If There is Something

 Okay, strap in.

This post is gonna be a journey. Try to keep up.

A blog that I enjoy visiting is 

Pushing Ahead of the Dame, a blog that was started

years ago by a dedicated David Bowie fan who had set out to 

demystify every single Bowie song.

It's a great resource if you're interested in learning more about

a specific Bowie song or album. A great place to park your mind for a bit,

while you learn a bit more about the influences Bowie drew from, where he

found inspiration, or why a certain song has such a weird title.

Anyway, the most recent post (updates aren't very frequent anymore,

as the author has gone through Blackstar and dead men

write no new songs, but re-issues or new releases or anniversaries of note are still

being commented upon) is about the 30 year anniversary of Tin Machine II.

Part of the reason I enjoy the Dame's blog so much is the wonderful comments

to the wonderfully written blog posts. I would bet that his loyal readers are

some of the wittiest, most well-read, astute, and well-written as any group I've

encountered in a blog community.

So, yes, Tin Machine II. The second of the Tin Machine albums. Tin Machine,

as we'll recall, was Bowie's attempt to disappear into a band after his less

than stellar late 80s album offerings didn't quite meet his (or his fans') expectations.

One particularly interesting comment was that this album (leaving out Blackstar) was the

only without Bowie's image on the cover. Even Outside and Reality have cartoon

versions of his face. The back of the cover is the band as shown from behind. You just

see the backs of their shoulders and heads. 

I would argue that he is on the cover.

This is the album cover in question. Four identical male nude statues.

None of them look like Bowie. 

But I noticed their posture, their legs, their hands.

Compare it to the famous Station to Station era photo shoot.

Pretty similar, eh?

Knowing Bowie's tendancy to recycle ideas and icons, I would reckon this wasn't
an accident. And the men aren't Bowies because he wasn't the main

feature of Tin Machine. Or at least, he seemed to have tried not to be the main

feature, which seems silly, even then, that a star of his clout could disappear into a band

without anyone noticing. 

The album itself, which I had to actively seek out isn't really all that bad.

The music which in the early 90s would have seemed a bit too rough and

tumble, don't seem all that odd to modern ears. As I am listening to it

with very modern ears, I don't hear anything too out of place, or even why it

was deemed a lesser Bowie production. It isn't his usual experimental fare,

but it is a fairly well put together album, even with the tunes he isn't

the lead singer. The musicianship is solid, and even forgiving a few odd lyrics

it's a pretty good rock album.

And, honestly, again with modern ears, some of his melodies sound

like they would fit in perfectly on Earthling, which was be released 6/7 years later.

Side note: Another comment on the Tin Machine II post that made me

stop and think was someone's observation that Bowie's personality during 

the Tin Machine era was a bit off-putting. 
"Who was he trying to be, anyway?"

Another commented that perhaps he was trying to be a modern

version of the Baal character he had played on stage at about the same

time Tin Machine was in operation. This is actually a pretty good observation.

Baal is objectively a nasty person. He causes a suicide, and murders his friend, 

among other debaucheries. Even his style at that time reflect his stage-character,

albeit less scruffy and more contemporary.

Side side note: I have seen the filmed version of this play, with Bowie as

the leading man, but only recently tried to find the book upon which it was based.

I ordered a copy, which hasn't arrived yet, but look forward to digging into

the dialogue a bit more. And who doesn't need some more

German Expressionism in their life, amiright?

Fortunately, for everyone involved, Bowie seemed to have let

go of this abrasive personality during the 90s revival. 

All right, so that's the main thing I wanted to say.

And now, a few reviews.

This photo is Serious Moonlight David Bowie, 1983 tour, I believe.

It came along with a tour book I got from A Popular Internet Auction Site.

I wanted the tour book, which did indeed arrive, 

but it was sold with this photo, frame included.

The frame is kinda cheap, and only very passably made.

So that's how I ended up with this rather weird photo of Bowie, 

in which he looks like he'd rather not be on stage at the moment.

Why did someone choose to frame this photo? There are scads of

wonderful pictures, even candids, of him looking happy

and relaxed, or he's posing in a provocative way, or is at least smiling. 

Why frame this one?

Maybe it was a shot from a fan at a concert.

FrontSeat Shark has a friend!

This second review is this large shark.

I finally got one. The IKEA giant soft shark!

Ain't he great?!

So soft. So sharky.

It was sent to me all squished into a box that I wouldn't have believed

it would squish down into, but it did and when I pulled it out it

fluffed up and was soft and adorable.

It's basically a huge shark-shaped pillow and I still don't quite know

what to do with it, so it's just chillin on my bed, being all soft

and pillowy and sharky.