January
FEBRUARY
March
April
May
A WEEKLY DIARY EXCLUSIVELY WRITTEN FOR MIRABELLE MAGAZINE
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1975 January FEBRUARY March April May |
A WEEKLY DIARY EXCLUSIVELY WRITTEN FOR MIRABELLE MAGAZINE
|
Hello there!
Looks like I'm not going to Brazil after all - at least, not for the reason that was originally planned.
At first I was going to do some of my shows for the Brazilians, and now it looks like I'm just going to take a holiday in the tropics. I had a really crazy idea: I was going to take an early ship that would drop me off at one end of Brazil and then I was going to drive a car all along the Amazon River until I came to Rio.
Well, I dumped that idea when I discovered that that would mean quite a number of miles - thousands maybe - so I'll have to discover the South American landscape some other time! Now, what I'm doing is taking a ship straight to Rio. It's such an exciting city and I can't wait to just relax for a while. I wish I were going during Carnival time. It's supposed to be really incredible - the festivities are wild. Everyone wears costumes and they dance - and people from all over the world come to celebrate! But, I'm sure Rio is pretty wild all year round so I'm not too upset that I'm missing out on the Carnival.
Speaking of wild costumes and people dancing and acting crazy - I've just gone to see the most amazing show! You may have heard something about it - it's called 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' - and I must say it's one of the most bizarre shows I've ever seen, besides mine, of course! All the characters from all the old Beatles' songs come to life right before your very eyes! Strawberry Fields is a really pretty girl with a fabulous voice; Mr. Kite is a glitter rock star; Rita, the meter maid, turns out to be a man. The costumes and sets are just spectacular - and everyone in the show is super talented. It's one of the biggest hits in New York these days and soon the whole show will go on the road. It's even set to go to Japan, so it looks like it may come your way, too!
Some of the dates for my European tour have been set. As it stands now, I'll be starting in the Scandinavian countries in March. I'm not looking forward to the cold at all! I'd like to invent something that you can just maybe spray all over you that keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer - wouldn't that be fabulous! It would be a weather repellent! I'd better get started working on that one!
Zows has been playing truant from school, lately. Well, it's not really truant - he's been a bit sick. So, Angie and I have been teaching him at home. What a scene! I'm constantly surrounded by paints, colouring books and alphabet books - they start them early on their A to Z over here!
I've been trying to trick Zows by telling him a letter is a D when it's really a B and so on, but he isn't ever fooled and by now he thinks his dad should go back to nursery school and start all over again! I wouldn't mind colouring, painting and playing with blocks all day!
I see by the clock on the wall that it's time for my next lesson, so I'd better be going.
TV talk shows are really popular over here and I have to tell you that I've just succumbed and been on one of them! I really was a bit nervous before I went on 'cos it's a lot different than just going out there and singing songs - you never know what kind of questions you're going to be asked. But the M.C. Dick Cavett and I got along very well - and it was almost like sitting in my living-room and talking to a friend. I don't think I'll do it again too soon though, 'cos it was a bit scary knowing that millions of people are sitting in front of their TVs watching me!
A few weeks ago, when I went to see Dana do her show at Reno Sweeney's - that's a club in New York I told you about - I had the pleasure of sitting with Bob Dylan and Bette Midler, two of my favourite performers. Dana really moves in her show, you know. She dances, bumps and wriggles - she really is a sight to behold. So, inspired by Dana, Bette and I decided to start a new dance craze! At first when we talked about it, we weren't really serious, but then we got into it more and more until Bette convinced me to go into the studio and record a dance song for her! Can you believe it? Me getting into the field of disco music!
Well, anyway, I've done the demo and I've named it 'Do The Ruby'! I'm counting on 'The Ruby' to sweep all over the world as soon as Bette and I figure out what all the steps that go with it will be! Bette wants to record 'Do The Ruby' and put it on one of her albums, too! So make sure you listen for more news of 'The Ruby' - be the first in your city or town to learn it!
8th February 1975
Freddie Burrett came over for dinner the other night. It was really great to see him, 'cos even though he's been here for ages, we haven't got together for quite a while and we had a lot to talk about! He told me me he never wants to see another sequin or feather boa again. He's completely off the glitter look and is getting back into the classic elegance of haute couture (as he puts it). Actually, his ideas are quite fabulous. He's working with furs now and I'm so impressed with his designs that I've put in my order for my first fur! It should be really beautiful - very slimly cut.
Freddie's greatly influenced by Italian fashion currently, so anyone he dresses, including me, will no doubt wind up looking like an Italian Count. Next, Freddie will try to convince me to grow a pencil thin moustache like the one he wears. I'll try very hard to resist the urge!
We had quite a party in town the other night. Before they went home, all of Dana's band members, Dana and I decided to have an impromptu get-together. All the band are Ronno's old friends from Hull, except for the drummer and the keyboard player who was my musical director on the last tour - so we all knew each other really well and swapped stories about the good old days. Did you know that Ronno used to be a gardener at an all-girls' school in Hull? He was quite popular there, until the authorities noticed that all the girls' grades were going down and the quantity of weeds were going up! Anyway, Ronno's come a long way since then!
The biggest news at MainMan these days is that Tony DeFries (my manager) may begin to manage Raquel Welch! Just think, I won't be the only sex symbol in the MainMan stable of talent! I don't know if I'll be able to stand the competition - only kidding!
Angie has been playing matchmaker again. The last time she was over here, she introduced Geoffrey, my back-up singer and best friend to this French girlfriend of hers. Well, Geoffrey has fallen in love! His girlfriend lives in Europe now, so Geoffrey is dying to get back there. They talk to each other every day on the telephone (very expensive) and Geoffrey talks of no one else. Ah, love, isn't it wonderful?!
Just lately I've become a backgammon addict. Backgammon is the dice game that it seems everyone over here in the States has been playing for quite a while. In fact, that's why I've resisted learning it for so long, 'cos it's so chic. Anyway, finally I gave in and let some of my friends teach me.
Of course, I now love the game and play it every chance I get. I've even started betting on the games and owe my guitarist fifty dollars, which I'm determined to win back!
I've really been getting into soul music just recently. It could be the result of my trip to Detroit which is the centre of that particular brand of music these days.
Anyway, I included more soul songs in my recent concerts, and they really did make the shows a lot more exciting.
Well, I think I'll try to dig up a partner for backgammon now - I can feel that gambling urge coming on! So long for now.
Things are just changing so quickly around here! I'm staying in New York for a while longer and I'm not going to Brazil at all - even for a vacation. They've got an epidemic of some strange disease down there, and so I decided it would be safer to stay here!
But, I've got some very exciting news! I'm finally going to make the film I've been wanting to do for so long! It's going to have a 'Diamond Dogs' theme and I start right away! It's been in the planning stages ever since the 'Diamond Dogs' idea came into my mind (that seems so long ago) and now it's finally in pre-production! But, the sad news is that doesn't leave me any time for a European tour.
My return to Europe is going to be delayed, but actually that will give me more time to get it in shape. Mind you, I don't expect it to be easy making a movie, but always being on the road takes more out of a person than you can imagine!
I spoke to Ronno the other day and he's starting a new band with Ian of Mott The Hoople. It's bound to be fabulous when the two of them get together. I can't wait to see what they come up with. Mick's over here now working as guitarist and arranger for Lou Reed, so it seems that he's got a pretty heavy schedule set up for himself! Mick and Susie (his assistant) still haven't had much luck in finding a house, so they think they'll probably have to settle for a flat in town. Looks like Mick's never going to get back into the country way of life again, much to his dismay!
Speaking of flats - I'm pondering about moving again. Isn't that crazy? No sooner do I have time to spend in my apartment that I want to change into a new one. Anyway, I put out word to all the people at MainMan to keep an eye out for a new place. This apartment better be sound-proofed, because I'm getting a few complaints from neighbours who aren't used to musicians living so close by. I try to blame all the racket on Zows, but I'm afraid no one's falling for that excuse! They all think Zowie is a little angel - well, he does look rather like one!
I must bid you a fond adieu now.
Meet you here again in the pages of Mirabelle next week.
I'm turning into quite a mad-movie maker these days! As I told you, I'm making that 'Diamond Dogs' film and I'm really getting into it. Every room in the house is just littered with spools of video tape and people have to be careful wherever they walk so as not to trip over wires from the various machines, photographs or odd lengths of film.
I had some friends over the other night and I'm afraid I nearly drove them crazy with my latest artistic endeavour. They walked into the living-room and had to climb over three stereos (for my mood music), my video tape machine, four big lights (the kind they use on movie sets) and reams and reams of paper which I had scattered all about. The paper, you see, is what I use to write down all my plot ideas and scene ideas and such, but when the time comes for me to refer to all my notes I don't know if I'll ever be able to find them! My friends also had to make sure they avoided stepping on all of Zows' toys, which contributed greatly to the overall mess!
If my guests thought they were in for a quiet evening - they had another think coming! We'd get into what appeared to be civilised conversation and then I'd suddenly leap up, grab my video tape camera and proceed to take pictures of everyone talking! Of course, no one really wanted to talk with a camera pointed in his face, so I abandoned that for a while - much to everyone's relief, I might add!
I didn't stop completely, though. This film-making fever has really overtaken me! I kept adjusting lights, photographing people on the sly and jotting down notes whenever I had a brainstorm and thoroughly drove everyone nuts! My reputation as a fabulous host must be suffering a bit at this point. I even made everyone sit still as I showed them films of what I had already done, but, luckily in this first 'public' tryout, the audience received the first rushes (as we in the movie biz call them) very well.
I've just lately acquired the nickname of 'Machine Man' - I don't know if that's a compliment or not - but it seems that currently no one sees me without a camera around my neck, or fiddling around with my stereo or some toy that I use in my work.
So this is David Bowie alias Machine Man signing off for this week...
| Created: July 1997 © Paul Kinder | Last Updated: 15/7/17 |