For immediate release 24th April 2002
The Museum of Television and Radio Presents
DAVID BOWIE: SOUND + VISION
June 7 to September 15, 2002
Screening Series to Feature:
Rarely seen performances, outtakes, documentaries, and interviews
More than fifty music videos, including "Life on Mars?," "Ashes To Ashes," "Let's Dance," "Jazzin' For Blue Jean," "Thursday's Child," and many more.
Alan Yentob's classic BBC documentary Cracked Actor.
Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY - The Museum of Television & Radio will present the first-ever retrospective devoted to the extraordinary career of David Bowie, June 7 through September 15, 2002. David Bowie: Sound + Vision also marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, the album that not only ushered in the glam era but also thrust its creator to superstardom. Culled from archives around the world, as well as Bowie's own personal library, this screening series will showcase the artist's pioneering work in the music video form along with rarely seen performances, outtakes, documentaries, and interviews. Organized chronologically and comprised of nearly one hundred elements, this five-part screening series traces the evolution of a rock icon who, over five decades, has continually reinvented himself and his art. David Bowie: Sound + Vision will screen in New York on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00 p.m.; in Los Angeles screenings will be Wednesdays to Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Evening screenings in New York are Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. and Fridays at 7:00 p.m., and in Los Angeles on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. An audio component will run concurrently in the Radio Listening Room in both cities.
The screening schedule follows:
PART ONE, 1964-74
June 7 to 23 in New York and Los Angeles
Bowie pulled together so many disparate elements in the conception and presentation of his pansexual "plastic rock 'n' roll singer' Ziggy Stardust that his arrival on the pop culture landscape was nothing short of seismic. Highlights include Ziggy's debut on The Old Grey Whistle Test; an early documentary look at Ziggymania; a series of promos filmed by Mick Rock and characterized by critic Lester Bangs as "the very moment the modern idea of a rock video was born"; and "The 1980 Floor Show," an extravagantly choreographed spectacle of rock theater staged for The Midnight Special. (approximately 100 minutes).
PART TWO, 1974-76
June 25 to July 14 in New York
June 26 to July 14 in Los Angeles
Embracing the R&B inflections of black music, Bowie positioned himself as a stripped-down soul man and finally cracked the American mainstream. Highlights include the astonishing documentary Cracked Actor, and Bowie's appearances on Cher and Dinah!. (approximately 100 minutes).
PART THREE, 1977-82
July 16 to August 4 in New York
July 17 to August 4 in Los Angeles
Bowie's experiments with collagist songwriting extended to video as well; his stunning disengagement of lyric from image in "Ashes To Ashes" established a vocabulary of surrealism enacted by countless followers. Highlights include videos from Low, "Heroes," Lodger, and Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps); Bowie's avant-garde performance on Saturday Night Live; and rarely seen concert footage from German and Japanese television. (approximately 100 minutes).
PART FOUR, 1983-90
August 6 to 25 in New York
August 7 to 25 in Los Angeles
With the 1983 release of Let's Dance and its new wave anthem title track, the subsequent world-encompassing Serious Moonlight tour, and a string of sleek and danceable video singles, Bowie set the pace for the MTV eighties. Highlights include videos from Let's Dance, Tonight, and Never Let Me Down; Richochet, a seldom-seen chronicle of Bowie on tour in southeast Asia; the long-form narrative video Jazzin' for Blue Jean; and rare performance footage of Bowie's alt-rock band Tin Machine. (approximately 100 minutes).
PART FIVE, 1991-2002
August 27 to September 15 in New York
August 28 to September 15 in Los Angeles
Bowie charged through the 1990s as a great influence on the rock scene whole breaking artistic and technological ground with BowieNet, the world's first artist-created web portal. Highlights include the controversial videos "Heart's Filthy Lesson" and "I'm Afraid Of Americans"; the premiere of "Little Wonder" on VH1's Fashion Music Awards; studio footage from the Black Tie White Noise and 'hours...' sessions; and exclusive BowieNet content. (approximately 100 minutes).
RADIO LISTENING SERIES
Hazy Cosmic Jive
June 7 to September 15
In this 1977 interview David Bowie, a notoriously evasive personality, is "ready to finally talk candidly," according to interviewer Dave Herman. The "real David Bowie" discusses his artistic principles and aspirations, his relationship to his unworldly characters, and his approach to rock 'n' roll as an expressive and transient medium. Interspersed with the dialogue are some of Bowie's best-loved songs from the 1970s: "Starman," "Changes," "Young Americans," "Rebel Rebel," "Fame," and others (102 minutes). Also featured in the listening series will be Bowie's private 1999 concert at the Kit Kat Klub, as well as a segment of BowieRadio from BowieNet. In this, David Bowie is the DJ, introducing and playing some of his favorite songs from his private collection.
Screenings and listening series are included with suggested Museum admission: Members free; $6.00 for adults; $4.00 for senior citizens and students; and $3.00 for children under thirteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles.
The Museum of Television & Radio, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, is a nonprofit organization founded by William S. Paley to collect and preserve television and radio programs and advertisements, and to make them available to the public. From its inception in 1975, the Museum has organized exhibitions, screening and listening series, seminars, and education classes to showcase its collection of over 100,000 television and radio programs and advertisements. Programs in the Museum's permanent collection are selected for their artistic, cultural, and historic significance. The Museum has initiated a process to acquire Internet programming for the collection.
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The Museum of Television & Radio in California, located at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, is open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. and until 9:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The Museum of Television & Radio in New York, located at 25 West 52 Street in Manhattan, is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m., until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays, and Friday evenings until 9:00 p.m. (theaters only). Both Museums are closed on New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Suggested contribution: Members free; $6.00 for adults; $4.00 for senior citizens and students; and $3.00 for children under thirteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles. The public areas in both Museums are accessible to wheelchairs and assisted listening devices are available. Programs are subject to change. You may call the Museum in Los Angeles at (310) 786-1000 or in New York at (212) 621-6800. The Museum's World Wide Web site may be accessed at http://www.mtr.org
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