David Bowie 1979-05-20 Bowie Is The DJ (On Star Special BBC Radio One) – SQ 9
Sound Quality Rating
Label : No label
Audio Source : Radio Broadcast
Lineage : off master Mike Jewell
Total running time : 1:58:20
Sound Quality : very good. Equals record or radio/TV apart from a slight noise and some dullness.
Artwork : yes
David Bowie on Star Special BBC Radio One
āHello This is David Bowie. Itās a bit grey out today but Iāve got some Perrier water, and a bunch of records⦠erm, I think if I was walking outside at the moment I would like to be walking on this street⦠itās āLove Streetā by āThe Doorsā.ā
01. Plays The Doors: āLove Streetā.
āA commanding performer, I remember seeing him once at⦠erm⦠I think it was the Roundhouse, when they came to London the first time⦠I believe Iām right⦠somebody else that erm⦠I think is working at the Roundhouse over the next few weeks⦠a buddy of mine, Iggy Pop, this is just something I remember with affection because itās when I was with him on tour playing piano for him this oneās called āTV Eyeā.ā
02. Plays Iggy Pop: āTV Eyeā.
āAlso on piano is a gentleman⦠I think, a really despondent track⦠erm⦠heād left his band, and he was doing his first solo album.. I found it rivetingly depressing, I really enjoyed playing it to myself, itās called āRememberā by John Lennon⦠very good piano, I think itās Billy Preston actually.ā
03. Plays John Lennon: āRememberā.
(chuckle)⦠āRight⦠letās play āLove Streetā again ha ha no ha ha growing up and being angry, thatās what this one is all about erm ā96 Tears by Question Mark and The Mysterions which nobody has in their record collections ha ha⦠yes, theyāve actually got it here⦠good old Beeb.ā
04. Plays ? and The Mysterions: ā96 Tearsā.
āThatās an extraordinary piece of music⦠umm⦠there was another incredible one by 13th Floor Elevators⦠I canāt remember that one very well⦠around the same period I think⦠I guess some Punk freak will correct me on that one⦠erm⦠this is a Punk that I sorta grew⦠I was incredibly impressed by this one when I first heard it it was a real use of music in describing a situation musically⦠erm⦠and itās also nice and short, but itās classical music. Itās very good⦠itās des⦠well you see what it describes⦠itās by Elgar.ā
05. Plays Elgar: āNursery Suiteā (extract).
āIt was in fact a wagon⦠I expect you guessed, didnāt you? Ha. It was from the Nursery suite, oh and hereās another nursery song⦠erm, this oneās interesting because I thought it was a extraordinary thing to use numbers as backing vocals, I really liked that idea and I just heard it again but hereās the first one I heard, itās āInchwormā by Danny Kaye.ā
06. Plays Danny Kaye: āInchwormā.
āOkay so thatās one use of numbers, but if you want to get very modern thereās a chappie called Philip Glass⦠listen how he uses numbers⦠I think probably his music could point to a particular direction that music may be⦠oh some aspects of music maybe going at the moment⦠this is from an Opera that he wrote which is about erm fifteen and a half years long and they put some selections out from this album called āEinstein On The Beachā and this particular piece is called Trial ā Prison and there is a lovely little narration in it by a one of the singers⦠itāll be on the left hand side of the speaker if youāve got stereo, on the right hand side if youāve got āem plugged in the wrong way round.ā
07. Plays Philip Glass: āTrial Prisonā.
āFirst single that I heard when I first went to America, on the first day that I got there was in New York and I was taken over to a writers apartment that he had in probably on 8th Avenue somewhere and he played me a new album that had just come out and he was very excited about this track and so was I.ā
08. Plays Velvet Underground: āSweet Janeā.
āFrom the sublime to the ridiculous Brian Eno put together a compilation album of four new bands from America, one of them called āMarsā Iām not particularly fond of much of the album but this one piece of music bowled me over, I think itās superb, itās called Helen Fordsdale.ā
09. Plays Mars: āHelen Fordsdaleā.
āHow about that lot, it reminds me of ah I think its Minnie from the Goon Show, doesnāt it you?? Helen Fordsdale (done in Goons accent). Ha ha itās the most eccentric voice Iāve heard in years, itās incredible erm oh oh this is quite absurd as well⦠guess who this is?? erm this is called āHeās A Starā⦠I think I got the title right⦠I couldnāt believe this when I first heard it.ā
10. Plays Little Richard: āHeās My Starā.
āThat was Little Richard⦠Thatās a far cry isnāt it? He had this strange thing where he threw all his rings and everything away and became a preacher for a little bit and this was an outcome of that when he started doing gospel music and church music but how he changed his voice like that I must have given up something else I think erm⦠this is er⦠if you fancy yourself as a schizophrenic I think this becomes ya theme song I used to love this one⦠21st Century Schizoid Man by young Robert Frippās very exciting band King Crimson.ā
11. Plays King Crimson: ā21st Century Schizoid Manā.
āHereās a band I admire very much, some very charming people, David Byrne in particular weāre talking about āTalking Headsā of course um, hereās a track from, I think it was their last album āMore Songs About Buildings And Foodā I found this very impressive it took me back actually to the early days of The Yardbirds I donāt know why itās called āWarning Signā.ā
12. Plays Talking Heads: āWarning Signā.
āYardbirds of course leads in very beautifully to Jeff Beck⦠this was a piece of music he wrote and I think they must have done it in about four and a half minutes because it really sounds like it was thrown together, but like all classics it just it still shoots out of the speakers, itās called Becks Bolero.ā
13. Plays Jeff Beck: āBecks Boleroā.
āHereās a song that made me fall in love with the singer, absolutely incredible⦠my heart went straight out to her and it was produced by Phil Spector. I maybe wrong but I think itās the last single he ever made because he was so depressed that it didnāt do anything, that nobody bought it erm which is quite ironic really ācos the title was āTry Some, Buy Someā by his ex wife Ronnie Spector.ā
14. Plays Ronnie Spector: āTry Some, Buy Someā.
āHereās a guy that probably did as much for the early 70, sound in England as did Spector for the 60ās sound in America erm single handedly changed an awful lot of what was happening soundwise in England its my old buddy Marc Bolan and 20th Century Boy, which he always will be.ā
15. Plays T-Rex: ā20th Century Boyā.
āOkay hereās some guys that followed in the tradition of what young Marc was going down I sāpose⦠theyāre called āThe Mekonsā I hope they gig a lot they deserve to with this track itās called āWhere Were Youā⦠has a beautiful sort of Velvet Underground top guitar over it.ā
16. Plays The Mekons: āWhere Were Youā.
āThereās a new singer⦠I donāt know if heās a new singer. Heās probably as⦠dadās heard him for years but I mean⦠heās new to me anyway, his nameās Steve Forbert, and this is a track from his new album, I like it particularly ācos one of my old band is on it, Dave Sanborn is playing saxophone on it, itās called āBig City Catā.ā
17. Plays Steve Forbert: āBig City Catā.
(hums the outro to āBig City Catā) ā Running out of things to play you⦠oh no, I tell ya what⦠this is another kind of love song also by āThe Stonesā⦠erm this oneās called āWe Love Youā⦠Iām sure they mean it!!
18. Plays The Rolling Stones: āWe Love Youā.
āAnother very deserving band⦠this one⦠I think this also caught everybodyās imagination, especially if you liked Humphrey Bogart it was called ā2HBā⦠very clever pun isnāt it? Isnāt that a clever pun? and itās by Roxy Music.ā
19. Plays Roxy Music: ā2HBā.
āYou see ha! If youāre an artist ha! 2HB is a pencil you see, 2HB!! Dāya get it?!! HB means Humphrey Bogart⦠Thatās a pun!! ātis⦠thatās a pun!!!⦠Roxy Music thought that up!! Erm⦠hereās a great writer⦠um⦠I donāt like very much what heās doing now⦠I loved this album when it came out, it was on Asbury Park⦠erm Bruce Springsteen and after I heard this track I never rode the subway again⦠itās called āSaint In The Cityā.ā
20. Plays Bruce Springsteen: āSaint In The Cityā.
āThat really scared the living ones out of me that⦠hereās one that also scared me ācos it was so incredibly adventurous at the time when it was released erm⦠itās by Stevie Wonder and itās a startling piece called āFingertipsā.ā
21. Plays Stevie Wonder: āFingertipsā.
āLetās bring back the good weather again⦠letās try very hard anyway⦠erm⦠now what can we do that with.. I think we can probably do it⦠letās leave it to Blondie⦠a little up-tempo thing called āRip Her To Shredsā.ā
22. Plays Blondie: āRip Her To Shredsā.
āHow about that then?⦠lovely little Debbie ⦠itās gotta good hook⦠as Kierkegaard used to say ha ha!! āHas it got a good hookā⦠sad that one⦠really quite sad⦠Iām sorry that so many of these are quite sad.. it must say something about⦠aah itās the weather you know, itās the weather⦠either that or itās these shoes⦠really hurt⦠aa erm me toes hurt inbetween⦠I⦠er⦠got these strange sort of Japanese sandals on⦠and er⦠they hurt your toes in there⦠anyway, itās not hurting the music⦠it doesnāt worry you does it?? Does it worry you?? Okay. This oneās called āBeautiful Loserā and itās by Bob Seger.ā
23. Plays Bob Seger: āBeautiful Loserā.
āNow Iām not sure about that one erm⦠I think⦠I think itās quite nice⦠I only played it ācos its got the word āLodgerā in it and thatās my new album title⦠erm but you donāt have to worry ābout that, thatās just an ego problem⦠erm hereās a track from my album and itās called āBoys’ā.
24. Plays David Bowie: āBoys Keep Swingingā.
āNow that song really does have a problem⦠ha ha!! It really does have a problem um well whilst weāre still on the same subject hereās one that I wrote⦠I started writing this thing in Berlin⦠erm and I ended up finishing this thing in New York⦠itās gotta sorta Turkish quality to it..erm⦠I find it quite hypnotic, I think itās one of my favourite tracks on the album, itās called āYassassinā.ā
25. Plays David Bowie: āYassassinā.
āYassassin, if itās of any interest to you means ālong lifeā in Turkish. I didnāt know that, I had to phone up the Turkish Embassy and find out what it meant, I read it on a wall⦠I read most things on a wall⦠I read Kierkegaard on a wall⦠Ha!!⦠He speaks highly of me as well⦠ha ha ha ha!!! Erm⦠oh well as weāre talking about books and things, hereās āThe Book I Readā by Talking Heads.ā
26. Plays Talking Heads: āThe Book I Readā.
āThatās Talking Heads⦠see theyāre different to me, I mean they actually go and read the books⦠theyāve never read any walls⦠Iāve read them on a wall though⦠next to Kierkegaard⦠erm⦠hereās a smashing Roxy Music track called āFor Your Pleasureā⦠and I love the āta-raā at the end⦠itās a beautiful gesture.ā
27. Plays Roxy Music: āFor Your Pleasureā.
āI saw them in concert the other week in New York, it was very good⦠any of you see it??⦠the new show⦠I⦠Iām quite pleased they reformed. Their bass player is very good, awfully good bass player⦠he jumps very well⦠they got a good jumping bass player ya know, Roxy Music⦠excellent⦠one of the best little jumpers Iāve seen⦠this is erm⦠this is a mess⦠no⦠this is erm a track by King Curtis who is a fine musician, I hope you enjoy it, itās called āSomething On Your Mindā.ā
28. Plays King Curtis: āSomething On Your Mindā.
āAnd here are three girls whoāve got a very musical dad⦠and er one of the girls is very sexy and I keep playing her records over and over again when Iām on my own⦠erm itās The Staple Singers and itās called āLiesā.ā
29. Plays Staple Singers: āLiesā.
āNow she breathes very well doesnāt she?ā (Bowie sings) Lies⦠I mean the Roxy Music guy jumps better, but she can really breathe⦠she does a good breathe⦠well Iām afraid I canāt find anymore to play so erm⦠Iām going to erm⦠I brought three of these records along myself by the way⦠erm Iāll tell you which ones I brought along ācos I knew they wouldnāt have them here⦠itās not their fault⦠shops were closed⦠erm⦠I bought āThe Mekons ā Where Were Youā⦠thatās mine⦠āPhilip Glass ā Einstein On The Beachā⦠thatās mine as well⦠and erm the No New York album with the wonderful āMarsā track⦠thatās mine as well⦠thought Iād let you know that Iām going out to write my name on a wall now⦠ā¦maybe Iāll meet you at the wall Ha! Ha! Backs to the walls chaps!!⦠ok⦠ta-raā¦ā
[Outro music begins ā āSpeed Of Lifeā from āLowā]
Can we still listen to this? If so where or how?!
I came looking for this; I heard it when broadcast and being a Bowie fan it was a fantastic treat to hear him talking conversationally out of my radio. I remembered it ever after because of the section on 2.H.B. when he was talking wryly about the title being a pun…I was just hoping to find the tracklist played on the broadcast, but so pleased to find this transcript!.