The Bowie Contingent is a Sheffield-based band that pays homage to the music of David Bowie. They are not a tribute act in the same sense as Absolute Bowie, where you get the full theatrical costumed appearance. The Bowie Contingent clearly has huge respect for Bowie’s music and they play it supremely well. The focus for tonight’s show was the much-acclaimed Berlin Trilogy. Although as the singer Jason said, we all know that not all of that music was recorded in Berlin. (‘Low’ was recorded in France and Berlin, ‘Lodger’ in Switzerland and New York. ‘Heroes’ was the only one of the famous album triptych to be recorded completely in Berlin.) The Bowie Contingent promised deep cuts from this era and they delivered. The band played for a little under two hours, what a show!
They played some of the instrumental tracks from the period. The highlights of those were “Sense Of Doubt”, “A New Career In A New Town,” and a magnificent rollicking version of “V2-Schneider” (yes, I know the latter has some vocal elements, but it is mostly instrumental. I really loved that the focus wasn’t on big hits, although some of those did get aired. I must applaud the Bowie Contingent for their spot-on and respectful takes on “DJ”, “Be My Wife”, “Blackout”, “Beauty And The Beast” and “Joe The Lion”. These tracks showcased just how good this band is. I know how much the Spiders From Mars were revered and they were a brilliant band, but I believe the strongest band in Bowie’s career was with him during those three albums, I am talking of the DAM trio (Dennis Davis, Carlos Alomar, and George Murray). If you shut your eyes during this set you could almost imagine that the DAM trio were in full force at the Fully Arms.
Some of the arrangements were very clever. It felt like “Always Crashing In The Same Car” was played in a slower tempo, “Sound And Vision” was more acoustic than electronic and how could you not love the slow start to “Let’s Dance”. The main highlights for me, and there were many, were the superb vocals from Jason and the piano accompaniment on “Life On Mars”, the enormous fun the band had during “Boys Keep Swinging” and “Scary Monsters” and perhaps best of all using the bass intro for “Under Pressure” as the start of “Heroes”. The latter was a work of sublime genius. Whatever you feel about tribute acts, if you’re a Bowie fan you will love the Bowie Contingent!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
Just over a year ago, I read and reviewed Adam Steiner’s intriguing, in-depth, and fabulous tome, ‘Into The Never – Nine Inch Nails And The Creation Of The Downward Spiral‘. It remains one of the best books examining a musician’s creative process and all the external influences that fed into that work. So obviously, as a massive Bowie fan, I was excited to hear that his next book would explore the creation of David Bowie’s ‘Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)’ album. That book is out in the USA and will be published in the UK in September 2023. In my head, I don’t recall ever seeing ‘Scary Monsters’ being the number one album in any online or magazine listings of Bowie’s greatest albums. To check that thought I did a little online research and discovered that it often featured at number 7, 8, 9, or 10 in most polls and listings. The exception to that was the Rough Trade blog from January 2022 where it hit the heady heights of number one!
Steiner writes in a really academic but very readable style and I love how he draws on the influences of Bowie’s experience and environment. This album was Bowie’s first real post-punk release, given that most people will see 1979’s ‘Lodger’ as the final part of the acclaimed Berlin Trilogy. ‘It’Scary Monsters’ was also an album that included Bowie’s first UK number-one single that wasn’t a rerelease. (“Space Oddity” went to number one after being reissued in 1975). This was also an album that came into the world just as Thatcher and Reagan were beginning the pomp of their right-wing takeover of the West. Was this album also the harbinger of the new romantics? Probably not, but as Steiner suggests, without Bowie there probably would not have been a new romantic movement, despite what a young Tony Hadley said, in the full flush of youthful arrogance. The major events in Bowie’s life following this album are also covered. In particular, his performance as John Merrick on Broadway in ‘The Elephant Man’ and the assassination of his friend John Lennon by Mark David Chapman.
Adam Steiner tackles the album one song at a time and covers each one with the same level of detail and enthusiasm rather than focusing on the most popular tracks. He includes some great insights and his thoughts have encouraged me to listen to the album with fresh ears. Given that I have heard the record so many times over the years that is no mean feat! I love the rather strange writing fragments that preceded each section which are often weird, often jarring, and all of them most definitely “turn and face the strange”. The book is seasoned nicely with comments and stories about the creation of the album from those who were there, including Tony Visconti and Robert Fripp to name just two. Steiner considers the primal scream aspects of Bowie’s vocal on “It’s No Game” which soars in an almost frightening style when set against the angular, industrial Fripp guitar tones.
Adam Steiner uses some odd, yet perfect reference points throughout. This includes the 1969 self-help book, “I’m OK—You’re OK” by Thomas Anthony Harris when discussing the lyrics to “Up The Hill Backwards”. He brings in the 1932 Tod Browning film “Freaks” when analysing the title track and adds parallels with Bowie’s 1980 Broadway performance in Elephant Man. The piece on John Lennon’s murderer is chilling but so in time with the dawn of the new decade. The description of how the music for “Ashes To Ashes” was created actually revealed something that I never knew before, and I am somewhat of a Bowie fanatic! I won’t tell you what I learned, you need to read the book. Obviously, Bowie fans will love this book, but if you’re not a fan do not be put off. It is a worthwhile read for all rock music fans and for anyone who likes a large dose of social history too! I don’t normally give a star rating, but if I did this would be a five stars out of five book.
It is out now in the US and will be out in the UK in September. Click here to order from Amazon in the US and here to order from Amazon UK. It is published by Rowman and Littlefield.
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
The Mayhem Artist Top 20 artist chart for July 2022 is here. Many of you know that I am a keen user of a site called Obscurify. It claims to tell you how obscure your listening on Spotify is. Compared to the rest of the UK I achieved a level of only 95% more obscure than other users in the UK this month, two points down from last month’s 97%. Although my obscure overall percentage remains at 99%! Regular readers will know that it also lists my most obscure artists, which currently are;
Promethium (The British metal titans returned to this list last month after a short break and they are still here)
Vaquelin (One of York’s finest young bands. You will be hearing more about them on this site soon). Check out the video for their latest single “Broken Window” below, watch it through to the end and you will witness my first acting performance, which I am sure will be winning many awards before long! I play old bloke at the bar with a pint of Guinness!
Hannah Robinson (talented singer who provided haunting vocals for the Last Of The Fallen Angels single “Red Dress”
The Last Of The Fallen Angels – (and speaking of the Last Of The Fallen Angels here they are, Conrad’s lot are firm favourites at Mayhem Towers)
MARQ Electronica – (The Talented Mr. Electronica graced the world with the rather fantastic album ‘Savage Times’ recently)
As for the July Top 20, Dame David and Kate Bush remain from the last chart, but this time Bowie drops from number 1 to number 4 and Kate Bush is up from 16 to 6. Soul music, specifically Motown is represented by the Supremes and Syreeta Wright. Meanwhile, reggae is represented by Burning Spear. Four of the five artists on the obscure list above are also in the top 20; MARQ Electronica (no. 3), The Last Of The Fallen Angels (5), Vaquelin (13), and Hannah Robinson (17). Classic bands and artists include Steely Dan, Nick Cave, Eminem, the Streets, Panic! At The Disco, and Hootie and the Blowfish. I am just preparing a review of Hottie drummer Jim Sonefeld’s autobiography ‘Swimming With The Blowfish. More recent but equally great artists include Captain Ska, The Beths, The Sheratons, and Yard Act. But it is disco music that makes it to the top of the pile this month thanks to the artist that made us feel mighty real, Sylvester! Check out the full chart below. I really would love to hear your thoughts on this chart. Please keep your eyes open for the fifth Mayhem Monthly Song Chart, just like an old-school top 20 singles chart! That one includes songs by eight of the artists featured in the July Artist Chart.
The Alan Yentob/BBC documentary ‘Cracked Actor’ first aired on UK television in January 1975. It followed Bowie on tour across America. I was 14 years old, struggling with my feelings and trying to understand my place in this world. It was a Sunday.
Many teenagers go through a period of feeling they don’t fit in, but for some of us, that sense of being an outsider, always on the periphery, is particularly acute and lingers on. It is more than just a phase. Bowie was the first rock star to eloquently recognise this. “One isn’t totally what one is conditioned to think one is. There are many facets of the personality, which a lot of us have trouble finding,” he told Yentob, as he languished effeminately on a couch, with his legs folded up under him like a gazelle. This was my Top of The Pops “Starman” moment. David Bowie spoke to me. Those few words were like gold. A promise of what could be, and I knew exactly what the girl with the glitter on her face was saying in the documentary when she said, “I’m just the space cadet, he’s the commander!”
And the beautiful spaced-out blonde youth who voiced my feelings of ‘otherliness’ when he said, “He’s from his own universe.”
“What universe is that?” asked Yentob, as the boy sat in the lotus position on the pavement, holding court.
“The Bowie universe.”
“Are you into the Bowie universe?”
“He’s the centre – I was drawn to it.”
“How were you drawn to it?”
“I’m from Phoenix – and I just – came.”
That moment. That was how I felt. I was drawn to something and here I was.
Eighteen months later I was dressed like Thomas Newton, the character Bowie played in ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth‘ and being interviewed myself by Allan Jones for Melody Maker, outside Wembley Arena. Bowie had arrived in London at the start of that hot summer in his latest incarnation as the Thin White Duke, and I was one of the ‘Space Oddities’ who had landed there to see him, as the article headlined in the following weeks’ paper.
You might think that the ‘Bowie’ effect would have worn thin over the ensuing years, but, as witnessed by the success of the V&A Bowie Is exhibition, at the outpouring of emotion upon his death, and the legions of fans at the Bowie Convention in Liverpool this year, anything Bowie did or was involved in throughout his life was always an event and a signpost to the future.
Jeremy in Thomas Jerome Newton mode
I tracked down two of the original ‘Space Oddities’ interviewed by Jones at the Wembley concert in ’76. I was interested to know how their lives had panned out and what effect Bowie had on them throughout.
Billy Nevins, at the time dressed as a hybrid concoction of something out of A Clockwork Orange crossed with Ziggy, epitomised Bowie’s mantra of self-expression and experimentation.
Jones’ impression of Billy was of a “hoodlum space punk; a wild mutation of Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, make-up smeared and grotesque, an old fox fur stole draped in nonchalant contempt about his shoulders”.
“I’m devoted to David Bowie,” Billy told Jones. “If it wasn’t for him, I’d be like everyone else, sat at home watching telly.“
When we spoke he still remembered the thrill of the tube ride from Rayners Lane to Wembley that day, the odd looks, the whispers of attention; ‘What 15-year-old wouldn’t have enjoyed it,’ he told me. ‘I was just waking up to a world of possibilities.’
Do you recognise that kid from back then, I asked?
‘Well, for one thing, I wasn’t a “hoodlum space punk”. In fact, I was a quiet kind of kid. Though I did buy an industrial sized indelible magic-marker and scrawl Future Legend in its entirety over a prominent public wall. It was bright red and very artistic. It took me two hours to do at two in the morning – how thoughtless of me! The irony is that I went on to become a calligrapher, photographer, and graphic designer. Of course, David Bowie was the gateway for me then, opening doors to so many thoughts and fantasies. I feel self-conscious now, looking back, but he really was my first living hero.’
Had Billy’s adoration subdued over the years?
‘Mellowed towards Bowie and his music? In a word – no. It would be like turning my back on an old and trusted friend – it would hurt.’
The most important thing in Billy’s eyes, was always the music. ‘His songs could make me laugh or cry. There’s lots of humour, but so much pain also. “Starman” was the hook, then I was forever on that Bowie highway, always listening, always watching his change of styles – the emperor’s new clothes – every year or so; wasn’t it fun? He looked cool, he sounded cool. He was everything a rock icon should be. Didn’t we all want to be a rock star like David Bowie? Damn it, I wanted to be Ziggy!’
Billy was right, what 14 or 15-year-old doesn’t want to be someone other than themselves? I took to writing angst lyrics to Bowie’s songs and played out the traumas of my teenage life in my bedroom in front of an imaginary audience with a backdrop of the ‘Station to Station‘ show in my mind. I would flick the light-switch on at the moment Bowie sang; ‘The return of the Thin White Duke ...’ to the adoring screams of my own make-believe fans and homage to the brilliant white lighting Bowie adopted for that show.
The Wembley Arena concert was the first live Bowie gig Billy had seen. ‘It was incredible. I had a seat stage right and I could see across to stage left, where there was what can only be described as a small cubicle set-up behind the speakers in which Bowie sat on a stool, spinning his arms at close quarters like they were attached to the wheels of a steam locomotive, I guess he was working on brandy, Charlie and adrenalin, before coolly walking out on to the stage crooning … ‘Throwing darts in lover’s eyes’. It worked!’
Christopher Aslanian, dressed as the Thin White Duke with scraped back bleached blonde hair and a packet of Gitanes cigarettes pushed neatly into the pocket of his black waistcoat, told Jones in the Melody Maker interview, “I always wanted to be different. Bowie was different. I like to be noticed and to look a bit special.”
‘What people have to remember,’ Chris told me as we reminisced, ‘is that it was the first time Bowie had performed in the UK since the Hammersmith Odeon. We’d missed out on the Diamond Dogs tour, so this was an event akin to the coming of the Pope.’
Chris is a fan on a whole different level. He’d followed Bowie since the early 70’s when he first heard Changes, and at the time he dressed like Bowie full-time. ‘I travelled down to London in a beige Diamond Dogs suit with white, Mary-Jane shoes and my hair in a quiff. I bought the black and white Station to Station clothes with me in a Tesco carrier bag and got changed in a garage toilet. Standing around outside the gig, waiting to go in, I just felt cool, especially when I was photographed and interviewed, and even more so when I appeared on the same page in the paper as the man himself.
‘I didn’t see it as brave or courageous to dress like that, I’d been doing it for so long by then it was a part of who I was, and yes you could say it was an obsession to look as much like Bowie as possible, down to the smallest detail, to the extent that I had a pair of identical bracelets made.
‘But every time I went out my life was in danger. I was attacked many times, sometimes with knives. Abuse was hurled my way all the time, bricks thrown, but I wasn’t going to change for anyone. The only time I saw other blokes adopting Bowie’s style was when it was safe to do so in the mid-eighties, but I was living the lifestyle 24 hours a day. I had all the clothes, the Ziggy jumpsuits, the red wedge boots made by the same person who made the originals, costumes made by Natasha Korniloff, the creator of the Ashes to Ashes clown outfit, and even a dress made that was identical to the one worn by Bowie on the original cover of ‘The Man Who Sold the World’.
‘The defining Bowie moment for me was when I saw him on tour in the early 70’s. I was expecting to see this Garboesque character walk out on stage, instead he came on with bright red hair, quilted jumpsuit, boxing boots, white make up and a blue 12 string Gibson guitar, he said, “My name is David Bowie, and this is my music.” Brilliant! He looked absolutely fantastic and beautiful – the coolest man on the planet. I decided I wanted to look like that too.
‘I got to meet him backstage after that show and my sister asked him, “Where do you get your clothes?” There was a momentary silence before he answered, “the likes of Rod Stewart go to London, I get mine made!” I met him again in a hotel I worked in, during the Aladdin Sane tour. Facing the sack, I knocked on the door and he appeared in bib and braces and make-up, doing the Daily Express crossword. We talked about bracelets and hair styles.’
I asked Chris how Bowie had influenced his life since.
‘It wasn’t a cult then, very few people were as obsessive and certainly not where I lived, but yes, I studied mime with Etienne Decroux. Later I performed solo shows in the North-West, supporting rock bands. I learned the alto-sax after dabbling with the guitar and piano and went on to do a music degree. I am still hugely interested in art, literature, fashion and performance. Although my passion for Bowie has waned as I’ve got older, I will always love his music from the seventies. The thing I admired about him was that he never stuck to the same formula and would always produce something different from the previous release. I will always have an interest in anything ‘Bowie’.
Jeremy falls to earth in Wembley 1976
Billy didn’t carry on dressing like a space-aged hoodlum, nor Chris emulate every change of outfit or persona, nor I act-out my fantasies in imaginary shows, we all moved on. But what Bowie articulated, and this was virtually unheard of then, was that it was okay to feel and be different. He gave us the permission to explore ideas, new music, art, and to be open to all life’s possibilities.
I eventually found my place in the world through writing, but without Bowie, sat in the back of his Cadillac, driving across the desert, bopping to Aretha Franklin and musing, ‘There’s a fly floating around in my milk… a foreign body, I couldn’t help but soak it all up.’ – I’m not sure I would have ever found a way to get there.
In memory of Billy Nevins.
Jeremy writes under the name David Ledain and can be contacted via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @davidledain or via www.davidledain.com
Written by Jeremy Good
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
Here comes the fourth monthly Mayhem Top 20 Song Chart and it is perhaps more eclectic than previous charts. June’s number one is from an old singer songwriter who has not featured on the Mayhem chart before, Randy Newman with “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” from Toy Story. That is quite a turn after number ones from Prairie Brigade, the Hazy Janes and Vaquelin. This month has a few newer artists in the lower end of the chart, but it is mostly classic oldies. The newer acta are Glytsh (number 11), Ideal Husband (12), Ruby Addy (17) and Bull (18). Meanwhile for the first time since we started the song chart last months number one remains in the chart, at number 20 it’s Vaquelin. Those Vaquelin lads have made Mayhem Song Chart history! A few songs feature after my recent weekend at the David Bowie World Fan Convention, “Starman” (Bowie), “Warszawa” (Donny McCaslin), “Rêvalité” (-M-) and “Love Me Tender” (Mick Ronson). Soul gets a few entries with Stevie Wonder, Millie Jackson and Mel and Tim. Reggae goes top 5, at number 5 it’s Clancy Eccles with “Fattie Fattie”. I suspect that not many charts include both “Prince Andrew Is A Sweaty Nonce” by the Kunts and “Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee” by Doris Day, but the Mayhem song chart for June 2022 does. The Doris Day tune was written more than 100 years ago in 1912, I think her version was from the early fifties. Also featured are Fleetwood Mac, the Wonder Stuff, Carl Douglas and Thin Lizzy. We would love to hear your thoughts on the Mayhem Song Top 20 Chart as we hope to make it a regular feature. Check out the complete list below.
1 You’ve Got A Friend In Me – Randy Newman 2 Welcome To the Cheap Seats – The Wonder Stuff 3 You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Stevie Wonder 4 Albatross – Fleetwood Mac 5 Fattie Fattie – Clancy Eccles 6 Starman – David Bowie 7 Warszawa – Donny McCaslin 8 Rose Coloured Glasses – Millie Jackson 9 I May Not Be What You Want – Mel and Tim 10 Love Me Tender – Mick Ronson 11 (Hard)core Memories – Glytsh 12 SBB (Lo Fi Demo) – Ideal Husband 13 Rêvalité – -M- 14 Kung Fu Fighting – Carl Douglas 15 Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee – Doris Day 16 The Boys Are Back In Town – Thin Lizzy 17 Sour Milk – Ruby Addy 18 Stuck! – Bull 19 Prince Andrew Is A Sweaty Nonce – The Kunts 20 Roads Leading Nowhere – Vaquelin
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
The Mayhem Artist Top 20 artist chart for June 2022 is here. Many of you know that I am a keen user of a site called Obscurify. It claims to tell you how obscure your listening on Spotify is. Compared to the rest of the UK I achieved a level of 97% more obscure than other users in the UK this month, one point up from last month’s 96%. Regular readers will know that it also lists my most obscure artists, which currently are;
Promethium (The British metal titans are back on the list!)
Johnny Nash (Seriously, why is the greatest singer that ever lived listed as obscure?)
Apollo Junction (An absolutely brilliant band from Leeds, very nice lads too)
Vaquelin (One of York’s finest young bands. You will be hearing more about them on this site soon)
Millie Manders and the Shut Up (Fabulous ska-punk outfit, but they are so much more than that. Millie has huge talent and a fantastic band) – Check out the “Not OK” video below
As for the June Top 20, only Dame David remains from the last chart, but this time he climbs from number six back up to the top of the pile. This was probably driven by me being at the David Bowie World Fan Convention in Liverpool a few weeks ago. That wonderful visit also accounts for French artist -M- (at number 10) who the supremely wonderful human being that is Gail Ann Dorsey is working with, the marvellous Donny McCaslin sitting at number six and the late, great Mick Ronson at eleven. There is a good amount of soul this month, including Aretha Franklin, Millie Jackson, and Mel & Tim. Reggae is represented by Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Upsetters, and the Dynamites. Given his history, Johnny Nash could be represented in the soul or reggae camp. There are plenty of classic rock artists including the Beatles, Rolling Stones, T Rex, and the Who. More recent classic acts are well represented by the Wonder Stuff and Suede. Kate Bush is in at number sixteen and I haven’t even seen Stranger Things 4 yet! Half Man Half Biscuit are in there because I went to see them with my mate John at leeds Uni Stylus. Cigarettes After Sex are at number seven. I planned to see them while I was on a business trip to Bologna, but things conspired against me so, sadly I missed them. I would love to hear your thoughts on this chart. Oh and keep your eyes open for the fourth Mayhem Monthly Song Chart, just like an old-school top 20 singles chart! That one includes songs by a few of the artists featured in the June Artist Chart.
1 David Bowie 2 The Wonder Stuff 3 Johnny Nash 4 Aretha Franklin 5 Millie Jackson 6 Donny McCaslin 7 Cigarettes After Sex 8 Suede 9 Half Man Half Biscuit 10 -M- 11 Mick Ronson 12 Bob Marley and the Wailers 13 The Upsetters 14 The Dynamites 15 Mel and Tim 16 Kate Bush 17 Beatles 18 T Rex 19 The Who 20 Rolling Stones
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
Just how did the final day of the rather spiffing David Bowie World Convention come around so quickly? I really don’t know, but here it is. the day kicked off really well as I managed to complete a great set of autographs in the “Little People, Big Dreams – David Bowie” (written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Ana Albero) for my 18-month-old grandson Leo. The book has dedications for Leo from John Cambridge, Woody Woodmansey, Donny McCaslin, Gail Ann Dorsey, Robin Clark, and Carlos Alomar. Carlos was kind enough to add a cartoon self-portrait. I plan to teach Leo everything I know about Dame David! I suspect that after the excellent Bowie Ball on Saturday night that there were a few sore heads in the audience for Sunday, but the schedule was busy and exciting.
Jonathan Barnbrook
Pegg, Duffy, Auliac, O’Regan
First up were a couple of very interesting and informative short films presented by the curators of the David Bowie Is exhibition, Victoria Broackes, and Geoffrey Marsh. This was followed by Jonathan Barnbrook a supremely talented designer who created the cover for Bowie’s final two albums and Heathen to name just a few. Not only is he a great designer he is also a confident and eloquent raconteur. His sense of humour is magnificent and frankly right up my street! After that Kevin Cann was back to facilitate a conversation with the owner and creator of the Duffy Archive, Chris Duffy. Chris is a talented photographer in his own right and his father was the person behind the iconic ‘Aladdin Sane’ album. Chris talked about his childhood, his father, Bowie, and many of the artists he has photographed. Very entertaining indeed! Chris returned for the next session in which Nicholas Pegg was in conversation with Mr. Duffy, Phillipe Auliac, and Denis O’Regan. It was pleasing to hear Phillipe say that it was him who shot Bowie not doing a Nazi salute at Victoria Station in 1976. I was there and there most definitely was not a nazi salute. The press turned a snapshot into a vile slur. O’Regan’s memories were enlightening, especially his story about the on-stage feuds between Mick and Keef. The final session was Nicholas Pegg in conversation with the obscenely talented Donny McCaslin. Donny went into great depths about the creation of ‘Black Star’ and the ‘No Plan’ EP. We learned that while Donny is a master of many instruments, the piccolo is not one of them. Donny shared some demos of his new project which is performing ‘Black Star’ and other Bowie songs with a full concert orchestra. The plan is for it to be performed for the first time in the US in September. Even the demos sounded magical, they made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I was washed with wonderfully warm emotions. Donny closed his session with a solo sax performance of, I think, “Warszawa”. Every session has been incredibly good, (apart from the NFT presentation on Friday), but I think Donny’s just about shaded it for me as the best of the whole weekend. Before we left we were treated to seeing all the remaining guests appear on stage as a final thank you.
Donny McCaslin
The 2nd David Bowie World Fan Convention is planned for June 2023 in New York, sadly I won’t be able to make that, but I am so glad I made it to Liverpool for this one. We met some great people, especially top bloke and our new friend Jeremy. Perhaps a slight disappointment was not being able to get into the incredibly limited capacity Bowie Quiz at Phase One. But that is minor and did not spoil a truly spectacular weekend!
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
Day 1 of the David Bowie World Fan Convention was good. Nicholas Pegg, writer, actor, Dalek, Twitter star, and wonderful interviewer facilitated sessions with Gail Ann Dorsey, Woody Woodmansey, RobinClark, and Carlos Alomar. Gail Ann Dorsey is an all-around wonderful human being she was really open about how sometimes she felt worried that she wasn’t very good. I have seen her play live and she is supremely talented! Woody Woodmansey has absolutely hilarious and extremely honest. Carlos Alomar was interviewed with his wonderful wife Robin Clark, what a stunning voice she has! They both came across as great people. I even got to ask them a question: “I was lucky enough to see David Bowie play live quite a few times from 1976 to 2004 and in every show, it seemed like Bowie and everyone on stage with him were really enjoying themselves, so what was your funniest moment on stage with David?” It was quite a brilliant but long reply focussing on Bowie’s sense of humour and how he turned Robin and Carlos on to British humour, including Monty Python. I thanked them both and added “nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition”. I was so pleased when Robin guffawed and looked over at me and said “Touche”, my day was made!
The evening drinks reception for us VIP guests at the British Music Experience in the Cunard Building was great, I will definitely be coming back to spend more time there, probably early next year with my delightful wife Catherine a.k.a Catwoman! A big shout out to a new friend and Bowie fanatic Jeremy too. His suggestion that I should dress up as the Laughing Gnome for the Bowie Ball tomorrow night was brilliant, I just wish that I thought of that ages ago! You can find a rather delightful video of me and Jeremy dancing to Madonna’s “Vogue” at the BME on the Mayhem Twitter account, our performance will definitely scare Madonna! Day 2 is looking good too, John Cambridge, Kevin Cann, and more from Gail, Woody, Robin, and Carlos!
Hello constant readers and music lovers, I am now in the fantastic city of Liverpool with my wonderful wife Catherine (a.k.a. Catwoman) for the David Bowie World fan Convention 2022. Three days of immersion into the extraordinary life and work of Dame David. I will get the opportunity to interact with many people who worked with Mr. Bowie, including Woody Woodmansey, Gail Ann Dorsey, Carlos Alomar, and many others like Nicholas Pegg who wrote the marvellous ‘The Complete David Bowie’ Perhaps it is quite fitting that I am writing this on the 50th anniversary of the release of the iconic ‘Ziggy Stardust’ album too. Is there anything you would like me to ask any of the guests? Just message me if there is and I will do my best to get a response for you. We have VIP tickets so that means early entry to most things. We are also looking forward to Saturday night and the star-studded Bowie Ball, we will be making extra effort to look like strange ones, maybe I will even dye my beard, paint my nails, and put on some makeup. There will be pictures! I will not be dressing like any particular period Bowie, our theme will come from a classic Bowie lyric, but I promise you that what Catwoman and I turn up in will be colourful! I plan to post daily about this wonderful event. Are any of you going? If so give me a shout! Love on ya xxx Bill
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
Here comes the third monthly Mayhem Top 20 Song Chart. This month’s number one is from a band that has featured on this site quite a few times and will continue to do so if they keep up the superb quality of their great music and live shows. They scraped into the artist chart at number 20 back in March. But now they follow Prairie Brigade and the Hazy Janes to hit the top spot in the song chart. Who am I talking about? A fabulous York band called Vaquelin with their current single “Roads Leading Nowhere”. They managed to hold off competition from Harry Styles who sits at number 2. There are a lot of oldies in this month’s chart, including Bill Withers, Love, Steely Dan, the O’Jays, the Clash, Mike and the Mechanics, Traffic, and the Sex Pistols. T.Rex take “Metal Guru into the top 20 for the second time in three months, it hit number 20 in March and sits at number 18 for May. David Bowie makes it three entries in a row and Roxy Music appear for their second month in a row. The oldest release on the list is “Alone Again Or”, a 1968 UK hit from Love at number 8. A really eerie cover of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” by M Ward hits number 6 and my favourite Professor Elemental song, “I Love Libraries” gets to number seven. There are also appearances from Leeds band Astoria at a very creditable number 4, the Institutes, Let’s Eat Grandma, and Kendrick Lamar. Eight artists featured in the Mayhem Top 20 Artist chart for May also feature on this list. We would love to hear your thoughts on the Mayhem Song Top 20 Chart as we hope to make it a regular feature. Check out the complete list below.
1 Roads Leading Nowhere – Vaquelin 2 Music For A Sushi Restaurant – Harry Styles 3 Goodbye Mr. Blue – Father John Misty 4 (Don’t) Turn Around – Astoria 5 Use Me (Live) – Bill Withers 6 Let’s Dance – M Ward 7 I Love Libraries – Professor Elemental 8 Alone Again Or – Love 9 Haitian Divorce – Steely Dan 10 All That You’ll Ever Know – The Institutes 11 The Living Years – Mike and the Mechanics 12 London Calling – The Clash 13 Pyjamarama – Roxy Music 14 I Dig Your Act – O’Jays 15 What In The World – David Bowie 16 United In Grief – Kendrick Lamar 17 Happy New Year – Let’s Eat Grandma 18 Metal Guru – T Rex 19 Freedom Rider – Traffic 20 Anarchy In The UK – Sex Pistols
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 