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Exclusive: Download “Diamanthunde” From John Vanderslice’s ‘Diamond Dogs’ Covers Album

By Tom Hawking on

Last month we published a lengthy interview with John Vanderslice about his David Bowie covers record, wherein he takes on and reinterprets Diamond Dogs in its entirety. He was kind enough to send us a copy of the album, which has been getting a healthy workout on the stereo here at Flavorpill Central ever since. Now, dear readers, you can get in on the action, because we have a track to share with you: “Diamanthunde,” which is Vanderslice’s reworking of the album’s title track. Click through to download it, and also to read JV’s reflections on how he approached re-recording the song. You’re welcome! … Read More

Music

The Collected Wisdom of David Bowie

By Tom Hawking on

As we wrap up Bowie Week™, we thought we’d do so with a selection of quotes from our hero about the important things in life. As you might expect, someone who’s had such a remarkable career has some rather fascinating things to say about life, love, art and a variety of other topics over the years. We’ve read and listened to a whole bunch of interviews with Bowie and chosen some of the excerpts that most resonated. Gentle readers: the collected wisdom of David Bowie. … Read More

Music

David Bowie’s Rare Fashion Disasters: A Career Retrospective

By Tom Hawking on

As you’ve probably gathered, we’re pretty big David Bowie fans here, and we’re as much in awe of his sense of style as everyone else. Still, even the greatest aren’t immune to fashion missteps — a fact that we find perversely reassuring, if we’re honest — and as proof, here’s a selection of photos of Bowie captured in moments when the mask wasn’t sitting quite as elegantly as it might have… Read More

Music

Is David Bowie Going to Tour or Not? A Review of Evidence

By Tom Hawking on

Ever since The Next Day was announced, there’s been no end of speculation over whether or not its creator would be playing live shows. Clearly, the answer we’re all fervently hoping for is “Yes,” especially if, like your correspondent, you’ve never seen the great man play live. Bowie himself has remained steadfastly silent on the question of whether or not he’ll tour, and as such, the music press has been seizing on any and every utterance from people close to him on the subject. We’re not immune to the excitement, of course, so here’s a roundup of everything that’s been said. And our verdict? It’s looking more promising by the day, put it that way. … Read More

Music

A Journey Through the 12 Ages of David Bowie

By Tom Hawking on

As we noted earlier this week, David Bowie’s ever-evolving image has been the subject of more interest than pretty much any musician we can think of. Part of the reason for this, of course, is that it’s just so damn interesting — over the course of his career, Bowie’s moved from persona to persona like he’s trying on new coats at the thrift store, creating an image that’s always changing and always fascinating. As such, as part of Flavorwire’s David Bowie Week™, we thought we’d start at the beginning and go on a journey through the life of his most memorable incarnations. You’re more than welcome! … Read More

Celebrity

10 Profane Pearls of Wisdom from Nick Cave’s SXSW Panel

By Jason Bailey on

AUSTIN, TX: Just as his Tuesday morning “conversation” panel at SXSW was beginning, singer/songwriter/author/screenwriter Nick Cave looked down at the bank of snapping photographers in front of the stage and asked, not unreasonably, “Are you guys gonna be doing that the whole fucking time?” He then came up with a solution: “Shall we do that now, and then we’ll talk?” So he and his moderator, writer Larry Ratso Sloman, spent a minute or so animatedly posing for photographs (the images here were taken during that portion). And then they got down to business, discussing his influences, biography, and theories on writing. … Read More

Music

A Selection of Great Underrated David Bowie Tracks

By Tom Hawking on

If you hadn’t guessed by now, we really do rather like David Bowie, and we’ve been on something of a Bowie binge in the lead-up to the release of The Next Day. In the process, we’ve ended up revisiting some material that we haven’t heard in quite some time — with such an extensive back catalog, it’s inevitable that some songs and records get neglected, so it’s been a pleasure to listen again to some of the more oft-forgotten corners of Bowie’s discography. We thought we’d share some of our favorites — do let us know what yours are! (And yes, we even revisited Tin Machine. Pray for us.) … Read More

Music

‘The Next Day’: Meet David Bowie’s Final Incarnation, Meta-Bowie

By Tom Hawking on

David Bowie’s penchant for periodic stylistic skin-sheddings has been analyzed nearly as much as his music, so much so that it’s become something of a music industry cliché to call him a “chameleon” or a “master of reinvention.” As such, part of the interest in his unexpected return was the possibility of a new incarnation for its creator. Would a new album bring a new Bowie? Well, now that we’ve had a chance to digest The Next Day, it appears that the answer is: yes. And no. … Read More

Music

The 10 Albums You Need to Hear in March

By Tom Hawking on

We’ve spent most of the week trawling the depths of our record collection, but now it’s time to direct our attention to the albums we might be adding to said collection in the next few weeks — March is looking pretty decent for new releases, and as ever, we’ve selected the ten albums we reckon will be most worth listening to over the course of the month (along with all the other notable albums scheduled for release, good and bad.) We’re always interested to know what our readers are going to be listening to, too, so do let us know in the comments section. … Read More

Music

A Brief History of Morrissey’s Many, Many Feuds

By Tom Hawking on

Unless you’ve been under a rock this week, you’ve doubtless heard about the slanging match between Morrissey and Jimmy Kimmel, centering on the former’s decision to cancel his appearance on the latter’s show. Morrissey is famous for hating just about everyone who isn’t an animal, so much so that it gets rather difficult to keep track of who he’s feuding with at any given moment. It’s also hard to keep track of whether such feuds represent a man more sinned against than sinning — the Kimmel thing, for instance, has generally been framed as Morrissey being Morrissey, whereas a less cursory examination of the facts reveal that he actually had a point. This isn’t always the case, of course, so we thought we’d review the history of some of his most memorable spats and the reasons behind them. … Read More