David Bowie Wonderworld: Live MSN Chat with David Bowie 17/6/2002

MSN Chat with David Bowie 17/6/02

Live MSN Chat with David Bowie - 17/6/02

Session Start: Monday June 17th 19:00:00 2002

Digital Dish Diva: Welcome to MSN Live. Tonight we are LIVE from New York where we are pleased to welcome legendary artist, David Bowie.

Digital Dish Diva: Last Tuesday David released his latest effort "Heathen." Tonight he is onstage and answering YOUR questions.

Digital Dish Diva: Thank you to David Bowie for joining us tonight on MSN Live! Pick up David Bowie's latest CD "Heathen" now!

Digital Dish Diva: David, welcome to MSN Live! It's so great to have you here!

David Bowie: It's so great to be here. It's a beautiful day here in New York.

Digital Dish Diva: We have audience members from around the world joining us tonight with so many great questions! So let's get started!

Mr_Bastage in Onstage4: David, Roseland rocked - Warszawa live WOW! "Heathen" is incredible and the band is super tight! You seem to have come out of another "shell". It sounds as if you are so much more comfortable with the world around. What inspires you at this point?

David Bowie: Hi, Mr. Bastage. I was so happy with Roseland the other night. It was great to put together a show with music 25 years apart and I'm glad it went over well. What inspires me the most is that I still can write. It's something I do almost without thinking about anymore. There's not a day that goes by that I don't write something melodically or lyrically

WindsOfMarch in Onstage4: How is your new baby? How do you like being a father at this point in your life?

David Bowie: Lexi, as we call her at home, is just fantastic. This evening we were sitting on the terrace, even though it was day, the moon had just come out. She just went CRAZY and started jumping up and down saying, "Moon up in sky!!" And had to bring out all her books that had the moon in it and we had to compare the pictures. Twenty two months is a great age.

babygrace9 in Onstage4: David, thanks for "Heathen." It's fantastic. Congrats on the number 5 on the UK charts! What's your favorite track on "Heathen"?

David Bowie: I think I'm not alone in really liking the track "5:15 The Angels Have Gone" from "Heathen." It's been a joy working with Tony Visconti again and I believe he brings so much to my songs, not just support. He's a great musician and strings arranger as well.

Manolis_Varnasactor1 in Onstage4: David what was the hardest part in your opinion recording your album "Heathen"? BTW your music ROOOOOOCKS

David Bowie: My answer to that is a bit contrary. It was easy to record "Heathen." It was as if it was lying in wait to be made. The songs themselves and the arrangements were very easy to organize. Strangely enough, the hard part was knowing which songs not to include I'm tempted to release them later. I can't wait to get back into the studio.

moonaje in Onstage1: David what is the most important lesson on life that you would like to instill in your new child?

David Bowie: Hopefully the same thing I tried to encourage in my son Duncan, which is a thirst for learning. It's not the subject matter that's important. It's the desire to want to learn and how to collect and take knowledge in. If you have a thirst for life it will take you through so many depressing periods and you'll have a wider panorama.

Destructogrl in Onstage1: What is your secret to looking so good at your age?

David Bowie: Since 1973 or so, I had a lifemask made of myself and I use it on all public occasions. (laughs)

David Bowie: I'm reverting to one I had made in 1985 to keep reality about the situation.

Digital Dish Diva: Sitting next to David tonight I can hardly tell. (laughs)

agrathea in Onstage1: "Heathen" is a really moving album, David. I was listening to "Everyone Says Hi" the other day, and, considering the theme of the album, would that sound have a double meaning as a conversation to someone who has actually passed away?

David Bowie: Yes indeed, "Everyone Says "Hi" everyone seems jolly in tone, but is about the passing away of somebody. It was a general song about losing someone in one's life and wasn't written about anyone specifically. I had the sense of when my father died, and it seemed he had only gone away for a while and it was some time for me to reconcile that he wasn't coming back.

beautyandthebeat2 in Onstage4: Among rock stars you seem to rank among the only ones who can act. Any future roles in the horizon?

David Bowie: I really loathe acting in a movie, so much time is wasted on a daily basis. I would love to be a movie star and be on posters, but I'm a little Peter O'Toole about that. I enjoy stage acting more than movie acting. Ironically I've just been offered the role of Dr. Treeves.

Yassassin in Onstage1: Is there any song you've written which you'd refuse to play any under any circumstances?

David Bowie: I think I refused to play this one under most circumstances "Rebel Rebel" as I get older. I don't want to define a song that is generational. This one is hard to give a credible performance, so that means I will probably be redoing it at age 60 perversely.

Tonileef1 in Onstage1: How do you feel about touring now that you have a little one at home? Will Iman and Lexi being doing some of the traveling with you?

David Bowie: Touring has become harder and harder for me. This new set of shows that I'm doing this year are actually not too many to cope with really. I'm doing about a dozen in Europe and a little more than a dozen in the States. Which means I'll be able to get home. We do about 6 weeks in Europe, then shows with Moby on the East Coast and then 7 shows on the West Coast. I would like to take a longer tour and take my family with me, but my daughter would need to be older to endure so long a duration.

EmberSwift in Onstage1: Did you aim for this kind of success when you were younger, or did it just come to you?

David Bowie: I think when I was younger, I wanted any kind of success at anything. For a while it vacillated between being a painter and musician. In the early 60's I thought I would write musicals. So becoming a solo artist isn't what I thought I would become. I still have to write that musical, but I don't think I have the discipline to write one off.

sommerset in Onstage4: David, when can we expect the follow-up to Outside and the Nathan Adler saga?

David Bowie: Brian Eno and I have made marks in our appointment books to talk about this every week. There are so many tapes to go through and put together in this so called trilogy. I know we'll both get something done sooner or later.

Vanilla Canoy in Onstage1: OMG! WOW! I've got soo many questions yet I forget them this moment. I'm in Cape Town, missed your appearances at clubs and such. Would love to see your sketches that you did from Signal Hill I think it was. Is there a website that I am able to view them?

David Bowie: Do you know, I must be honest, I can't remember what I did with those sketches. One of the exciting things I did, was review the Biennali in South Africa. It was exciting to see work done by older and younger South Africans.

stanley_white in Onstage1: Are you going to remix the "Ziggy Stardust" Soundtrack?

David Bowie: I think he's done a splendid job. I'm sorry that I've not taken much interest with the Ziggy Anniversary thing, all my attention has been on "Heathen."

EmberSwift in Onstage1: How do you feel about the 'new wave' Bowie fans, those 18 and younger? The people who are only now pulling out their parents old records?

David Bowie: I was always amazed at the average ages of the users of both my site and some of the other sites centered on my work. I believe that it's a lot of interest in younger folk being generated by people like Trent, and Billy Corgan, Moby, who have been so generous in citing me as inspiration. It's been terribly exciting getting feedback from young people as well as people from my age group. The generational span is quite huge.

surfergirlie55 in Onstage1: Will you ever write a book about your life? Las Vegas

David Bowie: Rather following in the line of "Harry Potter" I'll be writing 7 books and each one will be a different version of my life.

FairestHeathen in Onstage4: Congrats on "Heathen"! It's the MOSTEST! Can you please do the same setlist at Meltdown, as at Roseland (still high on Roseland)??

David Bowie: I think the Meltdown show will definitely have the same material as the Roseland show. I've been playing around with "shuffling the deck" so to speak and integrating the songs together and I might try that out.

HeIsJohn in Onstage4: "Heathen" is brilliant, but the significance of the desecrated artwork on the cover is escaping me. Can you explain it?

David Bowie: I think the subtext for the word 'Heathen' is one that is generally thought of as barbaric or Philistine, and iconoclastic in desecration. On the album cover many places are negated by a line running through it.

JohnnyFiasko in Onstage1: Is the band you have at the moment the one you're going to stay with until you end your work, or will there be other cooperations or other musicians?

David Bowie: As some of you probably know, the band I'm working with now, the majority have been with me for 5 or 6 years. The two additional players are Gerry Leonard who plays second lead guitar, and Catherine Russell. I now have the feeling we are one of the strongest bands I've ever worked with and it's very exciting to be on stage with them.

Manolis_Varnasactor1 in Onstage4: David do you change your baby's dippers or someone else is doing that?

David Bowie: When I find out what my babies dippers are, I'll decided whether I want to change them or not.

PARTYgirl_784 in Onstage1: David, can we expect the same spectacular show this tour with Moby as we are used to in the past?

David Bowie: In terms in visuals, I would expect a lot from the Blue Man Group and Moby himself. I shall wear a nice pair of trousers and interpret 20 or so of my songs to the best of my ability. I'm not feeling very theatrical these days.

Tripitaka01 in Onstage1: Who's your favorite comedian and what makes your wife laugh?

David Bowie: I'm willing to sit in front of any comedian. I just love comedians. Harry Hill is quite surreal. My wife laughs at me except when I'm trying to be funny, then she just gets a puzzled look on her face. I am happy to report she understands British humour and we can watch the same comedy shows.

Slugbugsie_Simone in Onstage4: Are there any more European shows gonna be added, or is Montreux gonna be the very last one?

David Bowie: There's already some talk of me coming back to Europe in September and at that point we may be doing more European shows.

Bowie-Fan in Onstage1: Sailor, is the Zappy still working??

David Bowie: Zappy, going good and strong. Gets me around SoHo, NoHo, HoHo. I wouldn't know what to do without my Zappy and now I see that they look like scooters, if one would go that far. One should buy the Lambretta anyway. I have found Zappy sites that are obsessed on piling on batteries without blowing up, but I don't think I'm going to take the chance.

SpiffTheAlmighty in Onstage1: David, any substance behind the rumors of Area2 being your last tour?

David Bowie: Wow, I didn't know this rumor. Absolutely not so. I shall be touring for many more years.

BunnyRave in Onstage1: Hello again. How do you take your tea?

David Bowie: If I were a tea drinker, I'd probably drink Earl Grey. I drink Japanese Green Tea. I had a terrifying experience with tea at 5 years old and haven't drunk it since.

Seagoddess1 in Onstage1: If someone asked you, what is the most proudest thing that you have done in your life?

David Bowie: Learning to tie my shoes when I was two and a half years old. I still think about it these days. It hurts me to see so many children running around with their shoes untied. They will never know the pride of a simple knot.

Digital Dish Diva: And your shoes do look so perfectly tied tonight.

DeAnO13071 in Onstage4: When you aren't touring and singing what do you do in your free time, David?

David Bowie: I've had a small stage constructed in our living room at home, in the shape of a huge 20 foot television screen and every night I perform for my wife and child. It's much cheaper than television and keeps me in shape. It serves as an adequate work out.

DBX1 in Onstage4: Invited by Sony, our tribute band David Bowie Experience played at the Danish release party for "Heathen." It was a beautiful night. We played several of your new songs and they were received so amazingly well. Everybody's looking forward to your concert in dk

David Bowie: Very happy and excited to be playing in Denmark. It won't be long now. Absolutely ecstatic that "Heathen" went to #1 in Denmark. I will tell Tony Visconti. He'll be xcited.

TerrificStarDusty in Onstage1: David, what song of yours does Lexi like?

David Bowie: She seems to favor "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship" at the moment.

Digital Dish Diva: David, that's all the time we have for tonight.

Digital Dish Diva: Thanks so much for joining all your fans from around the world!

David Bowie: I'm off for a date with my daughter and wife. A dinner. Thank you for joining me. Good night.

Session Close: Monday June 17th 2002

Last Updated: 11/8/02