Bowie is Back. A New Single for Major Tom

David Bowie has been hiding out for the last eight years. Ever since his stint with Arcade Fire back in 2006, there hasn't been a peep from Mr. Stardust. There were rumors that he was ill, there were no personal updates on his website, and he even refused to play the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

But today, low and behold, on his 66th birthday he has returned with a single that is a somber triumph "Where Are They Now?" The single's lyrics are reflective, and quite solidly based in Berlin. We get the idea that his surroundings are quite familiar but that it is he who is out of sync. It seems when he sings the lyric "walking the dead" he is conjuring up ghosts, then he sings "a man lost in time" about himself as he wonders through the streets. We get the idea that he is feeling quite small in the crowd. With a chorus that is so similar to the verse you barely notice it's happening, and such a subdued climax that seems it is a memory of a climax rather than an actual climax, the song captures this emotion perfectly.



BOWIE'S BERLIN DAYS OF THE PAST

The somberness of this single made me think of the tracks at the end of Low. I got thinking about his younger days in Berlin in the late 70's, when he shepherded Iggy Pop after Iggy kicked dope. In a 1979 interview in Rolling Stone, Bowie explains that he had to leave Los Angeles because he was caught up with drugs and what he called "toxic people." Bowie said "It drove me utterly and totally out of my skull in Los Angeles. I got very near the edge. I did fear for my sanity. Well, I didn't, actually; I was fortunate enough in that I had a couple of friends who sent me off to Jamaica to recuperate, and said, 'Don't go back to America.' So I didn't. And I ended up in Berlin."

What transpired after his exodus from America was a golden age in his productivity, it seemed he was flooded with ideas. He was young, handsome and in great demand. In 1979, when he was interviewed by Rolling Stone, he was making the film "Just a Gigolo" with Kim Novak. Even though he was being offered hundreds of roles, he resented being typecast as an oddity: "I play either awkward people or fanatics. The right person in the wrong time. Or the wrong person in the right time. Never will I quite match."

Here is the link to the full Rolling Stone article: http://www.bowiegoldenyears.com/articles/791004-rollingstone.html

Maybe he was "the right person at the wrong time" to become a big name actor, but in the music world he has been the right person at the right time. "Where Are They Now" is one of his best songs in years and it is beautiful in its restraint. It's kind of a sleeper for a solo single, but maybe he's just a little melancholy these days. That suits me fine, because I am a little melancholy these days too. I will be looking forward to the album, which will be released in March, but if the single is any indication it should be an absolute pleasure. Happy Birthday, Mr. Stardust.

Bowie and Iggy Pop in Berlin

Mod Babes of Yesterday

COOLEST SPOTS IN THE MALIBU AREA

THE COOLEST SPOTS IN THE MALIBU AREA

“Happiness consists in realizing it is all a great strange dream.” ― Jack Kerouac

The Los Angeles area has lots of beaches, like Santa Monica and Venice Beach. I, personally, am not really a fan of either. Santa Monica is too sterile and Venice is too dirty, but there is dreamy and glorious nature to the north in Malibu. It takes a little longer to get here from L.A. proper, but the beauty here will knock you out. The following are some of the coolest places to let your hair down.

EL MATADOR BEACH
For Drama and seclusion there is no better place. You must walk long staircases that cling to the cliffs down to the beach. The rock formations and coves are romantic and rugged. Have a picnic and sit back and dream about pirates and mermaids. It is remote, so there will be no one to distract you.

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves,
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back,
When the wind blows the water white and black.

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea,
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown,
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

Excerpt from T.S. Eliot


FOR YOUR PICNIC
It is not legal to drink on the beach, but that has never stopped me and my friends, and a picnic is always better with wine. I'm not advocating breaking the law (hey, I'm a lover not a fighter) but if you choose to add vino to your picnic (maybe near the beach rather than on the beach) there are these pretty cool wines that are sold by the glass in grocery and convenience stores, which I think are a convenient idea.
------ Copa Divino wine by the glass--- https://www.copadivino.com/

THE MALIBU INN
This is a kitchy place with old western saloon doors straight out of a spaghetti western. You can sit in the woodpaneled vintage interior or on the outdoor patio showcasing an old VW bug. This place radiates the sun-addled surfer/hippie vibe and does not take itself seriously. I highly recommend the "Highway to Hell" burger, which features jalepenos and chipotle. Some of the prices are a little high for a divey spot but there are $2 Taco Tuesdays if you are on a budget. It's a fun little spot with a pool table, and it is also a venue for bands with a Beach Boys bent. It's a fun little spot just across the street from the ocean.

http://www.themalibuinn.com/

THE CORNELL TASTING ROOM
An amazing little known spot is a gorgeous old western style tasting room in Malibu/Agoura Hills high country. If you do a tasting you can sit a long grand table under a chandelier surrounded by photographs and art by local artists. A great little place. Then head next door to The Old Place for a bite. http://www.cornellwinery.com/

THE OLD PLACE CORNELL
After you get a nice little buzz going, mosey on over to the old west style saloon with gourmet grub. A moonshiner shack with a piano in the corner, this is a warm and fun hangout especially when bands play.

http://www.oldplacecornell.com/

“Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry.” ― Jack Kerouac

Gene Kelly tap dancing on rollerskates

(skip to 1:40) Gene. F'ing. Kelly.

The world's greatest troubadour and the vintage chantuese

It's a restless January evening and I can't stop wishing it was 1969. It's raining hard in southern California, which almost never happens, and the lyrics have been repeating in my brain like comforting mantras. I need more poetry in my life. And I should be listening to this on vinyl!

Just thought I would share some sweet vintage photos that show a little skin (starring francoise, jane, brigitte, and janis--for whom this song was written) with the all-too-human lyrics by my favorite poet/troubadour to warm you on a chilly night. (Just press play below.) Now, for some red wine and salty tears...





I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel,
you were talking so brave and so sweet,
giving me head on the unmade bed,
while the limousines wait in the street.
Those were the reasons and that was New York,
we were running for the money and the flesh.
And that was called love for the workers in song
probably still is for those of them left.








I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel
you were famous, your heart was a legend.
You told me again you preferred handsome men
but for me you would make an exception.
And clenching your fist for the ones like us
who are oppressed by the figures of beauty,
you fixed yourself, you said, "Well never mind,
we are ugly but we have the music."




And then you got away, didn't you babe...

I don't mean to suggest that I loved you the best,
I can't keep track of each fallen robin.
I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel,
that's all, I don't even think of you that often.


(Now don't you wish it was 1969, too?)

steam age dreams: the beginning of filmmaking

George Melies from 1906 and before. Amazing with beautiful girls on stars floating by...


A trip to the Moon 1902: