David Bowie

1965 Audition Judges Did Not Like David Bowie

BBC documentary unearths criticism

(Newser) - In 1965, David Bowie—then still known as Davy Jones—auditioned with his group, the Lower Third, for the BBC's Talent Selection Group in an attempt to have their songs played on BBC radio. And while Bowie might be a legend now, back then he failed to impress—and... More »

'Significant' Bowie Recording Found in Bread Basket

Demo tape of star singing at age 16 will go on the auction block

(Newser) - Misplaced oddity? David Bowie's very first demo track, made when he was just 16, is set to go on the auction block in September and could fetch as much as $13,000. The Guardian and Independent report that the 1963 recording of Bowie—then known by his given name,... More »

Bowie Didn't Know He Was Dying Until the Very End

Yet he was still fighting, 'Lazarus' director says in new doc

(Newser) - The music video for "Lazarus" shows David Bowie in a hospital bed, his eyes masked by bandages, as he sings, "Look up here, I'm in heaven, I've got scars that can't be seen." It was while filming that video three months before his death... More »

2 Late Legends in One Old Clip: George Michael, David Bowie

It's from 1992

(Newser) - One of the George Michael videos making the rounds in the wake of his death has a special poignancy: It includes not only Michael but another lost music star of 2016, David Bowie. The clip (see it here ) shows Michael rehearsing for a 1992 tribute to Freddie Mercury with... More »

David Bowie Gets His Own Emoji

It's 'among the more unique tributes to Bowie'

(Newser) - Next time ground control wants to get in touch with Major Tom, it can just text an emoji. According to Emojipedia , the new batch of emojis being released with iOS 10.2 will include—along with a face palm, a shrug, crossed fingers, and more—a singer with a lightning... More »

6-Second Loop From 1969 Is Most Sampled Track Ever

You've almost certainly heard the 'Amen Break'

(Newser) - If you think you haven't heard it, then you haven't been listening to a lot of music over the past 30 years—ranging from hip-hop and electronica to heavy metal and even the likes of David Bowie . The Amen Break is six seconds of fiery drumming laid down... More »

6 Months After His Death, David Bowie Is a Grandfather

Director Duncan Jones announced the birth of his son Friday

(Newser) - Exactly six months after his death from liver cancer, David Bowie became a grandfather, the New York Daily News reports. The music legend's only son, director Duncan Jones, announced the birth of his first child—Stenton David Jones—Friday, tweeting that he was born July 10, "exactly six... More »

Lock of Bowie's Hair Sells for $18K

Wig maker kept it for decades

(Newser) - A wig maker who helped create a fake David Bowie has sold a snippet of the real one at auction. Wendy Farrier was working at the famous Madam Tussauds wax museum in London in 1983 when she cut a lock of the star's hair to make sure she got... More »

Gene Simmons: Prince's Death Was 'Pathetic'

'He killed himself. Don’t kid yourself, that’s what he did'

(Newser) - Gene Simmons set off an Internet firestorm Tuesday when he called Prince's death "pathetic" in an interview with Newsweek . “His drugs killed him," the former KISS frontman says. "What do you think, he died from a cold?” A cause of death has not been established,... More »

David Bowie's Son Stunned by Lorde's Tribute to His Dad

'Just ... beautiful'

(Newser) - David Bowie's son didn't exactly rave about Lady Gaga's tribute to his late dad at the Grammys earlier this month, but he had kinder words for Lorde, who performed Bowie's "Life on Mars?" at the Brit Awards in London Wednesday, the Guardian reports. "Finally... More »

David Bowie's Son Not Gaga for Gaga

Duncan Jones apparently didn't enjoy the Grammy tribute to his father

(Newser) - Lady Gaga performed a medley of 10 hits by David Bowie during the Grammys on Monday. But Entertainment Weekly reports the late musician's son may not have been bowled over by the tribute. "'Overexcited or irrational, typically as a result of infatuation or excessive enthusiasm; mentally confused.... More »

Gaga Channels Bowie in Cosmic Tribute

She even came with a new Bowie tattoo

(Newser) - Lady Gaga showed up on the Grammys red carpet all Ziggy Stardusted-up in her Marc Jacobs getup and platform heels , ostensibly to get her pumped for her much-talked-about tribute to David Bowie (she even got a giant tattoo of Bowie on her torso over the weekend, per the New York ... More »

Here's Who's Getting What From Bowie's $100M Estate

His will leaves $1M to a former nanny

(Newser) - David Robert Jones' will was filed in court on Friday, the New York Times reports. This is noteworthy only in that Jones was better known as David Bowie , and the estate he left behind is worth approximately $100 million. According to the BBC , half of his fortune—as well as... More »

David Bowie Auditioned for LOTR

According to Dominic Monaghan

(Newser) - David Bowie had many iconic roles in his lifetime, and Dominic Monaghan says the singer tried to add one more to the list. Monaghan, who played Merry in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, tells the Huffington Post that while he was auditioning for the role, he saw David Bowie... More »

Petition to Kanye: Do Not Cover David Bowie

West says he wasn't planning on it, anyway

(Newser) - No sooner had a rumor surfaced in the British press that Kanye West was planning a David Bowie tribute album than an online petition emerged demanding that he cease and desist, reports Mashable . As of Wednesday morning, nearly 9,000 people had signed on just in case. "David Bowie... More »

Constellation Named for David Bowie

A star on Earth, now a bunch of stars in the heavens

(Newser) - We may not be able to get a higher power to bring David Bowie back to Earth , but at least we can now see him whenever we look skyward. Ziggy Stardust will be forever memorialized in the cosmos thanks to a group of Belgian astronomers and a Belgian radio station,... More »

Bowie Scores First No. 1 Album Ever

His 'Blackstar' debuts at top of Billboard 200 chart

(Newser) - If only David Bowie were here to see it. The legendary rocker just scored his first-ever No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with his newly released Blackstar, Billboard reports. Less than a week after Bowie died of cancer , his jazz-inspired record streaked to the top with 181,000... More »

Simpsons Honored Bowie, Alan Rickman ... 3 Years Ago

Wild

(Newser) - It was inadvertent, notes Entertainment Weekly , but oddly prescient: a February 2013 episode of The Simpsons that honored Alan Rickman—and David Bowie. The Simpsons Twitter account on Thursday linked to a video clip from the episode, a spoof of Love Actually, which featured Rickman. The tweet refers to as... More »

David Bowie's Family Issues Message to Fans

'We welcome everyone’s celebration of his life as they see fit'

(Newser) - The family of rock legend David Bowie , who died Sunday at 69 after a largely secret battle with cancer, thanked his fans while asking for their privacy to be respected in a Facebook post Thursday. "We are overwhelmed by and grateful for the love and support shown throughout the... More »

Report: Bowie Cremated in NY

Producer says he was still working on new songs

(Newser) - Ashes to ashes, funk to funky. David Bowie has already been cremated in New York City, and the only public services or memorials for the beloved singer will be those that fans organize for themselves, sources tell the Mirror . A source in New York tells the paper that Bowie wanted... More »