Before David Bowie became an international jet-set ski-bum megastar (and fixed his teeth) he was closely associated with the avant-garde Arts Lab-influenced side of experimental theatre. Heavily influenced by Anthony Newley and Lindsay Kemp, his persona was a sort of geek-pierrot, engaging in a bizarre multiple-death scenario in this 60s short. It's all a bit self-consciously pseudo-profound but it's an interesting oddity for Bowie fans, showing an early stage of the theatricality that would inform his most creative period (1972-78).
4 Reviews
You can see the beginnings
scottishhighlandwildcat17 August 2019
A very interesting look at the early years of the character we know as Bowie. It's a strange juxtaposition of 60's pop that oozes innocence while at the same time emanating a very adult and sometimes racy innuendo. "Love You 'Til Tuesday" is downright delightfully cheeky. "Let Me Sleep Beside You" is way beyond it's time in terms of raw desire, but you might have to look closely to see that. The miming in "Mask" is downright ballet, demonstrating his inherent animal grace. "Mask" also gives us a very early insight from Bowie into the nature of stardom and the potential destruction residing there, made real by one's own foibles. The unexpected version of "Space Oddity" is certainly like no other you might have heard or seen. Overall, this is a must for Bowie fans who simply must know more.
Oh dear, oh, dear, oh dear ...
Matti-Man22 February 2023
There's no getting away from it ... this is pretty bad. I would imagine this was seriously dated for 1969 ... more Sgt Pepper than Ziggy Stardust, with its self-conscious hippy stylings and dubious support from Hermione and Hutch (who remind me of a pair of Playschool presenters). More so when you consider that the first Led Zeppelin album came out in January of the same year.
Mime is never a good look. It's the sort of thing that would have sent me screaming from the room in 1969, when I was fifteen, and even now, unless you're Charlie Chaplin, just step away from the mime.
Full disclosure, I was never a fan of Bowie in the 1970s, with his freaky clown impressions ... and less so of his late 1960s material. The 1980s stuff was a lot more interesting when he began to embrace funkier danceable stuff like "Fashion", and of course the Nile Rogers-produced material from "Let's Dance" onwards ...
So this is definitely not for me. Fans of early period Bowie might like it better ...
Mime is never a good look. It's the sort of thing that would have sent me screaming from the room in 1969, when I was fifteen, and even now, unless you're Charlie Chaplin, just step away from the mime.
Full disclosure, I was never a fan of Bowie in the 1970s, with his freaky clown impressions ... and less so of his late 1960s material. The 1980s stuff was a lot more interesting when he began to embrace funkier danceable stuff like "Fashion", and of course the Nile Rogers-produced material from "Let's Dance" onwards ...
So this is definitely not for me. Fans of early period Bowie might like it better ...
worth a view
monsieurzy31 January 2006
I had this on video when it was first made available, but got rid of it during a binge of housecleaning..and NOW I wish I had it again for another view..some of it is interesting (as the other reviewer says, you get to see Bowie pre-dental cosmetics..during Space Oddity Bowie looks like he could bite through a microphone with those huge choppers...the best part of this are the performances of two rare Bowie songs: Ching-a-Ling (with ex girlfriend Hermione) and When I'm Five..the Lindsay Kemp inspired pantomime is pretty embarrassing (was Kemp EVER any good?..his performance in Wickerman is one of the few drawbacks)..oh well..I keep my eyes open for chance to pick this up again ...as a side note, youtube.com has several clips from this for your viewing pleasure
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