange orbital environment, followed by an inner monologue about isolation and helplessness. Then the song goes instrumental, marked by freer chord-play and soaring mellotron notes, before the story resumes with the mission failing and Tom forever adrift in space, lost to all.

For such a visually evocative song, it's a pity that the music video is so underwhelming—just Bowie in his Ziggy-era plumage sitting on a stool, strumming on a guitar, with a couple of shots of an oscillator display. You know, to make it look "techie". Weak.

There was an earlier cut that was apparently part of an experimental film that Bowie made but never released. This version isn't nearly as musically interesting or mature. It's campy, Beatles-esque, poppy. But has a far more intriguing video, with a low-budget, late-60s aesthetic of all things spacy: white backgrounds and uniforms, distorted views, official-looking labels, goofy helmets. And I like in the concluding shots the addition of space sirens leading Tom to a xeno-sexual nirvana. Sweet.

(Props to MadRatStudio for the image of the mixed-media art.)

(h/t Queerty)

He is so amazing.

True story: I used to be friends with this girl who had a literal and visceral fear of David Bowie. She gave no explanation, and I didn't ask. Actually, I did ask, and I made fun of her a lot, and one night somebody pulled a prank on her wherein they taped hundreds of photos of David Bowie to her front screen door so that when she opened it in the morning, she would be scared to death. She called me, royally pissed off at what I had (supposedly) done.

The trouble is -- I didn't do it.

To this day, I fucking wish I had done it.

It started small. I saw him sing "Fame" on Soul Train, and I wanted the record. I saw him on the cover of Rolling Stone. I saw the videos for "Heroes" and "DJ." "Ashes To Ashes" was shown a million times on different video shows. I broke down. I bought a Bowie greatest hits album called ChangesOneBowie.

On the album, I got "Fame," "Space Oddity," and the riff-o-rific wonder that is "Rebel Rebel." I thought that the songs sounded other-worldly, strange, and rockin'. It excited me. Even though I couldn't verbalize it at the time, I liked the variety of styles and arrangements of the songs on the album. It was a real fun and musically challenging listen.

Then there's "Changes." I was going through a lot of emotional changes when I first dropped the turntable needle on this track. I had just lost my two heroes; my grandfather and John Lennon. I heard Bowie sing:

I still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets (and)
Everytime I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet

I started crying. I felt mad, hurt and alone. I felt changed. I was mad as hell, and I felt that no one understood and that no one cared. Turns out that "Changes" signaled my puberty. How's that for irony?

Getting back to the Bowie album, what really cemented David Bowie for me was the one-two combination of "Ziggy Stardust" and "Suffragette City." Mick Ronson, Bowie's guitarist, made a huge impression on me as a young guitar player. I wanted to get good enough to play like Ronson. His work is artistic, creative, and moving in this song pairing. I couldn't stop listening to those two songs, and to this day I cannot listen to one without the other. ChangesOneBowie is a great beginner's guide to the man and his music.

(Weird sidebar: I greet nearly everyone I meet by imitating the "hey, man" that's very prominent in the verses. Strange how that stuck to my brain.)

If you want an interesting listen, dig a pre-Space Oddity Bowie track from the summer of '67 called "Did You Ever Have A Dream." I haven't seen a lot written about this cool B-side issued with "Love You Til Tuesday," but it's one of my guilty pleasures. Give it a spin, and let it make you smile.

(Lex Neon is the musical mastermind behind the music of indie sunshine pop / rock band Poppermost.  For more info, go to http://www.poppermost.com/)

Currently listening : Changesonebowie By David Bowie

]]> http://willtung.wordpress.com/?p=159 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:01:47 +0000 willtung http://willtung.ro.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/los-angeles-part-2/ I was originally going to put all of the second half of my Los Angeles stay into one post. But I decided that I was going to forget a lot of things (and I think I already have) if I didn't start posting now.

Getty Museum
This relatively modern museum was filled with great scenery and architecture, but had mediocre exhibits. There were multiple viewpoints that gave a majestic view of the Los Angeles skyline, elaborately designed gardens and streams, and the epitome of modern architecture design. There was one exhibit that fascinated my however, which was "Bernini and the birth of Baroque portrait sculpture." I never really gave much thought to chiseled statues and busts, until I really examined them up close. It's really quite amazing how much detail and polish there is in each one of these creations, all from a slab of marble and stone. I can't even begin to imagine the kind of work and pre-visualization needed for this.

Hollywood
I parked my car in the Universal City Metro station, and took the Red Line subway to Hollywood & Highland. I love taking subways and public transportation (in the daytime at least, when you aren't always looking over your shoulder hoping you don't get mugged), and I especially love the rush of wind you feel in the tunnel about a minute before the subway train arrives. Right at the stop was a big shopping area, which connects into the Kodak Theater. I was in the plaza and somehow ended up being part of a small crowd being filmed for the show "Ten Years Younger" which airs on TLC. Maybe if you watch an episode, you'll see me in the crowd that's cheering on some lady who's supposed to look ten years younger than before her makeover. Right next to Grauman's Chinese Theater is a lot of construction, and apparently they are building a Madame Tussaud's wax museum. I decided I would have to settle for the Hollywood Wax Museum, which was a sorry excuse for a wax museum. You know there's a problem when you see a figure, and can't recognize the actor/character. I mean, just look at the above photo of Jackie Chan. I also went across the street to the Hollywood Guiness Museum, which had a bunch of random facts and memorabilia related to the Guiness Book of World Records. I tried to get into the audience for the Jimmy Kimmel show being filmed at the El Capitan theater, but since I only had a standby ticket, I missed the cut by three people. I ended up finishing the day watching some great improv groups at the iO West Theater (Improv Olympics). The best group was easily King Ten. I laughed so hard I had tears and my stomach hurt. I haven't laughed that much in a long time.

Malibu and Santa Monica
I am not sure when the last time I went hiking was, but it was long enough that I don't remember. Nick and I decided to go to Solstice Canyon over in Malibu to hike on something called the Rising Sun Trail. It was about 1.5 miles each way, on a dirt path, and a lot of fun. It certainly was rising most of the way, and the sun was certainly beating down on us the whole way. At the end of the trail was a little area with the ruins of a burned down house, and a small waterfall. Nick stayed at the bottom of the waterfall and started whittling away on a piece of wood we cut from a tree, while I decided to explore the terrain leading up the waterfall. This was very exhilarating and liberating, to have to stand in a certain area for a few minutes, analyze the terrain, and see how I should climb up. Then I had to muster up the courage to overcome whatever obstacle there was, and then tackle the very next section. Each section of the waterfall had little pools, so it was nice to rest before I moved on. The higher I got, the harder the terrain was to traverse. I loved this experience, it was a test of both logic and physical fitness. After our hiking trip, we tried to high tail it over to Santa Monica to rent bikes, but we were too late. We explored the 3rd Street Promenade there instead, which was basically a large shopping strip filled with tourists and street performers. It was a pretty nice atmosphere, and I'm pretty sure I want to live in the Santa Monica area or the South Bay area if I move to Los Angeles. Which leads me to...

South Bay Beaches and Little Tokyo
This was an awesome day. Nick and I went to Manhattan Beach to rent bikes, and rode to Hermosa Beach, then Redondo Beach, and all the way back. It was about 3 miles each way. We took The Strand all the way while marveling at the amazing beachfront properties. There were only two bikes left at the rental place, so I was stuck with a hot pink mountain bike, which actually wasn't so bad, being in California and all the loud colors everywhere. At Hermosa Beach, there was a music festival, and the streets were filled with arts, crafts, music, and photography booths. There was also a David Bowie cover band playing called "Space Oddity." All the photography booths really made me feel inadequate in my skill, but also gave me more motivation to improve. I came across this really cool photographer named Robert Kawika Sheer who specializes in long exposure photographs with creative "spirit" shadows. The next stop was Redondo, which had marinas, beaches, and fishing piers. This place had the most tourists out of the three, and was filled with seafood restaurants and fishing enthusiasts. We wanted to try some strawberry topped funnel cakes and ice cream, but didn't have the time to, because we needed to return the bikes at 6:45. We ended up eating ice cream at Manhattan Beach anyway, at a creamery right next to the bike rental shop. I had a scoop of Dulce de Leche, which was delicious. The day ended in Little Tokyo, which was... very little. I don't know how else to describe it, other than a little part of Tokyo was put in Downtown L.A. :-P There were hipster style clothing stores, japanese import stores, and of course, sushi. We ate at Tenno Sushi, which I would rate as normal. Their tempura rolls were good.

Other Places I Ate: Mel's Drive-In, Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, Carl's Jr., Jamba Juice, Del Taco

I know, my travel blog has started to become just a recount of my activities, and has largely been devoid of personal insight and inspiration. I'll have to work a little harder in the future in that department.

Most of these songs characterize the astronaut as lonely and eventually disconnected--disconnected from family as he leaves, disconnected from Earth, and in a few of the songs, disconnected from the spaceship as well, as he floats out into the nothing of space. Bowie's song was in 1969, timed to coincide with the first moon landing; Elton John's in 1972 and Peter Schilling's in 1983. I add Duran Duran's Astronaut as a contrast--he's "leaving with an astronaut" which makes the song much more about coupling than de-coupling. And then, the opening to "Enterprise"--"Faith of the Heart" that celebrates astronauts as parts of teams.

I think the lonely/together idea is interesting when you talk about astronauts. Are we starting to see astronauts not as those who leave community, but those who are creating community? The first three songs are about leaving, about separating, and about not trusting Ground Control and where they might be sending humans. The other two, perhaps, are seeing the adventurous side of being an astronaut again, certainly about being part of a larger community which connects all the aviation pioneers in a long line of exploration and pushing out into space--which according to Star Trek-- is densely populated.

Welcome, "lonely" astronaut!

Below: David Bowie "Space Oddity"; Elton John, "Rocket Man"; Peter Schilling "Major Tom"; Duran Duran "Astronaut" and Russell Watson's "Faith of the Heart," the opening to the TV series "Enterprise."

For more on the story of Major Tom and the first three songs, try this link to the Straight Dope on Was there really a Major Tom?

Great song. Who sings better.. David Bowie.. Natalie is very good too, definitely, very emotional. It is such an intense song. I heard it last week on Eksen Radyo (http://eksenradio.com) with Natalie's version. It touched me really. David Bowie has influenced so many musucians, he is so good.

I like when the part "from ground to major tom" comes.. It feels like, you're asking your voice to be heard and it is not heard. You feel lost in space. You sing your songs, make your calls, efforts in vain.. Nobody is there to hear your call. You pray to God, thinking your wish is noted, you hope, and maybe and most probably it does not come true..

Lost in space..

Lost in world..

Is not it the same thing?

Such a strong song- I don't feel like lost usually.. I feel things are under control. When I hear this song though, I believe how easy it is to feel lost..

Puesto número 60.

David Bowie. Space Oddity.

Puesto número 59.

The Beatles. She loves you.

Puesto número 58.

Billy Joel. Piano man.

Puesto número 57.

The Beatles. Twist and shout.

Puesto número 56.

Bob Dylan. Blowin' in the wind.

I just got my hands this, Easy Star All Stars' lastest release which I believe came out late March. The tracks sound much more....current, like, Jamaica current, something you would hear on the island today. How dare they sound Jamaican. I thought they were only supposed to sound like dubbed out British bands. So yeah, this one, not so rootsy. Not so dubsy. Un-Dubootsy if you will. Still, they have an incredible sound. Good musicians tend to have that effect. For you sticklers -- the dance-hall-esque, oversynthed, and overproduced sound that some of the tracks contain might irritate you. Fear not, for there is a left over Radiodread nugget thrown in there with Dubbing Up The Walls.

I can't stop speculating as to what album the Easy Stars will do next. OK Computer was a masterstroke. Dark Side of the Moon as well (when you get into it). Do they do another 'recent classic' or do they stay with a 'classic classic'?

Here are my dark horses:

Bowie, that's right.

Space Oddity The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust

Upon reflection, however, Vivienne is not sure how Fashionable The Fashion actually are.  For some reason, she was imagining moody boys wearing eyeliner, sighing into the microphone like David Bowie, perhaps with his electric red hair and white face paint, perhaps with very tight pants, and definitely, absolutely with lyrics about the dangerous temptation to simply steer one's spaceship into space and let the circuit die, the engine go -- oh, I can hear you, Major Tom.  Oh, I can hear.

IN FACT, let's all take a moment to reflect upon the following Undeniably Fashionable Fashion Beyond Any Other Fashion:

IN FACT, let's all take a moment to, perhaps, take another look at that Undeniably Fashionable Fashion Beyond Any Other Fashion.  IN FACT, let's all take a moment to, perhaps, remember that moment in our childhood when our parents finally could afford cable and gave us the gift of MTV, and, upon a rare unsupervised moment with this new wonder, we began flipping through channels, and found this Fashionable Apex of Fashion broadcast over the air waves, making the very air itself an Air of Wonder and Fashion, and let's remember that moment when Bowie's anguished visage appeared on the screen, and his anguish became such that he could no longer manage playing the guitar, and, instead, stared straight into the camera -- no, not straight into the camera, straight into your eyes -- no, not straight into your eyes, straight into the Very Most Fashionable Part of Your Very Most Fashionable Soul of Fashion, and you could see the concern in his eyes, and the care, and the deep and intense yet gentle desire, and the love, yes, yes, even the LOVE in his agonized hand gestures, and something melted within you that would never ice over again, and you for the first time felt that Strange Tingle you would later feel every day in Geometry class when David came in and you caught a whiff of his Cool Water, that Very Strange Tingle that would never quite be the same or as glorious as it was, just then, with David Bowie directing all of his Fashionable Fashion through his Impeccably and Exquisitely Fashionably Kohl-Rimmed Eyes of Fashion at your soul, your Soul, your SOUL.

MAN.  I need a cigarette now.

Oh, yeah.  The poem.  The following is a poem made with the constraint of homoconsonatism.  The source text?  The towns I passed during my road trip.

Museum of Appalachia

Laid on_____line_____cut
as a quay_____oh_____eker_____I'd go
cool_____I'll hone_____raccoon evil_____lie
ice_____lain onto guard_____guest park
my same people_____chalk city
cove_____licks to prick
come_____be real_____undo
gaps_____joy'll candy
haunt_____save_____I'll
sit_____ink ice_____irk red
rare time_____not on roads.

Primeiro o Homem Azul procurou por Narud Narud, o Velho. Eles já se conheciam da Velha Terra, de muito tempo antes. Começaram a conversar numa mistura de farsi com hindustani e páli; o Homem Azul tentou introduzir inglês e katalawn na conversa, mas Narud Narud não entendia, ou fez que não entendia (o que às vezes vem a dar no mesmo).

Narud Narud ofereceu comida para que conversassem em Galimatar. Mas o Homem Azul não entendeu. Ou fez que não entendeu.

À distância, o Major Tom tentava entender alguma coisa e tirar algum sentido.

Nada.

Olhou para cima. O céu era branco com nuvens cor de chumbo. O próprio sol parecia branco, o que dava às pessoas um aspecto meio fantasmagórico, meio surreal.

Sem perceber, começou a se afastar da tenda do turco (ou árabe, ou iraniano, ou indiano, para Tom todas essas etnias eram a mesma merda) para olhar o que havia mais adiante daquela balbúrdia que parecia um mercado persa dos filmes que ele via quando criança na televisão (será que ainda existia televisão?, ele se perguntou).

Começou a olhar para as tendas e os prédios de madeira e alvenaria na ruela onde estavam. Não viu nada que se assemelhasse a antenas, ou sequer a fios ou cabos. As pessoas nas ruas usavam todos os tipos de roupas, mas não usavam relógios, nem telefones, nem nada que ele reconhecesse como tecnologia.

À medida que caminhava, as cores das construções iam adquirindo um aspecto mais vívido. Algumas pareciam ter acabado de ser pintadas. Tons de verde, de amarelo, de vermelho em sua maioria. Aqui e ali um tom de azul. Quase nenhum branco. E definitivamente nada de preto.

Subitamente Tom sentiu um cheiro.

O impacto foi tão violento que o cheiro parecia ter sido carimbado, espremido, esmagado direto para dentro do cérebro de Tom. Era um cheiro, um aroma, um odor, um olor, algo que ele nunca tinha sentido na vida.

Ficou completamente arrepiado.

Tão arrepiado que tudo parou naquele instante. Não conseguia ver nada à sua frente a não ser a entrada de um beco, reluzente como se tivesse sido emolduradas por guirlandas de ouro puro.
Era de lá que vinha o cheiro. E era exatamente para lá que ele ia.

Até sentir a mão pesada no seu ombro.

- Não vá para os Surúrbios – ele disse a Tom. – você não tem dinheiro para tanto.
- Você quer dizer subúrbios – Tom disse depois de um segundo, ainda bêbado de sensações.
- Não – disse o Homem Azul. – Nos subúrbios você paga para se foder. Nos surúrbios você paga para foder. Ou ser fodido. É diferente.

Tom parou para pensar. Fazia sentido.

Mas se lembrou das sondas. A lembrança ainda estava fresca. E doía.

- Seu senso de humor é estranho – disse Tom.
- Na minha vida passada ele era melhor – responde o Homem Azul.

O Homem Azul era um TR. Os Tábula-Rasa eram um grupo que decidiu seguir os costumes dos escritores japoneses do período medieval Edo; de tantos em tantos anos, quando passavam por alguma mudança grande em suas vidas, esses escritores costumavam mudar de nome, e passavam a refletir em suas vidas e seus escritos suas mudanças. Os TR fazem o mesmo: consideram que cada ressurreição é uma oportunidade de começar tudo de novo. mudam seus nomes, mudam de lares, abandonam suas famílias, não raro mudam até de planeta.

TRs só não escapam do sistema judiciário – que não segue os costumes deles. Se algum indivíduo é condenado a prisão perpétua, nenhuma ressurreição pode mudar isso. Só faz ampliar a duração da sentença.

Por isso cada planeta tem leis de imigração muito rígidas. A vida pregressa de cada pessoa é cuidadosamente investigada. Cada novo chegante é sondado de forma bastante completa antes de ser liberado – ou deportado.

No começo, a idéia era de que essas pessoas em estado de espera, esses desterritorializados, ficassem nos próprios espaçoportos ou teleportos. Mas a coisa foi crescendo. Hoje, espaçoportos, por maiores que sejam, não comportam tanta gente. Para isso foram criadas as Cidades de Espera.
Purgatório é uma Cidade de Espera.

Foi para lá que o Homem Azul foi quando chegou a Dama Rigel.

E é lá que ele vai encontrar seu destino.

[audio=http://sq.txdnl.com/mwt/p/a/n/t/pantarei/playlists/180760/1576165.mp3]

Te bendigo como loco,
tristemente mientras me ato los zapatos.
Te quiero mucho,
justo a tiempo, a veces, supongo.
Por ti necesito descansar,
porque eres tú la que pones la prueba.
 
Tanto se ha ido
y tan poco hay nuevo,
y mientras el gorrión canta
el coro del alba para
que alguien lo escuche,
el Pensador se sienta solo envejeciendo
y melancólico:
 
“Les di la vida,
les di todo,
me desangraron el alma… Seca.
Me exprimí el corazón
para aliviar sus sufrimientos,
ni un pensamiento hacia mí permanence allí,
nada pueden dar.
¿Qué hay de mí?

¿Quién alabó sus esfuerzos
para ser libres?
Palabras de fuerza y atención
y simpatía.
Abrí puertas
que habrían bloqueado su camino,
Soporté su fin de dirigir
y a cambio recibí muy poco.
 
Devasté mis recursos sólo por aquellos,
aquellos cuyas intenciones estaban basadas en la paz, la tranquilidad,
aquellos quienes hablaron de un nuevo mundo, nuevos caminos siempre libres,

aquellos cuyas promesas se extendieron en mi esperanza y mi gracia"
 
Tanto se ha ido
y tan poco hay Nuevo,
y mientras la llegada del amanecer

parpadea en mí,
mis amigos hablan de gloria,

de sueño indecible, donde todo es Dios y Dios es sólo una palabra.
 
"Teníamos un amigo, un orador,
que habló de los muchos poderes que tenía,
no de lo major de los hombres, sino de nosotros.
  
Le usamos,
le dejamos usar su poder,
le dejamos cubrir nuestras necesidades,

ahora somos fuertes.
 
Y la calle está llegando a su final

ahora los condenados no tienen tiempo para enmendarse,
ni un gramo de fortuna simbólica permanece en nuestro camino,
los silenciosos cañones del amor
volarán el cielo.
Rompimos la dañada estructura hecha de tiempo,
nuestras armas fueron las lenguas de la cólera verdadera.
 
Donde hubo dinero
plantamos semillas de renacimiento
y apuñalamos por la espalda a los padres,
hijos de la suciedad.
 
Sí, y rajamos el cuello del católico,
lapidamos al pobre
con lemas como:
 
“Ojalá pudieras escuchar”
‘Todo lo que necesitas es amor”
“Patea a tu madre”
“Descuartiza a tu amigo”
“Fastidia a tu hermano o al final te pillará”
 
Y sabemos que la bandera del amor viene de arriba,
y podemos obligarte a ser libre,
y podemos obligarte a creer"
 
Y cierro mis ojos y me estrujo el cerebro,
porque una vez leí un libro en el cual los amantes eran asesinados,
porque no sabían la letra del estribillo de Free States,
yo dije:
"Creo en el poder del bien,

creo en el estado del amor,
lucharé por el derecho a tener razón,
mataré por el bien de la lucha por el derecho de tener razón"
 
Y abro mis ojos para mirar alrededor

y veo a un niño que yace asesinado
en el suelo,

mientras una máquina del amor carga con hileras de desolación,
El hombre estrellado, la mujer, escuchando sus órdenes,
pero sin oírlas ya,
sin oír ya,
sólo los gritos del antiguo rico.
 
Y quiero creer
en la locura llamada “Ahora”,
y quiero creer
que una luz está brillando
de algún modo,
 
y yo quiero creer,
y tú quieres creer,
y queremos creer,
y queremos vivir,
oh, queremos vivir,
 
queremos vivir, (repetir)

 
¡quiero vivir!

 
¡vivir!

-David Bowie-

Álbum: Space Oddity (1969)

Junior latched on to the lyric – “It’s like Tom!” - so far as the tragic hero shares a name with her uncle. He’s drifting in outer space too. Perth, to be precise. She then floated in orbit around the dining table and went on to protest wildly at having to put her shoes on.

As for me, yet again I enjoyed a subdued record that is nevertheless an epic. Perhaps I never play it loudly enough, but for all ‘Space Oddity’’s lush innovation and instrumental variety it still seems light of touch. It’s also bleak, poignant and immense. On reflection, I prefer Bowie garish.

54-58=melodrama
59-62=sincerity
63-69=ceremony
70-76=grace
77-78=bittersweetness
79-84=loneliness
85-89=renewal
90-97=enthusiasm
98-105=natural
106-113=lust
114-118=foreboding
119-128=victory
129-390=mixed fast,

Applying this scale to one of a david Bowie and his album of his 20 "Greatest Hits", we see that David  is versatile, honest and most importantly, rocking, in speed and emotional selections across the entire spectrum of speed. In this post, you can see the many ways that which is otherwise invisible - speed itself - is illustrated in meanspeed charts developed in the way described on meanspeed.com.  The method is described in an absolutely spread open, clear way.  If you follow the simple steps, you can reproduce any of these charts.  It is this very element, the repeatable tests, that allow you to give us feedback with all the information we have.

1. "Space Oddity"
meanspeed=68.6 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=ceremony

2. "Changes"

meanspeed=112.6 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=lust

3. "Suffragette City”
meanspeed=143.0 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=[mixed fast]

4. "Ziggy Stardust"
meanspeed=80.1 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=loneliness

5. "The Jean Genie"
meanspeed=129.2 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=[mixed fast]

6. "Rebel Rebel"
meanspeed=126.2 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=victory

7. "Young Americans"
meanspeed=83.6 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=loneliness

8. "Fame"
meanspeed=95.8 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=enthusiasm

9. “Golden Years”
meanspeed=109.0 beats per minute
meanemotion=lust

10. “Heroes”
meanspeed=112.7 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=lust

11. “Ashes To Ashes”
meanspeed=120.7 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=victory

12. “Fashion”
meanspeed=108.3 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=lust

13. “Under Pressure”
featured artist=Queen
meanspeed=113.6 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=foreboding

14. “Let’s Dance”
meanspeed=115.1 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=foreboding

15. “China Girl”
meanspeed=134.6 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecturemeanemotion=[mixed fast]

16. “Modern Love”
meanspeed=183.4 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=[mixed fast]

17. “Blue Jean”
meanspeed=124.7 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=victory

18. “Dancing In The Street”
featured singer=Mick Jagger
meanspeed=130.9 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=[mixed fast]

19. “This Is Not America”
featured band=Pat Metheny Group
meanspeed=115.3 beats per minute
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=foreboding

20. “I’m Afraid Of Americans”
mean emotion according to the meanspeed conjecture=loneliness

Ian Andrew Schneider

Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills
and put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown,
engines on
Check ignition
and may God's love be with you

(spoken)
Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Liftoff

This is Ground Control
to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule
if you dare

This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating
in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today

For here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past
one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much
she knows

Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead,
there's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you....

Here am I floating
round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

Torre di Controllo a Maggiore Tom,
Torre di Controllo a Maggiore Tom,
Prendi le tue pillole di proteine e mettiti il casco.

Torre di Controllo a Maggiore Tom
comincia il conto alla rovescia,
accendi i motori,
controlla l'accensione
e che Dio ti assista.

(parlato)
Dieci, nove, otto, sette, sei, cinque,
quattro, tre, due, uno, Partenza

Questa è la Torre di Controllo
a Maggiore Tom,
Ce l'hai proprio fatta
E i giornali vogliono sapere che marca di camicia porti
E' arrivato il momento di lasciare la capsula se te la senti.

Qui è Maggiore Tom a Torre di Controllo,
Sto uscendo dalla porta
E sto galleggiando nello spazio
in modo strano
E le stelle sembrano molto diverse oggi.

Perché
Sto seduto in un barattolo di latta,
Lontano sopra il mondo,
Il pianeta Terra è blu
E non c'è niente che io possa fare.

Malgrado sia lontano
più di centomila miglia,
Mi sento molto tranquillo,
E penso che la mia astronave sappia dove andare
Dite a mia moglie che la amo tanto,
lei lo sa

Torre di Controllo a Maggiore Tom
Il tuo circuito si è spento,
c'è qualcosa che non va
Mi senti, Maggiore Tom?
Mi senti, Maggiore Tom?
Mi senti, Maggiore Tom?
Mi senti......

Sono qui che galleggio
attorno al mio barattolo di latta,
Lontano sopra la Luna,
Il pianeta Terra è blu
E non c'è niente che io possa fare

Gioco di parole con Space Odyssey, titolo del famoso film "2001, Odissea nello spazio", di Stanley Kubrick. Si dice che il brano sia stato ispirato dalle condizioni di bordo degli astronauti dell' Apollo 8. Bowie riprenderà il tema del Major Tom nel 1980 in Ashes to Ashes (Scary Monsters)

non c'è niente di mio (ma dai?) è tutto preso da velvetgoldmine.it
e il canone si chiude qui ...

Just posted on my YouTube channel this machinima i made. As always, you can find the movie, here in this post, or in the Vod:Pod widget on the right column.

When I was a child i wanted to be an astronaut. Had a lot of dreams of me as a "Space Captain" of a big "Space Ship" going from one planet to other. I was a big fan of any "space" TV program, movie or whatever. Of course, after some years I became more "realistic" and decided to find a job here, down in Earth.

Anyway, some weeks ago i had a dream. I was floating in space, alone, in silence, totally lost but in peace. Actually the dream was longer, but I just remember that part of it. I used Second Life to show in images that dream... so... that is what Second Life is about? About to build dreams?

[de versie die jullie kennen:]

[de originele versie die jullie niet kennen:]

Un anno fa, un anno dopo.
Il 19 marzo 2008 inaugura la seconda edizione di Art Dubai, la prima fiera internazionale dell’arte degli Emirati Arabi. Un evento importante, almeno per me, perché vedere un quadro di Monet in una specie di tendone da circo in mezzo al deserto, fa un certo effetto. Sono cambiata.

 Ma partiamo dall’inizio. Un anno fa. Non mi dilungherò sui motivi, alquanto occasionali del viaggio. A parte che sono una "critica" d'arte. Ti dirò invece che la partenza fu repentina. Scalo a Kuwait City, solo per caricare qualche altro passeggero. Un aereo vuoto che sfrecciava sopra un paesaggio nero su cui ogni tanto fiammava un pozzo petrolifero. Da mille e una notte.

Così mi ritrovai felicemente catapultata nell’aeroporto di Dubai alle tre di mattina. Mi verrebbe da dire che Dubai è l’aeroporto, ma questo con il senno di poi. Invece, ti dico, fu un piacevole shock. Innanzitutto la popolazione. Quando si dice “globale”. Un posto immenso, una popolazione internazionale, alta tecnologia frammista ad intarsi d’oro, caffè italiano ed orologi Rolex. In piena attività. Teoricamente avrei dovuto trovare una macchina ad aspettarmi. Teoricamente. Invece sbagliarono l’orario. Per cui mi ritrovai da sola ad aspettare le cinque di mattina all’aeroporto di Dubai.

In qualche modo sono arrivata all’albergo. Dove non mi aspettavano così presto, per la stessa ragione di prima. Aria condizionata a palla. Che odio. Inutile dire che per quanto chiedessi di abbassarla non ci fu ragione. Così ho vissuto per dieci giorni tra stanza hotel, taxi, strada, fiera, avvolta in una sciarpa. Come un’araba, appunto.

Il primo impatto umano, dopo il simpatico arabo dell’ufficio passaporti che mi ha dato un rispettoso benvenuto, è stato il primo pakistano. Poi indiano. Alternandosi. I miei cari tassisti, insomma. Ovviamente, per un mio innato senso di democrazia ed inchiesta ho passato dieci giorni ad intervistarli tutti. Da dove venivano, famiglia, figli, condizioni abitative, lavorative etc. Una tragedia.

 Premessa. Situata sul litorale orientale della penisola araba, Dubai inc. sta sviluppando una politica economica fondata sul bene immobile, e le mobili risorse umane. Più dell' 80% della popolazione è straniera (India, Pakistan e Bangladesh). Schiavi. La stessa città non è ben definita, in quanto le zone desertiche sono oggi in fase di edificazione continua. Lo sviluppo, infatti, coinvolge le attività commerciali e residenziali che si estendono verso il deserto. O verso il mare. Tra questi miraggi ambientali s’innalza uno skyline impressionante. L’orizzonte di un reame che prevede centri finanziari, quartieri generali di brands, centri commerciali, airlines, aeroporti hotel di lusso (nella foto, una miliardaria di cui non ricordo il nome).

Dubailand. La decisione del governo di diversificare l'economia, per puntare maggiormente sui servizi e il turismo, ha contribuito manco a dirlo ad aumentare il valore della proprietà immobiliare, che ha visto dal 2004 un vero e proprio boom.
Boulevard con edifici di imprese di costruzioni. E tanti giovani operai. Con i caschetti gialli, sotto il sole, nel vento  che costruiscono piani e piani di grattacieli a specchio. Idoli di nulla. Schizofrenia architettonica. Capirai che la mia allucinazione era esponenziale. E per riprendermi mi rifugiavo nel quotidiano dei piccoli supermercati. Con qualche scusa. Una scheda telefonica, un dolce. E una fiera dell’arte.

La fiera.
La prima edizione della fiera ha riunito 40 gallerie da tutti i continenti. Gli stand sono stati allestiti all’interno di Madinat Jumeirah, cittadella a 20 km dal centro di Dubai, edificata secondo il modello “cortile arabo” circondato da palme e porticati, con tanto di souk, spiaggia privata e vista spettacolare su Burj al-Arab. Durante i miei giri di ricognizione sono finita nella hall di un albergo, di cui non ricordo il nome con una vasca centrale, acqua zampillante, ricolma di petali di rosa.

 Sulla facciata del mercato,  luogo deputato allo scambio delle merci, una proiezione laser dell’artista inglese Beth Derbyshire : la parola Together, in inglese ed arabo. Il morphing tra le due lingue diventava occasione di scambio tra lingue ed emisferi. Perché Dubai dal punto di vista della transazione geografica e fantapolitica ha decisamente una posizione ideale di chiasmo tra India, Iran, Africa e Medio oriente. Il primo a crederci è stato Jussi Pylkkänen, presidente di CHRISTIE’s Europe, che a Dubai ci va dal 2003, soprattutto dopo aver venduto ad uno sceicco un still life di Fernand Léger del 1929 a 1.24 milioni di dollari.

 L'8 marzo di un anno fa ha inaugurato Art Dubai (Gulf Fair). I preparativi sono stati esilaranti. Arabi, Indiani, Pakistani che maneggiavano Warhol, Botero, De Chirico, pittura da parati, scatole, moquette e chiavi inglesi nello stesso modo. Un paio di volte ho temuto fortemente per un’installazione di Keith Haring, sempre a rischio di essere speronata da macchine per trasporto merci. Quando poi hanno scaricato la mini di Hirst, guidandola dentro la Fiera, abbiamo tutti rischiato di essere investiti.
Party in terrazza al DIFC, speech inaugurale di His Excellency Dr Omar Bin Sulaiman - the Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre. Mentre lo sceicco Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum è apparso direttamente in fiera. La gente era letteralmente terrorizzata dal suo arrivo.
 Gli arabi hanno mostrato una sana diffidenza. Non si sono fatti incantare. Anzi. Hanno valutato molto bene. Semmai una grande lezione per tutti noi. Continentali. Uno bello schiaffo culturale. Io comunque lo schiaffo lo avevo già ricevuto. Metaforico. Quando hanno scartato il Monet e appeso sulla parete nera. Solo in quel momento ho sentito la precisa sensazione di una fine reiterata dell’arte, e in generale, della cultura "occidentale". Un’insensatezza che si rifrangeva nei flutti di colore impressionista ancorati a mala pena sulla tela. Un Monet. Abbandonato dagli sguardi. In mezzo al deserto. Una luce troppo intensa per le passate atmosfere francesi. E una crisi di senso da cui non mi sono ripresa. Il futuro? Lo sceicco al-Maktoum  ha detto: qui a Dubai è già iniziato. I direttori della Fiera confermano. Puri flussi. Azionari.

Un anno dopo: Art Dubai 2008. Dal 19 al 22 marzo la fiera riunisce 70 gallerie da tutti i continenti. Tre gallerie italiane (Continua, Persano, Oredaria). C'è anche Creek Art Fair (CAF). Staremo a vedere. Intanto ho scritto un articolo. Quello più "serio". Su carta. Arte e Critica. Where the future begins.

Men jag är osäker på om jag klarar av att anta den.

Samma bloggerska presenterade idag denna utmaning, där jag tyvärr inte tillhörde de utvalda.

Känns helt enkelt som om jag hade lite otur, som om jag fick "fel" utmaning.

Länge, länge, länge såg jag nämligen David Bowies klassiker Life on Mars som min absoluta favoritlåt.

Min kompis Mats Bengtsson spelade den för mig, på landet, där våra föräldrar hade sommarstuga.

Det bör ha varit den sommaren den blev populär, alltså 1973.

Jag föll som en fura.

Det blev kickstarten för nästan ett helt decenniums besatthet. Det fanns bara David Bowie för mig. Jag stod framför spegeln i pojkrummet i Bjärred och försökte (förgäves) få mitt hår att se ut som Bowies hår på omslaget av Aladdin Sane. Att man kunde ha annat än schampoo och vatten i håret hade inte nått Bjärred på den tiden. I alla fall inte ända in i mitt rum, där Bowies låtar pumpades, dygnet runt.

Watch That Man, Panic In Detroit, Suffragette City, Ziggy Stardust, Lady Stardust, Rock'n'roll Suicide, Drive In Saturday, Young Americans, Station to Station, Wild Is The Wind, Fame, Time, Five Years, Changes, Quicksand, The Man Who Sold The World, Cygnet Committee, Space Oddity, Life on Mars, John I'm Only Dancing. Ja, till och med obskyra saker som The Laughing Gnome kunde jag spela om och om igen.

Det fanns ingen ände, det var en besatthet. Jag brukar därför säga att jag bara har haft en enda idol i mitt liv.

Och det var David Bowie.

Jag minns hur jag inte kunde sluta titta på utviket till konvolutet av Pinups, som väl kom 1974. Jag tror aldrig jag ens haft några böjelser att bli bi, men jag tror att jag tyckte han var väldigt vacker. Just då och där.

Redan sommaren före Mats spelade Life on Mars för mig, 1972, hade jag hört Starman.

Den var på försök på Tio i Topp.

Den kom givetvis inte in, slutade på 14:e av 15:e plats.

Vann listan, den veckan, gjorde Indian Reservation med The Raiders.

Jag har hatat den låten sedan den dagen.

Minns också att Kaj Kindvall inte kunde uttala hans namn.

Han sa: David Bawwi. Typ.

Ungefär som när Glenn Hysén säger David Backhamm.

Eller Joe Cool.

Idag är jag inte lika säker på vilken som är min favoritlåt.

Inte ens för 70-talet vågar jag mig på att vara tvärsäker.

Jag menar, det var ju ett fantastiskt decennium, både för musik och för film.

Av alla tusentals låtar så kom ju även Marvin Gayes I Heard It Through The Grapevine.

Så det är inte helt enkelt.

Alltså, inte för att jag tröttnat på Life on Mars, varje gång jag hör den sjunger jag med på varenda stavelse.

Men kanske är Drive In Saturday till och med snäppet bättre.

Fast bara kanske.

Anyways, you can't get the riff to work out on a normal GCEA tuned Uke exactly, but you can get close using four rather simple chords: C, F, G, and A.

MIDI

Bowie is in a rare league of iconic rockers including the likes of Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Madonna and Elton John.

Like all innovators, his music is often exploratory, synthesizing existing styles into something entirely new.

Bowie the philosopher, if you like, explores in "Starman" (1972) the idea of extraterrestrial life:

There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile 

 And in "Loving the Alien" (1984):

Believing the strangest things
loving the alien

Meanwhile, Black Tie White Noise (1993) looks to the meeting of flesh and spirit:

Where the flesh meets
the spirit world
Where the traffic is thin...
You've been around
but you've changed me

In his heyday the press often depicted him as "going away" from this world into some kind of creative journey and then "returning" whenever he produced a hit single.

There might be some psychological truth to this, as we find in "Little Wonder" (1997):

Enter Galactic, see me to be you
It's all in the tablets, Sneezy Bhutan
Little wonder then, little wonder
You little wonder, little wonder you...
Sending me so far away,
so far away

Not entirely unlike the Hindu Shiva-Shakti dyad, Bowie plunged into cross-dressing well before this was considered chic in the music industry.

Connecting Bowie to religion and spirituality is far from spurious considering his interest in parapsychology, as found in "Sound and Vision" (1977):

Don't you wonder sometimes
'Bout sound and vision...
I will sit right down,
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision

Within Asian systems these abilities are known as siddhis, and in Catholic mysticism they're called interior locutions, perceptions and private revelations.

Bowie himself, however, is often critical of organized religion, as expressed in this chant in The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), released several years before the Catholic sex-abuse lawsuits were exposed by the media:

Sex and the church
Sex and the church
Sex and the church
And the church
And the church

Some believe that Bowie might someday be regarded not just as a musician but as a visionary or futurist. Considering the current global water crisis the following scenario from "Looking for Water" (2003) doesn't seem too far off:

Silver leaves are spinning round
Take my hand as we
go down and down
and down
Looking for water...

I'm looking for water
Looking for water
(Looking looking)
I'm looking for water
Looking for water...

The combination of musician and visionary is not unheard of. Both Pythagoras and the legendary Orpheus combined music, philosophy and spirituality.

While Pythagoras related musical harmony to cosmic order, Orpheus used his lyre to wrest his wife Eurydice from the underworld lord of death, Cerberus. But like Lot's wife, and against a dire warning not to look back during the escape, Orpheus foolishly cast a glance backward, losing Eurydice again.

This story speaks to the wisdom of accepting and trusting in the future, an idea summed up in Bowie's tune, "Changes" (1971):

Turn and face the strange
ch ch changes...
time may change me
but I can't trace time

Bowie has also ventured into acting and composing soundtracks for film and video games. For some time he had a lively and free internet forum called "Discourse" at davidbowie.com, which now charges membership fees.

Although criticized for being a skinflint when it comes to charity, Bowie replies

I can never make my mind up, I'm so f***ing flippy floppy. I can see both sides of everything and it's really awful.  Source » "DAVID BOWIE - BOWIE'S CHARITY STRUGGLES" at contactmusic.com

Skinflint or not, for his considerable import as an artist he was awarded the 2008 Andromeda Award at earthpages.org.

Earthpages.org's Very First 2008 Andromeda Award!

Image Source:

• Cropped from the original "David Bowie" by NYCArthur at http://www.flickr.com/photos/70945486@N00/252869934/, Creative Commons 2.0 license.

 » Nineteen Eighty-Four

Add to this, report errors, suggest edits or voice your opinion by posting a comment

A successful mass market instrument in its day the stylophone nevertheless had a distinctive sound with limited variation beyond the heady use of the vibrato switch.

Updated With mp3 Playability
The faithful reproduction of the original adds an input socket to which you can attach an mp3 player in order to painfully play along to your favourite bits of music and infiltrate them with that faithful screeching stylophone sound.

Virtual Stylophone
To get a good idea of what to expect just try an on-line stylophone here .

Demo Heaven
Hear the original demo disc that came with the stylophone as Rolf showed us all how simple it was all going to be (Rolf you probably could have sold us all a house brick as a musical instrument back then).

Stylophone Demo disc: Side 1 / Side 2

New Stylophones are Available to purchase here (Rolf Harris apparently not included).

Rediscovered Via OhGizmo

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