Ten Years Gone

 

Doesn't seem like ten years as his music remains a constant part of my life, comforting, inspiring and just great to listen (and dance) too. Been lots of lovely tributes around which I've dipped in and out off but the music is the one I return to again and again. 

I'm pleased that I bought and played Blackstar before he died and had a chance to absorb it a little before the sad news emerged a couple of days later.

Something happened on the day he died and the stars look very different today. 

Birthday Bowie

Happy Birthday Starman, gone but not forgotten - almost 9 years now! Playing my favourite album of his, not only a great listen but the first I bought on release, happy memories.

MCM Manchester!

Fantastic 'Ziggy Bowie' cos-player at this year's show (pic MCM's own site)

Last weekend's Manchester MCM was fun, busy and inspiring with lots of interest in our books and sales at the same level as last year. So although not a return to the 'heady' heights of 2015, the recent decline seems to have eased to a sustainable level. Certainly a 'hometown' show like Manchester with minimal costs is a welcome boost and helps offset other shows where travel and accommodation costs can eat into finances.

The show was very crowded both days and seemed busier that last year but the reported 36,000 attendance (gulp!) is, I think around the same as 2016? In any case the celebrity guests and special attractions seemed popular and everyone we spoke to had said they'd enjoyed the show and would return which is nice to hear.

For the first time since, I think, last year's Thought Bubble show, the whole Accent UK crew was there with WesterNoir co-writer & artist Gary Crutchley joining Jemma, Scott, Dave and I. Its always good when we all get together and make plans on what's happening next, in this case co-ordinating our forthcoming trips to the Asylum Steampunk festival and separate MCM Glasgow & Thought Bubble shows which fall on the same weekend this year.

We had a fun social time too meeting up in the evenings with fellow creators and comic dealers which is always an important part of being on the 'convention circuit', both swapping notes on various events and just letting our hair (what's left of it) down!

Dave moonlighting at Mike Garley's table

Going A Little Further!

The above David Bowie quote is something that I took to heart at the end of January to give me a challenging February and (bit of) March as I ventured into unknown waters and as the man says it was "the right place to do something exciting".

The results of my labours are I believe now out there and I will share here as soon as I can. Needless to say it involves two of my favourite things, comics and history!

Oxford Makes The Grade!

The Examination School Oxford - venue of Ox-Con!

Well that was more like it! I'm pleased to report that last weekend's new Ox-Con, (the Oxford Comic-Con), was a success for all participants. Within the stunning historic examination school buildings, comic creators, authors and actors mingled with comic fans, cos players, families and bemused Oxonian academics as comics came to town.

The venue behind - no signage or queue?

Great Oxford views

 




This was perhaps a more modest show launch than perhaps we'd seen elsewhere - no huge snaking queues here - but perhaps it reflected the quiet efficiency of the organisers and Oxford itself. Signage was largely absent but didn't seem to matter as social media & word of mouth had insured that the show had sold out of tickets in advance so there was minimal 'walk in' opportunity.

The Impressive Corridors

Upstairs to the convention!

Entrance Hall - Wait! Is that our The Man Of Glass comic?

 
 
The advance sales had also been carefully organised into early bird and general admission with a two hour gap between ensuring that there was a gentle stream of people making their way up the impressive stairwell to the two oak panelled vendor rooms, with talks taking place below.

Set up at Ox-Con - note the oak panelling? Other shows please take note!

People seemed quietly relaxed about the show, taking their time to study the stalls and options before carefully making their choices, meaning you soon saw the same people make their way round several times before making their purchases. That though was the immediate difference compared with our recent Bolton experience, people were genuinely interested in comics and wanted to find out about them before deciding if their interest was piqued enough to buy, meaning that we had a steady stream of browsers and purchasers from the start.

Inside our 'wing' of the convention floor

Our surroundings!

Although the show was a sell out, the numbers had been restricted by health and safety requirements to 'modest' levels, meaning that, with the rich variety of talks and attractions on offer, the halls did regularly empty with the crowds ebb and flow.

This was fine though, given us frequent chances to nip out for refreshments, (one downside with using a historical building is that no hot drinks were allowed inside!), and to catch up with familiar faces, like T-Pub's Neil Gibson, Mild Frenzy's Iqbal Ali and Richy Chandler amongst many new folk who were also pleased with the way the show went.

Chewie asks Dave to dance

Well dressed customers!

The pauses also allowed us to enjoy the great soundtrack provided through the school's speakers, a carefully curated play list of contemporary music and movie themes which caused many impromptu dancing and movement between the aisles - don't worry those pics are staying hidden!

The Troll find's a home!

Excellent Bowie/Goblin King tribute

So an enjoyable show and although sales were slowly steady, given the attendance restrictions, we were pleasantly surprised to see that we had in fact done pretty well for a first-time show and had indeed covered our costs - despite Oxford City Council's best efforts with outrageous parking charges and aggressive traffic cameras!

The devil's in the detail, they say!

We understand from the organiser's that this was a bit of a trial for both them and the building's trustees and that plans are already underway to open up more areas to allow for a bigger show next time, increasing the attendance restrictions. On this basis, and providing the dates don't clash in the crowded convention calendar, we will gladly return, and review our assessment on Ox-Con's pass mark which on it's 2016 intake, I would award a respectable 2.1 :)

Dave's Oxford thesis can be assessed here.

Goodnight Blackstar

Mmm, been a strange, sad, sombre week for many. I am doing almost the same thing I was this time last week, sorting through some comic colouring related work on the laptop while listening to David Bowie's new album ★ aka 'Blackstar'.

Like last week I will shortly be off to bed and up early in the morning playing chauffeur but unlike last week now I know that the man, the artist behind not just ★ but the (cliche) soundtrack of my life has gone, it's a strange feeling. I posted my initial thoughts on the day the sad news broke, and the week since has been so strange surrounded by Bowie music everywhere, special programmes, tributes and it still has that unreal feeling to it.

I've been playing only his music this week - something I've always regularly done - and it's all so strong and vibrant, something that contemporary artists can't seem to match, which makes his loss more profound, but that legacy he's left behind means of course he'll never really leave us and I hope that all this attention will at least have introduced his music to a new generation who in turn will be inspired.

As for me, well Bowie's already touched my life in so many ways, I've always been hungry to learn, for new things, new places and have made several fairly big changes over the years, possibly influenced by his own restlessness. I've also though not quite been brave enough to follow through with everything, particularly my own comics work, despite having many great opportunities to do so. Has this been a fear of failure or a fear of success or something else? Who knows but as the great man once famously answered to that Proust question;

Q: What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

A: Living in fear

All I have to do then is forget the fear and complete my own art which can't be all that difficult, after all I'll have Bowie's great music to keep my company. Goodnight.

  

Bye, Bye Bowie

What words can convey what it means to lose a Hero? It's a cliche to say that someones music was the "soundtrack to my life" but in David Bowie's case it's as true for me as it is for so many others around the world who, like me are shocked by today's news.

It seems that I was always aware of his music but most likely it was Space Oddity and, truth be told, The Laughing Gnome that I first heard and made an impression on my very young mind. I do remember seeing the colourful Diamond Dogs gatefold LP sleeve on display in our small town's only record (and combined toyshop!) window, so that was in 1974, although I didn't 'get' that music particularly at the time, at only 9 years old I was too young.

For me it was 1980's wonderful Ashes to Ashes which finally allowed me to embrace Bowie, rushing out - as you did back then - to buy the album, Scary Monsters and Supercreeps on cassette which I played to death. This remains my favourite Bowie album, subsequently buying vinyl and CD versions which I still play, and famously also having a 'bubblegum' version which was a very brief craze in the early 1980's of popular records - sadly I no longer have this!

Once Scary Monsters had been absorbed, I was hungry and bought virtually his whole back catalogue including early Deram material with obscure but enjoyable tunes, such as Love You Till Tuesday, Come Buy My Toys, Little Boy Blue and the wonderful creepy Please Mr Gravedigger!

I followed his influences into Iggy, the Velvets and Lou Reed and championed his corner when most of my contemporaries didn't, moving on to the likes of Phil Collins, Rod Stewart etc when I proudly remained (and still do) on the edges of popular culture.

I was lucky enough to see Bowie live three times, following my own life moving through the UK, Serious Moonlight, Scotland 1983, Glass Spider, Wales 1987 and Heathen Tour, England 2002. I kept on with his music throughout with a slight lapse after Tin Machine and was delighted that recent releases, although more sporadic, were still quality and worthy of his talent. We even went to London for the excellent V&A retrospective a couple of years ago, which didn't disappoint.

I bought 'Blackstar' on Saturday so had only played it a couple of times before today's sad news, but it's lyrics, atmosphere and of course those preceding videos were obviously prophetic and it seems his parting gift to us all. I don't mind admitting that I cried when I heard the news but take comfort from the fact that I'm not alone and never will be as I still have his music to accompany my life, bye, bye Mr Bowie and thank you x

2013 Moments in Music

I mentioned that I wasn't quite done with 2013 so here's my wee list of favourite CD's from last year, not necessarily released in 2013 but they all helped form my soundtrack to the year, (and checkout 2012's list here!);

1. DAVID SYLVIAN: Gone To Earth (2006)

2. DEAD CAN DANCE: Anastasis (2012)
3. THE BLUE NILE: Walk Across Rooftops (2012)

4. DEAD CAN DANCE: Wake (2003)

5. DAVID BOWIE: The Next Day (2013)

6. DAVID SYLVIAN: Brilliant Trees (2006)
7. PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING: IEE (2013)

8. LONDON GRAMMAR: If You Wait (2013)

9. ENNIO MORRICONE: Good, Bad & Ugly (1967)
10. THOMAS DOLBY: Floating City (2011)

I came comparatively late to David Sylvian's solo career via his first excellent retrospective Everything & Nothing (2000) and resisted his earlier works thinking that all the best tracks were already on this collection and its ambient companion Camphor (2002) but finally succumbed in 2013 and while there is a little overlap with those releases, both the Gone To Earth and Brilliant Trees remasters are  unexpectedly wonderful and kept me returning to them many times during the year.

 

As did the remaster of The Blue Nile's debut which I'd never previously had on CD despite proudly owning on vinyl back in the day! I would still say that Hats is their best but I was surprised how fresh Rooftops sounded, including the various bonus tracks.

 

After the excellent Albert Hall gig last year I continued my fascination with Dead Can Dance but so far have not dipped into their back catalogue thinking again that Wake will have all the best tracks, but maybe like with David Sylvian, I'll be proved wrong?

 

My other favourites, with the exception of Ennio Morricone, were all pretty much contemporary releases for me headed of course by Mr Bowie!  What a wonderful surprise his return was and while not a true classic, The Next Day is a strong contender and contains many worthy additions to the Bowie songbook. It was also a great reaction by the man himself to move forward while everyone else was looking back at the excellent V&A retrospective, proving that as usual Bowie's at least one step ahead!

 

My other 2013 favourites were mainly discoveries through the increasingly essential BBC 6 Music shows and the live circuit where I managed to see both Public Service Broadcasting and Thomas Dolby perform, separately I should add! P.S.B kept in character during their performance accompanied by the vintage information films which give them their name and are well worth checking out as is their earlier The War Room E.P which preceded their Inform, Educate and Entertain album.

 

 

We caught erstwhile 80's star and pop eccentric/genius Thomas Dolby at a small local intimate venue with maybe 100 or so people on his short Invisible Lighthouse Tour where he provided a live narrative and soundtrack to his recently completed movie about the closure of his local lighthouse and it was really quite something special. He even took a short Q&A session in between encores talking about his inspiration, his music and experiences, a humble and very talented man who, perhaps like Mr Bowie (who Dolby of course accompanied at Live Aid), has not yet turned his back on creating inventive music.

 

  

Moments in London!

Just back from a few enjoyable days in London and for once the trip had nothing to do with comics - apart from catching up with those fine folks at Orbital comics and re-stocking them with our latest titles that is - no this trip was a pure 'touristy' one where me and Mrs M caught up with a few attractions.

Bowie in Station to Station 'Archer' pose as seen at V&A
(picture by John Robert Rowlands 1976)

The main one, for me anyway, was the much heralded David Bowie exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum - the V&A - which I'd really looked forward to. Already well into its extended run, the show is still selling out and we'd been unable to pre-book on t'internet, so took our chances with an early start and after a 45 minute wait had our tickets for a timed slot an hour or so later. This wasn't a problem as the V&A is simply a wonderful place to hang out in and the time flew past.

The 'Bowie Is..' exhibition itself was everything and more that a fan like me could have expected and is certainly the most innovative and enjoyable museum show I've ever been to! You're given a clever audio guide which triggers a specific music track as you walk around the gallery, providing your own personal soundtrack to the exhibits. This works really well to keep you entertained while you patiently queue to see the treats on display.

Bowie self-portrait
(David Bowie archive @ V&A Images)

Among the many costumes are videos displays, props, movie clips and, best of all, handwritten lyrics and sketches by the man himself illustrating his imaginative ideas. His artwork is really quite expressive while his handwriting is usually neat and ordered, although seeing casual lyric changes to favourites such as Five Years and Oh You Pretty Things.

Best of all is towards the end where these giant cinema screens show the same song clips from different tours, encouraging you to sit or stand and just drink in the spectacle and like most other people, you can't help but move, dance or sing, just as you would at a concert!

It took us almost 3 hours to go round it all which itself was amazing the time just flew by, thank you V&A for a fantastic voyage!!

Inside The Chapel at The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich

We also saw a few London sites and attractions which, surprisingly, we'd not been to before, including Westminster Abbey, The Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich and revisits to The National Gallery and The British Museum. All good stuff with many fine moments which would fill several blog posts, but of special mention must be seeing a certain David Livingstone's memorial plaque at the Abbey - no photos allowed of course - and sadly the wreath recently laid on his bi-centenary by Joyce Banda, the President of Malawi was nowhere to be seen, but it was still a very special and reflective moment being there.


President of Malawi lays wreath
(photo from Westminster Abbey website)
 

It really was a perfect London trip despite the patchy weather, as well as the many sights, (and Bowie!) we caught two of the most popular and famous West Ends shows, The evergreen Agatha Christie's Mousetrap (Performance #25,211!) and The mighty Phantom of The Opera (over 11,000 performances and counting!). Both were great fun, the Mousetrap did indeed keep us guessing - although I did correctly name the culprit during the interval (along with 2 other strong candidates!) and The Phantom is the crowd pleasing beast you expect, a true spectacle.

Agatha Christie's new Mrs Marple? 

So we were very lucky with many highlights this trip and a resolve to return again and perhaps better explore Greenwich that we had a little taste for. For any dithering Bowie fans out there though who haven't yet been to the V&A exhibition, just go, go, go you'll be missing out if you don't make the effort to see this unique and 'best-selling' show!   

Looking for Bowie?

Great Expectations....

At the start of the year its normal to reflect on what was and consider what will be and I'll aim to do a bit of that but today just heard the unexpected news that my all time music hero has released a new song ahead of a planned new album, his first for 10 years (is that slower than my comics Dave?), all this and on his 66th birthday too.

Welcome back Mr Bowie, you've been missed....