{"id":2505,"date":"2019-02-02T12:15:57","date_gmt":"2019-02-02T12:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/?p=2505"},"modified":"2021-04-09T12:28:43","modified_gmt":"2021-04-09T11:28:43","slug":"david-bowie-finding-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/?p=2505","title":{"rendered":"David Bowie: Finding Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For DAVID BOWIE, the \u201960s were a searching period of knock-backs and artistic U-turns. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

His early work has rarely been shown the love it deserves. This all looks set to change in 2019. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

The Radio Times<\/em> has a sharp 1968 Bowie as its cover star this week (nice cover, guys. Seen that somewhere before….). A new limited 7\u201d box set of previously unreleased late \u201960s demos entitled Spying Through A Keyhole\u00a0<\/i>is due for release in April \u2013 but first, BBC Two will air the much-anticipated David Bowie \u2013 Finding\u00a0<\/i>Fame\u00a0<\/i>next Saturday. The conclusion of film-maker Francis Whately\u2019s acclaimed trilogy of documentary films on Bowie, it focuses on his early years. Shindig!<\/em>\u00a0has been lucky enough to watch a preview copy. MARTIN RUDDOCK digs everything<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s only February, but when those inevitable end of year \u2018Best Of 2019\u2019 clip shows roll around \u2013 it\u2019ll be a crime if they don\u2019t include longtime David Bowie sideman Carlos Alomar dissecting his old bosses infamous 1967 novelty single \u2018The Laughing Gnome\u2019. Alomar, the man who lit up Bowie\u2019s soul and Berlin eras with understated funk is an unlikely cheerleader for the much-maligned ‘Gnome’ \u2013 but watching him gleefully run through it with guitar in hand makes for excellent telly.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=w-ShvccGqsw<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The \u2018Gnome\u2019 sequence of Francis Whately\u2019s new film on Bowie\u2019s formative era Finding Fame\u00a0<\/i>is just one of many highlights. Cleverly cutting the song to clips of Anthony Newley from The Strange World Of Gurney Slade<\/i>, Whately gives it the sort of insights that would generally be glossed over by many critics in favour of the umpteenth deep dive into \u2018Heroes\u2019. And it\u2019s great fun. Alomar points out the unlikely similarities to the Velvets \u2018Waiting For The Man\u2019, while slowed down out-takes of the infamous sped-up gnome speech include an unmistakeable bark of \u201cFARK ORF!\u201d from Bowie.<\/span><\/p>\n