David Bowie Archive Centre

[Ash Armstrong]

But it won't open till 2025...

[Mr. Holland]

One of my all-time favourite artists. An artist in the true sense of the word; an innovative creator who broke several boundaries.

Have been listening to a lot of Bowie recently. And contra to as it seems a lot of admires, it's not just 70s Bowie either. I love some of his later work like certain stuff from the 90s Earthling and Outside albums and the 2002/2003 albums Heathen and Reality.

Also I am of the opinion that Bowie's best years as a live performer where his last few years, from 2000 - 2004. That's because finally after decades of masking himself either as other characters (Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, Thin White Duke) or trying to be this sort of alternative artist who refused to play many of his biggest hits (much of the 90s), he finally seemed to accept himself as he was and he finally embraced all of his musical output, and he became this warm, witty, charming person on stage who chatted with and to his audiences and played music from his entire career with aplomb (and a magnificent band behind him) and having enormous fun doing so. On his last Reality tour alone, they played 60 songs, changing it up from night to night. Almost as if he forfelt that his days a live performer where coming to an end.

Brilliant artist, very much deserving of his own archive centre.

[Ash Armstrong]

One of my all-time favourite artists. An artist in the true sense of the word; an innovative creator who broke several boundaries.

Have been listening to a lot of Bowie recently. And contra to as it seems a lot of admires, it's not just 70s Bowie either. I love some of his later work like certain stuff from the 90s Earthling and Outside albums and the 2002/2003 albums Heathen and Reality.

Also I am of the opinion that Bowie's best years as a live performer where his last few years, from 2000 - 2004. That's because finally after decades of masking himself either as other characters (Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, Thin White Duke) or trying to be this sort of alternative artist who refused to play many of his biggest hits (much of the 90s), he finally seemed to accept himself as he was and he finally embraced all of his musical output, and he became this warm, witty, charming person on stage who chatted with and to his audiences and played music from his entire career with aplomb (and a magnificent band behind him) and having enormous fun doing so. On his last Reality tour alone, they played 60 songs, changing it up from night to night. Almost as if he forfelt that his days a live performer where coming to an end.

Brilliant artist, very much deserving of his own archive centre.

Will you be coming over for a visit when it opens Arno?

[Mr. Holland]

Will you be coming over for a visit when it opens Arno?

That is certainly something I will consider.

[Enlighten]

One of my all-time favourite artists. An artist in the true sense of the word; an innovative creator who broke several boundaries.

Have been listening to a lot of Bowie recently. And contra to as it seems a lot of admires, it's not just 70s Bowie either. I love some of his later work like certain stuff from the 90s Earthling and Outside albums and the 2002/2003 albums Heathen and Reality.

Also I am of the opinion that Bowie's best years as a live performer where his last few years, from 2000 - 2004. That's because finally after decades of masking himself either as other characters (Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, Thin White Duke) or trying to be this sort of alternative artist who refused to play many of his biggest hits (much of the 90s), he finally seemed to accept himself as he was and he finally embraced all of his musical output, and he became this warm, witty, charming person on stage who chatted with and to his audiences and played music from his entire career with aplomb (and a magnificent band behind him) and having enormous fun doing so. On his last Reality tour alone, they played 60 songs, changing it up from night to night. Almost as if he forfelt that his days a live performer where coming to an end.

Brilliant artist, very much deserving of his own archive centre.

He always had killer bands backing him up too.

[Mr. Holland]

He always had killer bands backing him up too.

I think there has seldom been an artist that was so complete in that he had eye for every detail, whether it being musical (composing, production, arrangements, singing) or visual (styling, clothing, theatre) and indeed that went for choosing musicians for his band as well.

Prince is another artist that comes to mind.

[Enlighten]

I think there has seldom been an artist that was so complete in that he had eye for every detail, whether it being musical (composing, production, arrangements, singing) or visual (styling, clothing, theatre) and indeed that went for choosing musicians for his band as well.

Prince is another artist that comes to mind.

I loved the early 2000’s lineup with Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and Earl Slick on guitar. Tight, tight band.

[Mr. Holland]

I loved the early 2000’s lineup with Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and Earl Slick on guitar. Tight, tight band.

Oh, yes absolutely!

[Ash Armstrong]

And that's before anyone mentions the films he was in.... I saw Scorsese's Last Temptation again recently, and I'd completely forgotten he plays Pilate in it, and very well too! Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence is an outstanding film too, and his cameo in Fire Walk With Me is great.

[Mr. Holland]

And that's before anyone mentions the films he was in.... I saw Scorsese's Last Temptation again recently, and I'd completely forgotten he plays Pilate in it, and very well too! Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence is an outstanding film too, and his cameo in Fire Walk With Me is great.

As is his role in the Jim Henson movie Labyrinth.

[Ash Armstrong]

As is his role in the Jim Henson movie Labyrinth.

I'd forgotten that. Did you ever see him in the BBC adaptation of Brecht and Weill's Baal from the early 80s? The songs were released on a double-single which I used to have but has long-since been gone. No idea if the songs were ever released on an album. I was reading a lot of Brecht's poetry at the time so it was particularly interesting for me.

[Ash Armstrong]

Mr. Holland

[Mr. Holland]

He turned down/did not end up playing some now iconic roles as well; he was the first one to be offered the role of Bond villain Max Zorin in A View to a Kill, but eventually turned it down. "“I didn’t want to spend five months watching my stunt double fall off cliffs,” he later said about this. Christopher Walken took on the role, but some say his blond hair in the movie was a nod to Bowie. Another role Walken took from Bowie was that of Max Schreck in Batman Returns.

He was also considered for the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, but conflicting schedules prevented him.

[Mr. Holland]

I'd forgotten that. Did you ever see him in the BBC adaptation of Brecht and Weill's Baal from the early 80s? The songs were released on a double-single which I used to have but has long-since been gone. No idea if the songs were ever released on an album. I was reading a lot of Brecht's poetry at the time so it was particularly interesting for me.

Haven't seen it. Will certainly try to.

[kkleinschmidt]

This looks interesting and I would love to see this sort of thing travel to our part of the world, but the chances that we'll ever get back to London are slim to none at this point so once this opens to the public we're going to have to count on our European YesFans to provide a full report on how it looks in person.