how very strange that i have not written of the subject of David Bowie for a while. feels like a few months and no, i am not going to check on that, look you see. i suppose there has not been all that much to say, except to complain about what they have, or rather have not, done in celebration of the 50th anniversary of albums of such stature as Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust.
what they have gone done release, of course, is a new "film", and i am still not sure what to call it, exactly, called Moonage Daydream. certainly and surely it got released as September (2022) drew to an end, and that is when i saw it. just two (2) days after day of release, if you like, but it is only now i have managed to find the means to steal time to write of it.
and is it any good? yes. for those in a rush, yes it is. beautiful is the word i find myself using to describe it. even though it is a struggle to describe what it is. something of an abstract work of art, which is all the same so very precise. perhaps allow me to waffle on, see if that makes it make any sense.
the easiest, and most straightforward, thing to do is to make quite clear what Moonage Daydream is not. it certainly isn't a "biopic", and nor is it really a documentary, or if you will "rockumentary". overall, i suppose, it tells "a story" of David Bowie. linear, mostly, is the narrative. but it does not seek to go into the how, why, what immediately came next, what inspired this, why he did that.
somewhere north of 90% of the footage here is (obviously) archive footage of Bowie. certainly there are bits of "previously unseen" or "rare" film, but perhaps (as in absolutely) nowhere near as much as the marketing people would have you believe. for sound, arguably the most important aspect here, it's an astonishing mix of Bowie's music, with some different edits and demos mixing in with rather well known tunes. for a narration, extremely north of 90% of that is Bowie himself, with soundbites and clips taken from here and there narrating "a story". the only variation is an occasional instance of hearing, and seeing, an interviewer posing a question, and a lovely borrow of the most famous line Rutger Hauer ever said in any film. you don't need me to tell you what that line is.
fairly obvious to state that i had absolutely nothing to lose seeing this, as in a worst case i would witness and i would listen to two hours and fifteen minutes of David Bowie. which is likely what i would have done at home that sunday afternoon anyway, only without spending seriously inflated amounts on a drink and m and ms. but still, beautiful. yet flaws.
pictured above is a scene from the Ricochet documentary, available "online" and on the Serious Moonlight DVD. it is a documentary following David around the 'far east' (if that is what one calls Japan these days) on the tour of the same name of DVD in 1983. apparently him what made Moonage Daydream was a really, really big fan of this documentary (it isn't bad), in particular the scenes where we get to watch Bowie go up and down various Japanese escalators. i am assuming there is some symbolic reason this footage appears so often in Moonage Daydream, but by the 4th, maybe fifth, time i had seen it i felt that the point was being killed.
let me continue with some views that are not precisely positive, but also i don't feel are entirely negative. quite a few have taken to the web to complain (moan) about certain songs, albums or what have you being included in the movie (or film, or motion picture, or work of art). as far as i am aware it did not set out to do such. but when the film is bookended (as in it starts and ends with) by Bowie musings on the subject of time, i was left a bit confused as to not a single note of his song Time appearing. the director totes had access to Aladdin Sane so must know of it.
on the subject of online musings / reviews / moans / groans (which this, fair comment, could be), the most surprising one i saw was someone complaining that "Angie Bowie has been airbrushed out", and that Bowie's children do not feature. ahem. i wasn't keeping count, but Angie (in video and in photos) appeared probably more than Iman. for his children, in his life Bowie was always careful that no images of him with them would be in the public domain. so far as i am aware the only pictures ever to come out of such a nature were released by Duncan Jones (or Joe Jones, or Zowie Bowie) from the premiere of one of his films. again, this is not "Life of David Bowie". it's a work of art, celebrating his art.
yeah, go on then, a selfie of me (moi) as a selfie would be, in the cinema, come to the show tonight, pray to the light machine. indeed, in my time of exile, i did go see it alone. well, that felt apt. also i knew full well that at least at some parts i would get all emotional and there would be tears. very much this was indeed the case. rather pleasing to see a reasonably significant number of people there watching it to, mind. for a film that one could argue has "niche" appeal, around over 20 of us had decided to share space and watch this on a sunday afternoon.
moving away from anything likely to be "negative" and on to the sheer beauty of this. from the start it immediately hones in on any passion, love, devotion or whatever you may wish to call it for the subject matter, triggering joy and emotion at seeing Bowie in all his glory. a significant chunk of the first, say, ten or fifteen minutes is an avalanche of an onslaught to the senses used in watching a film quick cuts, sound manipulation, loads of flashing lights, all making you go "ooooh".
did i have a favourite element, or part? not really, not really, no, all of it was appreciated and embraced, just a few bits more than others. i wasn't really that fussed about footage previously unseen from gigs that have been marketed as "legendary", but still, interesting to see. certainly it seems there is an even bigger treasure trove of footage that i was aware of. mostly, then, the bits where it was doing "mix and mash", cutting footage in such a way that it suited the musical choice, and of course vice versa.
if it is still on at a cinema as and when you are reading this, and to go slightly not overtly positive once more, a tip for you. should you, at around an hour in, feel the need to go to the bathroom (or for a cigarette), then do it when you start seeing footage (like the above) from The Man Who Fell To Earth. i get that it was an important thing, but really? out of character with the rest of the motion picture (or work of art that Moonage Daydream is), we seem to get what felt like 8 - 10 minutes of a montage of footage from it. halving that might have let for some other key works to get a brief look in. no, there is absolutely no mention of Tin Machine, but i didn't expect it.
considerable thought, and effort, has gone (mostly) into what "soundbite" and/or piece of music accompanies the footage. perhaps that is stating the obvious, but with a bit of awareness that feels rather more pertinent than you might think. at one stage, when addressing "pop hit superstar 80s" Bowie, there's a comment from someone about him "settling for mainstream pop" and not being daring, or something to that effect. that plays over a very brief glimpse of the Loving The Alien video, a song which i would suggest features some of the bravest, boldest things he ever recorded.
glimpses of what one might call "David Bowie in private" are given. the subject of his hobbies comes up, and thus an exceptionally rare glimpse of his paintings and sculptures are showcased. i am not art critic, but it was fascinating to see what his mind compelled him to produce away from music. but, mostly, this, Moonage Daydream is an artistic expression of his main art, and a tacit yet overt look at how it impacted people, what it did for them. us. me.
just another still from Ricochet there for you. including only two (2) from it feels like i am short changing all of you in giving an idea of what the experience of Moonage Daydream is like. well, like for quite a few moments.
ultimately, i think, Moonage Daydream is a bit of a "mirror" for fans. let me try and word this correctly. it wasn't that people loved what David Bowie did, it is that he was loved, held in affection, and valued because of what he did. he was a great big giant magnet for people who felt isolated, displaced, in some way not feeling like they belonged. he said oh no, love, you're not alone. he beckoned us to give us his hands, because we're wonderful. he told us we could be safer, that we could be us, even if just for one day. none of his background, biography or inspirations really mattered in the face of that. something felt by millions over the decades, around the world, was something he felt. he had the gifts and skills to, but most importantly he had the courage and compassion, to simply stand up, expose his sense of it, and sing it to the world. we did tune in.
watching Moonage Daydream to see what got "left out" is a pretty pointless experience. rather appreciate, indulge or plain embrace the sense and sentiment selected here. i have absolutely no idea how someone not quite so devoted to the subject matter would take to this film, but it must surely be worth giving it a go.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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